Hilton or Mariott
 

okay, i'm posting this question in both areas.

I'm starting to travel more and more for my job and i currently have about 90K points on Hilton and Gold but nothing on Mariott.

Which one do most of you perfer? I can use all my 90K points next month on a vacation and start fresh on Mariott.

which one gets points quicker? how about redemption? How many points on Mariott for a free night?

should i just keep my HH and continue building it?

Where are you traveling? How many total nights per year? What are your reward goals? Are you in the U.S. or outside the U.S.?

Marriott and Hilton have a lot of similarities but a few key differences. I'm active with both, but Marriott gets my revenue hotel stays for the most part. Hilton gets some credit card activity and I direct some AA miles there when I need more HH points.

HH strengths:

- At the lower end of the spectrum (rural and suburban brands), it's stronger than Marriott.
- Elites are treated fairly at resorts. (At Marriott, they aren't.)
- HH Gold, for being a giveaway status with the new credit card, is still a pretty good status right out of the box.
- The primary HH award - 175k for 6 nights - is within reach for most moderate business travelers. You reach this "sweet spot" award faster at Hilton than at other programs.
- Good transfer-in option from AA miles without loss of value (by most reasonable measures)

MR strengths:
- More consistent product at the full-service brands. Very few "bad" Marriott and Renaissance hotels.
- Great Travel Package awards...one of my favorite awards in any program. It's a good transfer-out option at great value that indirectly (via AA) can yield Hilton nights if you choose. Longer haul to get to this level for most travelers though.
- Good non-points-related promos once you hit mid-tier (Elite Exclusive Offers, etc.)
- Many more extended-stay offerings than HH (two different true suite brands plus a division dedicated to furnished apartments in many cities)

[QUOTE=pinniped;11552060]- Elites are treated fairly at resorts. (At Marriott, they aren't.)


DH is currently at a Marriot resort. He has been given free golf ( cart fees only) both days he played and coupons for Starbucks. though no lounge or anything - that more than works.

The other thing to look at is you can make top tier in Hilton with only 28 single nite stays.

It takes 75 nites at Marriot.

you must note that the consistency level part is true.. the bad news is they are holding the line on the minimal level of consistency.. you will not be pleasantly surprised

HH will let a husband and wife link their accounts so that points from stays by either person go into one account. Marriott will not let spouses link their accounts.

HH will let you get points AND miles. Marriott is either or.

My opinion is that there aren't radical differences between the two loyalty programs. And one thing to keep in mind... the programs change all the time.

Last summer I switched from Hilton to Marriott for all my travel after a very careful analysis, and lo and behold Marriott changed their program a few months later.

Same with switching airlines from US Air to Delta. Shortly after I switched, US Air reinstated all the benefits that they had taken away -- which was the reason I switched to begin with.

So I am now making my decisions based on this: Which hotel chain and airline offers me the most convenience.

I've decided to stick with Marriott because they have more properties to choose from in the cities where I tend to travel. And I'm sticking with Delta because they offer more flights to those cities and more direct flights.

If you make your decision based on quantity and quality of options, you'll be happier in the long run because the competitive nature of the marketplace tends to even out loyalty programs over time.

And the results of the OPs post will be...

folks on this board generally perfer Marriott.

Folks on the Hilton board generally perfer Hilton.

I think a lot of it depends on which you start with. It's hard to change LOL!

While Marriott doesn't "link" spouse accounts, Marriott will allow not only spouses, but points from virtually any two accounts to be used for ordering awards. ^

Hilton no longer offers mutual accounts. That option went away long ago - except for those that are grandfathered

:)

More on Marriott vs Hilton at: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...t-rewards.html

Kohoutek

Both Hilton and Marriott programs are really not traveler friendly. If OP wants comfortable stays and points faster that can be used for complimentary nights I would look into SPG, Hyatt, or IC RA programs.

Free golf...that's pretty sweet! Was it part of a promotion or is it part of that property's policy for Gold or Platinum guests?

The ability to qualify on stays is definitely important to some: Starwood and HHonors have it; Marriott does not.

The Marriott Rewards Visa available in the US was updated about two years ago to include 15 elite-qualifying nights instead of the previous comp Silver. This brings Gold down to 35 "real" nights and Plat down to 60. That said, I don't know how many markets have that option: I still see the "old" Marriott Visa marketed in Europe.

Yeah, consistency is a double-edged sword. On one hand, I know I can book a Marriott sight unseen and have a good idea what I'm going to get. It is very rare that I walk into a Marriott and think "Wow, this place is really hip, edgy, and full of character." (Hold your laughs... :p) It's more like "OK, this Marriott feels a lot like the one in Minneapolis, the one in Tulsa, the ones in Chicago, the ones in Dallas, etc." I feel this way even when I'm walking into one of their Category 8 properties in London. I'm confident that as a Plat they won't screw up my reservation or room, but I'm not going to be inspired.

Marriott spins the Renaissance brand as their edgier brand, and there are some cool Renaissances out there. (The one in London is very good.) But there are also a bunch that look and feel like, well, Marriotts...

All of this said, my problem with Hilton in the consistency department is that they allow some rather shabby hotels to wear the mainline Hilton and Doubletree brands. I'm much less likely to book a Hilton sight unseen. I feel the need to research it more and find out if people actually like the hotel.

^

BTW, OP, it's Marriott. Two r's.

Kohoutek

Clearly on the Marriott board I prefer them, but as one who also did some research before banking in. Getting a 50% point bonus as a Plat means a lot more to me than the HH option. The "miles or points" doesn't appeal to me b/c the points aren't as good as a 50% bonus and I fly enough DL to earn plenty of miles on them on my own.

Also, for similar properties, Marriott points go a LOT farther. Hilton often charges 35K for a Hampton Inn. Marriott's similar property, the Courtyard, goes for 10K a night. Both programs are 10 points per dollar spent. So I can earn free nights a whole heck of a lot faster on MR than HH.

Like others have said - if you plan to primarily travel internationally on points, another program might be better. MR and HH still predominantly have higher end hotels in major intl cities only. Priority Club has the "lower end", Holiday Inn available in many intl cities saving points for nights when you don't need swank digs.

All said, I stay 10 nights at Hilton per year to keep some status, even though only silver. I stay enough nights (usually with a promo) to keep Gold at SPG, Plat with Priority and Plat with Marriott (yeah, I know, I'm never home!). So I share 'em around but tend to prefer Marriott for rewards redemption in major intl cities.

To be fair, that's an extreme example. More Hamptons aren't 35k HH and most Courtyards are 15k-20k per night.

The types of markets likely to have a Cat 2 Courtyard at 10k per night would be likely candidates to have a Cat 1 Hampton also at 10k per night. (HH also has "Opportunity" hotels for 7500 per night, but these are few and far between.)

Most typical suburban areas where these brands are popular are likely to have a Cat 3 CY and some sort of Cat 2 HH property. (Again, those are basically the same category because Hilton throws in this "Opportunity" level which is on par with a Marriott Cat 1.)

Across the levels, I generally find that I get similar reward value per dollar spent at HH and MR. I factor my value on GLONP2's vs. Marriott 087's but it still seems to hold roughly true on the smaller awards. So it really isn't the rewards bang-for-buck that makes the decision for me. Both are competitive.

The difference maker for me was the shabby mainline Hiltons/Doubletrees and the fact that when I badly need HH points, I can get 'em elsewhere.

I don't doubt the posters results below but I find that to be a bit of a stretch for the general redemption process regarding HI's... I had 3 nights during a prime period at the Hampton Inn Hermosa beach for 25K per night.. so paying 35K (& IMHO saying often is quite a misleading statement) is the outlier here.

im also confused on the 50% bonus. it was 30% until 3 months ago so its really only a 20% increase. HH Diamonds get a 50% bonus as well plus the my way would allow for another 50% or in essence 20 pts per dollar..that IMHO beats 15 points per dollar.. of course both have credit cards to add to this point total

I'm not sure what DL has to do with this other than that DL bonus but one does not have to choose that bonus as you can take the points instead.

Contrary to what the poster says about a CY, yes there are some for 10K if you like Fargo in December.. but the majority of them are definitely greater than 10K.. so another misleading statement in my opinion.

so to the OP, don't just use this post as a basis for your decision or you are sure to be disappointed

Mort stated: "If you make your decision based on quantity and quality of options, you'll be happier in the long run....."

I would add "based on the quantity and quality of options THAT YOU WILL USE.........."

Some programs have options that other FT'ers adore, and I could care the least about. I feel certain the reverse is also true. Picking what you will enjoy and use is far more important than solely selecting on points.

I agree that there are bad Hiltons and Doubletrees, but I have had bad stays in some Marriotts / Renn's as well. So I would NEVER book either site unseen.

likewise although I do book if there are enough FT recommendations for the property

I have redeemed points for Marriott cat 1 or 2 hotels and been surprised how nice they are. Mind you, I am just looking for a room and nothing like a resort. But it is nice to spend like 40k to 75k and get 5 nights hotel. My feeling is Marriott points go a lot farther if one shops.

Easier to obtain/maintain status w/Hilton...
 

This has been a real issue for me--Marriott vs Hilton in the last two years. I'm still a die-hard Hilton, but for whatever reason, Hilton has just been less generous with allowing a true state rate (not a gov't rate--those are almost always higher).

Case in point....going to Woodland Hills next week. The Hilton (which I have always really liked--mostly because of the awesome gym and nice lounge) won't even budget to the state rate. Marriott @ Warner Center did budge...they allowed all 4 of us to get the state rate--Hilton didn't care...said "no." Same thing for the next week, this time downtown LA. Hilton Checkers--no way....no paultry state rate for you guys. Downtown LA Marriott--heck, I didn't even have to call and beg for the rate...it was right on line!

Incidentially, I will say this about Marriott. When it comes to exec lounge at a FS Marriott vs. a FS Hilton, from my limited experience (in the states anyway), Marriott kicks a**. It kind of feels like the Hilton exec lounges that we go to OUT of the states! Just spent a week at the San Mateo Marriott Airport....wow. What service. And the exec lounge? Total quality over crap quantity! And while breakfast is wasted on me (just give me some fresh fruit and yogurt)....the breakfast provided in the FS Marriott's would satisfy anyone. Everyday, they had bacon (some of the leanest bacon I'd ever seen), sausage, some sort of egg mcmuffins, lox, capers, asparagus wrapped in melon and prociutti (sp) and hard boiled eggs (yes!!!!), some of the best fresh mango I've ever tasted on the planet, danishes, cereals, etc. That said, I just grabbed a couple hard boiled eggs and fresh mango, but my point is that I haven't seen a FS Hilton have a spread like this in a very long time...and certainly, none in the states (anyone else?).

I hope I don't lose my Diamond w/Hilton this year, but I don't know if I will be able to maintain my Gold w/Marriott. Marriott doesn't play that night or stay game--like another poster pointed out, it is nights, PERIOD. So basically, don't bother with a "mattress run" to help you out toward the end of a CY. With Hilton, if you are getting close to a status, you can break up a week stay and get 2, 3 or 4 nights (whatever your energy level or need may be) out one one week's stay. Also, Marriott does not count you award nights toward your status--Hilton does.

I have read where others say they can earn points much faster w/Marriott. I don't get this. It simply does not apply to my case. As Diamond w/Hilton, I get a 50% bonus, plus another 50% bonus because I have selected "My Way." And of course, then I use my AMEX Hilton and earn that way. And for the poster that used 35k points @ a Hampton....I would just say, why? That's like a bag of apples costing $5.00, but if you pull one out and by it singlely, you pay $3.50! They may just not understand how to use points or have so many points to burn that it doesn't matter. I can't even imagine a time where I would use Marriott or Hilton points for anything other than an award so to use points for a night here or there, for me, is just a really bad way to burn points.

I don't like that when I stay at a Residence Inn, I only get 50% points because it is considered an "extended stay." The Homewood Suites is pretty much identical and they don't give you less points.

Someone already mentioned the issue with the elites not getting perks @ Marriott resort properties...Hilton doesn't do that. The only time where you are not provided the breakfast is at the Waldorf properties. Although recently, they have changed the rules as it relates to access to the executive lounge--great if you are a Diamond--not so good if you are a Gold. It used to be Gold's and Diamond's were treated pretty much first come first serve, and depending on occupancy, etc., some Gold's would get access and some Diamond's would be denied. That doesn't happen anymore. Diamond's are guaranteed access to the Exec Lounge, period. Gold's--maybe yes, maybe no, depending on availability.

Hilton status was based on a rolling tier (not a calendar year) for a few years until this last year. It was a bummer. I wouldn't even be worried about losing my Diamond w/Hilton had they stayed on the rolling tier. But now that they have reverted to a calendar year, it's a fight to the finish for me.

I really don't know what this year will hold. I have the Visa that will give me 15 nights toward my status, which Hilton does not, but I don't need that with Hilton because they allow award stays and stays and/or nights to count so I have a couple of options toward the time where I have to figure out how to maintain my status.

One of the reasons I even started to stay w/Marriott nearly two years ago was because of the same exact reason I described above--Hilton was not budging on the state rate and the Marriott properties seem to be more giving when it came to state rate. Trust me, there are times when I wouldn't mind paying a little more for a nice Hilton, but I travel in groups and if we are sharing a car, you really need to stay at the same property, and my coworkers are not going to pay any additional out of pocket expenses if they do not absolutely have to. In California, we have already taken a huge hit with a mandated two-day furlough. My spouse works for the state as well and that is $600+ net less every month, so no one I know is going to pay more just to get that Hilton!

It will be interesting to see what happens this year. I may end up downgrading to Gold with Hilton, but possibly holding on to my Gold for another year w/Marriott.

Dawn

Either they didn't get the memo, or the franchise will soon be revoked.

To clarify I've never found a Hampton Inn for less than 35K a night and I've never paid mroe than 10K a night at a Courtyard - and I cash out MR way more than HH rewards. The only ones I've seen for MR lower end hotels that are higher are in Puerto Rico, Chicago, LA, NYC, etc or other high end locations (I saw a Hampton inn in Johnson city, TN for 35K - ridiculous!).

And I'm also talking plain ole points based off the basis of the program itself as Im required to use my corporate Amex so no bonus points from either credit card program. Marriott gets me farther.

For example, Let's take Waikiki Beach as both have resort properties near each other:
-For this Sunday 13Apr - 18Apr, the following shows up
-Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort - 150K
-Embaassy Suites Waikiki Beach - 240K
-Hilton Waikiki (in town not on the beach) - 240K

Similarly hotels in Dublin, Ireland for the same trip
-Shelbourne (Renaissance) - 150K (and this hotel is on tourist maps it's so swank!)
-Conrad (HH) Dublin - 240K
-Hilton Dublin - 210K

Call me crazy but I'm still confident that my MR points go WAY farther than HH points.

And for those of us who buy into the Timeshare. My wife has been issued a card with the same status as me and the same number.

Search on Kansas - Category 2. Tons of Hampton Inns. (Remember, by virtue of the fact that you're actually considering a Hampton Inn, you're probably looking rural where there simply isn't anything else.) Heck, I did this search and even found a pretty new HGI and a Doubletree. I was expecting only Hamptons, but whatever...


I'll stop you right there. If you're talking Oahu and you're talking MR and HH, none of the properties you listed are where you want to be. With HH, you probably want the HHV. With Marriott, you probably want the JW Ilihani or perhaps a timeshare property.

Of course, the real advice I give is to take the short flight onward to another island - enjoy Marriott Kauai, Ritz Kapalua, Grand Wailea, or Hilton Waikaloa Village. (But that's off-topic I guess...)

I don't totally disagree...I think the Travel Package awards are something that HH simply can't match. I'm AA Lifetime Gold, in big part because of Marriott. (Gold is a weak status for a true frequent AA flier, but it's a wonderful status for a heavy Star Alliance flier who wants a good backup option.) One day, I'll be AA Lifetime Plat...and it'll be about 30-40% because of Marriott.

But for someone who isn't logging 300k+ MR points every year, they might find it a lot easier to reach the 175k HH level and get more bang for their buck out of the HH program.

240K????
 

I don't understand the reference to 240K. Six nights at a level 6 property is 175K if you are Gold/Diamond. I would never use 240K points any more than I would spend 35K points at a Hampton for one night!

Gold is practically given away at Hilton....not exactly sure how because I've been Diamond for quite a few years (so I never pay attention), but I see the postings about it all the time.

So even on my actual certificates, I see the reference to 240K points, but if you use a GLONP for the category 6 hotel, you only spend 175K.

I sure hope our office NEVER makes us use the gov't AMEX. That would be absolutely awful. I wonder why they do that. You are the one that has to pay regardless...so why would they care?

Regardless...just trying to clarify the 240K point reference.

Dawn

Well the 240K is what shows when I look at how much the properties cost on the HH website with 150K for the Marriott on the exact same beach - and for comparison I was simply bringing up places there's been a buzz about recently - Hawaii for all the honeymooners and Ireland for those who want to get married in a castle :)

I'm guessing the higher your status with HH the cheaper the points?!? Wouldn't know since I only maintain silver for late checkout. But on Marriott the property costs the same no matter what. So a lower hotel (doubletree) over the Marriott Resort STILL costs more even with your higher tier "discount" and 175K vs 150K - I'll still take Marriott! I'll get a better property and 25K to blow elsewhere ^^

Also (no offense to Kansas) but stating there's a "cheap" Hampton Inn in KS isn't really winning your argument there either.

It is what it is - and that's my opinion. I look at how many points it takes to stay in various "tourist" places and MR always is "cheaper" so my points go farther when I'm the one having to pay for the hotel nights on vacation. And as others have said, it's a pretty consistent package no matter where in the world I am.

I had forgotten about the rewards packages, but those are pretty spiffy - 7 night split in FL properties for the cost of 5 nights (I think!) and same for Europe in a 3-2-2 configuration. I've unfortunately never used them so I can't remember all the details, but I do see them from time to time when I log in!

Ok, Crazy
I know nothing about MR but;
Your profile has you as a HH silver. As such, you are eligible for VIP rewards. Another poster said Gold or Diamond but that appears to be wrong. According to the HH website, Silver is eligible also. A six night stay at a cat 6, such as Embassy Suites Waikiki or Hilton Hawaiian Village would be 175,000 Pt's. Please note that cat 5 and 4 are even less. See below for a link to that page.

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/...POnly/index.do

OP is already Gold at HH, why not continue with it and get Diamond? With MR, you have to start from scratch (of course, get a cc would help to get started). In light of this year's "Marriott enchance program", I have switched bunch of nights to Hilton & SPG.

If you don't earn points at a Hilton for two years, Hilton has no problem deleting all your points. (They did it to me.) That has not been Marriott's practice.

For me as an international member (based in Germany) Hilton HHonors does not do the trick as I have to earn points and status on stays in Germany and Europe for most of the part. With that proposition, Hilton has only the Hilton Brand available in Europe (plus a handful of HGIs) with rates usually outside my employer's allowance. Marriott however has three brands in the market here and using the in my opinion rather fair LNF-guarantee I can make stays at all brands work for me. In addition to this when traveling with the family, I can choose between more Vacation Clubs and Residence Inn's at the places I tend to go. So if you need to earn points in other places than the US, HHonors may not be the best choice.

In terms of redemption I also prefer MR over HHonors. For one I am at loss why Hamptons in this thread are compared to Courtyards - I'd rather think that Hamptons are comparable to Fairfield Inns and that Courtyard would be the equivalent of a Doubletree or Hilton Garden Inn.

Second for my redemption pattern MR makes more sense. I usually redeem for one-night stays when traveling alone on my own dime. My sample would be the JFK-airport area - with rates of $179 and up for a weeknight in a Fairfield Inn I'd rather use those 20K points instead. This compares to:

- Hilton Garden Inn JFK 25K
- Hampton Inn JFK 30K
- Doubletree JFK 30K
- Courtyard JFK 25K

Given the fact the Fairfield Inn also includes breakfast it's the perfect overnight spot for me when everything I need is a clean, safe room and a little food to start off the day. My other choice would be the Hampton - however what exactly will I pay those additional 10K points for?

So I agree it depends on your stay- and redemption-pattern if HHonors or Marriott Rewards is the best program. Given MY valuation of things I dropped HHonors alltogether (fell from Gold to Blue) and will make Platin next week on MR.

Greetings - Dirk

As a Marriott Plat and soon to be HH Diamond, I'll offer this:
- I've had better luck with Hilton in Europe
- Marriott lounges tend to be better stocked than Hilton
- I prefer the Hilton lower end properties to Marriott lower (HGI > Courtyard, Hampton > Fairfield).
- Hilton makes it much easier to maintain status with stays and nights, I frustrate the accountant with 4 invoices for a 4 night hotel stay :)

Hard to say which is better overall, but the big thing that sways my choice to Hilton is that they are generally 20-40$ less per night than the Marriott around airports.

HH points and MR points are not equal. HH is more generous in giving them out, for example through the "Points & Points" double-dip option and higher multipliers on the HH Amex card. That means the points are effectively worth less. Without getting too technical about it right now, I estimate 1 MR point is worth about 0.67 HH point. Amongst the choices you outlined above, I would pick the DT at 30k or the HGI at 25k as the best bargains, especially if I had HH status that got me benefits like free breakfast.

Great thread, I'd like some advice along the same lines. Let tell you about my situation. I'd like to earn points for using Hotels in Europe - that seems to be the biggest co$t when I travel there. In the past I've used Choice points for mostly stop over hotels, and have paid for destination hotels. Starting to travel again for my company. but I have a few restrictions now:
1) I Have to use the company MasterCard now
2) I tend to be in a city for 2 weeks to 2 months
3) I can't exceed Gov't Per Diem rates
4) I Have to make reservations thru the company travel site (in the past I could negotiate rates on my own). This means I can't get the 2 stays = 8000 pts deals I've done in the past.
5) I don't mind 'matress runs' BUT I'd prefer to keep it to weekends (Fri/Sat/Sun) and landing/departure days.
6) I've got a two week trip to LA coming up and will try and get 4 stays in at the Westin LAX for a deal they have going this fall 2 Nights = 1 weekend night free.
7) Marriot looks like it has some reasonable (12K/nite) properties in Europe. So I'm leaning that direction for my weekday points, but I don't fully understand the relation between AA, Delta, etc and hotels mentioned in this thread - Can those points be converted to Hotel points of certain brands or just the other way around?

Appreciate all the input

Great posts everyone! ..... answered lots of HH vs MR questions I had too ... Thx!