How NerdWallet Rates Hotels and Hotel Rewards Programs

NerdWallet's travel experts analyzed six hotel chains tied to major loyalty programs.

6 hotel chains

36k+ property footprint

40+ data points

NerdWallet's travel team rates hotels and hotel rewards programs on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest rating. We analyzed more than 40 data points to get a clear picture of which hotel chains offered the best value for travelers.

Before you book your next trip, use our ratings to see how hotels and hotel loyalty programs stack up. But keep in mind that the best hotel for you might be the one that's closest to your destination, even if it doesn't have one of our highest ratings.

How we choose the best hotel chain

The best hotel chains offer high rewards rates, low add-on fees and excellent overall experiences. They also have large global footprints — meaning, you have plenty of booking options wherever you travel.

We looked for these features at six hotel chains tied to major loyalty programs: Choice, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Wyndham.

How we rated and weighted each factor:

5.0

Overall score

We determine the dollar value of each program’s rewards points and the earnings rate of points. To determine the rewards rate, we multiply the value of each point by the earnings rate and then multiply by 100. For example, if a hotel’s rewards points were worth 1 cent apiece (the value of rewards points) and 10 points were earned per dollar spent (the earnings rate of points), its program would have a 10% rewards rate. (In this example, the two equations would be: first $0.01 x 10 = 0.1, then 0.1 x 100 = 10, or 10%.)

Add-on fees (10%)

We determine the average resort and parking fees across a selection of properties from each hotel chain. We give higher scores to hotels with minimal fees and lower scores to those with high fees.

Global footprint (30%)

The number of domestic and international properties for each chain are provided by the award search tool Gondola.

Travel team review (30%)

In addition to quantitative metrics, we also consider qualitative factors, like the experience of booking and staying at these properties. Editorial team members base these ratings on their real-world experience.

How we choose the best hotel rewards program

To find the best hotel rewards program, we looked at the same six hotel chains, focusing on which programs made it easiest to earn points through credit card spending and stays. We used some of the same criteria as we did for the best hotel category, but dropped add-on fees as a factor, since they were less related to the loyalty programs themselves.

How we rated and weighted each factor:

5.0