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canyonwalkerEvery year around the start of the year I take stock of my balances in various frequent traveler points programs, both to see how we'll I've done in accumulating & using miles as well as to set goals for the coming 12 months. Earlier today I posted a wrap-up of my airline miles and status for 2023. Now it's time for the same with hotel points and status.
As I noted with airline miles, hotel points only ever decrease in value over time. That's because airlines and hotels only ever increase the amount needed for redemption. It's a form of inflation, but way worse than the 5-10% annual dollar inflation we've seen in recent years. Thus as I inventory my points and status I indicate accumulating too many points as a bad thing and managing to spend down my balances as a good thing.
Marriott continued being my #1 hotel chain in 2023, at least in terms of nights stayed. I stayed 21 nights with them. The count rises to 23 if we include nights Hawk paid for with points or certs from her account. Of course, these numbers are way down from the 60, 70, or more nights per year I logged with Marriott in my business travel heyday years ago.
Of those 21 nights, 11 were paid with money— mostly other people's money (e.g., my company as I traveled for work)— and 10 were redeemed on points. Over the year I burned more than I earned, which has been my goal for some time now. I whittled my points balance down from 400,000 to 243,000.
As I explained above, I burning more than I earn a win. And also as above I spent my Marriott points not on a dream trip but on... plainer trips. Three nights outside of Las Vegas for a fun, outdoors oriented vacation. Four nights visiting family ahead of Thanksgiving. A night here or there on the way to somewhere else. While these were unspectacular stays they were at least decent uses of points, saving us from laying out cash.
Elite status-wise, I hold Lifetime Titanium status in Bonvoy, the second highest of five elite levels. It's a benefit of my past years of much heavier travel. Not that it's often much benefit at all. There aren't a lot of upgrades and other elite perks to be had at the basic suburban hotels where I spent many of my Marriott nights. Though we did enjoy five days of a great breakfast buffet comped at the Westin Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Nominally that was a $500 benefit. I peg the real value to us at maybe half that— lower, but still nice perk.
For 2024 my goal remains the same as the past several years: Spend points and get value from them. My stash of Bonvoy points is smaller now than in years past... so in 2024 I might boost it by another 100k or so with another credit card. But either way, I'll be looking to spend at least as much as I earn, since holding onto points long term doesn't pay.
Hilton remained my #2 hotel chain in 2023 with 16 nights stayed. The majority, 9 nights, were actually paid. The other seven were on points and free-night certificates— 2 nights at a waterpark in Phoenix and a 5 night stay in North Carolina for waterfall touring. The nine I paid for were 3 nights in Sydney, Australia, 3 nights in Vegas for a trade show, an overnight business trip in an office park, and two roadside Hampton Inns on weekend trips where the points rate wasn't worth it.
It was an earn-and-burn year for Hilton Honors points. I spent a good deal of 'em on those award stays but I earned a lot, too. In addition to earning for stays I earned through affiliated credit cards. In 2023 I not only kept my Aspire card but opened a new card, too. I earned 180k through these two cards. Despite redeeming 212k on awards stays in 2023 I finished the year higher than I started, up from 365k a year ago to 430k today.
Status-wise I remain Diamond elite (top tier) with Hilton because of that Aspire credit card. Hilton Diamond, like Marriott Titanium, isn't worth much in terms of elite upgrades at the limited-service properties where I often stay. At full service hotels the value comes more into play. When Hawk and I were at what we call the splashy pools hotel in Phoenix we did get a $60 food and beverage credit. That bought us a few piña coladas and munchies at the pool-side bistro. 😋 And it bought me a couple of modest dinners in spendy Las Vegas. And several free breakfasts, a few dinners, and lots of drinks at the executive lounge in Sydney last week. 🦘
My goal for 2024 with Hilton is the same as with Marriott: Find awards redemptions for enjoyable stays. I did do that this year; I just happened to earn even more than I spent! With over 400k banked now I'll be looking for a big redemption, like 5 nights at a spendy resort. We'll see what the coming year brings!
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), whose portfolio includes Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, remained my #2 hotel chain for 2023. For most of the year it was set to overtake Hilton, but a spree of nights late in the year put Hilton ahead. I logged 8 nights with IHG on my membership plus another 8 on Hawk's.
Most of our nights with IHG were free, as both Hawk and I worked on burning off points accumulated in recent years. Among my "wins" in spending points was a 4 night stay at The Room of the Seven Gables in New Orleans's French Quarter. Hawk used points and certs on various shorter stays, including three nights in West Virginia. Our one paid stay was two nights in a balcony room overlooking San Antonio's Riverwalk. I chose cash rather than points for that one because the points rate was terrible. (When spending points you've got to know what your points are worth.)
While numerous points redemptions brought my balance down, the 140k credit card signup bonus I completed early in the year and another 50k I earned from credit cards across the year brought it back up. I finished the year at 240,000 IHG points, up about 60k from 179k at the start of the year. A balance of 240k isn't bad, per se. It's better than having 400k like I did at one point a few years ago. Yet it's big enough that I'll be looking for a nice multi-night stay to redeem it.
Status-wise I remain Platinum with IHG, a benefit of owning their affiliated credit card. Platinum is their second highest tier. In the past I've groused it's not worth much because there really aren't elite benefits to be had at the limited-service properties I make most of my stays at. Though once again those limited-service properties occasionally come through with small but meaningful upgrades such as "The Room of the Seven Gables" I mentioned above.
As I noted with airline miles, hotel points only ever decrease in value over time. That's because airlines and hotels only ever increase the amount needed for redemption. It's a form of inflation, but way worse than the 5-10% annual dollar inflation we've seen in recent years. Thus as I inventory my points and status I indicate accumulating too many points as a bad thing and managing to spend down my balances as a good thing.
⬇️ Marriott: Bonvoy-age, Points!
Marriott continued being my #1 hotel chain in 2023, at least in terms of nights stayed. I stayed 21 nights with them. The count rises to 23 if we include nights Hawk paid for with points or certs from her account. Of course, these numbers are way down from the 60, 70, or more nights per year I logged with Marriott in my business travel heyday years ago.Of those 21 nights, 11 were paid with money— mostly other people's money (e.g., my company as I traveled for work)— and 10 were redeemed on points. Over the year I burned more than I earned, which has been my goal for some time now. I whittled my points balance down from 400,000 to 243,000.
As I explained above, I burning more than I earn a win. And also as above I spent my Marriott points not on a dream trip but on... plainer trips. Three nights outside of Las Vegas for a fun, outdoors oriented vacation. Four nights visiting family ahead of Thanksgiving. A night here or there on the way to somewhere else. While these were unspectacular stays they were at least decent uses of points, saving us from laying out cash.
Elite status-wise, I hold Lifetime Titanium status in Bonvoy, the second highest of five elite levels. It's a benefit of my past years of much heavier travel. Not that it's often much benefit at all. There aren't a lot of upgrades and other elite perks to be had at the basic suburban hotels where I spent many of my Marriott nights. Though we did enjoy five days of a great breakfast buffet comped at the Westin Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Nominally that was a $500 benefit. I peg the real value to us at maybe half that— lower, but still nice perk.
For 2024 my goal remains the same as the past several years: Spend points and get value from them. My stash of Bonvoy points is smaller now than in years past... so in 2024 I might boost it by another 100k or so with another credit card. But either way, I'll be looking to spend at least as much as I earn, since holding onto points long term doesn't pay.
⬆️ Hilton: Earn and Burn
Hilton remained my #2 hotel chain in 2023 with 16 nights stayed. The majority, 9 nights, were actually paid. The other seven were on points and free-night certificates— 2 nights at a waterpark in Phoenix and a 5 night stay in North Carolina for waterfall touring. The nine I paid for were 3 nights in Sydney, Australia, 3 nights in Vegas for a trade show, an overnight business trip in an office park, and two roadside Hampton Inns on weekend trips where the points rate wasn't worth it.It was an earn-and-burn year for Hilton Honors points. I spent a good deal of 'em on those award stays but I earned a lot, too. In addition to earning for stays I earned through affiliated credit cards. In 2023 I not only kept my Aspire card but opened a new card, too. I earned 180k through these two cards. Despite redeeming 212k on awards stays in 2023 I finished the year higher than I started, up from 365k a year ago to 430k today.
Status-wise I remain Diamond elite (top tier) with Hilton because of that Aspire credit card. Hilton Diamond, like Marriott Titanium, isn't worth much in terms of elite upgrades at the limited-service properties where I often stay. At full service hotels the value comes more into play. When Hawk and I were at what we call the splashy pools hotel in Phoenix we did get a $60 food and beverage credit. That bought us a few piña coladas and munchies at the pool-side bistro. 😋 And it bought me a couple of modest dinners in spendy Las Vegas. And several free breakfasts, a few dinners, and lots of drinks at the executive lounge in Sydney last week. 🦘
My goal for 2024 with Hilton is the same as with Marriott: Find awards redemptions for enjoyable stays. I did do that this year; I just happened to earn even more than I spent! With over 400k banked now I'll be looking for a big redemption, like 5 nights at a spendy resort. We'll see what the coming year brings!
⬆️ IHG: Burn, Baby, Burn! (But not Enough)
Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), whose portfolio includes Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, remained my #2 hotel chain for 2023. For most of the year it was set to overtake Hilton, but a spree of nights late in the year put Hilton ahead. I logged 8 nights with IHG on my membership plus another 8 on Hawk's.Most of our nights with IHG were free, as both Hawk and I worked on burning off points accumulated in recent years. Among my "wins" in spending points was a 4 night stay at The Room of the Seven Gables in New Orleans's French Quarter. Hawk used points and certs on various shorter stays, including three nights in West Virginia. Our one paid stay was two nights in a balcony room overlooking San Antonio's Riverwalk. I chose cash rather than points for that one because the points rate was terrible. (When spending points you've got to know what your points are worth.)
While numerous points redemptions brought my balance down, the 140k credit card signup bonus I completed early in the year and another 50k I earned from credit cards across the year brought it back up. I finished the year at 240,000 IHG points, up about 60k from 179k at the start of the year. A balance of 240k isn't bad, per se. It's better than having 400k like I did at one point a few years ago. Yet it's big enough that I'll be looking for a nice multi-night stay to redeem it.
Status-wise I remain Platinum with IHG, a benefit of owning their affiliated credit card. Platinum is their second highest tier. In the past I've groused it's not worth much because there really aren't elite benefits to be had at the limited-service properties I make most of my stays at. Though once again those limited-service properties occasionally come through with small but meaningful upgrades such as "The Room of the Seven Gables" I mentioned above.
