Free breakfast and more: A beginners guide to hotel lounges
Like many major airports, hotels all over the world have lounges. Hotel lounges can give travelers a quiet place to work, a spot to gather with family and friends, or a place to grab breakfast or a drink during their stay.
Related: Which hotel has the best free breakfast? TPG ate 10 meals to find the winner
Sounds pretty nice, right? Unfortunately, hotel lounges won't just welcome everyone in with open arms. You need to meet certain eligibility requirements to gain access. In this guide, we'll demystify hotel lounges and share how you can access this valuable hotel perk.
What is a hotel lounge?
A hotel lounge is an exclusive space inside a hotel that is only available to certain eligible guests. You'll find hotel lounges at popular upscale hotel chains but also at all-inclusive resorts and hotels at Disney World and Disneyland, among other locales.
Most lounges serve complimentary food and drinks, including breakfast in the morning, grab-and-go snacks and drinks throughout the day and a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres in the evening.
Aside from refreshments, hotel lounges provide a comfortable place to commune with friends and family outside your hotel room (i.e., nobody has to sit on your bed while you chat). Most have lots of comfortable seating, outdoor patios or balconies, TVs, board games and computers with internet access.
Which hotel brands have lounges?
Not all major hotel brands have lounges, but here's a look at some of the brands where you will often find a lounge:
Hilton
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts
- Conrad Hotels & Resorts
Hyatt
- Hyatt Regency
- Grand Hyatt
Marriott
- JW Marriott
- Marriott Hotels
- Sheraton
- Delta Hotels
- Le Meridien
- Autograph Collection Hotels
- Westin Hotels & Resorts
- Renaissance Hotels
- Ritz-Carlton
- Courtyard by Marriott (international locations)
IHG Hotels & Resorts
- InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
- Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
Not every brand listed will have a lounge at every location, and some brands that aren't listed may occasionally have a lounge. The best way to find out if the hotel you are looking at visiting has a club lounge is to call the hotel directly or check the hotel's website.
You will also often find club-level or concierge lounges at hotels not affiliated with any major hotel brand, including at Disney World, Disneyland and independently owned hotels. At those properties, you will usually need to book a club- or concierge-level room to gain access to the lounge.
How do you get into a hotel lounge?
You don't need a secret password to get into a hotel lounge, but you do need to either book a club-level room or hold a certain level of elite status to gain entry.
Anyone, regardless of elite status, can buy their way into most hotel lounges by booking a club- or concierge-level room with lounge access. When searching for a room online, look for rooms called "club level" or "concierge level." Some hotels will have an entire page on their site dedicated to their lounge and other club-level amenities. Certain hotels also allow guests to purchase lounge passes even if they aren't staying on a concierge floor.
Regarding loyalty status, the specifics vary per hotel and loyalty program. In some cases, if you are staying at a hotel without a lounge but have lounge access via elite status, the hotel will offer you an alternative method for free breakfast (i.e., a food-and-beverage credit or access to a complimentary breakfast buffet). For programs that limit how many guests you can bring into the lounge with you, you may be able to pay for additional guests.
Let's look at the loyalty thresholds for the major hotel brands that have lounges:
Hilton Honors
Hilton Honors members with Diamond status get executive lounge access for themselves and up to one other guest registered to their room.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy members with Platinum, Titanium or Ambassador Elite status get lounge access for themselves and up to one other guest registered to their room.
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt members with Globalist status can access the lounge, along with up to two additional adults and two children registered to the same room. Hyatt members can also select two club access awards as Hyatt Milestone Rewards when they reach the 20 qualifying nights or 35,000 base points milestone, as well as the 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points milestone.
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards members with Royal Ambassador status earned through the InterContinental Ambassador membership program get lounge access at InterContinental properties. IHG One Rewards members can also choose an annual lounge membership as one of their IHG Milestone Rewards after staying 40 or 70 nights.
All-inclusive resort lounges
Many all-inclusive resorts affiliated with major loyalty programs offer club or lounge experiences. This might have you scratching your head and asking, "Isn't everything included already?"
The answer, typically, is yes, and the perks of a lounge might be nominal at certain resorts. However, some club-level, all-inclusive rooms come with more benefits than just access to a lounge (if there even is a physical lounge). Those benefits might include top-shelf alcohol in the lounge (and oftentimes throughout the resort), access to private pool areas, access to club-level-only dining experiences or restaurants, and the opportunity to make reservations at restaurants or have early access to restaurant reservations.
Being able to make reservations or getting early access to reservations might be worth the potential $100 per night surcharge. It means you're not competing for walk-up space at popular resort restaurants — especially at teppanyaki restaurants where people love the chance to get shrimp catapulted into their mouth.
Can a credit card help you get into a hotel lounge?
Yes and no. Unlike airport lounges, there are no credit cards that grant you automatic access to a hotel lounge. That said, there are credit cards that can help you climb the elite status ladder more quickly. These cards could be your "key" to hotel lounge access:
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: This card offers automatic Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite status as a cardmember benefit, granting you lounge access at hotels where one is available.
- The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card: This card offers automatic Marriott Gold Elite status, but you can spend your way to Platinum Elite by spending $75,000 on purchases annually. Cardholders also receive three club-level upgrade certificates each year.
- World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees): Cardmembers get five elite nights each year and two additional nights for every $5,000 spent on the card, which can help you reach the 60 elite qualifying nights required to earn Globalist status.
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: This card offers automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, granting you lounge access at hotels that have them.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: This card offers automatic Hilton Honors Gold status as a cardmember benefit. You can upgrade to Diamond status through the end of the following calendar year when you spend $40,000 on your card in a calendar year.
The information for the Ritz-Carlton card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
There you have it — everything you've ever wanted to know about what's behind the doors of a hotel lounge and how you can gain access to these exclusive spaces. This is just one of the many perks of hotel elite status, but it's also one of the most valuable.
Related reading:
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.