With more than 49 million people having visited the city to date, New York City is one of the most popular destinations for business and leisure travelers. For example, there are 280 hotels in New York City belonging to the Hotel Association of New York City—representing more than 80,000 rooms! As business travelers who frequents NYC, you probably enroll in several hotel loyalty programs among the popular brands of hotels in the city. To help you maximize your benefits for your stay, we have prepared for you our simple-to-use guide to selecting hotel loyalty programs, from high-end to budget-oriented hotels, and a list of the Top 10 most generous loyalty programs with a variety of hotels in Manhattan.
Faced with a clutter of lucrative hotel loyalty programs when it comes to redeeming points for future benefits, you have to choose the right hotel loyalty program that works best for your travel itineraries and preferences. Not all the programs are suited for you and help save you money. So, before we jump into our list of top loyalty programs, let’s take a look at 5 tips for choosing the right hotel loyalty program for business travelers and their families.
Five Tips for choosing the right hotel loyalty program
- Choose a hotel first before selecting a loyalty program. Take your lifestyle, your budget, and your company’s travel policy into account when making reservations on the hotel brand’s website. Mid-scale hotels, such as Renaissance Hotels, may be good for your budget and earn you a free night at a luxury hotel, like Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, New York City, if you have up to 40,000 Marriott Rewards points.
- Be aware of the value of your points and how much you’ll earn for your stays. Wyndham Rewards, for instance, makes your redemptions easy at a fixed redemption rate – 15,000 points – for a one-night stay at any room within the Wyndham hotel portfolio. This is a good deal if you want to stay at an iconic hotel like The New Yorker A Wyndham Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
- Keep in mind how you earn points. Instead of allowing members to book via third-party websites and online-travel agents (OTAs) like Expedia and Kayak, many hotels require members to book directly on their own brand websites for collecting and redeeming perks.
- Considering how quickly your points can add up in a loyalty program is important to turn your previous spending into a gift for your future stays. Wyndham Rewards helps you earn 10 points for every dollar spent. For every $100 you spend at Wyndham, Ramada, Days Inn, Wingate and other hotels, you can get back $13.60 worth of stays on points. So, you can earn your points quickly by staying at an economy hotel but redeeming points for free nights at upscale hotels in the Wyndham portfolio.
- Look into hotel groups’ partnerships and additional properties, which can increase your leverage when maximizing your reward points. Redeeming for airline miles, car rentals, and Amtrak Rewards have become regular benefits in hotel loyalty programs since the hospitality industry grew tight with airline programs and transportation groups. But, as acquisitions can occur between big hotel brands, keep your eyes open for the connections between their loyalty programs. Marriott Rewards members now support you to transfer your points between SPG Starwood and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards program, as well as to redeem for free nights in the participating brands in their portfolios.
Now you are armed with the decision-making power you need to choose the right loyalty program, but what are the most popular programs, and what hotels are available for them in NYC?
A new kind of travel management
your team will love
The IdeaWorks Company, which specializes in loyalty programs, released a ranking of the best payback hotel loyalty programs (PDF) for the Switchfly Hotel Reward Payback Survey among six global frequent guest programs, including Wyndham Hotel Group, Choice Privileges, Hilton HHonors, IHG Rewards, Marriott Rewards, and Starwood SPG. Based on the rank, we list the top 10 hotel loyalty programs with pros and cons to help you maximize every dollar you spend for your future benefits–and we break down some of the NYC hotels in these programs’ portfolios.
Best Hotel Rewards Programs for Frequent Guests in New York City
#1 Wyndham Rewards:
Wyndham Hotel Group has a strong presence in the economy end of the market of four-star and five-star properties, such as Days Inn, Dolce Hotels and Resorts, and Wyndham Grand Hotels.
Wyndham Rewards’ major benefit to business travelers is that the program lets loyal members earn 3,000 points for a one-night stay at any participating hotel and then reward for stays at the hotel of any price at a flat rate, 15,000 points, which covers taxes, meals, drinks, and amenities for your free stays. The reward reaches 13.6% average payback rate and exceeds its rivals by 143% — Starwood SPG is at 5.6% for reward payback.
Compared with 40,000 Marriott Rewards points for one stay at any hotel in New York City, Wyndham Rewards gives you three free nights for 45,000 points with Wyndham Rewards Visa Card at The New Yorker A Wyndham Hotel, which has become an icon of the New York City skyline since 1929.
You can also earn and redeem miles, tickets, and points on various transportation options within Wyndham Hotel Group’s alliances, including Amtrak, American Airlines, United Airlines, and other airlines. With your stays at a contemporary and boutique-style hotel, Wyndham Midtown 45 near Grand Central Station, you can earn your points and go back home with a redeemed Amtrak ticket.
Points Expiration: 4 years after being posted to your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- The New Yorker A Wyndham Hotel, 481 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10001-1809
- Wyndham Midtown 45, 205 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017-3301
- Wingate by Wyndham Manhattan Midtown, 235 W 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
#2 Marriott Rewards:
The Marriott Rewards program provides an extensive network of upscale and luxury brands for both business and leisure travelers who visit major cities in the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
You can earn reward points if you purchase with one of Chase Visa’s two Marriott Rewards credit cards, and stay nights at one of 17 participating brands, including Courtyard, Renaissance, Towneplace Suites, and more.
Marriott Rewards members can link to Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG Starwood. In addition to your Marriott Rewards membership, if you are a Ritz-Carlton Rewards member or SPG Starwood member at the same time, now, this is good news: You can transfer points between these two programs, and to your Marriott Rewards account as well, if needed.
Every three Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards points can exchange for one Starpoint in your SPG program. Be mindful that not all Ritz-Carlton properties participate in the Marriott Rewards Program.
Marriott Rewards has allied with more than 40 airline rewards programs like United Mileage Plus and Delta SkyMiles You can redeem points for free or discounted flights as well as rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages as a result.
While the Marriott Rewards program guarantees no blackout dates on standard rooms available for redemption on a given day, some Marriott hotels will limit the total number of standard rooms. Marriott provides upscale rooms in participating hotels that can be redeemed for a large number of points.
Points Expiration: 2 years of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Courtyard New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue, 3 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016
- Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel, 2 Times Square, 714 Seventh Avenue, West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036
- SpringHill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Fifth Avenue, 25 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
#3 Choice Privileges:
Similar to Wyndham Hotel Group, Choice Hotels plays a big role in the market of mid-scale hotels across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean. As Choice Privileges members, families and business travelers who have tight travel budgets can earn Choice Privileges points, airline miles, or Amtrak Guest Rewards at preferred hotels and resorts brands like Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, and Econo Lodge.
The privileges business travelers can get from Choice Hotels are as follows:
- While you can’t earn all three perks at one time, you can exchange your Choice Privileges points for airline miles or Amtrak Guest Rewards, if needed. Whether you’re booking your next flight or are close to getting a free flight, you can transfer your Choice points to your mileage for a free round trip ticket.
- The Choice Privilege program has Planner Rewards, aimed at meeting planners who can earn points and get rewarded by hosting meetings at selected “meeting-friendly” Choice properties.
- Choice Privileges is currently enabling members to earn double points when corporate travelers book through a corporate online booking system or a travel agent.
- Extra points are available for weekend nights stays.
Staying at one of the 12 Choice Hotels in Manhattan, you can enjoy authentic Dim Sum in Chinatown, which is just a few blocks away from your room at Comfort Inn Manhattan Bridge, and then take a walk through Manhattan Bridge and meet Brooklyn hipsters. Live like a New Yorker – a great choice you can make as one of your 2017 resolutions!
Points Expiration: 18 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Comfort Inn Manhattan Bridge, 6163 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
- Comfort Inn Times Square West, 343 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
#4 Hilton HHonors
With 13 distinct hotel brands and 4,600 hotels and properties across 100 countries and territories, Hilton Worldwide provides the loyalty program for frequent business and luxury travelers who fly to major cities in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
What benefits business travelers most is that Hilton HHonors has partnered with more than 60 other airlines and rail programs, including the United Airlines MileagePlus program, and Amtrak loyalty programs. In addition to cashing in your points for airline and rail miles, your points and miles are interchangeable without extra costs.
Despite being ranked as the loyalty program with the highest satisfaction by J.D. Power, Hilton HHonors offers limited payback to its members. You have to pay taxes and other fees when redeeming for free nights and room upgrades, and free nights at higher-end hotels cost a lot of points. According to IdeaWorksCompany, the program’s usual accrual rate is 15 HHonors Points per dollar spent at a hotel. Bonus points don’t help you upgrade your membership level.
Points Expirations: 12 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Hilton Garden Inn New York, 206 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022
- Millenium Hilton, 55 Church Street, New York, NY 10007
- New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Avenue of The Americas, New York, NY 10019
#5 IHG Rewards
The InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) Rewards Club program is for frequent travelers who stay in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, and London. According to IdeaWorksCompany, among all the participating hotels, Holiday Inn New York Midtown 57th St. offers the lowest payback rate for the IHG Rewards Club members, which means a member needs 40,000 reward points to pay for a room costing $117 at the hotel.
As an IHG Rewards Club member, you can earn either points or airline miles through night stays at 4,900 properties within IHG’s portfolio of hotels, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and Staybridge Suites properties. The points and airline miles are interchangeable.
What makes IHG Rewards Club unique is that points accumulation varies by property: 10 points for every $1 USD spent at economy-end hotels, including Holiday Inn, Even Hotels, and more; 5 points for every US dollar spent at five-star hotels, StayBridge Suites, and Suites.
Through the IHG Rewards Club program, you have a variety of ways to redeem your points, ranging from booking rooms without blackout dates and paying for air travel to shopping eBooks, games and software online. Despite the fact that your points cannot be redeemed for a discounted room, you can use your points for free nights at hotels outside the IHG network and free flights with more than 400 airlines, according to U.S. News. You have to earn or redeem nights within a 12-month period.
With more than 20 hotels in Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, IHG caters to business and leisure travelers’ needs for exploring the city’s art world, the Chelsea area, by staying at Hotel Indigo New York City, for viewing Midtown skylines through windows from Holiday Inn L.I. City-Manhattan View in Long Island City, or for having memorable networking events with your peers at InterContinental New York Times Square.
Points Expirations: 12 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Hotel Indigo New York City, 127 West 28th Street, New York, NY 10001
- Holiday Inn L.I. City-Manhattan View, 3905 29th Street, Long Island City, NY, 11101
- InterContinental New York Times Square, 300 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
#6 Starwood SPG
The Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program primarily caters to frequent business travelers in major cities in the United States, Asia, Europe, Africa and Central and South America.
More than 1,300 participating hotels worldwide offer club members to earn and redeem reward points for various types of properties ranging from mid-range to luxury. As Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) merged with Marriott this April, SPG is valued by some travelers for its luxury properties, generous credit-card benefits, and elite-level bonuses.
For example, as an SPG member, you can earn 2 Starpoints per dollar spent at Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel at Canal Street and redeem your starpoints for free nights at a luxury property, The St. Regis New York, 5th Avenue, New York City.
The starpoints go toward diverse reward options for you to redeem and to experience, such as tickets to concerts and sporting events, digital products from iTunes, and merchandise from Amazon and Starbucks.
An extensive network of airlines makes SPG become a valuable loyalty program to business travelers. If you are both an elite SPG member and a Medallion-level member in the Delta SkyMiles program, you can earn starpoints on Delta flights and miles for eligible hotel stays. Elite SPG members who are also Silver, Gold, or Platinum in the Emirates Skywards program can also earn miles for eligible hotel stays.
The merger of the SPG and Marriott Rewards links all accounts and points together. Now you can share your status and transfer your points between these two programs. Business travelers be aware: You have to make reservations in advance before you pay for a hotel stay with your starpoints.
Points Expirations: 12 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel 370 Canal Street, New York, NY 10013
- The St. Regis New York 2 East 55th Street, 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10022
- Aloft Manhattan Downtown – Financial District 49-53 Ann Street, New York, NY 10038
#7 La Quinta Returns
La Quinta Inns & Suites delights your road trips across many major U.S. highways, and delights your stays in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn with serenity in Central Park, convenient travel options in Midtown Manhattan, and sleepless nights at Time Square.
A unique benefit? La Quinta Returns delights business travelers because points never expire.
With La Quinta Returns points, if you fly with Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, or Alaska Airlines, you can exchange your points to frequent flier miles or earn miles within these airline loyalty programs. Your points also allow you to subscribe to magazines and make purchases at various retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.
Selected New York Locations:
- La Quinta Inn & Suites New York City Central Park, 31 West 71st Street, New York, NY 10023
- La Quinta Inn, Manhattan, 17 West 32nd St, New York, NY 10001
- The hotel at Times square, 59 West 46th Street, New York, NY 10036
#8 Club Carlson
Club Carlson gears towards frequent travelers staying at Carlson Rezidor hotel group in large cities in the United States and Europe. Properties include Radisson, Radisson Blu, Park Inn by Radisson, Park Plaza or Country Inns & Suites.
Your Club Carlson rewards – a.k.a Gold Points – are available for every stay and room amenities at any Club Carlson properties. Keep in mind that blackout dates may apply to your rewarded free stays. With the extensive alliance with airlines, Club Carlson Gold Points allows you to convert to airline miles or tickets without covering taxes or other fees.
Golden Points, however, cannot be redeemed for room booking on third-party websites. Road warriors should ensure that bookings are policy compliant before booking a room.
Carlson hotels in New York City extend from JFK International Airport to the Broadway theater district, with generous reward options across participating retail, travel and restaurant partners.
Points Expirations: 24 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Radisson Hotel JFK Airport, 135-30 140th Street, Jamaica, NY 11436
- Radisson Martinique on Broadway, 49 West 32nd Street, New York, NY 10001
#9 Hyatt Gold Passport
Geared toward business and leisure travelers who frequently travel to major cities in the United States, Europe, and Asia, the Hyatt Gold Passport program has more than 630 properties worldwide in a network of brands, including Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, and others.
As a Hyatt Gold Passport member, you can earn points by staying at participating hotels and by purchasing with Hyatt Chase Visa Credit Card. The accumulated points can be used for free nights, room upgrades, airline miles, rental cars, dining services, and experiencing MGM Resorts International. Despite the fact that the rewarded rooms can be all types of styles and prices, rooms at high-end hotels cost large numbers of points.
Through Hyatt Gold Passport, all members are able to redeem a free night at a standard room without blackout dates and taxes or service charges.
As a business traveler, when you want to get away for some leisure/sight-seeing time, there are seven urban Hyatt hotels to help you explore must-see sights in Manhattan, such as Grand Hyatt in Times Square, Park Hyatt New York around MOMA, and Hyatt Place, a few blocks away from the Empire State Building.
Points Expirations: 24 months of inactivity on your account.
Selected New York Locations:
- Grand Hyatt, 109 East 42nd Street at Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY 10017
- Park Hyatt New York, 153 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019
- Hyatt Place, 52 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
#10 Leaders Club
With a lavish hotel in New York City, The Leading Hotels provides a library, courtyard, spa and pool in The Greenwich Hotel so business travelers can stay and enjoy the Tribeca neighborhood like New Yorkers. There are more than 375 luxury TLH properties around the world to support the Leaders Club benefits.
One negative with Leaders Club membership compared to other programs, however, is that an annual membership fee is required to keep your points active and keep access to your benefits.
While the membership fee sounds unusual and restrictive, the benefits are unlimited and your family members will receive three complimentary one-year family memberships as well.
Instead of having limited numbers of free nights for earning and redeeming in a calendar year, you are allowed to earn as many nights as you can with daily complimentary breakfast. You can’t convert your points to airline miles or tickets, though.
New York Location:
- The Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10013
Work has picked up after the start of the new year, and road warriors are taking off on business trips, leaving footprints in New York City. Now you are armed with skills to choose the right hotel loyalty program(s) and with thorough information about the programs. Remember to check your membership status and the types of perks on your account before booking your hotels. You have to plan wisely about your perks for your future trips to New York City.