Hyatt vs. Marriott: Which One Is Best in 2025?
We compare Marriott's and Hyatt's loyalty programs based on hotel selection, location, credit cards and more.
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Hyatt and Marriott are two of the best-known hotel brands, but they shine in different ways. Hyatt offers more valuable points and elite status perks, while Marriott has a much larger geographic footprint. The best option ultimately comes down to your travel plans and priorities. Here's how the programs match up.
In this article
» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now
Availability
Winner for hotel availability: Marriott
Where to find Marriotts around the world
Marriott has a huge footprint, with more than 9,000 hotels in over 140 countries and territories across more than 30 Marriott hotel brands.
Hotels in the Marriott portfolio are easy to find, even outside major cities.
» Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Program: The complete guide
Where to find Hyatts
With over 1,400 hotels, Hyatt makes up for its smaller portfolio with a richer loyalty program. Its hotels are in 79 countries covering six continents and more than two dozen hotel brands. But you might be hard-pressed to find Hyatts outside of big tourist destinations.
» Learn more: World of Hyatt: The complete guide
Hotel fees
Winner for lower fees: Tie
Marriott Bonvoy
NerdWallet regularly reviews loyalty programs to determine the best value for travelers, and this includes an analysis of resort fees. Marriott Bonvoy brands deliver good news for travelers worried about resort fees. These fees make up only about 1.9% of the room rate, which is less than the average at Hyatt properties.
What Hyatt deserves attention for is that it waives these fees for Globalist members on paid stays or any member when redeeming points. That's a valuable perk. Marriott charges all guests the resort fee, no matter their status.
» Learn more: The best hotels that allow pets
World of Hyatt
Hyatt’s waived resort fee policy is a great perk for Globalist members on paid rates and all World of Hyatt members redeeming points. In general, World of Hyatt’s resort fees represent 2.7% of the room rate, which is more than what Marriott properties charge.
Hyatt takes the prize if you have Globalist status or are redeeming points, but because its fees make up a higher percentage of the overall room rate than Marriott’s fees (despite Marriott charging everyone a resort fee where applicable), this ends up being a tie.
» Learn moreHow to find and book hotels
Loyalty programs
Winner for rewards rate: World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt
Travelers will be happy to know that World of Hyatt continues to use an award chart with off-peak, standard and peak redemptions. There is no need to guess how many points you need to save for a redemption. Instead, World of Hyatt gives a range of points necessary for a redemption.
Quite differently, Marriott Bonvoy follows a dynamic pricing model, in which award redemption rates vary based on the date of travel. This can make it confusing for travelers to know how many points they will need to save for a travel redemption unless they know their exact dates. And even then, they would need to accrue the points or have them saved for redemption because the number of points can keep changing.
World of Hyatt does not use blackout dates and has several sweet spots for redemptions. And with no resort fees when redeeming points, the value only increases.
Bookings earn 5 World of Hyatt base points per $1 at participating properties, including Homes & Hideaways, hotel dining and spa experiences. When spending on FIND experiences, members earn 10 points per $1.
The lowest award night prices start at 3,500 points when redeeming a Category 1 property for an off-peak night; the highest redemption price is 45,000 points for a Category 8 peak night. NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 1.8 cents each.
Hyatt co-branded credit cardholders earn bonus points when using the card on eligible paid stays or everyday spending. Travelers can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to World of Hyatt.
Marriott Bonvoy
Since Marriott relies on dynamic award pricing, it takes away the opportunity to plan ahead for most sweet spots and delivers the best value only when demand is lower, but not necessarily in the places where and when you want to stay.
Marriott has a Stay for 5, Pay for 4 perk. When redeeming a stay of at least five nights, Marriott Bonvoy requires only the equivalent of four nights’ worth of points to be redeemed.
Members earn 10 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent, but some Marriott Bonvoy brands award only between 2.5 and 5 points (2.5 points per dollar for Marriott Executive Apartments and 5 points at brands such as Residence Inn by Marriott, Element and Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy).
Members can also earn bonus points by using one of Marriott’s co-branded credit cards at hotels or on bonus spend categories, as well as when transferring points from credit card programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards.NerdWallet values Marriott points at 0.8 cent each.
» Learn more: Best hotel rewards programs
Winner for credit cards: Marriott
Marriott credit cards
Marriott Bonvoy has four consumer credit cards and one business credit card issued by either Chase or American Express. World of Hyatt has only two credit cards.
$0.
$95.
$250.
$650.
• 3 Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• 2 points per $1 on grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming and internet, cable and phone services.
• 1 point per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• 3 points per $1 on up to $6,000 a year in combined purchases on grocery stores, gas stations and dining.
• 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• 4 points per $1 on up to $15,000 a year in combined purchases at grocery stores and on dining.
• 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• 6 Marriott Bonvoy® points per $1 at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels.
• 3 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines.
• 2 points per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
• 5 Elite Night Credits annually, toward the next level of elite status.
• Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• 15 Elite Night Credits annually, qualifying you for Silver Elite status, plus path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
• 1 Elite Night Credit toward Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
• Free Night Award (valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.
• Gold Elite status, plus 15 Elite Night credits each year toward Platinum Elite status.
• 1,000 points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott Bonvoy at participating properties.
• Free Night Award (valued up to 85,000 points) every year after your account renewal month.
• Platinum Elite Status and 25 Elite Night credits per year.
• Fee credit for either Global Entry or TSA Precheck.
• Priority Pass Select lounge membership (enrollment required).
• Up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.
Terms apply.
Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
Earn 3 Free Nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Earn 85,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from your account opening.
Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.
There are two additional Marriott Bonvoy co-branded cards that might appeal to travelers, one personal card and one business card.
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card ($250 annual fee, see rates and fees ).
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card ($125 annual fee, see rates and fees ).
Marriott gives cardholders more choice with many different types of cards and annual fees with associated benefits that match each card.
With Marriott’s larger portfolio, these cards unlock point earning at more properties. Still, World of Hyatt points are more than twice as valuable, according to NerdWallet valuations.
Hyatt credit cards
World of Hyatt has two credit card choices: a personal card and a business card.
on Chase's website
on Chase's website
$95.
$199.
Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
60,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
• 4 points per $1 at Hyatt hotels and resorts.
• 2 points per $1 on dining, airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, gym memberships, and local transit and commuting.
• 1 point per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• 4 points per $1 at Hyatt hotels and resorts.
• 2 points per $1 in your top three spend categories each quarter.
• 2 points per $1 on fitness club and gym memberships.
• 1 point per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
• Earn one free night on each cardmember anniversary to redeem at any Category 1-4 World of Hyatt property.
• World of Hyatt Discoverist status.
• Earn five elite night credits when you get the card, and two additional elite night credits for every $5,000 spent.
• Earn one free night on each cardmember anniversary to redeem at any Category 1-4 World of Hyatt property.
• Earn up to a $100 Hyatt statement credit on your cardmember anniversary.
• World of Hyatt Discoverist status.
• Earn a rebate of 10% of points (up to 200,000 points) redeemed after reaching $50,000 in annual spend.
• Earn five elite night credits for every $10,000 spent.
World of Hyatt is a Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partner, so you can transfer Chase points to World of Hyatt from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
Winner for elite status: Hyatt
Evaluating the ins and outs of hotel programs involves a lot of variables. One of the key things to focus on for frequent travelers is which ones have the best hotel elite status programs (ranked as part of the annual Best-Of Awards efforts). And in this comparison between Marriott and Hyatt, there is one clear winner.
World of Hyatt
The World of Hyatt program has a trio of elite status membership levels (Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist), and the benefits of each grow as you climb the status ladder.
Discoverist, the entry-level tier, is easy to secure via credit cards, but its perks, such as a free bottle of water and faster internet, are minimal.
The highest tier, Globalist, is packed with value and perks. And because of Hyatt’s partnership with American Airlines, American’s biggest spenders who get American ConciergeKey are automatically upgraded to Globalist. This comes with enormous value with perks like club lounge access or breakfast, free parking on free nights and room upgrades.
You can also achieve lifetime Globalist status for the life of the program after reaching 1 million base points. In light of all of these perks, World of Hyatt is the better of the two programs.
Marriott Bonvoy
Despite the number of Marriott Bonvoy properties, its elite status is not as rich in perks as World of Hyatt’s.
There are five elite status levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador. Marriott has an airline partnership with United Airlines to match lower-tier elite status.
Silver Elite is the entry-level tier, with bonus points and premium internet all that members really get, while Gold and Platinum Elite members are treated to space-available room upgrades, late checkout and a welcome gift.
Platinum Elite comes with access to the club lounge, if the hotel has one. Top-tier Titanium and Ambassador Elite members also get access to club lounges plus breakfast and welcome gifts. They also are eligible for more bonus points.
Ambassador Elite members can take advantage of Your24 privileges. This means they can choose their check-in time and keep their room until the same time on the day of departure. That flexibility is useful, especially if arriving early or needing to stay in the room longer.
Many Marriott credit cards come with a fast track to elite status, but there is no card to get the highest tier without staying with Marriott Bonvoy properties.
Which is better?
There is no question that World of Hyatt’s clear-cut award chart is a superior offering to Marriott’s dynamic pricing model. But Marriott’s geographic breadth could make it a better option for many people.
The information related to Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card has been collected by NerdWallet and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of this card
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2025:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph® Card
Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Travel
Hotel
You can access over $3,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment, and other benefits. Terms apply.