Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. A few days ago, I wrote Ask Me Anything (AMA): Credit Card Edition. I had some great reader questions and I am doing the second AMA, this time on hotels. I like to describe myself as loyal to hotel loyalty programs, but not loyal to a specific hotel chain. Here is a screenshot from AwardWallet of the hotel loyalty programs I belong to and their elite status:
Here is a quick rundown of how I have these hotel elite statuses:
- Best Western Diamond Select – status match from Hilton Diamond (status match link)
- Caesars Rewards Diamond – status match from Wyndham Rewards (Middle Ade Miles blog post)
- Choice Hotels Member – I think I have only spent 2-3 nights at Choice hotels in the last 2-3 years
- Hilton Diamond – free thanks to my American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card (my blog post)
- World of Hyatt Discoverist – free thanks to my old Chase Hyatt Hotel Credit Card
- IHG Rewards Spire Elite – I spent a few thousand dollars at IHG in 2019 (mainly at the InterContinental Moorea for my pre-honeymoon)
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite – I had a few different Marriott / SPG credit card elite nights stack in 2019
- MGM Resorts Pearl – status match from World of Hyatt Discoverist (Doctor of Credit’s post)
- Radisson Rewards Gold / Silver – I have 3 different US Bank Radisson Rewards Credit Cards that come with Gold or Silver elite status
- Wyndham Rewards Diamond – status matched from Caesars Rewards Diamond (Middle Ade Miles blog post)
I also have the following hotel credit cards, along with their annual fees and the annual perk (mainly free night certificates):
| Hotel Credit Card Name | Annual Fee | Annual Perk |
| Chase IHG Rewards Select | $49 | 40K IHG Free Night |
| Chase IHG Rewards Premier | $89 | 40K IHG Free Night |
| Chase Hyatt Hotels | $75 | 15K Hyatt Free Night |
| Chase World of Hyatt (Laura) | $95 | 15K Hyatt Free Night |
| Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business | $99 | 35K Marriott Free Night |
| JPMorgan Chase Ritz Carlton | $450 | 50K Marriott Free Night |
| US Bank Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Sig 1 | $75 | 40K Radisson Points |
| US Bank Radisson Rewards Premier Visa Sig 2 | $75 | 40K Radisson Points |
| US Bank Radisson Rewards Business | $60 | 40K Radisson Points |
| AMEX Hilton Honors Aspire | $450 | Free Weekend Night |
| Barclays Wyndham Rewards | $0 | Nothing |
Today, I want to answer your reader questions. If they are short and simple questions, I can answer them directly in the comments section. If they are longer and more complicated questions, I might write a blog post about that topic. So without further ado, what questions do you have about hotels? Have a great day everyone!
How many hotel nights did you stay in 2019?
That is a great question. I went through each hotel loyalty program and here are my totals for each program. It looks like I spent 46 nights in hotels in 2019.
Best Western – 3
Caesars – 0
Choice – 0
Hilton – 12
Hyatt – 3
IHG – 16
Marriott – 9
MGM – 0
Radisson – 0
Wyndham – 0
Non Chain – 3
Total – 46
Hey Grant, I maybe should have asked this in your credit card AMA, but regarding the Hyatt card since it’s hotel related… I have the old Hyatt card with the $75 AF. My free night just posted at the end of December and the AF is due on 2/1 (I haven’t paid yet). I am considering upgrading to the new WOH card. If I do upgrade, would I get another free night immediately, or would I not get it until December 2020? I also of course don’t want any clawback of the free night that just posted.
Thanks for any insight!
Hi Robert, that is a great question. You would not receive a second free night certificate until the following year (December 2020). By upgrading, your annual fee will increase from $75 to $95. With the Chase World of Hyatt CC, you do have the ability to earn a second free night certificate after you spend $15,000 on the credit card during your cardmember year.
Thanks Grant. Glad I waited for my December free night to post before considering the upgrade. The second free night for $15K spend is my favorite part of the WOH card. More than makes up for the $20 increase.
I’m glad you are going to get the extra free night certificate after spending $15K. I wouldn’t recommend the upgrade unless that was your goal. Any specific hotels in mind to use the Hyatt free nights at?
The Hyatt Regency Seattle is a great category 4 property. A couple of the MGM resorts in Vegas can also provide great value, especially during the pricey months.
Those are great redemption options. 2 of my favorites are in California: Andaz San Diego and Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course (both are category 4 hotels).
I still need Andaz for my brand explorer, so I will definitely take a look! Thanks!
It is in a great location, close to the San Diego Gaslamp district and a short walk to Petco Park (home to the SD Padres) and SD Convention Center (home to Comic Con).
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How did you get the Marriott/SPG cards to stack elite nights? I thought it was capped at 15/year across all cards. Reaching Marriott platinum with only 9 nights seems amazing.
This was 2 years ago believe when Marriott and SPG first merged accounts. It is not possible any more.