Sean O’Neill at Skift put together data on the size of hotel rewards programs.
Marriott has the most members. Hilton has surged and should surpass Marriott next year at current rates. It would have already happened, O’Neill suggests, but Marriott’s deal with MGM helped expand its ranks.
New York EDITION (Marriott)
Hyatt outperforms and so does GHA. Hyatt has grown the most among sizable programs in percentage terms (Sonesta has grown more off of a virtually non-existent starting base of just 1 million members in 2018). Hyatt’s program is actually materially larger than Hilton’s and Marriott’s on a per hotel basis. GHA Discovery is the largest program per room.
| Program | # Members | Gain Since 2018 | Members/Room | |||
| Accor Live Limitless | 99 million | 54% | 116 | |||
| Choice Privileges | 69 million | 97% | 106 | |||
| GHA Discovery | 29.5 million | 117% | 210 | |||
| Hilton Honors | 210 million | 147% | 166 | |||
| World of Hyatt | 54 million | 238% | 155 | |||
| IHG One Rewards | 145 million | 52% | 147 | |||
| Jin Jiang J-Club | 199 million | 9% | 132 | |||
| Marriott Bonvoy | 228 million | 82% | 133 | |||
| Wyndham Rewards | 114 million | 75% | 126 |
The Lyle Hotel D.C. (GHA Discovery)
The huge numbers for hotel loyalty programs doesn’t reflect an interest in their rewards offerings. Instead it’s the simple proposition that to get the chain’s lowest rates, most customers have to join the loyalty program. In some cases to get free wifi, customers have to join the chain’s loyalty program. Members join to avoid paying more.
More interesting than gross membership numbers would be active members, and not just ‘some transaction in the last 18 months’ but a real number for engaged members (‘multiple transactions in the past 18 months’). Hotels don’t share that data.
The ‘number of members’ is really just ‘records in the database.’ The more rooms you have, the more people are booking them, the more sign up for a program usually just to avoid paying extra. A large marketing file is valuable! But it says little about the value of the program. Far more interesting is which programs outperform the size of the chain.
As devalued as their points have become, Marriott Bonvoy is a decent rebate program. There are too many elites, and benefits too unevenly enforced, to be considered a strong recognition program. Still, I rate it above Hilton Honors (except for Hilton’s SLH hotel redemptions, which are a real sweet spot). IHG has too little control over its properties to deliver great benefits, though the formal program has become much-improved.
Real value is found in Hyatt’s elite program: suites that can be confirmed at the time you book your room, full breakfast, and late check-out that’s proactively offered rather than denied (among numerous other benefits).
Park Hyatt D.C.
However, Hyatt’s points aren’t worth as much as they used to be and recent additions have disappointed. You choose Hyatt as a frequent hotel guest earning top status, when their footprint matches your travel needs.
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Elite Room Service Breakfast
I’ve been enjoying GHA Discovery because though as a looser confederation of brands benefits are less-well guaranteed, there are strong benefits and rebates across a variety of really interesting hotels. I just wish they had a stronger footprint inside the U.S.
Hilton’s acquisition of SLH is indeed a ‘suite’ spot (get it!)
Hyatt Gold Passport treated me like crap so I won’t EVER stay there again
Hyatt is overhyped.
Yes its good to the globalists who cant really afford real luxury hotels (or are on OPM), but for everyone else, its overpriced mediocre hype.
Never overhyped enough
There is nothing in the world like experiencing the luxury of Hyatt Place especially one of the old converted Amerisuites that hasn’t been renovated in 20 years that smells bad
That’s where you can appreciate a 5 star breakfast of powdered eggs
World of Hyatt Globalist gets you free unlimited buffet that everyone else gets
for free too.
Roll eyes
@Dwondermeant — My dude. Powdered eggs are legitimately a luxury these days. Have you not seen the shortages? Forget the ‘price of eggs’—it’s $0 if they aren’t even selling them. And here I thought it would all be fixed on Day 1 as He promised us. Shucks.
IHG is king for me nowadays. Between the cash-back portals — not always cash back— and lower rates than Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton, IHG has been good to me as a Diamond.
@GUWonder — Woop! Breakfast benefit with IHG Diamond is a notable upgrade from Platinum via the Chase Premier card. Enjoy!
Having tried them all, I can safely report that World of Hyatt is twice the value of Marriott and Hilton. If I was starting over, I would do Hyatt and IHG. However, at 83, I’ll stay at a Hyatt when possible. I do agree that the old Hyatt Place properties are not the sweet spot.
I think what this piece also misses is the connection between percentage of full service / high end properties and number of members. Hyatt has a higher percentage of rooms occupied by members than Hilton / IHG / Marriott partially because there are tangible benefits at a larger percentage of properties (who cares about signing up for a hotel programme at a budget hotel where everyone gets free breakfast and all the rooms are basically the same anyway?). GHA is the extreme example of a hotel group with basically no limited service properties.
@Gary – I’ve only heard vague things on rare occasion about GHA Discovery. Could you go into the program a bit more, particularly for points & miles fans?
@Christian – I walked through the program refresh when it first happened https://viewfromthewing.com/gha-discovery-program-changes/ although they’ve added elite (Titanium) breakfast at several brands since then. They run interesting promos like this one https://viewfromthewing.com/up-to-94-back-on-gha-discovery-hotel-stays-if-you-stay-at-10-brands-in-5-months/ and have had generous status match offers.
The basic idea is that they are a confederation of lots of small hotel brands – a great program for hotel chains too small for running their own to make sense. As a result, while there are clear guidelines on benefits there may be a bit less enforcement (though I haven’t come across hotels skirting the benefits). On the earning/redemption side they offer a straight rebate that you redeem as cash for future stays.
@ Gary — Unfortunately, Hyatt has fallen in quality and value, and they are likely just getting started.