Beyond the Big Four: Looking at Alternative Hotel Loyalty Programs (Part One)

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Almost every hotel chain offers some form of benefits to committed members in order to foster brand loyalty.

We’ve extensively covered the ins and outs of the “Big Four” major programs – Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, and World of Hyatt – which are largely popular due to the ease of earning points (mainly through co-branded credit cards), the hotel chains’ global footprint, and the structure of the loyalty programs. However, these four hotel loyalty program giants are not the only programs worth exploring.

In this series, we’ll look at other hotel loyalty programs and whether or not they’re worth diving into. For Part One, we take a closer look at Wyndham Rewards, Accor Live Limitless, and GHA Discovery to see how they stack up against each other.

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts has over 9,000 locations and over 20 hotel brands that range from simple no-frills brands like Super 8 and Days Inn to the luxurious Registry Collection.

Wyndham Rewards points can also be used to book popular Las Vegas properties, including Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and more.

How to Earn Wyndham Rewards Points

On hotel stays, you earn 10 Wyndham Rewards points per US dollar spent or 1,000 points for every qualified Wyndham Hotels and Resorts stay (whichever is greater).

You can also earn Wyndham Rewards points by making purchases on a co-branded Wyndham Rewards credit card from Barclay’s bank or by transferring points from the following partnered rewards programs:

Citi ThankYou Rewards at a rate of 1:1
Capital One Miles at a rate of 1:1
HSBC Rewards (USA) at a rate of 3:1

Redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points

You only need either 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points for a free night’s stay, and there’s no dynamic or on/off peak pricing to worry about for this program.

Typically, lower-tiered hotel brands cost 7,500 points per night, and the most luxurious Wyndham hotels cost 30,000 points per night.

This means that if you earn Wyndham points through hotel stays, you’ll only need to spend $750 (all figures in USD) to earn enough points for a free night’s stay at the lowest price point.

However, keep in mind that not all properties will have award availability on all dates, even if there are rooms available to purchase.

Elite Membership Tiers

There are four Wyndham elite membership tiers, and you can earn each status level based on the number of nights stayed at eligible properties each year. The Wyndham elite membership tiers and the required number of qualifying nights are as follows:

Blue: All members are assigned this level when they sign up for the program
Gold: 5 Nights
Platinum: 15 Nights
Diamond: 40 Nights

Each elite membership tier offers specific perks and benefits which improve and expand as you move up the levels.

Gold members have access to late check-out and will earn more points on their stays. Platinum members get the same, plus they also receive early check-in and the ability to match their status with status in the Caesars Rewards program.

If you reach the highest tier and acquire Diamond membership, you’ll receive all the perks from the lower tiers plus an amenity gift at check-in and a suite upgrade on every eligible stay at participating hotels.

Notably, there’s no free breakfast offered as a benefit at any Wyndham elite level, despite this being a fairly common hotel loyalty perk.

Program Sweet Spots

There’s a lot of value to be found in the Wyndham Rewards loyalty program.

For example, you can book a one-bedroom Villa in Hawaii that would typically cost $300+ for as low as 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night.

If you enjoy skiing, you could choose to use your Wyndham Rewards points to book a one-bedroom condo at WorldMark Big Bear Lake for only 15,000 points per night.

This property is close to Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains and is equipped with a full kitchen and spacious living room.

Additionally, you can also use your Wyndham Rewards points to book stays through Vacasa Homes and Rentals (an organization similar to Airbnb).

A stay costs either 15,000 or 30,000 Wyndham Rewards points per night per bedroom, with the price tied to the price of the Vacasa stay.

A stay that costs an average of $250 or less per night will require 15,000 points per bedroom per night, while a stay that costs an average of between $250.01 and $500 per night will cost 30,000 points per bedroom per night. Beyond that, any Vacasa stay with an average price of more than $500 per night is not bookable with Wyndham Rewards points.

How Does Wyndham Rewards Compare to Other Programs?

Compared to some of the more popular (“big four”) hotel loyalty programs, Wyndham Rewards points may not be as easy to earn for some people; however, if you have one of the program’s co-branded credit cards or Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, or HSBC Rewards (USA), there is a lot of value to be found.

Accor Live Limitless (ALL)

Accor is the largest hotel chain in Europe and has a global footprint of over 5,000 properties in 110+ countries.

There are over 50 Accor hotel brands which include Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, Pullman, Sofitel, and Fairmont.

The Accor Live Limitless (ALL) program doesn’t offer the same outsized value as other hotel loyalty programs, and this is because ALL Reward points can only be redeemed at a fixed rate for a cash discount on your stay rather than for free nights outright.

How to Earn ALL Reward Points

You’ll earn ALL Reward points on all eligible stays at Accor properties. The number of points you earn depends on your ALL elite status level and the hotel that you’re staying at, with the range extending from 5 ALL Reward points all the way up 50 ALL Reward points per €10 spent on eligible hotels.

At the highest elite membership level, Diamond elite members can earn up to 50 ALL Reward points per €10 spent at eligible hotels.

At the lowest level, Classic members will earn at least 5 ALL Reward points per €10 spent at eligible hotels.

You can also collect ALL Reward points by transferring points from the following rewards currencies:

Bilt Rewards at a rate of 3:2
Citi ThankYou Rewards at a rate of 2:1
Capital One Miles at a rate of 2:1
HSBC Rewards (USA) at a rate of 2.5:1

Redeeming ALL Reward Points

ALL Reward points can be redeemed at a rate of 1,000 ALL Reward points for €20 off your hotel bill, including taxes and incidentals.

You can also use ALL Reward points for bookings made through Onefinestay.

To use your points this way, instead of a redemption rate of 1,000 points for €20 off your stay, you can redeem your points for vouchers valid for one year that are redeemable at Onefinestay.

The redemption rates for this option are as follows:

7,200 ALL Reward points = €100 voucher
36,000 ALL Reward points = €500 voucher
72,000 ALL Reward points = €1,000 voucher
360,000 ALL Reward points = €5,000 voucher

The vouchers provide a redemption value of around 1,000 ALL Reward points = €14, which is notably less than the default redemption value of 1,000 ALL Reward points = €20.

Lastly, you can transfer ALL Reward points to 30 airline loyalty programs. While most of these transfer options have fairly unfavorable rates, the three worth considering due to their preferred transfer rates of 1:1 are:

Iberia Plus (minimum transfer of 3,000 ALL Reward points)
Air France KLM Flying Blue (minimum transfer of 2,000 ALL Reward points)
Virgin Australia Velocity (minimum transfer of 4,000 ALL Reward points)

Membership Tiers

There are five ALL elite membership tiers, and you can gain access to each level by earning Status points and/or by earning qualifying nights through stays at eligible ALL properties.

The five elite membership tiers and associated requirements are as follows:

Classic: All members are assigned this level when they sign up for the program
Silver: 10 nights or 2,000 Status points (i.e., €800 spent)
Gold: 30 nights or 7,000 Status points (i.e., €2,800 spent)
Platinum: 60 nights or 14,000 Status points (i.e., €5,600 spent)
Diamond: 26,000 Status points (i.e., €10,400 spent)

The benefits associated with each tier are cumulative, so with each new level you access, you’ll enjoy more and more perks.

At the first elite level, Silver members can enjoy a welcome drink and late check-out. Next, Gold members will have both of these benefits plus early check-in and room upgrades (when available).

Platinum members will receive all of the previously mentioned benefits plus Suite Night Upgrades and lounge access, and at the highest level, Diamond members receive all the other benefits and free breakfast on weekends, dining and spa rewards, and free Gold status for a person of their choice.

Program Sweet Spots

Since the ALL program has a fixed redemption value for points, you won’t find any sweet spots like you might in other hotel loyalty programs.

However, if you want to get the most out of your Accor stays, you can book through Accor STEP. Accor STEP is Accor’s preferred partner program, and it provides extra benefits like free breakfast, room upgrades (when available), property credits, and more, all for the same cost as the best flexible rate publicly offered.

The program is bookable through a travel agent, and it’s an excellent way to take advantage of solid perks and benefits without having to acquire elite status.

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How Does Accor Live Limitless Compare to Other Programs?

Due to the fixed-value redemption structure, the ALL program doesn’t quite measure up to other hotel loyalty programs that offer the opportunity to score outsized value.

If you stay at Accor properties, then it’s still worth it to sign-up for a free account with the program and earn points that can then be redeemed for money off future stays; however, as we mentioned before, you won’t be able to redeem your points for incredible value.

GHA Discovery

The Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the largest alliance of independent hotel brands in the world, and has over 800 properties in 100 countries.

Similar to Accor’s loyalty program, GHA Discovery is a fixed-value loyalty program, and it lets you earn Discovery Dollars, which are each worth $1.

How to Earn GHA Discovery Dollars

GHA Discovery Dollars are considerably harder to earn than other hotel loyalty programs since there are no co-branded credit cards and no transfer partners available.

Instead, you can exclusively earn Discovery Dollars on eligible stays at GHA properties at a rate of 4–7% depending on your GHA Discovery elite status level; however, keep in mind that you won’t earn any Discovery Dollars on taxes, tips, and fees.

Redeeming GHA Discovery Dollars

GHA has a simple redemption model. One Discovery Dollar can be redeemed for $1 US dollar off your hotel bill (not including tax, tips, and fees).

You need a minimum of $10 Discovery Dollars to make a redemption, and after the first $10, you can redeem in increments of $1 Discovery Dollar.

Membership Tiers

There are four GHA Discovery membership tiers, and each level can be accessed by earning qualifying nights through stays at eligible GHA properties or by meeting a spending threshold.

The four elite membership tiers and associated requirements are as follows:

Silver: All members are assigned this level when they sign up for the program
Gold: Stay 2 nights or spend $1,000
Platinum: Stay 10 nights, spend $5,000, or stay at 2 different brands
Titanium: Stay 30 nights, spend $15,000, or stay at 3 different brands

With the GHA Discovery membership tiers, there aren’t any benefits worth noting until you reach the Platinum level, at which point you’ll be eligible for a room upgrade, late check-out, and a welcome amenity.

Titanium members are additionally eligible for a double-room upgrade (subject to availability), early check-in, complimentary breakfast, and more.

Program Sweet Spots

Similar to Accor’s ALL loyalty program, there are no real sweet spots with GHA Discovery. With a fixed value for redemptions, you can use points to offset the cost of your hotel stay, and that’s about it.

However, GHA Discovery consistently has a generous and easy-to-earn status match program.

If you have an elite status with virtually any airline or hotel loyalty program, or if you have a Canadian- or US-issued Visa Signature, Rewards, Platinum, or Infinite credit card, you will be matched to either Platinum or Titanium elite status.

How Does GHA Discovery Compare to Other Programs?

If you have any plans to stay at a GHA property then the GHA Discovery program may be worth your time.

The fact that you can reach the highest Titanium membership tier through a status match or by only staying a total of three nights at three different hotel brands is an unheard of level of elite membership generosity.

Unfortunately, despite this generosity around elite membership tiers, you won’t find any really good redemption deals with GHA Discovery due to the nature of the fixed-rate redemption structure.

Should You Participate in Lesser-Known Hotel Loyalty Programs?

Hotel loyalty programs are almost always worth the couple minutes it takes to sign up for a free membership account if you have an upcoming stay with the hotel chain.

However, it probably won’t make sense for most people to commit to multiple hotel brands, especially ones with harder-to-earn rewards and limited redemption options.

If you do want to explore a new hotel chain and loyalty program, you can always book preferred partner programs through a travel agency like our own Prince Collection and enjoy elite status benefits even if you don’t hold any status with that particular hotel.

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Conclusion

While the Big Four hotel loyalty programs – Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, and World of Hyatt – dominate the landscape, exploring other loyalty programs like Wyndham Rewards, Accor Live Limitless (ALL), and GHA Discovery can offer unique benefits and opportunities for travellers.

As you’ve seen above, there are reasons why these smaller programs may not be as popular; however, they still hold potential for those who frequently stay with these brands or who enjoy niche travel experiences.

For most travellers, signing up for a free account is a no-brainer before a stay, but committing to actively earning points with multiple programs may only make sense for those who are ready to strategically explore new hotel chains.

By leveraging partner programs and elite status perks through preferred partner programs offered by our travel agency, it’s also possible to enjoy added value, even without long-term commitment to these smaller programs.

Stay tuned as we explore more loyalty programs in Part 2 of this series to help you determine whether these additional options are worth diving into.

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