This is why I always stay at local hotels for that country. You can get really good deals at 4 n 5 star hotels under management that's from the country your in. Many 🇺🇸 hotels located in other countries rip u off
I think it depends on what you're looking for. In many countries, hotels belonging to American chains are rarely the cheapest option but they may offer more to members of their loyalty programs or have bigger rooms than local competitors.
Love this video! Any updates for 2024? Also wondering if you could please 1) speak a bit faster and 2) also give us the SD for the different categories?
A major update is that hotels do not always follow narrow category bands anymore. One extreme example is the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas which can fluctuate between 20K and 130K points per night. This means that it now makes more sense than before to look for off-peak nights to find lower cost and better value with points. I haven't done as much in-depth study yet but my feeling is that the amount of points it takes to book many of the most popular hotels has dramatically increased. If you pick the less popular hotels near these destinations, the cost in points is more likely to have stayed steady or even have dropped slightly. Thanks for your comment about talking speed. I'll think about it as I work to improve my presentation skills.
Titanium is reached at 75 nights in a year but the amount of points you earn depends on how much you spend. If you regularly pay for expensive hotels rather than cheaper hotels, you'll have more points. When you book a hotel using points, they will be deducted from your account.
Thanks for the observation! I've also noticed that the difference has gotten bigger between the cheapest and most expensive nights when using points at many hotels.
I am struggling to see which hotel brand to be loyal to (Hilton or Marriott). I would like to see which hotel brand is best for Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, etc..) AND which hotel credit to get... Can you give some input on this? TIA.
Marriott would be my preference because they have more hotels in Japan than Hilton, especially in the mid-priced range (less than 20,000 yen per night). But Hilton has a few more resorts in Okinawa and it is easier to earn elite status with them to get benefits like free breakfast.
@@ardens-travel-guide Thank you very much. I will apply to Marriott card thru your referral link :) Ok, so Marriott it is because 1. More hotel in mid-range 2. Marriott points can transfer to ANA/JAL. Thanks!
Thanks for the breakdown! 🤓 I think I'll set my own valuation at 0.75! Look forward to your next video! It would be great if you could do similar research on the other hotel programs too!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm still thinking about the best way to do other hotel programs since the way they handle things like resort fees when booking with points can be quite different.
I'm not sure the points haven't been devalued. I'm looking to redeem at the end of Sept in a large city and I'm consistently seeing .25-.50 redemption rates. I looked at other large cities across the USA and different dates and I'm seeing similar rates. This is pretty terrible. Looked at Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and Milwaukee
There was another shakeup at the end of March after I published this video so the cost in points of a lot of hotels changed. I didn't do as detailed of an analysis but after those changes, it seemed like average value of points at about 2/3 of hotels in the US went down and it became harder to find high value per point in the US other than times when cash prices are abnormally high. If you plan to go somewhere that has a big convention or sports event happening, you may find that there's better availability with points than before and those points values are really good. Of the cities you mentioned, Miami is the only place I've looked at regularly. I think the value per point there is down lately because cash rates are lower than they were last year but points rates didn't drop alongside that. If the cash prices during spring break next year are as high as they usually are, the value at some hotels in Miami will likely exceed 1 cent per point during that time. Last month, I redeemed at a value of about 1 Euro cent per point in France so there are still good redemptions in Europe, especially outside the most popular areas. I've also noticed that the off-peak price in points for hotels in the Maldives and Puerto Rico have gone down.
@@ardens-travel-guide I looked at several other cities too. I actually redeemed some points in FL in April for acceptable rates. Trying to compare rates to that stay it appears that weekends are priced 2x weekday prices. That's pretty disappointing that to find an acceptable rate you have to book weekdays.
@@ardens-travel-guide User error! Well, sort of. The Marriott website shows points per stay and dollars per night. So my redemption calculation was off. They should keep them the same. Either show everything by stay or night. Don't mix them up. Feel much better now...
It is unfortunately not possible to book a "stay for breakfast" package or other special promotional packages using points. But some hotels include free breakfast for all guests or free breakfast for Marriott platinum and higher elite members.
Now cat 1 is reaching 13.5k 😂 While some cat 2 gets up to 19.5k Cat 3 is 25k and up to 40k lol Its truly getting more dynamic than ever before. Marriott points valuation after this should become 0.6
This is so pathetic by Marriott. Hyatt hotel chain give you the best bang for your buck. It really makes no sense to be a loyal Marriott customer with the constant devaluation of points.
Just looking at the points value, Hyatt is definitely better than Marriott. But in some places, Hyatt doesn't always have a hotel nearby so staying at a Marriott hotel could make sense.
I think Marriott status is a bit better because it gives you late check out while Hilton status does not. But you have to be aware that Marriott Platinum doesn't get you free breakfast and lounge access in some brands like Ritz-Carlton so figuring out the benefits you get with Marriott can be more complicated.
@@ardens-travel-guide Food is nice but I don't think I can stay at these luxury hotels like Ritz or Conrads. My goal is to get status and stay at low to mid-range pricing but prefer low.
Great research.
1st time viewing your content today - excellent analysis - subscribed too!
Thank you for subscribing!
I'm happy that you liked the analysis in this video.
This is why I always stay at local hotels for that country. You can get really good deals at 4 n 5 star hotels under management that's from the country your in. Many 🇺🇸 hotels located in other countries rip u off
I think it depends on what you're looking for. In many countries, hotels belonging to American chains are rarely the cheapest option but they may offer more to members of their loyalty programs or have bigger rooms than local competitors.
Love this video! Any updates for 2024? Also wondering if you could please 1) speak a bit faster and 2) also give us the SD for the different categories?
A major update is that hotels do not always follow narrow category bands anymore. One extreme example is the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas which can fluctuate between 20K and 130K points per night. This means that it now makes more sense than before to look for off-peak nights to find lower cost and better value with points.
I haven't done as much in-depth study yet but my feeling is that the amount of points it takes to book many of the most popular hotels has dramatically increased. If you pick the less popular hotels near these destinations, the cost in points is more likely to have stayed steady or even have dropped slightly.
Thanks for your comment about talking speed. I'll think about it as I work to improve my presentation skills.
How many points will you be if you reach titanium elite status? And when you use those points for example for free nights, your points get reducted?
Titanium is reached at 75 nights in a year but the amount of points you earn depends on how much you spend. If you regularly pay for expensive hotels rather than cheaper hotels, you'll have more points.
When you book a hotel using points, they will be deducted from your account.
From my latest observation, the new cap had been risen, cat 1 is 12k, cat 2 is 17 k, cat 3 can get to 22.5k
Thanks for the observation! I've also noticed that the difference has gotten bigger between the cheapest and most expensive nights when using points at many hotels.
I am struggling to see which hotel brand to be loyal to (Hilton or Marriott). I would like to see which hotel brand is best for Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, etc..) AND which hotel credit to get... Can you give some input on this? TIA.
Marriott would be my preference because they have more hotels in Japan than Hilton, especially in the mid-priced range (less than 20,000 yen per night). But Hilton has a few more resorts in Okinawa and it is easier to earn elite status with them to get benefits like free breakfast.
@@ardens-travel-guide Thank you very much. I will apply to Marriott card thru your referral link :) Ok, so Marriott it is because 1. More hotel in mid-range 2. Marriott points can transfer to ANA/JAL. Thanks!
@@theinternationalist1357 Thank you! And I am glad I could help!
Thanks for the breakdown! 🤓 I think I'll set my own valuation at 0.75! Look forward to your next video!
It would be great if you could do similar research on the other hotel programs too!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I'm still thinking about the best way to do other hotel programs since the way they handle things like resort fees when booking with points can be quite different.
I'm not sure the points haven't been devalued. I'm looking to redeem at the end of Sept in a large city and I'm consistently seeing .25-.50 redemption rates. I looked at other large cities across the USA and different dates and I'm seeing similar rates. This is pretty terrible. Looked at Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte and Milwaukee
There was another shakeup at the end of March after I published this video so the cost in points of a lot of hotels changed. I didn't do as detailed of an analysis but after those changes, it seemed like average value of points at about 2/3 of hotels in the US went down and it became harder to find high value per point in the US other than times when cash prices are abnormally high. If you plan to go somewhere that has a big convention or sports event happening, you may find that there's better availability with points than before and those points values are really good.
Of the cities you mentioned, Miami is the only place I've looked at regularly. I think the value per point there is down lately because cash rates are lower than they were last year but points rates didn't drop alongside that. If the cash prices during spring break next year are as high as they usually are, the value at some hotels in Miami will likely exceed 1 cent per point during that time.
Last month, I redeemed at a value of about 1 Euro cent per point in France so there are still good redemptions in Europe, especially outside the most popular areas. I've also noticed that the off-peak price in points for hotels in the Maldives and Puerto Rico have gone down.
@@ardens-travel-guide I looked at several other cities too. I actually redeemed some points in FL in April for acceptable rates. Trying to compare rates to that stay it appears that weekends are priced 2x weekday prices. That's pretty disappointing that to find an acceptable rate you have to book weekdays.
@@ardens-travel-guide User error! Well, sort of. The Marriott website shows points per stay and dollars per night. So my redemption calculation was off. They should keep them the same. Either show everything by stay or night. Don't mix them up. Feel much better now...
How to book Stay+Breakfast using points?
It is unfortunately not possible to book a "stay for breakfast" package or other special promotional packages using points. But some hotels include free breakfast for all guests or free breakfast for Marriott platinum and higher elite members.
Now cat 1 is reaching 13.5k 😂
While some cat 2 gets up to 19.5k
Cat 3 is 25k and up to 40k lol
Its truly getting more dynamic than ever before. Marriott points valuation after this should become 0.6
This is so pathetic by Marriott. Hyatt hotel chain give you the best bang for your buck. It really makes no sense to be a loyal Marriott customer with the constant devaluation of points.
Just looking at the points value, Hyatt is definitely better than Marriott. But in some places, Hyatt doesn't always have a hotel nearby so staying at a Marriott hotel could make sense.
Can Marriott points transfer to their partners airline (to Asian), i.e. ANA or JAL etc..?
Marriott points can be transferred to ANA and JAL at the rate of 3 Marriott points to 1 ANA or JAL mile.
@@ardens-travel-guide Really, thanks. Do you recommend getting Marriott status over Hilton for Asia?
I think Marriott status is a bit better because it gives you late check out while Hilton status does not.
But you have to be aware that Marriott Platinum doesn't get you free breakfast and lounge access in some brands like Ritz-Carlton so figuring out the benefits you get with Marriott can be more complicated.
@@ardens-travel-guide Food is nice but I don't think I can stay at these luxury hotels like Ritz or Conrads. My goal is to get status and stay at low to mid-range pricing but prefer low.
omg you talk so dang slow
Thanks for the feedback!
Bonvoy is worthless