Hotel Loyalty Program Room/Suite Upgrade Redemptions

Another aspect to consider between different hotel loyalty programs aside from free night redemptions are the point costs for room/suite upgrades.  For the budget conscious traveller like myself, this aspect of the program usually doesn't appeal to me.  However, for those looking for a little bit of extra luxury at a small premium, this might be something to consider.

Again, I'll be just commenting at the Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood and Marriott programs for now.



Room Upgrades

Room upgrades for Starwood depends on the hotel availability but generally requires a minor point add-on listed in the table below.  Upgraded rooms are generally dependent on the hotel and are also available based on availability for Starwood Gold and Platinum members.



Starwood Preferred Guest ranges from Categories 1-7

Hotel Category:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

SPG Points for 1 Night:

1,000-1,500

1,000-1,500

1,000-1,500

1,000-1,500

1,500-2,750

1,500-2,750

1,500-2,750

Hyatt allows booking Regency/Grand Club rooms which allow access to the club lounges.  The cost for these room upgrades (aside from category 1) is an approximate 25% premium to the regular room rate as shown in the table below.  Given this comparison, Starwood appears to give better value.

Hyatt Gold Passport ranges from Categories 1-6

Hotel Category:

1

2

3

4

5

6

HGP Points for 1 Night:

2,000

2,000

3,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Hilton offers a Room Upgrade program but the policy is not standard across their hotels.  Individual hotels offer their own availability and HHonors redemption rates for any upgrades.

Marriott too offers an upgrade program which generally costs 5,000 points but can cost up to 10,000 points at some hotels.  Again, like Hilton, the Marriott program does not have a standard policy across their hotels so that individual upgrades are provided at the discretion of individual hotels.

Suite Redemption/Upgrades


Upgrades to a suite for Starwood depends on the hotel availability but generally requires twice the amount as a regular room.  These are the additional points required for a suite upgrade:



Starwood Preferred Guest ranges from Categories 1-7

Hotel Category:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

SPG Points for 1 Night:

3,000

4,000

7,000

10,000

12,000-16,000

20,000-25,000

30,000-35,000

Hyatt allow directly booking a suite so to make the comparison easier to see, I've just listed the difference between booking a room and a suite.  Generally, upgrading to a suite costs 50% more than the free room redemption which makes it more competitive than a Starwood suite upgrade, especially given that the Hyatt and Starwood programs are pretty competitive on the free night redemptions.

Hyatt Gold Passport ranges from Categories 1-6

Hotel Category:

1

2

3

4

5

6

HGP Points for 1 Night:

3,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

9,000

11,000

As mentioned above, Hilton and Marriott both offer upgrade programs but redemption is based on individual hotels.

Given the large range of upgrade options and the non-standard upgrades available, it is a bit fuzzy to evaluate between programs.  From a very rough glance though, Starwood appears to have the upper hand in room upgrades and Hyatt looks like a winner in the suite category although you may want to investigate more depending on your specific travel destination and hotel.  Also, keep in mind that room/suite upgrades may not necessarily show up on the program websites but may be available if you call in to make a reservation.