Having a hotel’s elite status can have a significant impact on the quality of your stay. While airline elite status is useful when traveling to or from a destination, you’ll enjoy the benefits of hotel elite status throughout your trip.
If you haven’t traveled enough to achieve or maintain your elite status this year, here are some last-minute tips you need to know to lock in your benefits for another year.
How to earn hotel elite status
If you want to achieve hotel elite status, the traditional option is to book as many hotel stays as possible to get points or elite night credits for the level you want to earn. Since many of us don’t travel that much, travelers need to take advantage of other avenues as well loyalty program provide qualifications.
Here are the most common ways to achieve elite status:
- Elite Night Credits: You’ll earn one elite night credit for every eligible paid night stay at a participating hotel. Most hotel programs also count bonus nights and “points and cash” stays for elite status, and you can earn elite night credits with some credit cards.
- Stay: How often do you stay at one of the hotel’s properties. Whether you stay for one night or multiple nights, it counts as a stay.
- Points Earned: Earn points based on your spending at participating hotels. In general, only “base points” count toward elite status, which typically excludes status rewards, promotions, and other incentives. Spending money with partners may also apply, depending on the program.
- elite credit card status: Many hotel and travel credit cards offer automatic elite status as a benefit.
- Renew your credit card: Each year you renew your hotel co-branded credit card, you can get elite night credits to achieve elite status.
- Spend by credit card: Some hotel credit cards allow you to achieve elite status or make progress based on your spending each year.
Related: Is the hotel’s elite status worth it anymore?
Hilton title
| Silver | Yellow | Diamond | |
|---|---|---|---|
| night | 7. | 28. | 42. |
| stay | 3. | 14. | 21. |
| base point | 17,500. | 52,500. | 84,000. |
End of the elite year: December 31st.
Hilton Hotel is one of the hotel’s loyalty program calculate stay award for elite status level. If you have Hilton title point or free night certificateRedeem them for free nights that get you one step closer to elite status.
For travelers who want Hilton Elite Status instant benefits, the fastest route is to get one of the many Hilton co-branded credit cards. Even without the annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card includes free Silver elite status, with the ability to earn Gold when you spend $20,000 per year.
The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® card includes free Gold elite status. When you spend $40,000 in a calendar year, you’ll be upgraded to Diamond status. Small business owners get the same elite status benefits with Hilton’s Honorary American Express Business Card.
Sign up for our daily newsletter
For members who don’t want to deal with high spending barriers, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card includes automatic Diamond elite status. While this card has a premium annual fee, its annual free nights, high earning potential, and up to $500 annual credit more than make up for it for frequent residents. Hilton business.
Information about the Amex Hilton Aspire card has been independently collected by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: 3 reasons I will open an Amex Hilton Aspire Card before going to the Waldorf Astoria Maldives
IHG One Rewards
| Elite Silver | elite gold | elite platinum | elite diamond | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qualifying night | ten. | 20. | 40. | 70. |
| qualifying points | do not apply. | 40,000. | 60,000. | 120,000. |
End of the elite year: December 31st.
IHG offers several ways to achieve elite status, including when booking a stay bonus using points or a free night certification. However, with the advent of IHG One RewardsPoints earned from credit card spending no longer count towards the elite status points standard.
IHG offers three different credit cards with free features elite status, including one with no annual fee. The IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card comes with automatic Silver Elite status and an upgrade to Gold Elite when you spend $20,000 in a calendar year.
both IHG Rewards Premier credit card and Premier IHG Rewards corporate credit card includes automatic Platinum Elite status. Although spending with an IHG credit card no longer earns qualifying points, you can achieve Diamond Elite status by spend 40,000 USD on either of these cards in a calendar year.
Another option to gain IHG One Awards elite status is buy an InterContinental Ambassador membership. For $200 or 40,000 points, you’ll enjoy Ambassador benefits for 12 months from the date of purchase. This membership has many benefits, including automatic Platinum Elite status.
Related: I’m at InterContinental Times Square New York as a Platinum Ambassador: Here’s What It’s Like
Marriott Bonvoy
| Elite Silver | elite gold | elite platinum | Elite Titan | elite ambassador | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| night | ten. | 25. | 50. | 75. | $100 and $20,000 spent. |
End of the elite year: December 31st.
Marriott earn money elite status simple and easy to understand. You have to spend the night in its hotels, have a credit card that offers elite status, or earn elite night credits from its credit card.
Night from atonement Marriott Bonvoy points and free night certificate also count towards the elite status standard. Its highest status is Ambassador Elite, which not only requires you to stay 100 nights but also spend $20,000 at Marriott properties each year. Note that this claim will increase to $23,000 by 2023.
Chase and American Express offer a variety of Marriott personal and business credit cards including complimentary elite status. All of these cards include at least 15 elite night credits towards your desired status level, including a free annual fee. Marriott Bonvoy Bold . Credit Card. With recent upgrades, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card currently includes 25 elite night credits.
Members can accumulate elite night credits from Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card with any personal card to earn 30 elite night credits per year (or 40 if you have a Brilliant card), easily reaching higher elite tiers.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card includes free Gold Elite status, while the Brilliant card provides automatic Platinum Elite status along with other premium benefits. Likewise, business owners automatically receive Gold Elite status when they have Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and can upgrade to Platinum Elite by spending $75,000 a year on the card.
None of the Marriott cards have Titanium Elite or Ambassador Elite status. However, you will earn a premium night credit for every $5,000 you spend on Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card each year.
Related: 6 reasons to strive for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status
Hyatt’s World
| explorer | Explorer | globalist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| night | ten. | 30. | 60. |
| Start point | 25,000. | 50,000. | 100,000. |
| Meetings and events | 3. | ten. | 20. |
End of the elite year: December 31st.
With Hyatt, you can achieve elite status based on the number of nights you stay or the base points earned at the property. When calculating the elite night credit, it also includes nights booked with Hyatt’s World point or free night certificate.
Two Hyatt credit cards are available – one for consumers and one for business owners. Both cards have unique features that can make you money Hyatt Elite Status quickly.
The Hyatt World Credit Card includes entry-level Explorer elite status. While this status may not offer many outstanding benefits, you can take the time to achieve a higher status. You start with five qualifying night credits per year, and you’ll earn an additional two night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card.
Business owners also get Discoverer status with World of Hyatt corporate credit card. However, this business card is unique on this list as it allows cardholders to gift Discoverer status to up to five employees. Plus, you’ll receive five qualifying night credits for every $10,000 you spend in a calendar year. This rate is 25% higher than the personal version of the Hyatt card.
Related: Here’s how to quickly accumulate Hyatt points for your next stay
Other ways to earn hotel elite status
You can achieve hotel elite status — or at least get similar benefits — in other ways than having a hotel’s co-branded credit card. Use these strategies if you don’t want to be tied to a hotel credit card.
- Platinum Card® from American Express: This luxury travel card includes complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold elite status. To receive these benefits, you must contact American Express customer service to activate them. You also get these statuses with Business Platinum® Card from American Express.
- Fine . Hotel + Resort: An exclusive hotel booking program for Amex Platinum cardholders that offers premium benefits and promotions at premium hotels worldwide. This includes things like on-site spending credits, room upgrades, and late check-out.
- Hotel Collection: Offers benefits at participating properties and is available to those with Amex Platinum or American Express® Gold Card.
- Visa’s signature luxury hotel collection: When you have a Visa Signature Card and book through this website, you will receive exclusive privileges at participating properties.
- Mastercard Travel & Lifestyle: Book at any of the more than 4,000 participating hotels with your eligible Mastercard for elite-level privileges.
Related: What elite status TPG’s points and miles team is maintaining for 2023
bottom line
For travelers who are running out of time to hit hotel elite status this year, there’s still hope.
Many of the most popular loyalty programs have alternative ways to earn elite status without running on a large mattress. In most cases, you’ll receive elite status only by owning one of the hotel’s co-branded credit cards. If you want even higher status, you can earn it through spending on your card.
When these options aren’t available, check out hotel booking programs that work with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. They offer elite-level benefits without qualifying or claiming loyalty to any particular hotel program.
