Hyatt vs. Marriott: Which One Is Best in 2024?

Hyatt and Marriott are two popular hotel companies, each with properties worldwide. Thanks to airline partnerships, their own branded credit cards and rewarding loyalty programs, each appeals to a wide variety of travelers. But which one is better?

Depending on the type of traveler you are and where you visit most often, the right program for you may differ from what someone else prefers.

NerdWallet’s analysis can help your decision as it looks at the cost of achieving a certain elite status within a program and the value of those benefits.

Let’s look at each hotel group’s brands, credit card programs, loyalty benefits and elite status to help you examine Hyatt versus Marriott according to which matches your needs.

» Learn more: The best hotel credit cards right now

Winner for hotel availability: Marriott

Where to find Marriotts around the world

Marriott clobbers the competition when it comes to the number of brands it has, which are available at more than 8,000 properties and over 130 countries and territories. Here’s a list of the more than 30 Marriott hotel brands:

No matter where you travel, there’s a good chance you’ll find a Marriott family brand there.

» Learn more: Marriott Bonvoy Program: The complete guide

Where to find Hyatts

With over 1,300 hotels, Hyatt isn’t the largest chain, but it certainly has a global presence with 28 brands and hotels in 76 countries.

Hyatt continues to grow its portfolio with the addition of properties from Miraval and several all-inclusive brands. These are the brands that participate in World of Hyatt, the hotel's loyalty program:

» Learn more: World of Hyatt: The complete guide

Winner for lower fees: Tie

Marriott Bonvoy

NerdWallet's latest analysis of resort fees for Marriott Bonvoy brands delivers good news for its loyal members. Its resort fees are roughly 2.53% of the room rate, which is less than what Hyatt properties charge.

It should be noted, however, that Marriott does not waive fees for elite members the way Hyatt does for its top tier on paid stays or any member on reward stays.

When it comes to parking, Marriott charges a parking fee equal to 11.5% of the room rate. Pet owners would pay, on average, 30.59% of the room rate. While Marriott tends to charge more for parking and pet fees, not all travelers will use these amenities. But, when it comes to resort fees (where applicable), these get charged to all travelers, unlike with Hyatt.

» Learn more: The best hotels that allow pets

World of Hyatt

Hyatt waives resort fees for Globalist members on paid rates and any member when redeeming points. That offers a huge value that gives the program an edge on award stays. But, in all other instances, resort fees are 4.87% of the room rate, almost twice as much as what Marriott properties charge.

World of Hyatt properties charge an average parking fee equal to 9.65% of the room rate, but this is also waived for Globalist members (something that the program deserves major credit for). Travelers with pets pay fees equal to 28.37% of the room rate, which is less than Marriott. But, not everyone brings pets or cars.

If you’re a Globalist member or redeeming points, Hyatt wins hands down. But, not everyone will be redeeming points or has top Hyatt elite status.

Both programs have pros and cons in this category, and while Marriott charges lower resort fees, they do not waive them for as many members as Hyatt does. This leads us to call it a tie.

» Learn more: How to find and book hotels

Winner for rewards rate: World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt continues to offer an award chart with off-peak, standard and peak redemptions. This helps members know how many points they need to save for an upcoming stay. Marriott Bonvoy has switched to dynamic pricing, and reward redemption rates can be all over the place.

World of Hyatt also has several sweet spots and no blackout dates. Plus, you don’t pay resort fees when redeeming points.

World of Hyatt members earn 5 base points per $1 when paying an eligible rate at World of Hyatt-participating properties. Members can also earn on eligible hotel dining and spa experiences. Members earn 10 points per $1 on FIND experiences.

Award night prices start at 3,500 points on an off-peak night at a Category 1 hotel and climb to 45,000 points for a peak night at a Category 8 hotel. NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents each.

If you have one of Hyatt’s co-branded credit cards, you can earn bonus points on eligible paid stays, everyday spending or when moving points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to your World of Hyatt account.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott’s reliance on dynamic award pricing reduces its value with fewer sweet spots. Since points rates vary based on demand, it is possible to find good deals, but it may not always be where and when you want to stay.

Most hotels provide 10 Marriott Bonvoy® points per dollar spent, but some Marriott Bonvoy brands only award between 2.5 and 5 points (Marriott Executive Apartments and Residence Inn by Marriott, for example, among others).

Beyond hotel stays, there are other ways to score points by using one of Marriott’s co-branded credit cards or by transferring points from credit card partners from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards® and American Express Membership Rewards.

Based on NerdWallet’s latest valuations, Marriott points are worth 0.9 cent each although some redemptions can offer more value than others.

» Learn more: Best hotel rewards programs

Winner for credit cards: Marriott

Marriott credit cards

Marriott Bonvoy members can choose between five consumer credit cards and one business credit card issued by either Chase or American Express. Want to know how they compare against each other? Take a look at these Marriott hotel credit cards:

There are two additional Marriott Bonvoy co-branded cards that might appeal to travelers, one personal card and one business ca.

• 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 ).

» Learn more: Is the Marriott Bonvoy business card worth its annual fee?

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, but NerdWallet's hotel points valuation paints a more complex picture since World of Hyatt points are more valuable.

This means you shouldn’t be swayed by a bonus offer from a particular credit card or how many points you earn per dollar spent. Instead, consider the value of a point when it comes to what you can get in exchange.

That means World of Hyatt Points are almost three times as valuable. Still, both points can be valuable if you use them for what you need.

Hyatt credit cards

Hyatt only has two card options, which slims down the options, but their personal and business credit cards are still worth holding for World of Hyatt fans.

In addition, since World of Hyatt is a Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer partner, it’s easy to move Chase points to World of Hyatt using cards like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

» Learn more: The complete guide to Marriott Bonvoy's elite status levels

Winner for elite status: Hyatt

NerdWallet regularly analyzes the ins and outs of hotel and airline programs, and when it comes to best hotel elite status programs (ranked as part of the annual Best Of Awards efforts), there is one clear winner.

World of Hyatt

With three elite status membership levels (Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist), the perks you receive at each level will vary greatly.

But, those who climb to the top of the pack and earn Globalist (also a benefit of achieving American Concierge Key as part of American and Hyatt’s partnership), will receive some amazing benefits. It’s easy to earn Discoverist via credit cards, but you will only get a few paltry perks (namely a free bottle of water and faster internet).

Globalist is a gold mine of perks offering room upgrades, club level access or breakfast, free parking and the Guest of Honor perk, allowing members to offer their benefits to someone else.

Let’s take a look at the value of each status tier, based on NerdWallet's most recent analysis.

Discoverist status costs $1,460 to earn, but delivers only $22 worth of benefits. For Explorist, it costs $4,380 to earn, which comes with benefits valued at $627. But, it’s the Globalist tier that delivers excellent value. It costs $8,760 to earn it and the value of the benefits is worth $5,296.

World of Hyatt also has a lifetime status program offering Globalist for the life of the program once you reach one million base points. This, on top of the perk valuations, bring Hyatt the prize of most valuable elite status.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy has an amazing portfolio with dozens of brands and hotels, but its elite status is not as valuable as World of Hyatt’s.

Even with five elite status levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium and Ambassador (and a partnership with United to match lower-tier elite status), it is important to study the value of each to determine how you can benefit the most from the program.

Silver Elite delivers just the basics like bonus points and premium internet with Gold and Platinum Elite adding space-available room upgrades, a welcome gift of points or other perks like breakfast and late checkout.

Platinum Elite members will gain access to the club lounge, if there is one, or breakfast. The best tiers are Titanium and Ambassador Elite with access to club lounges, breakfast, welcome gifts like points or local amenities, better room upgrades and a higher percentage of bonus points.

Ambassador Elite members receive Your24 privileges allowing them to check in or check out at any time for stays that last at least 24 hours.

Signing up for a Marriott credit card is a faster pathway to elite status, but you won’t earn top-tier status without staying with Marriott properties.

NerdWallet evaluated each membership tier to determine the types of perks. Silver Elite costs $1,460 to reach that level, but the value of perks is only worth $12. Gold Elite would cost $3,650 to earn for only $136 in benefits.

Platinum Elite has a $7,300 price tag for $3,350 in benefits, representing the first real elite status of any value with Marriott Bonvoy.

Perk-heavy Titanium Elite members are treated to even more ($5,315 worth of benefits) after they spend around $10,950 with Marriott. At the Ambassador Elite level, the benefits are valued at $7,317 for the maximum in perks, but it would cost $20,000 in spending to get there.

Marriott has you covered in more places around the globe and at more price points and hotel types, but its elite status is not as valuable as Hyatt’s.

Which brand is best for you? As usual, the answer depends. Hyatt takes the lead for those that travel often and want to maximize elite status perks.

Whether you are staying in hotels for business or leisure, you can rack up the most benefits as a top-tier Hyatt member. And if you fly American enough to be Concierge Key, you get Globalist for free.

If you need greater geographic variety with more hotel brands than you even knew existed, Marriott is a better choice, but its top-tier elite status costs more to earn. And without an award chart to guide you, you’re at the mercy of the marketplace to know how many points you need to save for each hotel.

If value is your highest focus, Hyatt is more beneficial since it has no award blackout dates, no resort fees on award stays, an award chart with clear ranges of the cost of a redemption and an elite program that costs less to earn excellent perks.

Hyatt also wins over Marriott when it comes to value, but there is a lot to be said for Marriott’s far and wide international portfolio and hefty perks the higher you climb its elite status ranks.

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