To the average person traveling once a year, hotel elite status can seem out of reach and quite costly to achieve. Both of these assumptions are myths. Status can be achieved cheaply and sometimes pays off in a single stay. Some of the perks of elite status include the following:
- Complimentary room upgrades
- Breakfast for the duration of your stay
- Club lounge access where you can enjoy complimentary food and drinks
- Free bottled water and snacks in your room (with some hotels, this includes anything from the mini bar)
- Free wifi
- Bonus points on your stay
The savings afforded to those with status add up fast and you can enjoy your stay that much more if you don’t have to worry about getting nickle-and-dimed for everything at the hotel.
Achieving top-tier status with the major hotel chains would require 25-30 stays/50-75 nights. At an average rate of $100 per night, this would cost $2,500-$7,500 to achieve.
Most of us don’t spend 10% of our time in hotel rooms, so elite status and the benefits it affords us might not appear to be worthwhile. Fortunately, there are a few ways to bypass the typical requirements and get elite status for next to nothing:
1. Hotel Elite Status Via Credit Card Spending
Every major hotel chain has a credit card that offers cardholders some level of elite status. These cards either offer status outright or after cardholders meet a certain spending requirement.
Club Carlson Elite Status
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature and Business Rewards versions both offer Gold status, while the Club Carlson Rewards Visa Signature card comes with Silver.
Silver status typically requires 15 nights/10 stays per calendar year, while Gold status requires 35 nights/20 stays.
Hilton Honors Elite Status
Hilton requires 4 stays/10 nights for Silver, 20 stays/40 nights for Gold, and 30 stays/60 nights for Diamond status. With Hilton’s massively devalued award chart, one of the only perks of having a co-branded credit card is the ability to achieve status easily and use it to match to another program.
The Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card offers the best elite benefit, granting instant Gold status for as long as the card is held and offering the ability to upgrade to Diamond status after $40,000 spent per calendar year. If this sounds like a hefty sum, you might want to read up on how to meet $40,000 in spending requirements each month.
The Hilton HHonors Surpass is a bit less generous, granting Gold status the first year. Status can be extended by spending $20,000. Otherwise, status reverts to Silver for as long as the card is held. Like the Reserve, cardholders can earn top-tier Diamond status by spending $40,00 per year.
The Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature and Hilton HHonors American Express both grant cardholders Silver status. Amex cardholders can upgrade to Gold after spending $20,000 per year.
Silver status is more or less useless, though Gold is equivalent to top-tier status with other programs. Gold members get complimentary breakfast, wifi, and upgrades based on availability. Diamond status is slightly more generous, offering members club lounge access and higher point bonuses on paid stays.
The Platinum Card from American Express also grants cardholders Hilton HHonors Gold status. However, the annual fee is hefty at $450. Of course, if you take advantage of the others perks offered by the card, it may make sense to keep the card and pay the $450 annual fee.
Hyatt Elite Status
Top-tier Globalist status requires 60 nights, while Explorist requires 30 nights. Chase Hyatt Visa cardholders get Discoverist status for as long as they hold the card, with the option to spend their way to Diamond status: 2 qualifying nights per $5,000 spent.
This makes it easier to achieve status once your other options have been exhausted (see below).
IHG Rewards Club Elite Status
The IHG Rewards Club Visa grants cardholders instant Platinum status for as long as the card is held. Otherwise, IHG requires 40 nights/40,000 base points for Platinum. IHG Platinum members get free wifi and room upgrades, based on availability.
Marriott Rewards Elite Status
Marriott Rewards members need 10 nights to obtain Silver status, 25 nights for Gold, 50 nights for Platinum, 75 for Titanium and 100 for Ambassador Elite.
- The Marriott Bonvoy Bold card: 15 Elite Night Credits annually, enough for Silver elite status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card from Chase: 15 Elite Night credits annually, plus Gold elite status when you spend $35,000 annually.
- Bonvoy Business American Express Card: Silver Elite status, plus upgrade to Gold after $35,000 spent in a year.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card: Gold Elite status, plus upgrade to Platinum after $75,000 spent in a year.
2. Hotel Elite Status Via Status Match/Challenge
Once you’ve achieved status with one program, you can get your status matched to another. The most valuable elite level is Hilton Honors Gold status, which is offered to Hilton Ascend cardholders.
This level is valuable for two reasons: 1. Gold members get complimentary wifi and breakfast – a benefit most other rewards programs reserve for their top-tier levels. 2. Hilton Gold status can be used to get a challenge for Hyatt’s top-tier Diamond status.
To get a status challenge/match with the major hotel programs, simply send an email to the appropriate department with proof of your current status from another program (a screenshot will do).
- Hilton: hhonors@hilton.com
- Hyatt: goldpassport@hyatt.com
- IHG Rewards: ihgrewardsclub@ihg.com
- Marriott: elite.member@marriott.com
3. Hotel Elite Status Fast Track Offers + Mattress Runs
Some folks who travel frequently for work will hop from one hotel to another in order to qualify for status based on stays. For the rest of us, mistake rates and various promotions in combination with elite status might make it worthwhile to go mattress running.
Currently, Hilton Honors is offering Carlson Wagonlit customers automatic Gold status after registering and completing 4 stays within 90 days. Amex Corporate cardmembers can fast track to Gold after 2 stays within 90 days.
IHG Rewards is offering fast track Gold status to anyone who completes 10 qualifying nights at 3 qualifying IHG brands. Members can also earn Platinum status by staying 40 nights at 4 IHG brands. IHG Platinum status can be used to request a Diamond challenge from Hyatt.
I wouldn’t go this route unless you’re mattress running for points anyway, as there is an easier way to get IHG Platinum status (see #1). Those of you mattress running during the IHG Big Win promotion, however, might benefit from this fast track offer.
Some hotel rewards programs, like SPG, also grant elite credit on hotel stays. It isn’t an ideal use of points, but if you find yourself short a few nights and can’t find a cheap mattress run, this is an option. Loyalty Traveler has a great post outlining programs that grant elite credit for award stays.
For most low to mid-tier status levels, it makes better sense to have a hotel credit card than to mattress run. While top-tier elite status can be tough to crack with enormous amounts of spending requirements, the elite credit offered for bonus spend can make it easier for mattress runners to get their status cheaply.
Which hotel programs do you have status with, and how did you obtain it?
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