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If you’re lucky enough to travel regularly, there’s a good chance that you’ve stayed in a hotel that’s either part of the Marriott family of brands, the HIlton family, or both.
These companies represent two of the biggest hotel chains in the world, so it’s no surprise that they’re loyalty programs, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors have hundreds of millions of members.
In this head-to-head, we’re comparing these two compelling hotel loyalty programs to see which group of members is getting the best deals and to see if one stands apart from the other.
Marriott Bonvoy, with almost 230 million members, is the loyalty program for Marriott Hotels, boasting 9,500+ properties in 143 countries across 30+ brands.
Hilton Honors, maintaining a membership of over 235 million, is the loyalty program for Hilton and its 9,000+ properties in 141 countries across 25 brands.
To see how these two travel industry behemoths stand up next to each other, we’ll compare the following key categories:
Marriott and Hilton are both massive companies that encompass a number of brands. These range from casual properties to high-end properties as well as places that specialize in long-terms stays.
Additionally, both companies have one or two unique brands to entice travellers who are looking for something a bit different.
Both Marriott and Hilton offer visitors the opportunity to stay at some stunning high-end properties in varied locations, from world-class cities to tropical paradises.
Perhaps Marriott’s most famous high-end properties include those that fall under the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis brands, though the company boasts even more luxurious brands, such as JW Marriott, The Luxury Collection, and Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts.
Notable high-end properties under the Marriott umbrella include the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort (seen below) and the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, which gives you front row seats to safaris, spectacular landscapes, and wildlife experiences.
High-end brands within Hilton’s portfolio include the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and more.
Among the companies many exceptional properties, a couple high-end standouts include the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah and the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria, overlooking the historic city from its highest hill.
As part of it’s collection of 30+ brands, Marriott offers a wide selection of properties that range from a simple overnight to a nice weekend away to long-term stays.
Familiar brands include: Marriott, Sheraton, Delta, Westin, Fairfield Inn, AC Hotels, Moxy Hotels, Residence Inns, TownePlace Suites, and more.
Hilton’s diversity of offerings are similar to Marriott’s with a range of brands available to suit any type of stay, short or long.
Familiar Hilton brands include: Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites, and more.
Both Marriott and Hilton offer their customers and members some particularly unique overnight opportunities through their brands and partnerships
Marriott’s Outdoor Collection and Trailborn partnership give fans of fresh air a chance to stay in a variety of different cabins, trailers, and boutique hotels, providing a deeper connection to each locale.
Hilton has partnered with the Small Luxury Hotels brand to bring visitors to one-of-a-kind properties around the world.
For example, visitors to Europe can choose to stay in refurbished castles and estates, or at the Castilla Termal Monasterio de Valbuena in Valladolid, Spain, shown below.
Both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors offer a few different ways to earn points, so let’s dig in to these options to see how they compare.
With Marriott Bonvoy, you can earn up to 10 Bonvoy points per $1 US that you spend on eligible charges. The majority of the brands under the Marriott umbrella earn points at this rate, with the list comprised of what are known as “full-service properties” such as Marriott Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Delta Hotels by Marriott, Westin, Four Points, The Ritz-Carlton, and many, many more.
Additionally, a number of popular, more price-conscious brands (or “limited-service properties) like Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Four Points Express earn the lower rate of 5 points per $1 US spent. Also, stays with theStudioRes brand earn 4 points per $1 spent and stays in Marriott Executive Apartments earn 2.5 points per $1 US spent.
You will also earn more points if you hold Marriott Bonvoy elite status, with each status tier offering a more elevated rate than the last.
Marriott Bonvoy members can watch for special offers and promotions that give them bonus points on their stays.
On the other side of this comparison, hotels that fall within the Hilton Honors program offer similar earning opportunity, with general members earning 10 Hilton Honors points per $1 US spent on most stays.
Similarly to Marriott, Hilton’s earning rates are set lower for a couple of limited-service brands. In these cases, members earn 5 points per $1 spent at Tru by Hilton and Home2Suites.
Hilton Honors elite members also enjoy an elevated earning rate that increases as they move up the status tiers, and all Hilton Honors members can watch for special offers and promotions on the program’s website.
Probably the best way to earn hotel loyalty points is by spending on a co-branded credit card.
In Canada, Marriott Bonvoy offers two co-branded American Express credit cards:
These cards let you earn Bonvoy points on all your purchases at the following rates:
Unfortunately for Canadians, Hilton doesn’t currently offer a co-branded credit card; however, if you are active in the US credit card landscape, you can earn up to 14 points per $1 US spent on eligible hotel stays on Hilton credit cards.
Another great way to build up your hotel loyalty account is with credit card welcome bonuses.
Again, since Hilton doesn’t offer a Canadian credit card, there’s limited opportunity to earn here (though the US Hilton-branded cards frequently offer substantial welcome bonuses).
The American Express Marriott Bonvoy cards also enjoy regular welcome bonuses, with offers usually ranging from 50,000 to 80,000+ points if you meet the spending requirement within the set time frame.
Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors are both transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards, which you can earn with one of the following American Express credit cards:
Both programs require that you transfer a minimum of 1,000 MR points with the following transfer rates:
There are also occasionally transfer bonuses for both Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors that can make these rates more appealing and more lucrative.
If you’re only a few points short of a desired redemption, you can typically buy points for either program at the following rates:
Both programs also put their points on sale a few times a year, so it’s best to wait for these events before purchasing.
For those holding the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card or the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card, you can earn additional Marriott Bonvoy points through Amex’s Refer-a-Friend feature.
With this earning option, you get 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for each friend you successfully refer, up to a maximum annual bonus of 150,000 points. Plus, this bonus rate is occasionally elevated, making it even more valuable.
Both programs use dynamic pricing for their award nights so there’s no fixed prices and the cost can go up during peak travel seasons or when a special event is in town.
To give you an idea of the redemption ranges, with Marriott Bonvoy, you can find redemptions for as few as 5,000-12,000 points a night…
…and for up to 140,000+ Marriott Bonvoy points a night for the most luxurious and unique properties (like the St. Regis Maldives over-water rooms).
Comparatively, with Hilton Honors, we’ve seen low-end price for redemptions at around 7,000 points a night, but more realistically, you’ll find redemptions starting around 20,000+ points…
…with the high-end properties ranging all the way to 100,000+ Hilton Honors points per night for a standard room, plus a few exceptional properties commanding well beyond that.
However, with both programs using dynamic pricing, these award nights can range drastically depending on availability, room type, and more.
In comparing redemptions across both program, it’s also important to note that the value of Marriott Bonvoy points and Hilton Honors points is not the same.
We value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.9 cents each and Hilton Honors points at 0.7 cents each.
To approach this as more of an apples to apples comparison, let’s look at two similar properties in the same destination on the same date to see how the redemptions stack up.
For 67,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you can spend a night at Le Méridien Seoul in the Myeongdong neighbourhood.
At 0.9 cents each, these 67,000 Marriott Bonvoy points are valued around $603, which is just below the ~$620 cash rate listed for this stay.
Alternatively, the Hilton offers a night at the SLH Hotel28 Myeongdong for 70,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
At 0.7 cents each, the 70,000 Hilton Honors points have a value of approximately $490, which is also just a bit lower than the stay’s cash rate of around $515.
In terms of benefits, elite status can certainly add to the comfort and luxury of a hotel stay, and for many, these perks are a big part of why they prefer one program to the other.
For both the Marriott Bonvoy program and the Hilton Honors program, elite status is earned based on the number of qualifying nights you stay at their properties.
However, it’s also possible to fast-track your elite status by simply holding the right credit card.
For example, the American Express Platinum Card® and Business Platinum Card® from American Express both offer cardholders automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status, so let’s compare these elite tiers.
Below are some key benefits available with the Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status and the Hilton Honors Gold Elite status:
Free night certificates are a key perk of the co-branded credit cards and of elite status, so let’s see what each program offers:
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn free night certificates through the two co-branded credit cards in Canada and through their elite status.
Both the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card and the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card give you an annual free night certificate that can be redeemed for a stay worth up to 35,000 points starting in your second year as a cardholder.
Additionally, if you become a Titanium elite member, you can choose a free night certificate worth 40,000 points as an Annual Choice Benefit.
You can also top up your free night certificates by 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, allowing you to redeem for more valuable properties.
Hilton Honors members are only able to earn free night certificates as part of credit card benefits, and since there are no Hilton Honors credit cards in Canada, this basically takes these valuable perks off the table for most Canadians.
That said, if you do dabble in US credit cards, Hilton free night certificates are an impressive perk if you can get one. This is because, unlike Marriott’s certificate, Hilton doesn’t impose a value limitations on theirs.
This means that you can redeem your Hilton free night certificate for any property as long as you can find standard room award availability.
Do take note, though, that Hilton free night certificates can only be redeemed by phone.
Considering that Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors are both massive programs with lots of nuance, this comparison has really only scratched the surface, and determining the best program ultimately has a lot to do with your personal brand preferences and which credit cards you have access to.
For Canadians, the Marriott Bonvoy program is the most easily accessible of the two programs, which we think gives it an edge in this head-to-head.
Thanks to the two co-branded credit cards, it’s easy to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on all your purchases, stack your account balance with a welcome bonus, and enjoy an annual free night certificate.
That said, since the programs are free to join, you can easily be a member of each and then see which you prefer after you’ve visited a few properties — such as one of the many that we’ve reviewed below:
Savings are here (if you don’t see the sign-up form, please click here):
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