Hilton Vs Marriott, which is the better choice in Italy?

In our articles we have often talked about Hilton e Marriott, more than all other hotel chains combined. The reason is simple: they are the largest in the world, the ones with the highest number of properties in Italy, and two of the three chains connected to the American Express Membership Rewards program.

In this article I will try to make an objective comparison of the various differences between the two chains and their respective loyalty programs, taking into account the point of view of the Italian customer, because it is obvious that if we move to other markets, conditions could change significantly. Of course, this talk does not look at individual hotels, but at the loyalty program in general.

Number of hotels in Italy and the world

Both chains have in their portfolios of lowcost and ultralowcost banners up to extra-luxury 5-star hotels.

Marriott boasts 30 signs in the world, the most famous of which include the St.Regis, W, Ritz Carlton , Marriott, Sheraton and Moxy. In total in Italy there are 60 hotels, while worldwide there are more than 7,500.

Hilton responds with 20 signs and a slightly smaller number of hotels worldwide, a total of 6,200. In Italy there are 30 properties in the group, but there will be some new openings in the coming months. The best known brands are definitely Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, DoubleTree, and Hilton, of course.

The winner of this first challenge is definitely Marriott for two reasons: the largest number of facilities in Italy and, above all, the presence in the Italian market of many Luxury category insignias, such as the St.Regis in Florence, Venice and Rome and, in general, the 8 hotels in category 8, the highest in the domestic classification.

Obtaining status

Amex Platinum apart, there are no other elevators to easily achieve status in either program.

The HHonors program often runs campaigns to give away status to new clients, with the possibility of becoming Diamond sometimes with very few stays. To become Gold you need 28 nights or 14 stays, however for the 2022 these levels are reduced to compensate for Covid-related difficulties.

Marriott, on the other hand, very rarely gives away statuses and very rarely Carries out Status Match campaigns. To become Gold you need at least 25 nights, no matter if in one stay or 25 different visits.

This challenge goes to Hilton, not only because of the very frequent offers that make it easy to level up, but mainly because it allows you to gain status in 3 ways: with stays, with nights or with points.

The benefits of the loyalty program

We have written dozens of articles on the peculiarities of Marriott's Bonvoy program and Hilton Honors. Thank you to American Express Platinum Italian users can get the Gold level of both programs.

Hilton Gold and Diamond users enjoy free breakfast in all facilities except in America where instead you receive a credit to spend in the hotel. They also have the Right to obtain free upgrades and, for Diamonds only, also lounge access in hotels that offer this service.

Free breakfast for Bonvoy members starts at Platinum level, one shot above Gold. With Gold you have few privileges, the benefits start with the higher levels that also give access to suite upgrades, lounge access, and late check-out.

The winner of this second challenge is by detachment Hilton. Free breakfast from the Gold level is a benefit that means saving tens of euros per stay. Of course, if you are loyal to Marriott and you stay at least 60 nights a year in facilities of this chain, then the argument changes, but for an average Italian user I would say the choice is clear and it is Hilton

Accumulation of points and promotions

Both loyalty programs give away 10 basic points for every dollar spent at the hotel, to which are then added bonus points that vary according to the user's level and current promotions.

The HHonors program is constantly being promoted, I'm not talking about fake promos as with sofas, but offers that throughout the year allow customers to earn more points with each stay. This allows you to accumulate points more quickly to be turned into award nights.

Marriott, in contrast, is much less generous with promotions. First of all, there is not necessarily an active offer, and in many cases the offers are customized for the user and not the same for everyone. This means that far fewer points are earned for each stay.

Hilton thus wins this third challenge as well. The many promotions allow you to significantly increase the points you accumulate; Bonvoy's policy, on the other hand, is less rewarding than HHonors.

Value of points and use of points

How much the points are worth and especially how many points it takes to book a room-this is the real comparison table between the two programs.

Bonvoy points, according to experts, are worth between $0.6 and $0.8 cents. Marriott recently announced that starting in 2022 it will change the model for using points to book award nights, will move from a fixed table to a variable price list and no longer tied to seasonality.

Honors points are worth less, indicatively between 0.4 and 0.5 cents, but as mentioned being easier to accumulate they yield almost twice as much. Even Hilton has a variable table for booking award nights and the cost is aligned with the cost of a cash booking.

This challenge ends in a tie. Bonvoy points are worth more, but the recent program change has caused it to lose the small advantage it had over HHonors.

Use of points not in hotels

Both chains allow users to exchange accumulated points by transferring them to other programs or allowing users to spend them to book other experiences.

Bonvoy Points can then be used to pay for a Marriott Experience, such as tickets to Manchester United or NFL games., can also be converted into points from some airline loyalty programs.

Also HHonors points can be converted to experiences as VIP tickets for F1, concerts and other events. It is also possible to transfer them to some airlines, but with a worse conversion rate than Bonvoy points.

This challenge wins it on points Marriott mainly because of the variety of experiences offered and the better conversion rate to airlines.

Final judgment

I believe that For the average Italian user to be loyal to Hilton definitely bring more benefits and advantages than the Marriott program, although the latter has twice as many facilities in Italy. Of course, there are other aspects to evaluate as well, but it would get too specific and not make much sense for a 10-night-a-year user.

Especially now that Marriott has abandoned the fixed table which allowed for aexact idea of how many points would be spent to book any facility simply by knowing the category it belongs to, the gap has become even larger. Not to mention that if you book with points a Hilton resort, you will not be charged the resort surcharge (sometimes as much as 100$ per day), while the Bonvoy program does not remove these fees from reservations made with points.

Do you agree with my analysis? Leave your opinion in the comments below.

• Bonvoy
• Hilton Honors