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Guides
Best top-tier hotel elite status for your family — from free breakfast to confirmed suites
Dia Adams is a Mom of a teen and a tween in the DC Metro area. She writes The Deal Mommy, an award-winning site focusing on showing kids the world while still maintaining both savings and sanity. She is also the author of bestselling travel guide Disney World Hacks.
April 25, 2020 • 12 min read
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Quick summary
The article compares top-tier hotel loyalty programs—Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton and IHG—from a family travel perspective.
Hyatt Globalist status stands out for generous suite upgrades, waived resort and parking fees and strong lounge access, but has a smaller property footprint.
Hilton Diamond offers guaranteed lounge access and is notable for being attainable solely by holding a specific card, with positive treatment at many properties.
Marriott's elite tiers provide varying breakfast and upgrade benefits, while IHG's top status is less valuable for families due to limited perks.
What to consider
Hyatt's best benefits are mainly at full-service properties, and suite upgrades are limited at select brands like Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.
Marriott's breakfast and upgrade policies vary by brand, and advance suite upgrades can be difficult to secure.
IHG top-tier status lacks a standard breakfast benefit and offers minimal distinction from its mid-tier level.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of which elite hotel status best fits family needs, including nuanced pros and cons for each program.
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Editor’s note: At TPG, our top priority is providing our readers with the information needed to make educated decisions about travel and rewards-earning strategy. This is not the best time to travel, domestically or internationally, as airlines have cut major parts of their route networks. But we are sharing this information to provide value for future travel once coronavirus concerns have subsided.
This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
Once you have kids, the prism through which you view life changes. That extends to travel: While everyone enjoys being pampered, families have many different requirements and priorities from their hotel loyalty programs than single business travelers. For example, a suite upgrade is nice for all travelers, but that separate room makes all the difference when you have a napping toddler.
To help those who travel with a crew, TPG is breaking down top-tier hotel loyalty programs through the lens of the benefits that appeal most to families. The four programs that most families will probably utilize with the greatest frequency are: IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt.
Not a bad spot for a free breakfast. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
World of Hyatt Globalist status
The top-tier elite status in the World of Hyatt program is Globalist status, which is earned after 60 eligible nights or 100,000 base points in the program in a calendar year. If that sounds out of range, it might be easier than you think since the World Of Hyatt Credit Card normally comes with five night credits and you can earn an additional two elite-qualifying nights with each $5,000 you spend on the card.
Hyatt Globalist is the most clear-cut upgrade from mid-tier hotel status in the four programs we're looking at today. Hyatt loyalists tend to be #hyatt4ever because once you're a Globalist, it's hard to go back.
Hyatt Globalist status strengths
As a Hyatt Globalist you'll receive unlimited lounge access, upgrades (including four confirmable suite upgrades each good for up to a seven-night stay), waived resort fees on both award and paid stays and waived parking fees on award stays. You can also share your Hyatt perks with others via the Guest of Honor program. Additionally, Hyatt has partnerships with M life and American Airlines, allowing you to earn points and potentially leverage elite status.
Hyatt Regency Club Lounge. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
Hyatt Globalist status limitations
Hyatt is growing pretty rapidly, but has a more limited footprint than some other programs.
If you only stay at Hyatt brands, you may miss some swaths of the globe. Another quibble with Hyatt Globalist status is that many of the Hyatt properties that families utilize will be either Hyatt Place or Hyatt House — hotels where having status almost doesn't matter as both brands offer free breakfast to all who book direct and suite upgrades are limited.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum and Titanium Elite status
The top elite status tiers in the Marriott Bonvoy program are technically Titanium Elite that is earned after 75 nights and Titanium Elite with Ambassador, earned after 100 nights. However, many of the day-to-day perks, such as space-available upgrades and free breakfast options, are unlocked at the Platinum status achievable after 50 nights.
You can earn 15 night credits toward status with one of the Bonvoy family of cards, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, which puts Platinum status just 35 nights away. In fact, having both a consumer and small-business Marriott credit card, such as the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, means that you can actually start the year with 30 of the needed 50 elite status nights.
The free breakfast benefit that starts at Platinum status is a bit of a mixed bag at Marriott properties: With 29 chains, each seems to have its own breakfast policy, and some, notably Ritz-Carlton and Edition, have no guaranteed breakfast benefit option at all.
Marriott Platinum breakfast at the St. Regis New York. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum and Titanium status strengths
Many (though not all) Marriott brands make free breakfast a Platinum option at check-in. Some hotels are more generous with this policy than others, but we've generally experienced a trend toward this getting more generous, not less.
Breakfast buffet at the Westin Mammoth. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)
Space-available upgrades to suites can technically happen at check-in and Platinums and above also get club lounge access. At some Marriott properties, Titaniums will get even better treatment. The distinction between Platinum and Titanium status is somewhat nebulous and could vary widely, depending on which property you visit. For instance, at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista I got free parking and a waived resort fee as a Titanium member, even though neither is an official Bonvoy-listed benefit.
One big pro in the Bonvoy Titanium column has little to do with Marriott. The RewardsPlus partnership lives on with the Marriott Bonvoy program, so as a Titanium or Ambassador traveler, you’ll be able to link your Marriott account with your United MileagePlus account and enjoy automatic United Premier Silver status. Silver status comes with Economy Plus seats for two at check-in and the ability to see more award space.
Economy Plus seating. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy.)
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum and Titanium status limitations
Marriott Suite Night Awards (SNA) are available as elite bonus options starting at the Platinum level. That sounds great as you could theoretically confirm a suite in advance. However, in practice they can be much more difficult to redeem than a Hyatt confirmed suite upgrade.
Suite Night Award success at the Westin Snowmass. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
Hilton Diamond status
The top-tier elite status in the Hilton Honors program is Diamond status, which is typically earned after 30 stays, 60 nights or by earning 120,000 Hilton base points in a calendar year (which equates to $12,000 in spending).
You’ll also be upgraded to Diamond status by spending $40,000 in a calendar year on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. But really, those are all the hard ways to earn this status since level Diamond status is included as an automatic benefit on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex 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.
Included breakfast for Diamonds at the Conrad Bora Bora. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
Hilton Diamond status strengths
Hilton Diamond is the only truly meaningful top-tier hotel status given automatically with a credit card sign-up. While both Hilton Gold and Diamond offer breakfast, only Diamond status guarantees lounge access. Both Gold and Diamond are also eligible for room upgrades, but my experience is that many Hilton properties roll out the red carpet for Diamond in a way they don't for Gold.
Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem. (Photo by Nicky Kelvin/The Points Guy.)
Hilton Diamond status limitations
If you don't want to worry about Diamond status, know that Hilton Gold is very easy to earn via a variety of methods. Hilton Gold Status comes with other cards such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. Considering it is just a mid-tier status, Hilton Gold is robust, offering free breakfast and upgrades on its own, and may be sufficient for many families.
The top-tier elite status within the IHG Rewards Club is Spire Elite status, which is earned after 75 qualifying nights or 75,000 elite-qualifying points in a calendar year. With IHG's earning rates at 10x per dollar at most chains, you will likely earn 75,000 points before 75 nights.
The bottom line with IHG Spire Elite: It's probably the least valuable of the top-tier programs, especially for families. The minimal difference between Spire Elite and Platinum status, which comes with the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, make earning Spire Elite status mostly useless — and it doesn't even convey breakfast, making it not particularly useful for most families compared to other options.
The 100% bonus on points means you can earn points at a very quick rate, especially when you factor in promotions. Spire Elites also might have a better shot at upgrades, although this is more anecdotal than spelled out. Hertz Five Star Status comes as an IHG Spire perk, which could score you some upgrades if you don't already have car rental status through a premium credit card.
IHG Spire status limitations
IHG lacks a basic breakfast benefit, even at the Spire Elite level. Other benefits, such as potential upgrades and late checkout, don't differ substantially from Platinum and Spire Elite, so while IHG has some pretty cool properties in its lineup (especially the Kimpton brand), we probably wouldn't go out of our way to earn these status levels.
Kimtpon Seafire Resort on Grand Cayman. (Photo by Scott Mayerowitz/The Points Guy.)
Bottom line
If you are already planning family trips to areas where full-service Hyatt properties are available, Hyatt Globalist status truly can't be beat. But that's a relatively big if, even with all the recent expansions into other brands.
Hilton Diamond status has the unique ability to be earned solely through simply possessing a credit card, and my experience with the program has been nothing but positive. To be transparent, the Amex Hilton Aspire card that conveys Diamond status as a built-in perk carries with it a $450 annual fee (see rates and fees), but the card really is worth it for families if you use the perks (once travel begins again). Diamond status aside, the card comes with up to a $250 annual resort credit (applicable even to room charges) and up to a $250 airline fee credit. If the annual credits aren’t enough, the Hilton Aspire also offers a free weekend night annually, arriving around your card anniversary, that you can use at almost any Hilton hotel with standard room reward availability.
Conrad Bora Bora. (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy.)
In the end, the hotel elite status program that makes the most sense for your family will be the one that most closely matches your travel patterns. I don't recommend picking your destination because of your hotel status — choose where you want to go and then work backward from there.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
