Skip to content

How TPG Readers Ranked the Best Hotel Promotions of the Year

Dec. 18, 2018
2 min read
SPG Maldives
How TPG Readers Ranked the Best Hotel Promotions of the Year
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

It's been almost two weeks since we held the inaugural TPG Awards aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. In addition to recognizing the best credit cards, airlines and hotel programs of 2018, we also honored Captain "Sully" Sullenberger and Leyma Gbowee with special awards and enjoyed a musical performance by Bebe Rexha, making for a fantastic evening.

The majority of the awards given out were selected solely by readers; votes were submitted through a secured Google poll to ensure one vote per person. And naturally when you ask for reader input, you're likely to get a range of opinions, and that's exactly what we saw across all of the readers' choice categories. Today we're continuing to highlight the individual voting results to provide additional insight into how the finalists landed.

Here's the list of nominees for best hotel promotion in order of the number of votes they received:

  1. Marriott/SPG MegaBonus
  2. Hilton's double points promotion
  3. Hilton's Points Unlimited promotion
  4. Hyatt's fall promotion of up to 60,000 points
  5. Buy Hilton points with 100% bonus
  6. Buy IHG points with 100% bonus
  7. Wyndham's Stay Twice promotion

As you can tell from the nominees, 2018 wasn't exactly a banner year in the hotel promotion department. In fact, the main feature of the winner (MegaBonus, the first promo from the combined Marriott/SPG program) was just 2,000 bonus points on stays of two nights or more. This haul is worth just $16 based on TPG's most recent valuations, though you could extend your earnings by visiting multiple brands during the promotional period. Bear in mind too that you can still register for the promotion (through Jan. 7, 2019) by logging into your Marriott account; you can still earn bonus points on stays through Jan. 31, 2019.

MegaBonus has been Marriott's oft-repeated promotion, so it's safe to assume it'll be sticking around into 2019. But can it maintain its grip on this award for next year? You'll just have to wait and see.

TPG featured card

Rewards rate
5X milesEarn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
2X milesEarn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
Intro offer
Open Intro bonus
Enjoy a $250 travel credit & earn 75K bonus miles
Annual fee
$95
Regular APR
19.49% - 28.49% (Variable)
Recommended credit
Open Credit score description
670-850Excellent, Good

Pros

  • Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
  • You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
  • Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners

Cons

  • Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
  • Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
  • Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
  • Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
  • Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
  • Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Top rated mobile app