Hyatt vs. Marriott - Which Program is Better?
- Garrett Falcone
- Mar 12, 2025
- 4 min read
When I tell people my favorite Hotel program is Hyatt, the first question I usually get is "why not Marriott?" Anecdotally, I've felt that since the merger with SPG the continued devaluations have just gotten out of control. For example, In 2019 we stayed at the Ritz Kyoto for 60,000 Marriott points per night. Looking at the 2025 calendar, there's one night going for 96,000 points at the low end and some nights reaching as high as 152,000 points. Hyatt has had it's share of devaluation, but it hasn't seemed as drastic and they have maintained an award chart, providing more stability to points pricing.
To test my theory I compared two of my favorite hotels I've stayed at, both in Paris and which I would consider to be on par with each other - the Park Hyatt Paris (part of Hyatt) and the Prince De Galles (part of Marriott). I picked a random one-night stay on September 16-17, 2025 to compare.
Contents
Cash Rate: $1,658
Points Rate: 45,000 Hyatt points
Park Hyatt Paris - Paris, France 2021
The Park Hyatt Paris is the highest level category 8 meaning standard rooms will cost 45,000 points on peak dates. Points earning rates are different between Hyatt and Marriott, so I calculated how much you would have to spend with Hyatt to earn 45,000 points.
As a World of Hyatt member, you earn 5 points per dollar spent.
Cost to Earn 45,000 Hyatt points: $9,000
As a top-tier Globalist member, you earn a 30% bonus.
Cost to Earn 45,000 Hyatt points as Globalist: $6,923
As a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder ($95 annual fee), you earn an additional 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt.
Cost to Earn 45,000 Hyatt points with World of Hyatt Credit Card: $5,000
Cost to Earn 45,000 Hyatt points as Globalist with Credit Card: $4,286
Cash Rate: $1,434
Points Rate: 137,500 Marriott points
Prince de Galles - Paris, France 2022
The Prince de Galles is part of Marriott's Luxury Collection brand, considered as part of Marriott's luxury brand offerings along with Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, Edition, JW Marriott, and W hotels (although I personally think the JW and W generally are a step below the others). Marriott has dynamic pricing meaning the cost in points fluctuates depending on the actual cash rates although looking through the 2025 summer and fall calendar, most days seem to range between 122,000 and 148,000 points per night.
As a Marriott Bonvoy member, you earn 10 points per dollar spent.
Cost to Earn 137,500 Marriott points: $13,750 (53% more than Hyatt)
As a top-tier Titanium member, you earn a 75% bonus.
Cost to Earn 137,500 Marriott points as Titanium: $7,857 (13% more than Hyatt)
As a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card holder ($95 annual fee), you earn an additional 6 points per dollar spent at Hyatt.
Cost to Earn 137,500 Marriott points with Boundless Credit Card: $8,593 (72% more than Hyatt)
Cost to Earn 137,500 Marriott points as Titanium with Credit Card: $5,851 (37% more than Hyatt)
Other Considerations
Aside from comparing rates, there are a number of other considerations which differ for each program and will be valued differently for everyone based on preferences and habits.
Benefits of Hyatt
Resort fees are waived on award bookings with Hyatt at all tiers while they are not with Marriott. This can be signficant at hotels like the Andaz Maui which charges a $50/day resort fee.
Parking fees are waived on award bookings with Hyatt as a Globalist while they are not with Marriott. Valet parking at the Park Hyatt New York is $90/day so this can be a significant benefit.
A single suite upgrade can be applied to a reservation up to 7 days, while Marriott's upgrades are only for a single night. I've also never had a Marriott upgrade actually clear.
As a Globalist, you get breakfast for 2 included while Marriott's breakfast requirements require a PhD to figure out. Marriott's Edition and Ritz Carlton brands are not required to offer free breakfast to elite members (although some still do). There have also been reports of hotels that are required to offer free breakfast, but simply refuse to and Marriott does nothing about it.
Benefits of Marriott
Marriott offers a 5th night free on award bookings for all members while Hyatt does not, so for stays 5 nights or more, this can make Marriott much more attractive.
Marriott has the largest hotel footprint in the world at nearly 7 times the size of Hyatt, so in some smaller cities there may not be any Hyatt hotels while there is likely to be a Marriott.
Rooms on points are usually available as long as the hotel is not full while Hyatt limits the number of award rooms available as well as some hotels having minimum stay requirements. So, while you might pay more for Marriott, you are more likely to find a room available with points especially as the date gets closer.
In Summary
Besides the fact that I need to spend 37% more with Marriott to make an equivalent redemption, I find significant value in the complimentary parking, breakfast, and waived resort fees. I will admit that points redemptions at luxury Hyatt properties do need to be booked pretty far in advance otherwise it can be difficult to find availability. But, for my travel habits this generally isn't a problem as I'm planning pretty far in advance.
This is only a single data point so you can't make a definitive conclusion that the World of Hyatt program is more valuable than Marriott Bonvoy. But, for my personal preferences I think this paints a pretty accurate picture of what I've always observed. I redeem most of my points for luxury hotel stays of 3-4 nights and as a top-tier member of both programs with both credit cards, I consistently find much more value in World of Hyatt.