What's the Best Way to Get Free Hotel Club Lounge Access?
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Citi HHonors Hilton Reserve Card
TPG reader Adam tweeted me to ask:
@thepointsguy-- "What are some of the best ways to get club lounge access at hotels without paying for it?"
We always talk about airline lounge access, but to be honest, hotel lounges can be even better, including much nicer spreads and open bars.
Some of my personal favorite hotel lounges are the Ritz-Carlton lounges because they're typically open all day (you might be able to get several meals in if needed) and have very high end alcohol. The easiest way to end up in these lounges is by getting the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card from Chase. The annual fee for is $450, but one of the benefits is a $300 annual reimbursement for airline incidentals, which effectively brings the annual fee down to $150. You also get three upgrades to club lounges each year, and each of those can apply to stays of up to seven nights. So for just $150 you can upgrade up to 21 nights in a beautiful Club room.
Another way you can get lounge access is through Hilton Diamond status, which gives you Club room access. I got my status by spending $40,000 annually on the Citi Hilton Reserve card; alternately, you can always ask about upgrades at check-in, or you can use your miles and points to get upgraded to a Club room. For example, Hyatt has one of the best suite upgrade options out there at 3,000 Gold Passport points per night.
Remember to do the math and make sure the lounge is nice enough to warrant the expense. I value Hyatt points at about 1.8 cents apiece, so the upgrade comes out to $54 per night. Is lounge access worth it? In my experience some of the Hyatt lounges are incredible, but ultimately it's for you to decide.
As you can see, there are several ways to get into hotel lounges without paying full price, so figure out which method works best for you.
If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook, or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
[card card-name='Citi® Hilton HHonors<sup>TM</sup> Reserve Card' card-id='22146296' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month