The 2023 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotel Loyalty Programmes is an updated version of The 2020 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotel Loyalty Programmes, which was published along with the companion piece 2020 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotels before the pandemic. In order to complete the latter article, I embarked on my epic mission back in 2018 to stay at and write about every notable luxury hotel and resort in Singapore without the budget, manpower and media support of a lifestyle/travel publication or the mega-wattage page views of a mass market blog.
After having researched and experienced the different perks offered by international hotel loyalty programmes such as ALL (Accor Live Limitless), Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, GHA DISCOVERY, Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt, my goal is to share my findings accrued over the past few years and equip those who are new to hotel loyalty programmes with the requisite knowledge to better understand the local hotel ecosystem, figure out which loyalty memberships work best for their wants and needs as well as how to sustainably maintain their chosen memberships.
The 2023 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotel Loyalty Programmes seeks to address, among other things, which of the hotel loyalty programmes in Singapore:
- caters best to Singaporeans who enjoy frequent staycations;
- offers complimentary club lounge and room upgrades for the lowest number of stays;
- allows you to enjoy guaranteed 4pm late check-outs (and which other programme offers possible 6pm check-outs);
- is best for accruing loyalty nights solely in Singapore if you do not travel;
- can be hacked instantly to attain the highest status tier simply by signing up for a certain credit card; and
- accepts status matches (and, for the uninitiated, what a status match is).
This guide is meant only as a starting point for you to start figuring out the best programme(s) for your use case and to kickstart your unique hotel loyalty programme journey. Most of the viewpoints expressed are written from the perspective of a person in Singapore with limited annual leave who does not travel for work and may not have frequent access to budget-priced “mattress run” options overseas in places such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. For the most part, the guide generally assumes that membership status tiers are attained by accruing nights stayed at the respective hotels as opposed to the use of credit card or other creative hacks (there are other online resources who specialise in these strategies and can advise much better).
Also, as loyalty benefits are usually at the discretion of the individual properties, benefits discussed in this article (especially room upgrades and late check-outs) are, unless otherwise stated, not necessarily “guaranteed” by your status as these are subject to availability.
FOR THE SOCIAL EYE – MARRIOTT BONVOY
Notable Portfolio Brands: EDITION, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Westin, The Luxury Collection
Properties in Singapore :The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore; Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel; The St. Regis Singapore; W Singapore; The Westin Singapore; JW Marriott Singapore South Beach; The Warehouse Hotel, Singapore (A Member of Design Hotels); Sheraton Towers Singapore; The Vagabond Club, Singapore (A Tribute Portfolio Hotel); Courtyard Singapore Novena; Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview; Maxwell Reserve Singapore, Autograph Collection; Duxton Reserve Singapore, Autograph Collection; The Serangoon House, Singapore, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel; Aloft Singapore Novena [NEW], The Singapore EDITION [Nov 2023]
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Silver Elite (10 nights)
10% bonus earnings on top of base points, priority late check-out
Gold Elite (25 nights)
25% bonus earnings on top of base points, 2pm late check-out, elite welcome gift (points only), complimentary enhanced room upgrade (excludes suites)
Platinum Elite (50 nights)
50% bonus earnings on top of base points, 4pm late check-out, Elite welcome gift (points, amenity or breakfast), complimentary enhanced room upgrade (includes select suites), lounge access, Annual Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or Gift Options)
Titanium Elite (75 nights)
75% bonus earnings on top of base points, 4pm late check-out, Elite welcome gift (points, amenity or breakfast), complimentary enhanced room upgrade (includes suites), lounge access, Annual Choice Benefit (5 Suite Night Awards or Gift Options), 48-Hr Guaranteed Rooms
Ambassador Elite (100 nights and US$20,000 in annual qualifying spend)
75% bonus earnings on top of base points, 4pm late check-out, Elite welcome gift (points, amenity or breakfast), Complimentary enhanced room upgrade (includes suites), Lounge access, 48-Hr Guaranteed Rooms, Ambassador service, Flexibility to choose your 24hr check-in and check-out time.
Milestone Awards
Annual Choice Benefit when you hit 50/75 eligible nights – choose from Suite Night Awards, gifting Elite Status to somebody else, Elite Night credits, a Free Night award, USD$1000 off a mattress or a US$100 charity donation.
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Platinum Elite (50 nights)
Why you should choose Marriott Bonvoy: Marriott Bonvoy is home to some of the world’s most social media-trendy and talked about brands, from the ritzy Ritz-Carlton (hurhur) and opulent St. Regis to the fabulous W and sophisticated EDITION. It also offers the Luxury Collection, Autograph Collection and Design Hotels brands if you seek indie boutique credibility while still craving elite membership benefits. Most of Marriott Bonvoy’s key brands currently have presence in Singapore, with new hotels such as The Singapore EDITION and Aloft Singapore Novena joining the scene in 2023.
In terms of membership privileges, Platinum Elite members enjoy free breakfast, club access and a guaranteed 4pm late checkout, a highly valuable perk to have when you are travelling. In addition, complimentary room upgrades go up to suites, which is exceptional compared to most other loyalty programmes such as IHG One Rewards and Hilton Honors which are more conservative in how much of a room upgrade they are able (and willing) to grant under their respective terms and conditions.
Why you shouldn’t: The average local Marriott Bonvoy hotel room rate is by far the highest amongst all the local hotel chains, making it the most expensive loyalty programme in Singapore to accrue loyalty benefits. Also, given the programme’s mass popularity and the sheer number of Platinum Elite members running around, you may often not be able to enjoy benefits such as room upgrades and Suite Night Awards.
For those who maintain their membership status by clocking nights at lower-priced hotels in Singapore, and assuming you do not look past the borders towards Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand for your mattress runs, the lowest-priced local properties to do so would be at The Serangoon House, Singapore, Aloft Singapore Novena and Four Points by Sheraton Singapore Riverview. These properties command higher room rates than its the lowest-priced properties under other chains such as Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon (Hilton Honors), Holiday Inn Express Singapore Serangoon (IHG One Rewards) or ibis Styles Singapore On Macpherson (ALL).
A point to note is that The Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore may be bookable via the Marriott Bonvoy app but it is not a participating Marriott Bonvoy property, i.e. you are unable to clock points/stays or enjoy elite membership perks there.
FOR THE FREQUENT STAYCATIONER – ACCOR LIVE LIMITLESS (ALL)
Notable Portfolio Brands: Sofitel, SO Sofitel, MGallery, Raffles, Banyan Tree, Fairmont, Swissotel, Orient Express, Pullman, Angsana
Properties in Singapore: Sofitel Singapore City Centre; Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa; Raffles Hotel Singapore; Fairmont Singapore; Swissotel The Stamford; Mercure Singapore Tyrwhitt; Novotel Singapore on Stevens; Mercure Singapore on Stevens; Mercure Singapore Bugis; Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy; Pullman Singapore Orchard [NEW]; Pullman Singapore Hill Street [NEW]; Mondrian Singapore Duxton [NEW]; Hotel Faber Park Singapore – Handwritten Collection [NEW]; Ibis hotels; Ibis Budget hotels; Ibis Styles hotels
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Classic
25 reward points per eligible €10 spend
Silver (10 nights or €800 spend)
31 status points per eligible €10 spend, Welcome drink, Late check-out
Gold (30 nights or €2,800 spend)
37 status points per eligible €10 spend, Welcome drink, Welcome amenity, Early check-in or late check-out, Complimentary room upgrade
Platinum (60 nights or €5,600 spend)
44 status points per eligible €10 spend, Welcome drink, Welcome amenity, Early check-in and late check-out, Complimentary room upgrade, Complimentary breakfast (Asia-Pacific only), Executive lounge access (excluding Fairmont), Complimentary Suite Night upgrades
Diamond (€10,400 spend)
44 status points per eligible €10 spend, Welcome drink, Welcome amenity, Early check-in and late check-out,
Complimentary room upgrade, Complimentary breakfast on weekends worldwide or everyday in Asia-Pacific, Executive lounge access (excluding Fairmont), Complimentary Suite Night upgrades, Gift somebody Gold status
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Gold (30 nights or €2,800 spend)
Why you should choose ALL: Accor has both the current largest number of Singapore properties as well as the greatest variety in terms of brand differentiation within its portfolio to cater for most use cases – there’s Raffles Hotel Singapore for grand gesture romance, the two new 2023-launched Pullman hotels for fresh adventures, the new Mondrian Singapore Duxton for boutique chic, Fairmont Singapore and Sofitel Singapore City Centre for stylish in-room luxury, Swissotel The Stamford for the killer view and Novotel Singapore On Stevens for getaway comfort on a budget. There’s also the new Raffles Sentosa Resort & Spa Singapore to look forward to.
People who enjoy local staycations should definitely consider ALL, which offers the most economically appealing value proposition and a programme that most encourages repeat stays (and clocking of nights). Besides the usual seasonal sales throughout the year, members can access weekly private sales (i.e. individual hotels offering discounts off their room rates) on their webpage under “Deals > Private sales”, with special rates extending even to suites on occasion, so be sure to check back frequently for the latest deals. Also, the lowest-priced Accor property in Singapore, ibis Styles Singapore On Macpherson, is one of the lowest-priced properties across all loyalty programmes in Singapore.
Paid Accor Plus members get exclusive early bird access to some of Accor’s super sale promotions as well as up to 50% off dining at most Accor F&B outlets and instant Silver membership, so an Accor Plus membership may be worth a look, especially if you intend to visit an island resort where that dining discount benefit could come in handy.
Why you shouldn’t: Save for Raffles and maybe emerging brands such as Mondrian, the other brands under Accor’s portfolio are not quite as social media buzzy or pop culture relevant in Asia as, say, Marriott Bonvoy’s or Hyatt’s brands. Also, in comparison to the other hotel loyalty programmes such as Marriott Bonvoy (25 nights) and Hilton Honors (20 stays), it takes a bit longer for Accor members (30 nights) to start enjoying complimentary room upgrade benefits.
Interestingly, complimentary access to Fairmont’s Executive Lounges is expressly excluded even for Platinum members (60 nights), meaning Sofitel, Swissotel and Pullman properties are your only worthy expectations in terms of club access even as a high-tier member.
THE “STARTER POKEMON” MEMBERSHIP – IHG ONE REWARDS
Notable Portfolio Brands: Regent, Six Senses, InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Crowne Plaza, voco
Properties in Singapore: InterContinental Singapore; InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay; voco Singapore Orchard; Crowne Plaza Changi Airport; Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong; Holiday Inn hotels; Holiday Inn Express hotels
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Club Member
10 base points per eligible USD$1 spend
Silver Elite (10 nights)
20% bonus earnings on top of base points, Late 2pm checkout, Points don’t expire
Gold Elite (20 nights or 40,000 Elite Qualifying Points)
40% bonus earnings on top of base points, Late 2pm check-out, Points don’t expire
Platinum Elite (40 nights or 60,000 Elite Qualifying Points)
60% bonus earnings on top of base points, Late 2pm Check-Out, Points don’t expire, Reward Night Discounts, Welcome Amenity (points or drink/snack), Complimentary room upgrade, Early Check-In
Diamond Elite (70 nights or 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points)
100% bonus earnings on top of base points, Late 2pm check-out, Points don’t expire, Reward Night Discounts, Welcome Amenity (points or drink/snack), Complimentary room upgrade, Early check-in, Dedicated Diamond Support
Milestone Awards
Bonus points and F&B Rewards every 10 nights from 20 nights onwards
Confirmable Suite Upgrade at 20, 40 and 70 nights
Annual Lounge Membership at 40 and 70 nights
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Platinum Elite (40 nights or 60,000 Elite Qualifying Points) but InterContinental Ambassador gets you there instantly
Why you should choose IHG One Rewards: The biggest draw of IHG One Rewards is the ability for you to earn instant Platinum Elite status through the paid InterContinental Ambassador programme (US$200). As an InterContinental Ambassador, you get to enjoy a guaranteed 4pm late check-out, a guaranteed one-category room upgrade as well as restaurant and bar dining credit across all InterContinental hotels, with the certainty of benefits making this the ideal loyalty membership programme for the casual or novice staycationer.
At non-InterContinental IHG properties such as Regent, Kimpton and voco hotels, a Platinum Elite member enjoys possible late check-out and complimentary room upgrades as well, albeit the benefits not being quite as “guaranteed”.
Why you shouldn’t: IHG One Rewards only allows the redemption of entry rooms with points (and not better rooms or suites), which severely limits the attractiveness of point redemptions. While you get the biggest bang for your buck at InterContinental properties, these are generally limited around the world and the Club InterContinental experience is generally lacklustre compared to those under offered by many Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and Accor luxury properties.
In terms of the IHG portfolio, the flagship InterContinental brand is several notches below the upper range brands of rival chains, and the portfolio is distinctly lacking in mid-range luxury choices. While the newly-inducted Regent and Six Senses brands are being groomed to eventually fill in those gaps, there are far too few Regent and Six Senses properties around the world for the brand to be of significant consideration.
FOR HACKERS AND FAST BENEFITS – GHA DISCOVERY (GLOBAL HOTEL ALLIANCE)
Notable Portfolio Brands: Anantara, Capella, Kempinski, Outrigger Resorts, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL COLLECTION, Viceroy
Properties in Singapore: Capella Singapore; Pan Pacific Singapore; Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore [NEW]; The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore; PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, Singapore; PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore; Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road, Singapore; PARKROYAL hotels
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Silver
Earn D$ (4%)
Gold (2 stays or US$1,000)
Earn D$ (5%)
Platinum (10 nights, US$5,000 spend or stay at 2 brands)
Earn D$ (6%), Room Upgrade, Late 3pm Check-out, Welcome Amenity
Titanium (30 nights, US$15,000 spend or stay at 3 brands)
Earn D$ (7%), Double Room Upgrade, Early 11am Check-in, Late 4pm Checkout, Welcome Amenity, Brand Benefits, 48hrs Availability, Status Sharing
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Platinum (10 nights, US$5,000 spend or stay at 2 brands)
Why you should choose GHA Discovery: There are many ways to obtain top tier status with GHA Discovery, ranging from status matches and staying at multiple portfolio brands to signing up with certain credit cards.
There exists a hack for attaining instant top tier GHA DISCOVERY loyalty status: a holder of selected World Elite Mastercard credit cards such as the $120,000 annual income Citi Prestige card, the UOB Lady’s Solitaire Metal Card and the OCBC Premier World Elite Debit Card is able to register for instant GHA Titanium status, the programme’s highest status which entitles you to benefits such as double category upgrades, 4pm late check-outs as well as 11am early check-ins.
For those without a World Elite Mastercard, GHA DISCOVERY has also been known to accept status matches or grant status challenges based on your existing elite status with other hotel loyalty programmes such as Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. This means you can actually write to GHA’s loyalty desk and request to be granted instant corresponding status as your other membership (“status match”) or be given the opportunity to achieve such elevated status by completing a certain number of nights/stays which would typically be lower than what is ordinarily required for that status level (“status challenge”).
Without the aid of either a credit card or a status match, the stay 2-3 brands shortcut nonetheless makes it tremendously easy to achieve Platinum and Titanium status, at least for the first year.
Why you shouldn’t: The ease of achieving top statuses under GHA Discovery through multiple means also means there is a glut of top tier members around, which translates to a dilution of benefits at the property-level.
The fact that GHA is an alliance without the resources of, say, Marriott and Hyatt’s dedicated IT and loyalty teams, means the programme’s loyalty software may not be the most developed or well-maintained, and you can expect to experience occasional hiccups in terms of app features, loyalty recognition and stay updates.
Interestingly, if your GHA DISCOVERY status upgrade entitles you to a club room, you may not necessarily be able to enjoy club access, an unfortunate policy GHA shares with IHG One Rewards.
THE GOLD STANDARD – HILTON HONORS
Notable Portfolio Brands: Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Doubletree by Hilton, LXR Hotels & Resorts
Properties in Singapore: Conrad Centennial Singapore; Hilton Singapore Orchard; Conrad Singapore Orchard [Jan 2024]; Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Member
10 base points per eligible USD$1 spend
Silver (10 nights, 4 stays or 25,000 base points)
All Member benefits
20% bonus on base points earned
Free bottled water
Elite Rollover Nights
Fifth night free for every stay booked fully using points
Gold (40 nights, 20 stays or 75,000 base points)
All Silver benefits
80% bonus on base points earned
Daily F&B Credit or free continental breakfast
Upgrade to higher category room (up to executive level)
Diamond (60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 base points)
All Gold benefits
100% bonus on base points earned
Executive lounge access
Upgrade to higher category room (up to 1-bedroom suite)
Milestone Awards
10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed after 40 nights in a calendar year
Gift Gold status to any member if you hit 60 nights, or Diamond status if you hit 100 nights
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Diamond (30 stays, 60 nights or 120,000 base points)
Why you should choose Hilton Honors: Hilton Honors is the membership which gives you the most bang for your buck, the most quickly. After just 30 stays, your newly-earned Diamond status entitles you to complimentary room upgrades, club access and breakfast. This is unparalleled when you look at the number of nights required by other hotel chains in order to start enjoying comparable benefits.
Amongst all the budget to mid-range properties across all the hotel chains in Singapore for mattress hopping, Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon is, in my view, the best local property to clock loyalty nights, giving you the most value and comfort for what you are paying. Besides being fairly liveable (as opposed to, say, an Ibis Styles hotel), the property typically rewards Diamond members with generous upgrades, occasionally to their most expensive rooms on the highest level that come with balconies and impressive views.
Aside from the frequent sale promotions throughout the year which provide access to attractive rates, there are also frequent points promotions which assist you in accruing many points quickly for future redemption. Points come in handy if you want to take advantage of Hilton Honors’ fantastic 5th Night Free benefit, whereby you get the average cost of the 5th night free if you use purely points to redeem 5 nights or more for a Standard Room at any Hilton Honors property.
Hilton Honors also has a decent regional footprint, with many Hilton, Conrad and DoubleTree properties in the region for your vacation and staycation purposes. The ultra-luxurious Waldorf Astoria is an emerging brand in Asia, with the highly-anticipated Waldorf Astoria Bali scheduled to launch sometime in the next few years. (Editor Note: I first typed this in 2020, and the statement is still true as of 2023.)
Hilton Honors is also known to entertain status match requests (see the GHA DISCOVERY section for further details on status match and status challenges).
Why you shouldn’t: Singapore has only four Hilton properties, which leaves limited opportunities for you to enjoy loyalty benefits. There are also very few Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels in the world for you to fully maximise your utility of member benefits if you seek constant variety in your luxury accommodation options.
Unlike most other loyalty programmes which only take into account nights stayed in determining promotion to elite status tiers, Hilton Honors draws a distinction between stays and nights, with 30 stays or 60 nights required to achieve top-tier Diamond status. A stay is defined as “the total number of consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, whether or not a guest checks out and checks back in again”. This means when you stay three consecutive nights at the Conrad Centennial Singapore, your dashboard registers three nights but only one stay. Mattress hoppers would thus have to physically check-in and check-out 30 non-consecutive times in total, with a clean break in between any two nights, without the option of simply checking in once and staying for 30 nights straight if they wish to fulfil the 30 stays requirement. Those who rely on long stays might be better off with loyalty programmes with less than 60 nights required to hit the highest tier (e.g. Marriott Bonvoy).
THE ASPIRATIONAL BUT UNATTAINABLE – WORLD OF HYATT
Notable Portfolio Brands: Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Andaz, Hyatt Centric, Alila, Small Luxury Hotels of the World or SLH (selected)
Properties in Singapore: Grand Hyatt Singapore; Andaz Singapore
Loyalty Programme Tiers and Key Benefits:
Member
5 base points per eligible USD$1 spend
Discoverist (10 nights or 25,000 base points)
5 base points per eligible $1 USD spend + 10% bonus, Upgrade to preferred room within room type booked, 2pm late checkout
Explorist (30 nights or 50,000 base points)
5 base points per eligible $1 USD spend + 20% bonus
Upgrade to higher category room (excludes club rooms and suites)
2pm late checkout
Globalist (60 nights or 100,000 base points)
5 base points per eligible $1 USD spend + 30% bonus, Upgrade to higher category room (includes Standard Suites), 4pm late checkout, Complimentary club access or free breakfast
Milestone Awards
20 nights or 35,000 base points – 2 Club Lounge Access awards
30 nights or 50,000 base points – 1 Category 1-4 Free Night Award + 2 Club Lounge Access awards
40 nights or 65,000 base points – 5,000 Bonus Points OR A $100 Hyatt gift card or 10,000 Point savings on a FIND experience
50 nights or 80,000 base points – 2 Suite Upgrade Awards
60 nights or 100,000 base points – 1 Category 1-7 Free Night Award + 2 Suite Upgrade Awards + Access to My Hyatt Concierge
70 nights and for every subsequent 10 nights – 10,000 Bonus Points or 1 Suite Upgrade Award
Minimum target you should hit for this to be worth: Explorist (30 nights or 50,000 base points)
Why you should choose World of Hyatt: Hyatt boasts some of the buzziest hotel brands favoured by both the well-heeled and the sophisticated, from the intimate, affluent elegance of Park Hyatt (deep-rooted in popular culture thanks to the 2003 Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson vehicle Lost In Translation) to the lifestyle-focused, culture-rooted stylings of Andaz. This is for good reason – the quality and consistency of Hyatt properties in not just room and service standards but also F&B offerings are seldom rivalled. The recent strategic alliance with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) as well as the integration of boutique luxury resort brand Alila into the World of Hyatt programme provides further choices for World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem loyalty points.
For those who travel frequently to nearby cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, there are plenty of well-priced Hyatt options such as Hyatt House and Hyatt Place (and, in the case of Kuala Lumpur, the beautiful Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur) for mattress runs.
Why you shouldn’t: The low frequency and impact of Hyatt sale promotions, the inability to perform a status match as well as the lack of lower-end properties in Singapore to perform mattress runs makes maintaining a World of Hyatt membership a very impractical endeavour in Singapore. In addition, only Grand Hyatt Singapore offers a club experience, so club access privileges would not mean much.
If you wish to do a staycation at a Hyatt property (in particular Park Hyatt and Andaz hotels), you may want to book through a Hyatt Privé advisor such as Hotelux or Foray Travels as the Hyatt Privé programme offers VIP benefits such as upgrades, early check-in, hotel spending credits and late check-out at no additional cost, plus you will also accrue the usual loyalty nights for your stay.
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