Travel & Leisure recently published their World’s Best Awards for 2020. Using survey data, they rated the world’s best destinations, airlines, resorts, etc. For this post, I targeted the The Top 100 Hotels in the World. Which of these top hotels are bookable with points? And which of these offer the best value with points?
For each of hotel in the Top 100, I determined which hotel brands or affiliations they belong to and whether or not they were bookable with hotel points. Almost all are bookable with bank points (such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points), but my goal was to find those bookable specifically with hotel points: Marriott points, Hilton points, IHG points, etc. Bank points usually give you a fixed value based on the hotel price. Hotel points, though, sometimes offer the opportunity to get outsized value. That’s what I wanted to find.
- Top Brands & Affiliations
- World’s Best Points-Bookable Hotels & Resorts
- #4) The Ritz-Carlton, Bali, Indonesia
- #5) Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
- #7) Raffles Istanbul
- #8) Canaves Oia Epitome, Santorini, Greece
- #12) Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Sacred Valley, Peru
- #37) The Sukhothai Bangkok
- #38) Cala de Mar Resort & Spa Ixtapa, Mexico
- #40) The St. Regis Florence
- #41) Necker Island, British Virgin Islands
- #60) Santa Monica Proper Hotel, Santa Monica, California
- #69) The Middle House, Shanghai
- #72) Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- #73) The St. Regis Mexico City
- #76) Canaves Oia Boutique Hotel, Santorini, Greece
- #77) La Peer Hotel, West Hollywood, California
- #79) Kasbah Tamadot, Atlas Mountains, Morocco
- Methodology
- Bottom Line
Top Brands & Affiliations
Here are the brands and hotel affiliations that appeared more than once in the Top 100 list, along with a few points-bookable brands that appeared just once:
Brand or Affiliation# in Top 100Rewards ProgramLeading Hotels of the World (LHW)12Leader’s ClubRelais & Chateaux10NonePreferred Hotels & Resorts7I PreferMarriott5Marriott BonvoySmall Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH)5World of Hyatt*And Beyond3NoneHilton Waldorf Astoria2Hilton HonorsMandarin Oriental2Fans of M.O.Oberoi Hotels2NoneThe Leela Palaces2Leela DISCOVERYVirgin Limited Edition2Flying ClubRaffles1Accor Live LimitlessKimpton1IHG Rewards Club
* Many but not all SLH properties partner with World of Hyatt to offer benefits to Hyatt members.
Brands and affiliations of interest for point collectors
Out of the brands and affiliations listed above (and also including a single Raffles hotel from the Top 100 list), these are likely of most interest to those of us who collect points and miles:
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts: Preferred Hotels & Resorts has it’s own rewards program called I Prefer, but it is also loosely affiliated with Choice Privileges. Some, but not all Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties can be booked with Choice points. You can find participating properties here. Those with Amex Membership Rewards points can transfer to Choice Privileges 1 to 1. This is usually a poor use of points.
- Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH): Many but not all SLH properties partner with World of Hyatt to offer benefits to Hyatt members, including the ability to earn or redeem points. Participating properties can be found here. More details can be found in our World of Hyatt Complete Guide. Those with Chase Ultimate Rewards points can transfer to Hyatt 1 to 1.
- Marriott: Those with Amex Membership Rewards points can transfer to Marriott 1 to 1. This is usually a poor use of points.
- Hilton: Those with Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points can transfer to Hilton 1 to 2. This is usually a poor use of points.
- Virgin Limited Edition: Virgin Limited Edition properties can be booked with Virgin Atlantic Fly Club miles. Points can be transferred 1 to 1 from Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou Rewards. Additionally, points can be transferred from Marriott Bonvoy: 60,000 Marriott points becomes 25,000 Virgin Atlantic miles.
- Raffles: Raffles belongs to the Accor Live Limitless (ALL) loyalty program. Those with Capital One “miless” can transfer to Accor 2 to 1 (1,000 to 500).
World’s Best Points-Bookable Hotels & Resorts
The following are the points-bookable hotels & resorts from Travel & Leisure’s Top 100 Hotels in the World list. The properties are sorted according to Travel & Leisure’s ranking:
#4) The Ritz-Carlton, Bali, Indonesia
- Brand or Affiliation: Ritz-Carlton
- Bookable with Marriott Bonvoy points
- Points per night: 50,000 points per night standard; 40,000 off-peak; 60,000 peak
#5) Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
- Brand or Affiliation: Hilton Waldorf Astoria
- Bookable with Hilton Honors points
- Points per night: 120,000 points per night
#7) Raffles Istanbul
- Brand or Affiliation: Raffles
- Bookable with Accor Live Limitless points
- Points per night:…
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