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Marriott and IHG are both well-known hotel brands, each offering solid choices for travelers. While Marriott offers broader hotel availability, lower fees and stronger elite perks than IHG, both programs have value depending on your travel habits. Here’s what you need to know.
» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now
Availability
Winner for hotel availability: Marriott
Marriott is the clear winner because of its sheer size and footprint. Whenever you travel, you’re more likely to find Marriott Bonvoy properties than those belonging to IHG One Rewards.
Marriott
With over 9,700 properties, Marriott International is one of the largest hotel groups in the world.
Hotel brands under the Marriott umbrella:
- AC Hotels.
- Aloft Hotels.
- Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy.
- Autograph Collection Hotels.
- CitizenM.
- City Express.
- Courtyard by Marriott.
- Delta Hotels.
- Design Hotels.
- Edition.
- Element by Westin.
- Fairfield by Marriott.
- Four Points by Sheraton.
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton.
- Gaylord Hotels.
- Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
- JW Marriott.
- Le Méridien.
- Marriott.
- Marriott Executive Apartments.
- MGM Collection.
- Moxy Hotels.
- Outdoor Collection.
- Protea Hotels.
- Renaissance Hotels.
- Residence Inn by Marriott.
- Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
- Series by Marriott.
- Sheraton.
- SpringHill Suites.
- St. Regis.
- StudioRes.
- The Luxury Collection.
- The Marriott Vacation Clubs.
- The Ritz-Carlton.
- TownePlace Suites.
- Tribute Portfolio.
- W Hotels.
- Westin.
IHG
More than 6,800 properties fall under the IHG umbrella.
Hotel brands in the IHG portfolio:
- Atwell Suites.
- Avid Hotels.
- Candlewood Suites.
- Crowne Plaza.
- Even Hotels.
- Garner Hotels.
- Holiday Inn.
- Holiday Inn Club Vacations.
- Holiday Inn Express.
- Hotel Indigo.
- Hualuxe Hotels & Resorts.
- Iberostar.
- InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
- Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants.
- Regent Hotels & Resorts.
- Ruby.
- Six Senses.
- Staybridge Suites.
- Vignette Collection.
- Voco.
Fees
Winner for the lowest fees: IHG
Fees are those sneaky extras that can get tacked onto the room rate and really add up at the end of the stay. We analyzed hotel resort fees and parking fees charged by both brands as a percentage of the overall room rate.
Marriott
Marriott’s average resort fee comes in at $36. Its average parking fee was $56.14. Marriott ranked last of the six major hotel chains we analyzed.
IHG
IHG’s average resort fee is slightly less than Marriott’s, coming in at $32.57 on average. At $55.96, IHG’s average parking fee was nearly the same as Marriott’s.
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Hotel loyalty programs
Winner for loyalty program: Marriott
NerdWallet’s annual analysis compared hotel programs using a variety of metrics, including reward rate and elite status. Marriott Bonvoy scored 3.84, putting it around the middle of the pack, while IHG One Rewards scored 3.0, putting it closer to the bottom.
Both use a dynamic pricing system for award redemptions. The number of points needed for an award night varies based on date (the more in demand the date, the more points you will need).
They also both offer deals when booking multiple nights. Marriott has a fifth-night-free perk, where you're only charged for four nights of points when booking award stays that are five nights or longer. On eligible IHG credit cards, you can get a similar fourth-night-free perk, which may be more useful depending how long you usually like to stay in one spot.
Marriott Bonvoy
In the Marriott Bonvoy program, you earn 10 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 spent on eligible hotel charges at most properties. However, there are some exceptions.
You’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent at:
- Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy.
- City Express.
- Element.
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton.
- Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
- Protea Hotels.
- Residence Inn.
- Series by Marriott.
- TownePlace Suites.
When you stay at StudioRes, you earn 4 points per dollar. When you stay at Marriott Executive Apartments, you earn just 2.5 points per dollar.
According to NerdWallet’s hotel points valuation, each Marriott Bonvoy point is valued at 0.8 cent.
If you’re an elite member with Marriott, you earn bonus points based on your spend and your status tier.
| Nights needed to earn | Earnings bonus | |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Elite | 10 nights. | 10%. |
| Gold Elite | 25 nights. | 25%. |
| Platinum Elite | 50 nights. | 50%. |
| Titanium Elite | 75 nights. | 75%. |
| Ambassador Elite | 100 nights + $23,000 in annual spending with Marriott. | 75%. |
NerdWallet looked at the value of each elite status tier by taking into account how much the hotel perks are worth, the cost of attaining each level based on the number of nights needed and the elite earning rates.
| Value of benefits | Cost to earn | Elite earning rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Elite | $28.00 | $3,120.00 | 0.9%. |
| Gold Elite | $967.00 | $7,800.00 | 12%. |
| Platinum Elite | $4,427.00 | $15,600.00 | 28%. |
| Titanium Elite | $7,452.00 | $23,400.00 | 32%. |
| Ambassador Elite | $9,625.00 | $31,200.00 | 31%. |
» Learn more: The best ways to rack up Marriott Bonvoy points
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards offers 10 points per dollar on eligible charges at most IHG brands. Stays at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites earn only 5x IHG Rewards points.
NerdWallet values IHG points at 0.6 cent.
For those with IHG elite status, the amount of bonus points earned grows based on their tier.
| Nights needed to earn | Earnings bonus | |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Elite | 10 nights. | 20%. |
| Gold Elite | 20 nights or 40,000 points. | 40%. |
| Platinum Elite | 40 nights or 60,000 points. | 60%. |
| Diamond Elite | 70 nights or 120,000 points. | 100%. |
NerdWallet values each elite status tier in the same way it does with Marriott by looking at hotel perks, the cost to earn each level and the elite earning rates.
| Value of benefits | Cost to earn | Elite earning rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Elite | $14.00 | $1,000.00 | 1.4%. |
| Gold Elite | $152.00 | $2,920.00 | 5%. |
| Platinum Elite | $1,710.00 | $5,840.00 | 29%. |
| Diamond Elite | $3,807.00 | $10,220.00 | 37%. |
Hotel credit cards
Winner for best hotel credit card: Marriott
Marriott is the definitive winner for best hotel credit card because it has more options than IHG. In addition, the Marriott cards deliver higher elite status than IHG. This means you can quickly climb the Marriott elite ladder by acquiring Marriott co-branded credit cards.
They include options for consumers and small-business owners, plus a range of cards like one with no annual fee and others with premium perks.
IHG has a more limited range with a pair of consumer cards and one business card.
And because Marriott has cards from two issuers (American Express and Chase) versus just one for IHG (Chase), you can opt for the AmEx card if you are already over your 5/24 card count (since you would not be able to qualify for a Chase card). American Express doesn’t have the same requirements.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott credit cards are issued by two banks: American Express and Chase. This gives travelers more options for travel rewards cards.
IHG One Rewards
Meanwhile, IHG offers three credit card options.
How to choose
Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards offer numerous options for earning and redeeming points. Both have strengths. If you want the most variety in hotel brands and locations, Marriott is the winner. Marriott also has more credit card options.
But the value of points and perks should not be underestimated, and IHG ranks right up there. In particular, its credit card offerings can add a big boost to your award stays and points-earning potential.
Perhaps the best plan is to balance your stays with both programs, especially if you can achieve elite status with a credit card and enjoy perks faster than usual. Either way, both programs will not disappoint.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, see this page.
To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card, see this page.
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 2026:
- 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: American Express Platinum Card®
- Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
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