The Basics of Hotel Frequent Guest Loyalty Programs
Overview of Hotel Corporate Families, Major Hotel Brands, and Loyalty Programs:
Hotel corporate brand descriptions and market segments
Value of Hotel Frequent Guest Loyalty Program
Value of elite status in a hotel frequent guest loyalty program.
Basic rules and benefits of earning and spending hotel points
located in the links to the left under the hotel frequent guest loyalty program names:
Best Western Rewards,
Choice Privileges,
Hilton HHonors,
Hyatt Gold Passport,
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Priority Club,
Marriott Rewards,
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), and
Wyndham Rewards.
As always, information is subject to change at the hotel loyalty program's discretion, and may change at any moment. Users of these pages are urged to verify hotel loyalty program rules, promotion terms, and application of rules using the hotel branded website links and hotel reservations agents. Basic Tutorial for Hotel Frequent Guest Loyalty Programs Ten corporate-brand hotel chains are dominant in the USA market and also share a strong global presence. The dominant hotel chains in the United States marketed to upscale travelers and operating points-based hotel frequent guest loyalty programs are Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest.
Best Western, Choice Hotels, Carlson Hotels, and Wyndham Hotels Group consist of Mid-scale and Economy-level hotel brands. These four hotel chains have points-based hotel loyalty programs representing another 30 or so hotel brands. Accor Hotels, a French based hotel group, owns Motel 6. The Motel 6 chain is not a particpating brand in Accor Hotels A-Club hotel loyalty program.
Each of these hotel chains offer guests membership in a frequent guest loyalty program. The benefit for the traveler is the ability to earn hotel loyalty points towards free nights, services, merchandise, and discounts. The benefit to the hotel is the ability to direct target loyal customers and retain a market base of returning frequent guests.
Overview of Hotel Loyalty Programs
The top 10 global hotel loyalty programs represent over 25,000 hotels worldwide (over 15,000 of these hotels are located in USA) and together these hotel chains have around four million rooms to sell every night of the year.
The great news for the traveler is each hotel corporate loyalty program has perpetual incentives to induce your loyalty exclusively to that hotel chain. Hotel frequent guest promotions regularly offer the repeat loyal customer bonus points and free stays for value-added incentives that can be 50% to 200% return of investment on the guest’s hotel purchases.
Top 10 USA Hotel Loyalty Programs
Best Western Rewards
Carlson Hotels GoldPoints Plus
Choice Privileges
Fairmont Hotels Presidents Club
Hilton HHonors
Hyatt Gold Passport
InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club
Marriott Rewards
Starwood Preferred Guest
Wyndham Rewards
The value of loyalty is apparent to a frequent traveler in the United States or international when a needed hotel stay becomes the choice between paying for a room in cash or paying in hotel loyalty points for free nights.
The hotel frequent guest loyalty programs of Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, InterContinental Hotels Group (editor's note: Holiday Inn parent) Priority Club, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest have a high degree of value to a frequent traveler who can expect a return on investment with loyalty to any of these chains. These five hotel corporations operate over 10,000 hotels globally with more than 2,000,000 hotel rooms.
Best Western, Carlson Hotels, Choice Hotels, and Wyndham Rewards hotel brands add another 15,000+ hotels to the frequent guest opportunities for earning and redeeming hotel points when traveling the world.
The value of hotel loyalty for an elite status member is possibly a 50% to 100% return on investment for annual hotel expenses. Participation in a hotel loyalty program and frequent guest promotions makes it relatively easy to spend $2,000 on hotels and receive $3,000 -$4,000 total hotel value from free room nights, upgraded rooms on hotel stays, and added amenities.
Hotel Global Chains and Relative Size
| | Brands | Hotels | Countries | Rooms |
InterContinental Hotels Group | 7 | 4,186 | 100 | 620,000 |
| Wyndham Worldwide | 11 | 6,993 | NA | 590,000 |
| Marriott International | 10 | 3,191 | 67 | 564,000 |
| Hilton Hotels Corporation | 8 | 3,197 | 76 | 546,000 |
| Accor (European-based) | 12 | 3,982 | 90 | 479,000 |
| Choice | 11 | 5,827 | 40 | 476,000 |
| Best Western | 1 | 4,000 | 80 | 305,000 |
| Starwood Hotels | 9 | 937 | 100 | 284,000 |
| Hyatt Hotels | 6 | 381 | 45 | 114,343 |
Source: Hotel corporate website Investor Information pages (March 2009).
Loyalty Traveler note: Numbers constantly change as hotels open, close, rebrand, and change loyalty programs and these are rough estimates based on sources on the web.
Glossary of Hotel Brands:
One of the most confusing aspects of hotel loyalty programs is the sheer number of distinct hotel brands for earning and spending hotel guest loyalty points within the hotel corporation structure.
Hilton Hotels Corporate as an example of hotel branding and loyalty
Hilton HHonors is the Hilton Hotels Corporate loyalty program that serves guests through 8 different hotel brands:
• Conrad
• Hilton
• Doubletree
• Embassy Suites
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Hampton Inn
• Homewood Suites
• Waldorf-Astoria Collection
Guests earn hotel loyalty points on paid stays booked through Hilton-branded websites** for any of these hotel brands and may redeem hotel loyalty points for free room nights at hotels in these brands throughout the world.
**There is an important difference between hotel frequent guest programs and airline frequent flyer programs.
A few years ago the major hotel chains decided to only award hotel loyalty points for online bookings made directly with the corporate-branded hotel websites (hotel brand telephone reservations line or a travel agent booking also are eligible for loyalty benefits).
Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity and other online travel agency hotel bookings are not eligible for hotel loyalty points in most cases, whereas, frequent flyer miles are awarded on almost all published fares regardless of the point of sale.
Hotel Market Segments
Corporate hotel chains rely on brand image to promote the hotel brands within the corporate hotel family. For example: Hilton Hotels has Conrad and Waldorf-Astoria Collection as their luxury hotel brands.
The current corporate structure among the major players is to have a hotel family with distinct brands for separate market segments like luxury, convention, resort, extended stay, and boutique hotel styles.
Luxury Hotel Brands
4-star and 5-star luxury and resort hotels, among the finest hotel lodging available, and generally in prime tourist locations. Bed linens, room furnishings, and hotel décor should be pleasing to the senses.
Hilton - Conrad, Waldorf-Astoria Collection
Hyatt - Park Hyatt
InterContinental Hotels Group - InterContinental Hotels
Marriott - JW Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club International, Ritz-Carlton
Starwood - St. Regis, Luxury Collection
Upper Upscale Business & Boutique Hotel Brands
Mostly upscale 4-star hotels, some locations may be 5-star hotels, and some 3-star hotels (primarily in USA). Basic standards expected are security, comfort, and amenities of full service hotel.
Hilton brands- Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites
Hyatt brands - Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, ANdAZ (boutique)
InterContinental Hotels Group brands - Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo (boutique),
Marriott brands- Marriott, Renaissance
Starwood brands- Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, W Hotels
Upscale Hotel Brands
Room furnishings vary from commercial use durability to comfortable and functional. These hotels tend to be well-used by travelers seeking the lower-end room rates and willing to settle for fewer amenities.
The irony is many economy brands provide more amenities free of charge such as continental breakfast, free internet access, and fitness facilities. Nearly all Luxury Class hotels charge extra for most amenities.
Hilton - Hilton Garden Inn,
Hyatt - Hyatt Place
InterContinental Hotels Group - Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express (some properties are more midscale)
Marriott - Courtyard
Starwood - Four Points by Sheraton
Midscale Hotel Brands
Hilton - Hampton Inn
InterContinental Hotels Group - Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express (some properties are more upscale)
Marriott - Fairfield Inn
Starwood - Four Points by Sheraton
Extended Stay (Apartment Style) Hotel Brands
These brands can be almost like an upscale apartment complex at some locations. The rooms usually have kitchens as a the main distinction from other brand types, and generally a separate bedroom.
Hilton - Homewood Suites
Hyatt - Summerfield Suites
InterContinental Hotels Group - Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
Marriott - Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites
Starwood - Element opened its first hotel in 2008.
Hotel Brands in Five Major Upscale Hotel Loyalty Programs (+ Wyndham Group)
| | Hilton | Hyatt | InterContinental Hotels Group | Marriott | Starwood | Wyndham |
| Brand 1 | Conrad | Park Hyatt | InterContinental | JW Marriott | Sheraton | Wyndham Hotels and Resorts |
| Brand 2 | Hilton | Grand Hyatt | Crowne Plaza | Marriott | St. Regis | Ramada |
| Brand 3 | Doubletree | Hyatt Regency | Hotel Indigo | Renaissance | Luxury Collection | Super 8 |
| Brand 4 | Embassy Suites | Hyatt Place | Holiday Inn | Courtyard | Westin | Days Inn |
| Brand 5 | Hilton Garden Inn | Summerfield Suites | Holiday Inn Express | Residence Inn | W Hotels | Howard Johnson |
| Brand 6 | Hampton Inn | ANdAZ | Staybridge Suites | Fairfield Inn | Four Points | Travelodge |
| Brand 7 | Homewood Suites | | Candlewood Suites | SpringHill Suites | Aloft | Knights Inn |
| Brand 8 | Waldorf Astoria Collection | | | TownePlace Suites | Element | Baymont Inn |
| Brand 9 | | | | Marriott Vacation Club International | Le Meridien | Wingate Inn |
| Brand 10 | | | | | | Hawthorn Suites | | | | | | |
| Brand 11 | | | | | | |
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) (7 hotel brands)
• InterContinental
• Crowne Plaza
• Holiday Inn
• Holiday Inn Express
• Hotel Indigo
• Staybridge Suites
• Candlewood Suites
Marriott (10 hotel brands)
• Marriott
• JW Marriott
• Renaissance
• Courtyard
• Fairfield Inn
• SpringHill Suites
• Residence Inn
• TownePlace Suites
• Marriott Vacation Club International
• Ritz-Carlton (spend points for free nights)
Hilton (8 hotel brands)
• Conrad
• Hilton
• Doubletree
• Embassy Suites
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Hampton Inn
• Homewood Suites
• Waldorf-Astoria Collection
Starwood (9 hotel brands)
• St. Regis
• Luxury Collection
• W Hotels
• Westin
• Sheraton
• Four Points
• Le Meridien
Hyatt (7 hotel brands)
• Park Hyatt
• Grand Hyatt
• Hyatt Regency
• Hyatt Place
• Summerfield Suites
• Hyatt Resorts
• Andaz
Economy-Budget Hotel Brands
Wyndham, Accor, Choice, and Best Western are larger in size than either Starwood or Hyatt, however, these larger chains are comprised primarily of budget hotel brands. Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental, Marriott, and Starwood all have a large number of upscale and luxury hotels.
Wyndham Rewards offers points for 10 hotel brands including Ramada, Super 8, Days Inn, Travelodge,Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Wingate, Baymont Inn, Hawthorn Suites, and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. The number of Wyndham upscale hotels and resorts are fewer than either Starwood or Hyatt.
Accor Hotels is European based with brands Motel 6, Ibis Hotels, Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel, and other brands. The Sofitel hotel brand is primarily upscale hotels, however, only 10 of the 200 Sofitel Hotels are located in North America. Accor redesigned their hotel loyalty program in September 2008.
Accor a-club program membership is free. Points are earned based on base ratio of 2 points per 1EUR in spending. Redeeming points has limited leverage since 2,000 points exchanges for a 40 EUR or US$60 hotel certificate.
Motel 6 has nearly 1,000 properties in the US, however, this brand is not a participant in the Accor Hotels loyalty program.
Choice Hotels has several budget brands participating within the Choice Privileges frequent guest loyalty program. The ten brands include Clarion Hotels, Rodeway Inn, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, and EconoLodge.
Best Western Hotels have a strong international component with nearly 2000 hotels outside North America. The global coverage of Best Western exceeds the number of international properties of any other US-based hotel loyalty program including IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.
Frequent Guest Hotel Loyalty Programs are Growing
The hotel loyalty alliances are growing as boutique and independent brands form regional and global associations around new hotel loyalty programs. Increasing competition from the major hotel loyalty chains dominating the world's travel market has led to hotel industry conditions favoring the creation of new hotel loyalty programs to market smaller, more independent hotels. This global domination of the upscale and luxury market by five major hotel chains is what concentrates the focus of Loyalty Traveler on the five major hotel loyalty programs with their well-established history of benefits for members. As new programs develop and become competitive with the benefits of the major hotel loyalty programs, our coverage will expand to include analysis of additional upscale and luxury hotel brands.