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The best hotel rewards programs provide a wide range of free perks. Members receive special amenities such as free Wi-Fi, late check out and bar credits. But that’s just the beginning. Most importantly, the top hotel rewards programs let you quickly earn free nights, redeem them with ease, and go about your business without worrying about fine-print restrictions.

Every major hotel chain has its own loyalty rewards program, which anyone can join for free. But these hotel rewards programs are not equally rewarding for everyone. They all have different rules, earning rates and point values, plus a variety of other benefits. And much ultimately depends on where you travel, how often you stay in hotels, and how much you’re comfortable spending per night.

So to help families, business travelers and explorers of all types save more time and money, WalletHub compared the 9 most popular hotel rewards programs using 21 key metrics, ranging from point values to blackout dates for booking free nights. And we did so for three different hotel budgets.

Best Hotel Rewards Programs:

 

  • Wyndham Rewards
  • Radisson Rewards
  • Best Western Rewards
  • Choice Privileges
  • Marriott Bonvoy

 

Below, you can check out the rest of the results from WalletHub’s hotel loyalty rewards comparison. You can also crunch the numbers to find the best hotel rewards program for free nights based on your individual needs using our custom calculator, which personalizes the results of this study based on your budget.

What’s the Best Hotel Rewards Program for You?

Get a personalized recommendation for the best hotel loyalty program for you, using our hotel rewards calculator below. Simply input your annual hotel budget, and we’ll apply the methodology and data used for this report to your individual situation.

Annual Amount Spent On Hotel Stays
BEST PROGRAM
Wyndham Rewards
WalletHub Score: 72.07
RUNNER UP
Radisson Rewards
WalletHub Score: 64.36

Many aspects of a hotel rewards program are binary in nature: a program either has a certain feature or it doesn’t. But much also depends on the amount of money you spend with a given hotel chain each year. And while the Light, Moderate and Heavy hotel spending profiles used in this report cover roughly 60% of people, according to Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, it’s certainly understandable if you want a more personalized recommendation.

Other Key Findings

For the fifth year in a row, Wyndham Rewards is the best hotel loyalty program for travelers of all spending levels, earning an average WalletHub Score of 72.40.

HeavyTravelerModerateTravelerLightTravelerWyndham RewardsRadisson RewardsBest Western Re…Choice PrivilegesMarriott BonvoyHilton HonorsWorld of HyattDrury RewardsIHG Rewards Club012.52537.55062.57587.5100WalletHub Score By TravelerType

Hotel Heavy Traveler Moderate Traveler Light Traveler
Wyndham Rewards 73.07 72.07 72.07
Radisson Rewards 68.43 64.36 65.05
Best Western Rewards 65.99 62.48 62.66
Choice Privileges 64.3 60.35 61.32
Marriott Bonvoy 63.02 59.46 60.56
Hilton Honors 61.36 56.29 57.65
World of Hyatt 60.8 55.24 56.24
Drury Rewards 47.34 48.61 49.56
IHG Rewards Club 45.78 46.05 43.52
Wyndham Rewards offers up to $13.46 in rewards value per $100 spent – most among major hotel loyalty programs.
HeavyTravelerModerateTravelerLightTravelerWyndham RewardsRadisson RewardsChoice PrivilegesWorld of HyattMarriott BonvoyHilton HonorsDrury RewardsBest Western Re…IHG Rewards Club$0$2$4$6$8$10$12$14$16$18Rewards Value Per $100 SpentBy Traveler Type

Hotel Heavy Traveler Moderate Traveler Light Traveler
Wyndham Rewards $13.46 $12.87 $12.87
Radisson Rewards $12.5 $11 $11
Choice Privileges $11.63 $10.23 $10.23
World of Hyatt $11.17 $10.15 $10.15
Marriott Bonvoy $10.89 $9.9 $9.9
Hilton Honors $10.78 $9.18 $9.18
Drury Rewards $10.3 $10.3 $10.3
Best Western Rewards $9.75 $8.63 $8.25
IHG Rewards Club $7.48 $7.48 $6.8
Choice Privileges and IHG Rewards are the only hotel loyalty programs offering more rewards value than in 2018.
20182019Wyndham RewardsRadisson RewardsDrury RewardsMarriott BonvoyChoice PrivilegesBest Western Re…World of HyattHilton HonorsIHG Rewards Club$0$2$4$6$8$10$12$14$16$18Rewards Value Earned Per $100Spent by Heavy Traveler

Hotel 2018 2019
Wyndham Rewards $14.3 $13.46
Radisson Rewards $14.25 $12.5
Drury Rewards $12.1 $10.3
Marriott Bonvoy $11.55 $10.89
Choice Privileges $11.38 $11.63
Best Western Rewards $11.31 $9.75
World of Hyatt $11.22 $11.17
Hilton Honors $11.05 $10.78
IHG Rewards Club $7.26 $7.48

Best Western is the only major hotel chain whose rewards points do not expire due to account inactivity.

Points expire afterinactivity of 12 monthsPoints expire afterinactivity of 18 monthsPoints expire afterinactivity of 24 monthsPoints do not expire22.2%11.1%33.3%33.3%

Inactivity in months Percentage Share
Points expire after inactivity of 12 months 0.222
Points expire after inactivity of 18 months 0.333
Points expire after inactivity of 24 months 0.333
Points do not expire 0.111

You’d better know what you’re looking for in a loyalty program because very few hotels rank in the top five in more than two of the five major categories WalletHub considered.

Hotel Rewards Program Geographic Coverage Rank Value of Rewards Rank Earning Limitations Rank Redemption Options Rank Additional Features & Policies Rank
Hilton Honors 3.00 7.00 7.00 8.00 3.00
Marriott Bonvoy 1.00 6.00 7.00 9.00 5.00
Choice Privileges 6.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 4.00
IHG Rewards Club 4.00 9.00 7.00 4.00 8.00
Wyndham Rewards 2.00 1.00 3.00 5.00 6.00
Radisson Rewards 7.00 2.00 1.00 7.00 2.00
World of Hyatt 8.00 4.00 1.00 6.00 7.00
Best Western Rewards 5.00 8.00 3.00 2.00 1.00
Drury Rewards 9.00 5.00 3.00 1.00 9.00

All but one hotel allow members to redeem points for award nights at all brands/properties.

Award nights at allpropertiesProperties excludedfrom award nights11.1%88.9%

Award Night Redemption Availability Percentage Share
Award nights at all properties 0.889
Properties excluded from award nights 0.111
The value in purchasing hotel rewards points varies widely from program to program. With some, it’s a rip-off, while others make it a no-brainer.
Hilton HonorsIHG Rewards ClubRadisson RewardsBest Western Re…Marriott BonvoyWorld of HyattWyndham RewardsChoice Privileges0%6%12%18%24%30%36%42%48%54%Markup Percentage on PointPurchases

Hotel Markup
Hilton Honors 46%
IHG Rewards Club 32%
Radisson Rewards 28.57%
Best Western Rewards 25%
Marriott Bonvoy 20.8%
World of Hyatt 15.42%
Wyndham Rewards 7%
Choice Privileges 6.06%
None of the hotel rewards programs allows members to earn points on reservations booked through third-party websites, such as Kayak.com or Expedia.com.

You can find detailed scoring for each hotel rewards program in the next section. But after reading the headlines, you might be interested in a quick recap of the top options first. For your convenience, please find a summary below.

Best Hotel Rewards Programs for 2020

Hotel Rewards Program Best For Overall WalletHub Score Number of Hotels
Wyndham Rewards Overall 72.40 9,200
Marriott Bonvoy International Travel 61.01 7,205
World of Hyatt Fewest Earning Limitations 57.42 896
Best Western Rewards Points that Won’t Expire 63.71 4,500
Wyndham Rewards Rewards Value 72.40 9,200
IHG Rewards Club Transfer Partners 45.11 5,800
Best Western Rewards Redemption Options 63.71 4,500
Note: Drury Rewards scored slightly higher than Best Western Rewards in terms of Redemption Options, but we gave Best Western the nod because it has far more locations.

The best hotel rewards programs also have co-branded credit cards, which allow frequent guests to earn free nights on every purchase they make, wherever Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover is accepted. The rewards these cards provide vary widely, just like the loyalty programs they represent. So travelers may want to check out WalletHub’s picks for the best hotel credit cards before committing to a hotel chain.

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Detailed Findings

The following table illustrates the number of points each hotel rewards program received in each category evaluated by WalletHub.

Scoring Categories Maximum Score Hilton Honors Marriott Rewards Choice Privileges IHG Rewards Club Wyndham Rewards Radisson Rewards World of Hyatt Best Western Rewards Drury Rewards
Total Number Of Hotels 6.00 3.89 4.69 4.61 3.77 6.00 0.69 0.55 2.92 0.07
Country Coverage 4.00 3.49 4.00 1.19 2.99 2.39 3.43 1.88 3.22 0.03
Total Number Of Hotels In Top 10 Us Cities 3.00 2.19 3.00 1.26 1.44 1.63 0.14 0.44 0.67 0.01
Total Number Of Hotels In Top 10 International Cities 2.00 1.33 1.96 0.73 2.00 0.90 0.32 0.34 1.28 0.00
Value Of Rewards Heavy Traveler 25.00 15.04 15.46 18.20 2.78 25.00 21.45 16.48 11.22 13.27
Value Of Rewards Moderate Traveler 0.00 9.97 12.90 14.25 3.05 25.00 17.38 13.92 7.71 14.53
Value Of Rewards Light Traveler 0.00 11.33 14.00 15.22 2.52 25.00 18.07 14.93 7.89 15.48
Earning Points For On-Site Expenses 3.00 3.00 3.00 0.00 3.00 0.00 3.00 3.00 0.00 0.00
Do Reservations At All Of A Program’s Hotel Brands Earn The Maximum Number Of Points? 5.00 0.00 0.00 5.00 0.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00
Third-Party Booking 7.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Brand Exclusions 2.00 2.00 0.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
Room Redemption Volatility 2.00 0.20 0.10 1.60 1.35 1.70 1.32 1.30 1.65 1.73
Blackout Dates 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00
Percentage Of Hotels With Award Night Availability 6.00 5.54 5.57 5.39 5.57 5.15 5.28 5.40 5.76 6.00
How Far In Advance Can Reservations Be Made? 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00
Short-Notice Reservations 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 4.00
Points Expiration 5.00 0.56 1.67 1.11 0.56 1.11 1.67 1.67 5.00 1.11
Ease Of Achieving Top Membership Status 2.00 1.73 1.14 1.81 0.86 1.75 1.93 0.89 2.00 2.00
Number Of Transfer Partners With No Fee 2.00 1.40 1.43 0.40 1.47 0.43 1.20 0.83 1.27 0.13
Can Points Be Purchased At Fair Value? 2.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Can Earnings Be Shared Between 2 Or More Accounts For Free 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 0.00
Can You Reinstate Lost Earnings? 2.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 0.00
Valuable Membership Level Perks Heavy Traveler 5.00 4.00 4.00 4.00 3.00 3.00 4.00 4.00 5.00 1.00
Valuable Membership Level Perks Moderate Traveler 0.00 4.00 3.00 4.00 3.00 2.00 4.00 1.00 5.00 1.00
Valuable Membership Level Perks Light Traveler 0.00 4.00 3.00 4.00 1.00 2.00 4.00 1.00 5.00 1.00
Total Heavy Traveler 100.00 61.36 63.02 64.30 45.78 73.07 68.43 60.80 65.99 47.34
Total Moderate Traveler 100.00 56.29 59.46 60.35 46.05 72.07 64.36 55.24 62.48 48.61
Total Light Traveler 100.00 57.65 60.56 61.32 43.52 72.07 65.05 56.24 62.66 49.56

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Ask The Experts: Assessing The Value Of Hotel Rewards Programs

For a deeper understanding of what both consumers and hotel chains get from these programs and how they impact the behavior of both parties, we posed the following questions to a panel of leading hospitality and consumer studies experts. You can check out their bios and responses below.

  1. Who benefits more from hotel rewards programs: consumers or hotel chains?
  2. How do hotel rewards programs impact consumer behavior?
  3. Do you think consumers under- or overvalue the benefits of hotel rewards program membership?
  4. To what extent do you think mergers, acquisitions and alliances of individual brands impact hotel loyalty?

Source: Wallet Hub