In case you wondered, Marriott Rewards is the best hotel loyalty program. Or so says U.S. News & World Report, the former news whose annual “Best Colleges” rankings have turned into its best-known item.
In its just-released “Best Hotel Rewards Programs” evaluations, U.S. News employed a scoring algorithm based on five factors, weighted as follows:
- 45% — Ease of earning a free night
- 25% — Added benefits
- 15 percent — Geographic coverage
- 10% — Number of network hotels
- 5 percent — Real Estate diversity (i.e. style, price point)
Employing the analysis plot that was aforementioned, 17 hotel apps ranked from best to worst, and were assigned scores between 5 and 1:
- Marriott Rewards (4.92)
- Wyndham Rewards (4.74)
- Option Privileges (4.53)
- World of Hyatt (4.43)
- Best Western Rewards (4.28)
- IHG Rewards Club (4.24)
- La Quinta Returns (3.94)
- Club Carlson (3.66)
- Starwood Preferred Guest (3.55)
- Leading Hotels Leaders Club (3.51)
- Hilton HHonors (3.05)
- Omni Select Guest (2.76)
- Stash Hotel Rewards (2.71)
- AccorHotels Le Club (2.56)
- Kimpton Karma Rewards (2.54)
- iPrefer Hotel Gains (2.23)
- Fairmont President’s Club (1.24)
As with any evaluations exercise, there are quibble-worthy features of this methodology, that throw some of the findings to question.
For instance, there would appear to be considerable overlap amongst the evaluation criteria. “Ease of Earning” and “Number of Properties” are inextricably linked in my mind. The same with “Number of Properties” and “Geographic Coverage.”
And perhaps most vexing, “Benefits of Earning,” the main criterion, doesn’t seem to factor in the frequency or generosity of a hotel chain’s bonus promotions. For many savvy travelers, the capability to amp up their earnings through these promotions is an integral driver of devotion.
In the long run, there are the data and there is one’s personal assessment that is common-sense. And within this survey, they do not necessarily match up. How, as an instance, could the programs of Hyatt (with its puny system and unexceptional earning rates and award pricing) and Best Western (using its noteworthy ambivalence toward devotion advertising) have landed in the top five?
The answer, ironically, is based from the standards and their weightings. Which to me suggests those standards will need to be reviewed and overhauled.
Reader Reality Check
How can the U.S. News ratings compare to your own evaluation of the very best and worst resort programs?