Marriott claims to have a quarter billion members of the Bonvoy program. What that means is they just have a lot of guests across a lot of hotels, and offer a discount for joining the program.
It doesn’t mean guests stay more than once! And Marriott doesn’t publicly release how many ‘active’ members they have (or how they define active, such as points-earning or redemption in the last year or two). In this, Marriott is no different than other chains. Here are the member counts of hotel loyalty programs:
| Program | Members | |
| H Rewards | 288 million | |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 248 million | |
| Hilton Honors | 226 million | |
| Jin Jiang J-Club | 200 million | |
| IHG One Rewards | 145 million | |
| Wyndham Rewards | 120 million | |
| Accor Live Limitless | 100 million | |
| Choice Privileges | 72 million | |
| Best Western Rewards | 64 million | |
| World of Hyatt | 58 million | |
| Global Hotel Alliance Discovery | 32 million | |
| Radisson Rewards | 25 million | |
| MeliaRewards | 15 million | |
| Sonesta Travel Pass | 7.7 million |
Did you realize that H Rewards was the largest program? They actually have over 11,000 hotels. H World Group is also known as Huazhu Group Limited, and they own Deutsche Hospitality in Europe (Steigenberger, MAXX, Jaz in the City, IntercityHotel, Zleep Hotels) but most of their hotels are in China (Ji Hotel, Hanting, Crystal Orange).
Size doesn’t matter, though! It isn’t as important as engagement. And you learn more about a program by looking at total number of members per room that’s part of the brand. Skift put together that data:
| Program | Members/Room | |
| H Rewards | 243 | |
| Global Hotel Alliance Discovery | 219 | |
| Best Western Rewards | 190 | |
| Hilton Honors | 174 | |
| MeliaRewards | 160 | |
| World of Hyatt | 159 | |
| Radisson Rewards | 159 | |
| IHG One Rewards | 145 | |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 143 | |
| Wyndham Rewards | 142 | |
| Jin Jiang J-Club | 139 | |
| Accor Live Limitless | 117 | |
| Choice Privileges | 112 | |
| Sonesta Travel Pass | 87 |
A small program might have fewer members per room even if it’s a great program, because guests still might not join thinking that the program isn’t relevant to them – the odds they’ll have occasion to stay again with the chain may be low. So smaller programs at the top of this metric are impressive.
Skift’s Sean O’Neill says “most hotel loyalty programs are winning the headcount war but losing the engagement battle” because the number of room nights booked per member each year is declining, from 1.8 in 2016 to 1.1 two years and and now 1 night per member.
- Hotels are adding members to their database
- But these aren’t repeat guests
Hotel chains offer a discount, often just a couple percent, to ‘members of their program’ so of course people join. There’s no loyalty element to this, or even repeat purchase intent. It’s ‘sign up to get an immediate discount’. So of course the number of room nights per member has declined!
Hilton launched its ‘stop clicking around’ campaign in February 2016, Marriott launched member rates in April 2016, and IHG came out with ‘your rate by IHG Rewards Club’ in May 2016. Choice followed that same month.
This was part about undercutting OTA commissions, and part a way to circumvent ‘rate parity’ agreements (requiring members to be logged in to book these rates). But it was also a way of driving loyalty signups which are permission-based marketing arrangements, to sell future stays but also drive cobrand card acquisition.
When everyone – even, and especially once a year guests – are who’s being added to the program, you would expect the number of nights per member to fall.
Hilton’s penetration seems impressive, especially considering that the program itself is not! They keep devaluing their points significantly, and they don’t treat their most frequent guests especially well (no promise of suites, no guaranteed late checkout and in the U.S. a credit that generally no longer covers the cost of breakfast).
Conrad Bora Bora Nui Breakfast
GHA Discovery consistently surprises me with this metric. I like the program in many ways, and I especially like many of their small brands. And how does Best Western Rewards perform so well? Hyatt also hits above its weight.
The Lyle, Washington DC
Alila Marea
Marriott clearly underperforms and I think we all likely know why. Meanwhile, nobody really bothers with Choice Privileges.
I use points or free night awards almost exclusively. Hyatt first, then Hilton and IHC, Wyndham at the end. I may pay cash if once of my CCs has a credit.
Marriott absorbed the SPG members which helped them increase their #’s too!
@Gene — Marriott can be that bad, can it? What’s the worst that can happen…
Choice is actually better than Wyndham. And Best Western has some desirable properties in Europe. But their bread and butter are roadside hotels in small-town America. The kind of markets the only other chain option is probably a Fairfield or Holiday Inn Express.
@ 1990 –You could be arrested for parking your Hertz rental in the parking lot?
@Gene — ‘It was the (worst) of times, it was the worst of times…’ the age of foolishness.
Marriott might have the numbers, but…
I have a membership with them, but I have very VERY little loyalty to them. I keep my old SPG AMEX (now some sort of Bonvoy card) that gives me a free night certificate each year. Since my annual fee is $95 that gives me a modest room for $95. which pretty much always beats the cash price.
But to transfer precious points to their program is a waste of points.
One reason Hilton has so many is you usually need to be a member to get free wi-fi. So many people will sign-up without ever having any interest in the actual program. I’m sure there are similar situations at the other chains
Im a titanium elite bonvoy member through vistana probably going to walk away from the whole thing chairmans club because the annual hoa fees are more than the cash value of the points. How do they let that happen?
After recently complaining to Marriott about being served rotten food and getting actually downgraded at a “Autograph Collection” I can tell you Marriott doesn’t care about their customers.
@TOM — Most of these programs, hotels and airlines, have used WiFi as the wedge to get sign-ups. Think, if you want ‘free’ Delta WiFi, you also need to be a SkyMiles Member (unless you’re flying on one of Delta’s dinosaurs, like the 717, which doesn’t have WiFi. Sorry, @Tim Dunn, it’s true. Time to phase ‘em out; get some more a220s!)
@RunningJock says: Marriott absorbed the SPG members…
The real test is how many of those have remained engaged with Marriott as it is nothing of what SPG was, and Hyatt coming closest in terms of program performance
Marriott has a quarter billion members? That represents a lot of people that hate Marriott. Membership no longer means loyalty.
Next you will be reporting that Hertz has the most members among car rental firms. I am a Hertz member. Proud to say I haven’t rented from them in about 5 years.
Yeah, I was put up in an IC hotel a few years back, and had to give a video presentation across the pond that night. The only way to get decent internet there was to sign up for H rewards.
On the other hand, the Accor group generally gives good wifi, and I’m platinum there. Of course, their loyalty program isn’t great, boiling down to a free drink most of the time.
@Bubba — Regardless of WiFi, which nearly all the brands offer with an entry-level account, I have to say, Accor is not a good brand, like, at all. I’ve given them third, fourth, and fifth chances, but still, it’s a nope for me dawg. Even with status, they are stingy as can be about early check-ins and late check-out; at check-in, they’ll literally make you wait until the minute of the stated ‘check-in time’ out of spite (see the Fairmont in Barbados). Most of their properties are older, and a fresh coat of paint is simply not enough (see the Fairmont in San Juan is just awful, forever being renovated, and even the new rooms aren’t great.) Overall, a bad value, much of the time ($500+/night for the equivalent of a Four Points by Marriott.) I still prefer Marriott over Accor (it’s that bad.)
Best Western is the surprise to me here.
That said, in a lot of those markets the “other entrant” is likely to be Choice, if I had to guess.
My highest levels of status are with Wyndham and Choice. This is mostly a function of where I have to travel for work (cliched Small Town America) and my desire, especially in winter, to get a smoking room, of which there are some still available in both chains. If neither are available or within close proximity to where I’m going, then free breakfast is the determinant.