Hotel chains for business travel?

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Naveronski
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4:00p, 3/5/24
AG
Moved into a new role that will see me traveling 1-2x a month, perhaps more, so looking for the "better" hotel reward ecosystem.
edit: Company card usage is mandatory, so no booking advantage with a co-branded card.

Hilton?
Marriott?

My wife signed up for Marriott with her work, but a coworker is telling me Embassy Suites has free happy hour and a good breakfast, so that's appealing too.

What does TexAgs use?
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62strat
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In reply to Naveronski • 4:37p, 3/5/24
AG
Naveronski said:
but a coworker is telling me Embassy Suites has free happy hour and a good breakfast, so that's appealing too.

What does TexAgs use?
I would think all brands have locations with those two items.

we are marriott people, but also have our own cards with points.
You can still get points when you stay, just not the spend on the card.

do you have a location or two you'll be going most? Spending limit for a stay?
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Naveronski
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In reply to 62strat • 4:47p, 3/5/24
AG
I don't know if I'll be at certain locations more often or not. This first trip was booked for me at $136/night for 3 nights.
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kwammer
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4:50p, 3/5/24
Marriott tends to have the most locations across their brands, so probably your best choice.
I'm a Hyatt guy these days but it can be a challenge outside of large urban areas.

..and Embassy Suites are highly meh.
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agdaddy04
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6:09p, 3/5/24
AG
Hyatt has great redemption values but not many locations convenient for me. I'm mostly a Marriott person. The status doesn't mean much any more. Occasionally look for places with a Marriott lounge.
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HollywoodBQ
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7:45p, 3/5/24
AG
Look into the rewards tiers.
And note that they are subject to change.

Here's the Marriott Bonvoy Tier list:
https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/member-benefits.mi
Silver - 10 nights
Gold - 25 nights
Platinum - 50 nights
Titanium - 75 nights
Ambassador - 100 nights + $23,000 spend

I worked for a company that forced us to use Marriott (they didn't care about price, only the brand) and I spent about 7 years in a situation that required me to spend about 8 weeks on the road (I've spent over 300 nights at the Santa Clara Marriott).

I'm lifetime Platinum which doesn't really do much for me now that WFH is the norm and I'm hardly traveling at all.

Perks that were worthwhile:
  • Sometimes free or preferred parking.
  • At Marriott badged properties, access to the Lounge and free Breakfast in the Lounge. At International locations, the perks can be really good such as the Lounge access in Bangalore.
  • More points and the ability to redeem them for other people and cancel with no penalty.
Are you going to be traveling to the same place every time? Or will it be different locations?

I've been Titanium a few times which reminds me, some of the room upgrades can be pretty good when you're redeeming points.

Also, when you pull into a Marriott at some rural location and they don't see a lot of high points status members, the reception staff will usually go out of their way to give you a free drink, or a nicer room.
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kyledr04
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8:40p, 3/5/24
AG
I'm deep into Marriott. Most of my coworkers are too. Lots of locations. Been titanium several years. Definitely pick one brand and stick with it. I've gotten lots of points, free nights and upgrades over the years. Bummer that you can't use your own card but the card helps with more points and extra nights
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GigEm17J
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10:30p, 3/5/24
AG
If where you are traveling will have Hyatt's you can book, do it. Their point value is the highest of any hotel chain I believe. I traveled a lot for work two years ago and we got a nice family vacation out of it.
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aggie_wes
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6:32a, 3/6/24
AG
I picked Hilton when I started traveling more, they have a Hampton inn in almost every little sh*t hole oilfield town in East Texas I go to. I've been happy with it, gotten enough points for at least a few free nights a year for personal travel.
Marriott would be fine too, I'm just so deep with Hilton now and my understanding is that status is easier to get with Hilton than Marriott.

I would probably base the decision on where you'll be traveling most often and what is convenient in those areas.
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Aggie71013
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6:52a, 3/6/24
AG
I picked the brand with the best hotels in the locations I traveled for work. Best to me was new and not beat up yet. Chasing points and status aren't worth much anymore imo.

I almost never got suite upgrades and the other amenities didn't mean much to me.
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AgOutsideAustin
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In reply to aggie_wes • 7:48a, 3/6/24
AG
aggie_wes said:
I picked Hilton when I started traveling more, they have a Hampton inn in almost every little sh*t hole oilfield town in East Texas I go to. I've been happy with it, gotten enough points for at least a few free nights a year for personal travel.
Marriott would be fine too, I'm just so deep with Hilton now and my understanding is that status is easier to get with Hilton than Marriott.

I would probably base the decision on where you'll be traveling most often and what is convenient in those areas.



Same here went with Hilton just because there's a Hampton, Homes2Suites, or Garden Inn in every town I go to. Not the best for points but Diamond helps a little with that plus using their card.
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Milwaukees Best Light
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8:07a, 3/6/24
AG
I like hotels with a breakfast buffet that is included. I don't want to spend 45 minutes on breakfast when I am on the road. I want to shovel down some powdered eggs and a microwaved sausage patty, wash it down with some mediocre coffee and get to work. I would go with Hilton and stay at a Hampton. Hilton has nice enough properties for vacations as well when you get enough points. Also to be considered, nobody will get mad at you for staying at a Hampton. You get some tightass customer or manager and you stay at something nicer than a Hampton or Holiday Exp and they might get miffed, no matter what the 'official policy' states.
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CDub06
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8:18a, 3/6/24
AG
I've been Titanium with Marriott for years and appreciate the lounge access when I travel to places that have them. If breakfast is important to you, you'll quickly learn which property types that have free breakfast and those that don't.

HOWEVER, if I had to start over, I'd probably choose Hilton, simply because there are more of them. Some of the backwoods places I travel have a Hampton, but not a Fairfield, so I end up being Gold with Hilton anyway and splitting my points among the two programs.

The best advice is find the chain that will serve your needs better and stick with that one.
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JMac03
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8:43a, 3/6/24
AG
I'm a Marriott person, have been for 15ish years. I was Platinum for 11 years, Gold for 15. Most of the time I stay on a special rate now so my 'nights' don't count. At most I have 4 years til I'm Platinum for life. Most likely will hit it in 2-2.5 years (63 nights left). I get 15 alone from the credit card each year, plus more based on what I spend. I'm actually choosing to spend more on some stays so that my nights count, unless its a big difference.
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Scruffy
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8:47a, 3/6/24
AG
Check if your company has a travel deal set up with any chains.
Sometimes if they do you get auto gold or platinum or whatever tier.

Past years I've been fairly loyal to Marriott.
This year I'm splitting between them and Hilton (I've got platinum and diamond for both through my company so as long as I stay X amount of nights before a certain date I'll keep those tiers through next year).

I'd say look at where you will be traveling and what is available. Also I like to look at what's to do after work (food drinks etc). And can I walk to it.

Either hotel is about the same honestly.
I do try to stuck with those as they also have international hotels and I can use the points there.
I don't like IHG (holiday Inn etc). Had too many bad experiences with those.

Main point is, look at where you'll be going and what's available then decide.
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Petrino1
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9:32a, 3/6/24
3500 points is enough to book a free room at Hyatt House/Place. Typically they are studio style suites with a full kitchen and living room. You can't find that kind of point value anywhere else.
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Danger Mouse
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9:54a, 3/6/24
AG
Have rewards with both Hilton and Marriott. Although I use Hilton significantly more.

Find one that best suits your needs and offers the best (most convenient) locations at your intended travel destinations.
Class of '91 (MEEN)
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Diggity
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In reply to CDub06 • 11:08a, 3/6/24
AG
CDub06 said:
I've been Titanium with Marriott for years and appreciate the lounge access when I travel to places that have them. If breakfast is important to you, you'll quickly learn which property types that have free breakfast and those that don't.

HOWEVER, if I had to start over, I'd probably choose Hilton, simply because there are more of them. Some of the backwoods places I travel have a Hampton, but not a Fairfield, so I end up being Gold with Hilton anyway and splitting my points among the two programs.

The best advice is find the chain that will serve your needs better and stick with that one.
I'm pretty sure there are more Marriott properties than Hilton properties. That's about the only reason to use them for travel.
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NColoradoAG
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In reply to Diggity • 12:20p, 3/6/24
Diggity said:
CDub06 said:
I've been Titanium with Marriott for years and appreciate the lounge access when I travel to places that have them. If breakfast is important to you, you'll quickly learn which property types that have free breakfast and those that don't.

HOWEVER, if I had to start over, I'd probably choose Hilton, simply because there are more of them. Some of the backwoods places I travel have a Hampton, but not a Fairfield, so I end up being Gold with Hilton anyway and splitting my points among the two programs.

The best advice is find the chain that will serve your needs better and stick with that one.
I'm pretty sure there are more Marriott properties than Hilton properties. That's about the only reason to use them for travel.

It's all about where you typically travel to. Marriott does have the most properties. I'm locked in with Hilton for the most part though because all my travel to rural locations do not have a Fairfield. Only Hamptons. I also end up at a lot of Holiday Inn Expresses. Just the way it goes. Luckily I book all my travel on personal cards so there's some bonuses there as well. Uniteds Club Card grants platinum status at IHG which helps the bonus numbers. Couple decent IHG properties in Denver I never end up paying for when we go to a hockey game because I'll rack up enough points for them.

And in response to the OP, an Embassy Suites breakfast IMO is one of the most miserable experiences ever most of the time, especially Friday-Sunday. Some people act like they've never seen an omelet station before.
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Diggity
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In reply to NColoradoAG • 12:27p, 3/6/24
AG
agreed. It definitely depends on what areas you travel to. I'm mainly larger cities.
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CDub06
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In reply to Diggity • 12:31p, 3/6/24
AG
Fair, but yeah - I was talking about the areas I visit. You'll often see more Marriott properties in a specific market. But a lot of the smaller places I'll travel, Van Horn for example, will have a Hampton Inn with the closest Marriott property out in El Paso.

As, I said, see what serves your needs better. For my travels, it's probably Hilton.

Oh, and get a credit card for whatever chain you choose.
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Diggity
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In reply to CDub06 • 12:37p, 3/6/24
AG
Hilton is the better loyalty program, from what I can tell, so that's not a bad thing for you
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Ag with kids
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 9:22a, 3/7/24
AG
HollywoodBQ said:
Look into the rewards tiers.
And note that they are subject to change.

Here's the Marriott Bonvoy Tier list:
https://www.marriott.com/loyalty/member-benefits.mi
Silver - 10 nights
Gold - 25 nights
Platinum - 50 nights
Titanium - 75 nights
Ambassador - 100 nights + $23,000 spend

I worked for a company that forced us to use Marriott (they didn't care about price, only the brand) and I spent about 7 years in a situation that required me to spend about 8 weeks on the road (I've spent over 300 nights at the Santa Clara Marriott).

I'm lifetime Platinum which doesn't really do much for me now that WFH is the norm and I'm hardly traveling at all.

Perks that were worthwhile:
  • Sometimes free or preferred parking.
  • At Marriott badged properties, access to the Lounge and free Breakfast in the Lounge. At International locations, the perks can be really good such as the Lounge access in Bangalore.
  • More points and the ability to redeem them for other people and cancel with no penalty.
Are you going to be traveling to the same place every time? Or will it be different locations?

I've been Titanium a few times which reminds me, some of the room upgrades can be pretty good when you're redeeming points.

Also, when you pull into a Marriott at some rural location and they don't see a lot of high points status members, the reception staff will usually go out of their way to give you a free drink, or a nicer room.
Hah...I spent a week in that hotel in Santa Clara last October. Nice place.

And yeah, I was Titanium a few years back and stayed in one in Syracuse IIRC and it was like they'd never seen one of us before...

But, I will say that my best Marriott upgrade was in Prague. I got there and they told me that there was an issue with my reservation...after a couple min he told me that I was upgraded.

I got to my room and it was ridiculous - it was the Moser Presidential Suite. Just looked it up and it was 1291 sqft of luxury.



Oh...one perk that you didn't mention with Marriott status...free enhanced wifi. so, you get the better bandwith version for free.
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Naveronski
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10:02a, 3/7/24
AG
Thanks for the info y'all! I'll focus on one, but sign up for both because inevitably I'll be sent somewhere that doesn't have a choice.
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txags92
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10:56a, 3/7/24
AG
I typically have to use hotels that honor the government rate for contractors (or at least don't ask to see govt ID at checkin), and I have found Hilton and Marriot to be the two most likely to do that and have decent hotels. I tend to favor Hilton lately just because they have Peloton bikes in their fitness rooms, but either is usually fine quality wise and usually has a free breakfast included.
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Ag with kids
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In reply to Naveronski • 12:29p, 3/7/24
AG
Naveronski said:
Thanks for the info y'all! I'll focus on one, but sign up for both because inevitably I'll be sent somewhere that doesn't have a choice.
Definitely do that. I'm signed up with both Hilton and Marriott. I've been numerous places where one or the other wasn't available.

Might as well get some perks while you're at it. I think even basic members get something (even if it's trivial).
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Scruffy
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1:16p, 3/7/24
AG
I will say in my days home, I'm stopping by the grocery store and getting a small bottle of hot sauce for breakfasts.
Most of the smaller hotels I've stayed at might have packets of something, bit I need Tabasco or something to make their egg pucks edible.
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Z100
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9:07a, 3/10/24
AG
Question for those who use Marriott…. How does a traveler know whether the hotel has a lounge that reward members have access to? I have not found a search option on the app or webpage. I am Marriott Platinum.
TIA.
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HollywoodBQ
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In reply to Z100 • 10:45a, 3/10/24
AG
Look at the amenities list for the hotel. They'll usually have them at a Marriott or Renaissance or Le Meriden. But they don't have those brands in every city.

The amenities list is where they'll also tell you if they have an airport shuttle, free parking, etc.
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62strat
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In reply to Z100 • 11:24a, 3/10/24
AG
Z100 said:
Question for those who use Marriott…. How does a traveler know whether the hotel has a lounge that reward members have access to? I have not found a search option on the app or webpage. I am Marriott Platinum.
TIA.
look at accommodations.
If there is a concierge level room listed, then there is a concierge lounge.
Here is Bakersfield Marriott for example.

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jja79
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In reply to CDub06 • 12:42p, 3/10/24
AG
Have you ever stayed at El Capitan in Van Horn? Sneaky good bar and restaurant.
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agdaddy04
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In reply to 62strat • 1:01p, 3/10/24
AG
Funny you screenshot that one. It's the place I normally stay with a lounge.
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agdaddy04
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In reply to Z100 • 1:09p, 3/10/24
AG
https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-23895
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Killin Me Smalls
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 1:36p, 3/10/24
AG
Which Marriott in Bangalore? I'm there next month.
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62strat
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In reply to agdaddy04 • 7:08p, 3/10/24
AG
agdaddy04 said:
Funny you screenshot that one. It's the place I normally stay with a lounge.
I used to stay there a lot too back in 13/14.
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