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Selecting a hotel loyalty program can be a fantastic way to secure extra rewards for your business trips if you are a frequent traveler. But with so many options, it’s tough to know which is the best fit.
With over 429 million business trips taken in the U.S. during 2022 alone, choosing the right hotel rewards program can significantly impact your travel budget and comfort.
Establishing what is important to you in a hotel loyalty program is crucial to avoiding disappointment down the line. For example, do you want a program with global reach so you can redeem points wherever you travel? Perhaps you want guaranteed upgrades or flexibility when choosing how and when to use your loyalty points.
In this article, we will break down the benefits and tiers of some of the most popular hotel reward schemes available in the U.S., comparing their unique benefits, earning structures, and elite status benefits to help you find the perfect match for your business travel needs.
Key hotel loyalty program benefits at a glance
Before diving into the top hotel rewards programs, let’s look at their most valuable rewards side by side;
What are the best hotel rewards programs in the U.S.?
Radisson Rewards
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Overview
With offerings across four continents, Radisson Rewards is ideal for work travel that takes teams outside of the Americas. Boasting one of the fastest routes to top-tier advantages, access to elite status can be gained from as little as five eligible nights, with top-tier access from just 30 nights.
All elite members receive important benefits like rollover nights and the ability to use points to cover hotel charges.
Our favorite feature
If you are frequently on the hunt for event venues, then be sure to earmark this reward scheme. The Corporate Program allows Radisson Rewards points to be collected for booking rooms on someone’s behalf or for organizing meetings and events.
Member benefits - Radisson Rewards
Source: https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/rewards/benefits
Marriott Bonvoy
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Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program provides a vast accommodation inventory, including luxury hotel options from St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton. With thousands of hotels and 30 brands globally, business travelers will rarely find a location where redeeming or accruing points isn't possible.
Members benefit from generous rewards across five tiers, with escalating benefits like bonus points on stays, enhanced room upgrades, and late check-out privileges.
Our favorite feature
All elite tiers of Marriott Bonvoy come with their Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. A unique benefit, members who Marriott cannot accommodate in their preferred hotels on their desired date will have alternative arrangements paid for and receive cash and hotel points as compensation for the inconvenience.
Member benefits - Marriott Bonvoy
Source: https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/member-benefits.mi
Hilton Honors
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Overview
Boasting properties across the globe, Hilton Honors is one of the most popular loyalty programs for frequent flyers. While entry-level memberships can benefit from streamlined digital check-ins, waived resort fees, and the ability to choose their hotel room, Gold and Diamond members also benefit from instant upgrades whenever a higher-level suite is available. Better still, Diamond level users also gain executive lounge access and Hilton's handy 48-hour guarantee.
Our favorite feature
Hilton Honors has partnered with American Express to provide a credit card that's perfect for frequent travelers. With no annual fee for the first year and no charges on foreign transactions, new cardholders also secure significant bonus reward points just for signing up.
Member benefits - Hilton Honors
Source: https://www.hilton.com/en/hilton-honors/member-benefits/
Wyndham Rewards
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Overview
Thanks to their simple three-tier free nights system, members of Wyndham Rewards can take advantage of a complimentary stay from as little as 7,500 points. Wyndham hotels have over 8,400 locations worldwide and share generous special offers with their users.
The quality of Wyndham Rewards is high and is widely respected in the industry. Users also agree. In 2024, Wyndham Rewards was named a USA Today ‘10Best’ winner for Best Hotel Loyalty Program.
Member benefits - Wyndham Rewards
Source: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wyndham-rewards/member-levels
IHG One Rewards
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Overview
Previously known as IHG Rewards Club, IHG One Rewards covers the huge global hotel portfolio of IHG, including Regent and InterContinental Hotels. With 6,000+ properties, including thousands in the U.S., IHG makes it easy for American travelers to earn and redeem rewards anywhere.
Our favorite feature
IHG One Rewards’ Milestone Rewards system is a great way to personalize your travel benefits. Starting at 20 nights, additional rewards become available for each subsequent ten nights, allowing you to customize your benefits throughout the year. In the upper tiers, this includes suite upgrades and lounge membership options to enhance current or future trips.
Member benefits - IHG One Rewards
Source: https://www.ihg.com/onerewards/content/us/en/tier-benefits
World of Hyatt
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Overview
With the World of Hyatt membership, corporate travelers can minimize the hassle of traveling for business. Benefits for users include a complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi, so you can skip the coffee shop and stay connected on the move. Higher-tier members can benefit from late check-ins and check-outs.
Our favorite feature
One of the most flexible and generous rewards in the industry is available to Globalist members. The ‘Guest of Honor’ award allows a top-tier member to gift the full Globalist experience (including free breakfast, suite upgrades, and late check-out) to another person for up to seven days. Frequent travelers can earn the benefit with 40 qualifying nights.
Member benefits - World of Hyatt
Source: https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/en/tiers-and-benefits.html
Choice Privileges
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Overview
Since the integration of Radisson Hotels Americas in 2023, there are now around 600 new hotels where the Choice Privileges program is available. This means its 66 million members have a much wider range of hotels to choose from and still enjoy their loyalty benefits.
Elite status is earned in three tiers, with Gold requiring just 10 nights per year to access key benefits like room upgrades, early check-ins, and rollover nights.
Our favorite feature
A key benefit that is unlocked at the Diamond tier is guaranteed room availability with 48 hours' notice. For frequent work travelers, this provides a lot of reassurance and flexibility should meetings be rearranged and itineraries change at short notice.
Member benefits - Choice Privileges
Source: https://www.choicehotels.com/choice-privileges/benefits
Best Western Rewards
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Overview
Best Western Rewards is a good choice for frequent work travelers thanks to its incredibly straightforward and valuable core benefits - your points will never expire, and there are no blackout dates for free night redemptions.
Members earn a baseline of 10 points per U.S. dollar spent, and the program features five tiers, allowing members to quickly climb to levels with benefits like bonus points and early check-in/late check-out privileges.
Our favorite feature
The standout benefit for a frequent flyer is Best Western's Status Match...No Catch program. If you are an elite member of another hotel loyalty program, you can automatically get the same tier of benefits with Best Western for free. When you combine this with the fact that your points will never expire, it creates a uniquely flexible and low-stress rewards program that's perfect for travelers who may not stay with one chain exclusively.
Member benefits - Best Western Rewards
Source: https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/best-western-rewards.html
Sonesta Travel Pass
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Overview
Sonesta Travel Pass is the loyalty program for one of the fastest-growing hotel portfolios in the U.S. Following the acquisition of Red Lion Hotels in 2021, Sonesta now has over 1,100 properties in eight countries.
This includes 13 brands, ranging from extended-stay (Sonesta ES Suites) to full-service and luxury (Royal Sonesta). This variety makes loyalty programs beneficial for domestic work travelers, who are now more likely to encounter these brands more frequently. The Travel Pass loyalty program uses a straightforward points system and offers elite status that is relatively easy to earn, with benefits like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades becoming available at the mid-tiers.
Our favorite feature
The most compelling feature for frequent travelers is how accessible elite status is. Sonesta actively encourages members to request a status match from any competing hotel loyalty program, allowing you to instantly enjoy high-level rewards without starting from scratch.
Member benefits - Sonesta Travel Pass
Source: https://core.redlion.com/sites/default/files/2024-04/stp_memberperks_website_8.5x11_v5_031424.pdf
How to choose the best hotel rewards and loyalty programs
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If you have frequent business travel plans you can start racking up reward points quickly, but to move up to elite tiers, you may have to sacrifice flexibility and commit to one hotel chain and their rewards program.
This section identifies some of the considerations that should be made, alongside your business and personal travel requirements, to help you make a decision.
Do you have a credit card that links to an existing hotel loyalty scheme?
A great first port of call is to check if your credit card provider has partnered with a hotel loyalty scheme. Booking with their points can often help travelers access better rates, plus using a hotel-backed credit card is undoubtedly the easiest way to obtain top-tier rewards.
Some cards even offer holders immediate elite status, such as the Hilton Honors American Express, and World of Hyatt credit cards.
Which destinations do you visit most often?
The first thing to consider is which destinations you travel to the most. As a work traveler, you may return to the same location multiple times to visit important clients or another branch of your organization. If these are in major cities, you will have many options to choose from for your accommodation. But if you travel to regional offices, your options might be more limited.
Scoping out the rewards available in your key destinations could save you some frustration. Many rewards programs apply to the chain's entire range of brands, not just the big names, so make sure you know which are available in cities you regularly visit.Which benefits would be most beneficial?
Elite tier benefits can be alluring, but it pays to be practical. Figuring out which benefits suit your travel style can help you select a hotel loyalty scheme that will fast-track you to your goals. For example, if having a free breakfast with every stay would be a helpful benefit, seek out the loyalty programs that include it at an attainable tier.
Checking the T&Cs of any prospective loyalty scheme can save a lot of frustration. You don't want to end up chasing elite status and only end up with free water or Wi-Fi.
If you are collecting points as a business rather than an individual, it pays to make sure you are getting the most relevant benefits for your organization. No doubt, executives and their guests will expect their loyalty points to get them more than just an early check-in.
Simplify your hotel rewards strategy
Ultimately, the best hotel rewards program is the one that most fits your needs, either as an individual traveler or as an organization.
At Perk, we have the world's most extensive inventory of accommodation for corporate travelers, as well as the best rates available, simplifying the entire process.
With our seamless integration, business travelers and travel managers get the flexibility of choice and the benefits of preferred loyalty programs, all within a single, easy-to-manage platform. With extensive coverage of U.S. destinations and loyalty integrations, Perk makes corporate travel smarter for American businesses.
To see how Perk can streamline your work travel, request a demonstration from our team today.
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