If you’re part of a hotel loyalty program, you’ve probably spent a lot of time and effort earning points for free hotel stays. But knowing the value of your points helps ensure you don’t waste them on a cheap room or an overpriced redemption.
You can easily save up to 25% on hotel point redemptions at affordable and luxury hotels from three different hotel chains. To make the most of your points, do some research beforehand. By doing this, you can redeem your hotel loyalty points with confidence and get more value for your efforts.
Fifth (or Fourth) Night Free on Award Bookings at Marriott, Hilton and IHG Hotels
When booking a hotel room using your points, if you meet the requirements of each program, you’ll receive a free night for booking five nights or more at Marriott and Hilton hotels, or a four-night stay or more at IHG hotels. Here are the rules for using the free night at each of the programs:
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy offers all members a free night when redeeming points for five or more consecutive nights.
Stay for 5, Pay for 4 Offer. A Member who redeems Points for five consecutive nights for an Award Redemption Stay using a Standard Redemption Award or PointSavers Award under one reservation (i.e., one confirmation number) will only need to redeem Marriott Bonvoy® Points for four nights.
For every five consecutive nights you redeem (pay with Marriott Bonvoy® Points), you will receive the lowest point-value night free.
- Your stay must be five consecutive nights at the same hotel.
- All-inclusive resorts participate in the Stay for 5, Pay for 4 offer.
- The free night will be the lowest Marriott Bonvoy® point cost night during your stay.
- This offer cannot be applied to a stay comprised of multiple reservations with consecutive nights.
- If you book a 10-night award stay, Marriott will deduct the two lowest-priced nights—regardless of where they fall in the stay.
- This offer cannot be applied after check-in to a hotel.
- There are no point refunds or credits for any unused portion of the stay.
- The point cost is based on a standard room only and does not cover upgrades to premium rooms.
- Stay for 5, Pay for 4 does not apply to Cash + Points Awards, Upgrade Awards, Nightly Upgrade Awards, and Promotional Awards (e.g., from co-branded credit cards or Annual Choice Benefits).
- If you apply Premium Room or Nightly Upgrade Awards, they must be used for every night of the stay, including the free night(s).
- If you modify your stay, you’re responsible for any changes to the points required.
- Stay for 5, Pay for 4 is available to all Marriott Bonvoy® members.
The free night is automatically applied when you book an award stay, so there’s nothing you need to do to activate the offer.
Hilton Honors
Hilton Honors offers elite members (Silver, Gold, or Diamond) the fifth night free on award stays.
5th Night Free on Reward Stays: For every Standard Room Reward stay of five or more nights, every 5th night is free. Members can use this benefit an unlimited number of times per year. Applies only to five consecutive nights within the same full Points Standard Room Reward stay at the same property, up to 20 nights. No more than four free nights will be awarded per stay. If the free night is declined, canceled, or cut short, the benefit is forfeited. The 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th nights will be free as applicable. Applies only to Standard Room Reward stays—not to paid stays or Points & Money Rewards™.
Silver status is included with the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors AMEX card. The Hilton Honors Surpass AMEX ($95 annual fee) comes with Gold status, while the Hilton Honors Aspire AMEX ($550 annual fee) includes top-tier Diamond status. American Express Platinum cardholders are also provided complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status.
Here’s an example from Hilton of how the program works.
IHG One Rewards
IHG One Rewards offers a fourth-night-free benefit on award stays, but only for cardholders of the IHG Rewards Club Premier credit card ($99 annual fee), IHG Business Premier, or the IHG Traveler card (no annual fee).
Redeem Three Nights, Get Fourth Reward Night Free: Applies only to 4 or more consecutive nights within the same Reward Night point redemption stay at the same property. You’ll pay points for the first three nights and receive the fourth night free. The benefit can be used an unlimited number of times each year. If you cancel or check out early, the free night is forfeited. Resort fees and other incidentals still apply.
I wish the free night benefit were available to all IHG One Rewards members, as it has tremendous value. Being able to save 25% on any IHG award stay can mean saving 50,000 points or more, like at the Kimpton Theta in New York. I value IHG points at 0.5 cents each, so saving 50,000 points is equivalent to saving about $250 in value.
Quick Comparison Table
| Program | Minimum Nights | Who Qualifies | Max Free Nights | Key Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 5 | All members | Unlimited (every 5th night) | Free night = lowest point night; does not apply to Cash + Points or promo awards |
| Hilton Honors | 5 | Silver status and above | Up to 4 free nights per 20-night stay | Standard room rewards only; excludes Points & Money awards |
| IHG One Rewards | 4 | IHG cardholders only | Unlimited (every 4th night) | Must use IHG co-branded credit card; standard rewards only |
Final Thought
If you’re staying for five nights or more, it’s worth considering Marriott or Hilton hotels for their reward stays. You can take advantage of the free night benefit and save 20% of the required points. If you’re staying for four nights and have an IHG co-brand credit card, I’d start my search with IHG hotels and take advantage of the ‘fourth night free’ perk.
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