Getting A Free Night: Here’s How Many Points You Need At Hilton, Marriott And More

Key takeaways

One of the best travel perks is the chance to earn hotel points to redeem for free stays. You can get free nights at hotels by earning points via credit card spending, crediting stays to a hotel’s loyalty program or when booking a certain number of award nights, usually four or five, and receiving another night for free.

Exactly how many hotel points do you need for a free night? These days, most hotel brands have removed award charts and moved to dynamic pricing, which focuses on when you want to book your free nights. That means if you want to book free nights in an Orlando hotel in April, for example, you’ll have to redeem more points for that room, because it’s a popular time to visit the amusement-park-rich city.

On the flip side, if you can travel during an off-peak time, you can score real bargains with fewer points required.

How to get free nights at hotels

Nearly every hotel brand offers a loyalty program designed to keep customers loyal and spending business and leisure money at their facilities. Hotels reward their top guests by allowing them to earn points based on spending. In turn, guests use those points to book free nights.

Those free nights can be used for vacations, visiting friends and family, special occasions or in case of an emergency or unexpected event.

We’ll look at how the top five U.S. hotel brands reward guests with free nights. Here’s a table for reference:

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott has a hotel portfolio of more than 9,300 properties across more than 30 brands in 144 countries. Marriott Bonvoy is the chain’s loyalty program.

Marriott Bonvoy moved away from an easy-to-read Category 1 to 8 free night redemption chart to dynamic pricing. As a result, it’s harder to know exactly how many points you need to get a free hotel night. The number of points needed is based on the type of property you want and what time of the year it’s booked.

For example, if I want to book a weekend stay at one of my favorite hotels, the St. Regis Washington, D.C. during springtime — a peak time in the nation’s capital thanks to cherry blossoms and school trips — a room would cost me 180,000 points a night.

However, that same hotel in early January, when D.C. isn’t as crowded, drops to 127,000 points a night. If you have flexibility in your hotel dates, you may be able to book a free night for fewer points via Marriott’s PointSavers option.

Another way to earn points for free nights at hotels is via branded credit cards. Here’s a list of cards under the Marriott brand and how you can earn free nights:

“When I signed up for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, I got five free night certificates worth 35,000 points each,” says Tanner Saunders, senior writer for hotels at The Points Guy. “With Marriott, you can actually top up the certificates with up to 15,000 points, so I knew when it came time to use them, I could look for hotels up to 50,000 points since I had a nice stash of Marriott Bonvoy points waiting to be used.”

Saunders likes to have a supply of free night certificates for unexpected moments or last-minute trips. “In December 2022, my partner and I decided to make a very last-minute trip to Paris for New Year’s Eve. Hotels were almost all booked and extremely expensive, but somehow I was able to snag three nights at the Moxy Paris Bastille with my 35,000-point certificates and for less than five euros in taxes and fees,” he says. “Similar hotels in the super-central location were hundreds of dollars a night. I ended up getting engaged on that trip, so I’m even more grateful for those certificates and my partner’s spontaneity.”

Marriott Bonvoy members who earn 75 elite night credits in a calendar year can choose one Annual Choice Benefit, including a free night award for rooms worth up to 40,000 Bonvoy points. Awards are only available for standard rooms. Award nights include taxes and fees, but not resort fees.

Hilton Honors

Hilton has a portfolio of 24 world-class brands and more than 8,400 properties in 140 countries and territories. The Hilton Honors loyalty program is another that moved away from award charts and to dynamic pricing.

Unlike Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors shares that free hotel nights range from a low of 5,000 points to a high of 95,000 points. It also allows guests to choose the type of hotel they’re looking for, from resort to luxury.

Using the Washington, D.C. example, a spring stay at the Hilton Washington, D.C. Capitol Hill costs 70,000 points a night. That same stay in January is 65,000 points a night. You also have the option of filtering by points, ranging from 30,000 to no maximum. When I chose 50,000 points, the Motto by Hilton Washington, D.C. City Center popped up for a spring or January stay.

Only two of Hilton’s credit cards offer free night awards, but have a welcome offer that comes with enough points to redeem for at least one night at select hotels. Here are Hilton’s American Express-branded cards:

Hilton free night certificates are by far the most valuable because they’re the only ones that are uncapped, says Ryan Flanigan, a credit cards writer for Bankrate. “I get automatic Diamond status and a free night certificate every year with my Hilton Aspire and another after spending $15,000 on my Hilton Surpass, which is better for everyday spending,” he says. “These cards together keep my elite status and help me generate substantial Hilton points to book additional nights when I use my free night certificates.”

Flanigan’s go-to property is often the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. “My family likes to go to Walt Disney World every summer, so this property offers outstanding value for us in terms of value for the certificate and Disney perks,” he says.

Free nights can be redeemed for one standard double occupancy room. However, Hilton excludes certain hotels for the free night redemption. You must call Hilton at 800-446-6677 and mention the code provided by Hilton Honors to redeem your free night. The award covers taxes and resort fees.

IHG One Rewards

IHG Hotels & Resorts is a family of 19 hotel brands and the IHG One Rewards loyalty program. The brand has more than 6,500 hotels in more than 100 countries. IHG notes on its website that free rooms can be had for as low as 5,000 points a night.

A room at the Kimpton Monaco Hotel Washington, D.C. goes for 50,000 points a night in the spring. The same hotel drops down to 29,500 points a night in January. You also have the option to filter your free room nights by brand. IHG free nights include taxes and fees, but don’t cover resort fees.

Three of the four IHG cards offer cardholders the chance to redeem three nights and get a fourth night free. Here’s what else IHG cards offer:

• IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card* — Earn 10,000 bonus points after spending $10,000 a calendar year.
• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card* — Receive an anniversary free night at eligible IHG Hotels & Resorts after each card anniversary.
• IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card* — Receive a free night after your account anniversary year, with a point redemption cap of 40,000 points. Finally, earn a $100 statement credit and 10,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 each calendar year.
• IHG One Rewards Select Credit Card* (no longer available to new customers) — Receive a free night after your account anniversary year, with a point redemption cap of 40,000 points.

“When one of my favorite musicians came to town, I used my free night certificate from my IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card to treat myself to the Hotel Indigo Dallas Downtown, across the street from the venue, which would’ve cost a few hundred dollars,” says Bankrate senior editor Harlan Vaughn. “I’ve always used my IHG awards for stellar value and to make memories. IHG hotels seem to be everywhere.”

World of Hyatt

Hyatt’s portfolio includes more than 1,400 hotels and all-inclusive properties with 27 brands in 79 countries across six continents. The World of Hyatt loyalty program still offers an award chart, with points broken down by off-peak, standard and peak. You can also book free hotel nights with standard, club, standard suite or premium suite rooms.

A big pro for World of Hyatt customers is that free nights redemption for a standard room ranges from 5,000 to 40,000 points. Rooms in the peak category have a low of 6,500 points to a high of 45,000 points per night. A negative is that Hyatt doesn’t have as big of a footprint as larger hotel chains, so it can be hard to find rooms in medium- to smaller-sized cities.

However, the selection of rooms available at Hyatt brands in Washington, D.C., is quite good. The Category 4 Hyatt Washington, D.C. Convention Center is only 18,000 points a night in the spring and in January.

If you want to splurge, a room at the Park Hyatt Washington D.C. is available for only 29,000 points per night — and the Thompson Washington D.C. is a bargain, at 18,000 points a night. Personal and business versions of the World of Hyatt credit cards are generous when it comes to welcome offer points that can go toward free hotel nights:

Bankrate principal writer Jeffrey Ostrowski says he’s redeemed free nights at four of the five top brands except for Wyndham. “I’ve used points I’ve earned through stays for Marriott and Hyatt, I’ve transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG and I’ve used Chase points to book Hilton through the Chase Travel℠ portal,” he says.

Ostrowski was a Marriott fan, but found his Bonvoy points have become less valuable. “My most recent redemption cost 25,000 points for a $150 room in Tallahassee, Florida, back in late 2023. IHG is similarly expensive.”

I found Hyatt had the best value, about 8,000 points for a $150 room night near Boulder, Colorado, last fall.

— Jeff Ostrowski
Principal writer, Bankrate

World of Hyatt members don’t pay taxes or fees on award stays using points or free night certificates.

Wyndham Rewards

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ portfolio includes 25 brands with approximately 9,200 hotels across more than 95 countries on six continents. The brand keeps it simple when it comes to redeeming Wyndham Rewards for free hotel stays: a set 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night.

The points needed to stay at the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Washington, D.C. is 15,000 a night. You can also refine your search by points and availability. Wyndham-branded credit cards usually come with a welcome offer that equates to between four and six free nights.

Free nights do not include resort fees.

The bottom line

Because three of the top five U.S. hotel brands have removed award charts and moved to dynamic pricing, it can be a bit tricky to book free hotel nights.

With Marriott, it’s truly the luck of the draw. Free room redemption rates can be higher because of higher supply and demand during peak travel periods. You’ll need fewer points when demand is lower.

Hilton gives guests a point redemption range for free hotel nights, but IHG only shares that rooms start at 5,000 points. However, like Marriott, free nights at Hilton and IHG are based on supply and demand.

It’s important to be smart when it comes time to use points to redeem a free hotel stay. When it comes to dynamic pricing, redeeming points for a free hotel night today may not be the same number tomorrow, so plan accordingly and don’t wait to book that room.

Hyatt is the only top brand that still has an awards chart, which is pretty detailed. Wyndham offers a simple three-tiered system for guests to book free hotel nights.

*Information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card, IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Select Credit Card, The World of Hyatt Credit Card, World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card, Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card and Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card has been collected independently by Bankrate.com. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the card issuer.