Selecting a hotel loyalty programme can be a fantastic way to secure extra perks for your business trips if you are a frequent traveller. But with such a wide range of rewards programmes available, deciding which is the right one for you can be challenging. Establishing what is important to you in a hotel loyalty programme can be crucial to avoiding disappointment down the line. So how do you know which loyalty programme to choose and which hotels offer the best reward schemes?
How do you choose the best hotel loyalty programme?
If you have some extensive travel plans coming up, you can start racking up some serious points by sticking to one hotel chain. But to bag the best benefits, you will have to sacrifice an element of flexibility, and it can be frustrating if there aren't significant gains to be had from your loyalty programme of choice. However, with a bit of planning and a few key considerations, you can set yourself up for success.
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 cards partner with a hotel loyalty scheme. Booking with their points can often help travellers access better rates, plus using a hotel-backed credit card is undoubtedly the easiest way to obtain top-tier perks. Some cards even offer holders immediate elite status, such as the IHG Rewards Club Premier, 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 corporate traveller, you may return to the same location multiple times to visit important clients or another branch of your organisation. If these are in major cities, you will have many options to choose from for your accommodation. But if you travel to regional offices, you might be more limited in the hotels on offer.
Scoping out the selection in your key destinations could save you many issues. No one is happy to face a half-hour trek across town to the Park Hyatt after discovering there's a Marriott hotel around the corner!
Which hotel brands are you drawn to?
When thinking back on your previous business trips, which hotels stand out in your memory? Which trips had the best service or provided a great night's sleep? Which hotel do you remember having fantastic amenities or a delicious complimentary breakfast?
Even if these don't fall into one specific hotel chain, they might help narrow down what factors are important to you when you travel.
Which perks would be most beneficial?
Elite tier perks can be alluring, but it pays to be practical. Ascertaining 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 perk, seek out the loyalty programmes which include this at the lowest level.
Checking the T&C's of any prospective loyalty scheme can save a lot of heartbreak. You don't want to end up chasing elite status and only snagging free water or Wi-Fi. If you are a travel manager, you will undoubtedly have enough nights to bag top-tier benefits quickly.
However, it still pays to make sure you are getting the most beneficial perks for your organisation. No doubt executives will be hoping their loyalty gets them more than just an early check-in.
What are the best hotel rewards programmes?
Radisson Rewards
Overview
With offerings across four continents, Radisson Rewards is best for business travellers whose work takes them outside of the Americas. Boasting one of the fastest routes to top-tier perks, access to elite status can be gained from as little as 9 eligible nights or 6 eligible stays. Plus, users can exchange their balances for air miles and gain access to exclusive room rates.
Our favourite feature
Under the business branch of Radisson Rewards, members can speed track their way to silver status by 50%, with entry after just 3 stays compared to the usual 6. If you are frequently on the hunt for event venues, then be sure to earmark this loyalty programme as they offer 10,000 bonus points each time you host in their hotels.
Marriott Bonvoy
Overview
The Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme provides a vast accommodation inventory, including luxury hotel options from St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton. With over 7000 hotels across 130 countries, users will rarely find a location where redeeming or accruing points isn't possible.
Members benefit from generous perks, including the chance to exchange their points for miles with a long list of airlines, including Delta, Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue. Plus, points can be accrued through partners such as Uber and Hertz and Marriott's range of hotel credit cards with both AMEX and Chase.
Our favourite feature
All elite tiers of Marriott Bonvey come with their Ultimate Reservation Guarantee. A unique perk, 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.
N.B. With Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Elite status your points and benefits will never expire.
Hilton Honors
Overview
Boasting 5,900 properties across the globe, Hilton Honors members can benefit from a range of valuable perks. While entry-level memberships can avail of 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. Elite Diamond level users also gain executive lounge access and Hilton's handy 48-hour guarantee.
Our favourite feature
Hilton Honors have partnered with American Express to provide a credit card that's perfect for frequent travellers. With no annual fee and no charges on foreign transactions, cardholders can also secure a boost of 80,000 rewards points when they sign up.
Wyndham Rewards
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 partnered with 20 respected brands to offer patrons nearly 9000 options worldwide and share generous special offers with their users.
Recent deals include book two consecutive nights and receive an extra reward night and a windfall of up to 90,000 points, the equivalent of 12 free nights, for members who sign up for their signature Visa credit card.
Our favourite feature
If you are in the market for a new credit card, you can use the handy Wyndhams Rewards Calculator to determine how many points you could earn each year with your everyday purchases. If you have the scope to pay a small annual fee, you could start securing hotel stays in the double figures with ease.
IHG Rewards Club
Overview
Members of IHG Rewards Club can choose their accommodation from a staggering portfolio across 6000 destinations and 16 well-respected names. Alongside free nights and airline miles, business travellers can redeem loyalty points against a wide range of benefits.
Whether it's subscribing to your favourite industry magazine, covering a business lunch or using your points towards a new laptop, there are plenty of options to keep head office happy. However, it is worth noting, to avoid their balances expiring, users need to redeem or accrue new points each year.
Our favourite feature
IHG Rewards travellers can use their points to skip the lines at security with TSA Precheck. 96% of TSA PreCheck users streamlined their airport experience to a wait time of under 5 minutes, undoubtedly a fantastic perk for frequent travellers!
World of Hyatt
Overview
With the World of Hyatt membership, corporate travellers can minimise the hassle of travelling for business. Benefits for users include complimentary breakfast so you will never need to dash to a coffee shop before your first meeting, plus free Wi-Fi so you can always get to your emails on the go. Higher-tier members can benefit from late check-outs and Club Lounge access, so they always have somewhere to finish that proposal before catching their flight.
Our favourite feature
Want to stay fit and healthy while you travel? Whether you prefer to unwind with a relaxing Yoga class or get the heart pumping with a fast-paced HIIT session, globalist rewards members can sample complimentary fitness classes with an eligible stay at any Hyatt hotel.
Choice Privileges
Overview
Choice Privileges members can accrue points with total peace of mind. With no expiration date, points can be redeemed for award nights or a range of experiences or gift cards. U.S residents can also avail themselves of several additional rewards from their stays, including Amazon credit vouchers, Starbucks cards and Uber discounts, as well as cheaper rates for fuel with selected partners.
Choice Privileges will also match the status of any new user coming over from a rival loyalty scheme.
Our favourite feature
At the time of writing, those signing up for the Choice Privileges Visa Signature credit card can swipe the equivalent of 9 free nights in bonus points (subject to terms and conditions). Plus, this credit card comes without the hefty annual fee of many of its competitors.
Best Western Rewards
Overview
Users of Best Western Rewards can speed track their way to elite status with top-tier membership after just 5 nights or 3 valid stays. Guests on this loyalty programme can access free room upgrades, redeem points for reward stays and even gift complimentary nights to friends, family or colleagues.
The scheme partners with a host of international airlines and established car rental chains such as Avis, Budget and Enterprise to simplify spending points. Plus, Best Western Rewards Premium Mastercard holders can receive up to 7 award nights and instant Platinum status.
Our favourite feature
A fantastic feature of this hotel loyalty scheme is that your points will never expire. Additionally, if you are an elite member of another hotel loyalty programme, you can automatically bag the same tier of perks with Best Western thanks to their status match promise.
Ultimately the best hotel rewards programme is the one that most fits your needs either as an individual traveller or as an organisation. At Perk, we have the world's most extensive inventory of accommodations for corporate travellers. As well as the best rates available, with our seamless integration, business travellers and travel managers can collect their loyalty points with ease. To see how Perk can streamline your corporate travel, request a demonstration from our team today.
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