GHA Discovery is the loyalty program across about 40 hotel brands and about 850 properties such as Viceroy, Pan Pacific, Outrigger, Kempinski, NH Hotels, Marco Polo, Anantara and Capella.
And they’re offering one of the most generous status match offers we have seen from a hotel. You can even get status if you have a premium credit card or airline status or cruise status but don’t have any hotel status.
Here are some of my recent GHA Discovery experiences:
This is how status is normally earned:
- Silver: Base level
- Gold: 2 stays or $1000 spend
- Platinum: 10 nights or $5000 spend or stays at 2 brands
- Titanium: 30 nights or $15,000 spend or 3 brands
Here are their key elite benefits:
- Bonus points-earning: Discovery Dollars earning is 4% / 5% / 6% / 7% based on status level.
- Late checkout/Early check-in: Titaniums get 11 a.m. early check-in. Platinums get 3 p.m. checkout and Titaniums get 4 p.m. checkout. This is subject to availability.
- Upgrades: Platinums get a single category upgrade and Titaniums get a double upgrade (subject to availability).
- Amenity: Platinums and Titaniums receive a welcome amenity
- Brand-specific benefits: Titaniums also receive additional benefits that vary by brand such as breakfast, airport transfer, or complimentary laundry
- Breakfast: is a benefit rolling out across brands (not available at all brands) for Titanium members.
Through November 30 they are offering to match airline, hotel, and cruise status – as well as simply a premium credit card.
- They’re matching up to their top published Titanium tier.
- Status will last through the end of 2026.
- You’ll also earn double elite nights for the first 6 months of 2026, to help you keep the status more easily in 2027.
It’s a paid offer through StatusMatch.com, but you get half the fee back in GHA’s rewards currency to spend at their hotels (these ‘Discovery Dollars’ expire if unused after 12 months).
- Platinum matches: cost $100, rebate D$50
- Titanium matches: cost $150, rebate D$75
This is a program that has regularly honored status match requests, but that’s been limited to matching from other hotel programs and also required you to have had at least one stay with the program in the prior 24 months. So this is available much more broadly. The offer says it may be once in a lifetime.
There’s an extensive list of airlines and hotels being matched against, even Marriott and Hilton Silver matches to GHA Platinum, and Marriott Platinum to GHA Titanium. A few examples of status matching to GHA Titanium, the program’s top published tier:
- Airlines: Air Canada 75K and above; American Platinum Pro and above; British Airways Gold and above; United Platinum and above. Oddly, neither Delta nor Southwest are on this list.
- Hotels: Choice Diamond; Hilton Diamond; Hyatt Globalist; IHG Platinum and above; Marriott Platinum and above
A mere IHG Platinum (which the new Sapphire Reserve offers, and so does IHG co-brands) matches to Titanium.
GHA’s footprint in the U.S. is small, so if you’re primarily a domestic traveler this may not align well for you. But they’re increasingly my second favorite hotel loyalty program. I still love the consistent breakfast benefit, guaranteed late check-out, and confirmed at booking suites from Hyatt best. What I really like here is the hotels themselves and that there are so many unique brands where I can still get real benefits. I always want to stay with GHA Discovery more often.
I honestly only know about GHA Discovery thanks to Gary Leff!
They want a $150 fee for the status match.
@Tizette – $150 to match to top tier, $100 to Platinum, and they rebate half of that in credit you can redeem on your first stay. You’re eligible for top tier if you have any Visa Infinite card.
@Gary Leff “$150 to match to top tier, $100 to Platinum”
Kinda omitted an important detail, didn’t you?
Great info – thanks
Paid. Not easiest ever by any stretch of the imagination.
@Mantis — Was meaning to ask, is your moniker like supposed to be like a ‘praying mantis’ (the insect)?
Intriguing! These properties look nice. Given the benefits of the Titanium tier, $150 seems like a reasonable gamble even if it ends up not being used. If nothing, else, looks fancy on the ol’ CV.
Reference to the great Dr. Mantis Toboggan.
@Dom writes, @Gary Leff “$150 to match to top tier, $100 to Platinum” Kinda omitted an important detail, didn’t you?”
Did I?
@Mantis — Wow. Excellent reference. I recall he ‘saved’ that kid on a flight once… and, he’s a ‘pilot,’ too!
Gary, how dare you post amazing content for years at no cost to readers, and then you write about top-tier hotel status for $75? I, for one, am outraged. I only want free stuff! Shame on you! You have lost a valuable reader who just discovered your site yesterday.
@Gary or anyone else in the know……I’ve been wanting to use up some of my Chase UR points due to the CSR changes coming later this year. I’ve noticed that a lot of NH properties are often on the Points Boost list. Would I get GHA Discovery benefits if the hotel stays are paid through Chase points redemption? I know Chase allows you to put your member number in the reservation but at least with IHG I’ve never had the number transfer over to the hotel system.
Thanks for the heads up.
There seems to be some errors in the details of this post.
Went to check this out, as I currently have a stay booked at Outrigger in November – we also are a big fan of Anantara brand in Thailand and have stayed at a few resorts there. The status match does not seem to apply to any UA elites (as noted in above) and as far as CC, only limited ones issued in China and India. Can’t find a way to get it just for having a Visa Signature or Reserve (US-based), and therefore, just having Chase CSR won’t seem to be eligible to get this offer (though seemingly able to get it via IHG status that comes with CSR, true).
At least that’s according to linked page as I looked at it. Maybe things shifted since posted?
I’m thinking about if it makes sense to do. Looks like breakfast not a benefit at Outrigger, but potentially could get us a double upgrade, which could be a backdoor to breakfast via a club room which has access to- I think that could be possible for us as we are already booked in an Oceanfront, though with upgrades subject to availability, not sure that would work out with our currently booked stay which potentially makes this not worth it given the cost. Though the D$ deposit might be enough to get us breakfast for a day, so some value there along with enhanced earning for our stay, etc. I’m thinking about it.
When I tried to register using Visa/Amex Travel Credit Card – the only option is “Issued in China” and when I use that I got this message: Offer expired or unavailable at your location.
Curious if anyone has had any luck using a VISA Infinite card?
“easiest hotel status ever” – no, this requires a cash payment upfront and existing status to match. credit card hotel status is the easiest.
but yes GHA is interesting and thank you for writing about it, but not easiest ever
@ Gary — @ Emcampbe and @ Jeff are correct.
Another agree that status match not possible in US
People need to be aware about the massive database of travelers’ information this StatusMatch mob is building.
And, the Devil then said, “That’s when you were a prospect. Now, you’re a customer.”