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Lodging companies, like the airlines, are making adjustments for travelers who have elite status but will not meet requirements this year because of coronavirus. Here are some details about hotel status extensions.

Hotel Status Extensions

Updated 12/9/2020

Hilton Statuses Extend for Another Year

Typically when dealing with hotel status extensions, your elite status expires on March 31 of the following year. For instance, if you have Diamond status for 2019 (which is based on nights that you stayed in 2018), it would typically expire on March 31, 2020. In other words, they give you an additional three months. Because of coronavirus, though, Hilton has pushed everything out a year, though. Here’s how it will work:

  • If you earned status in 2019, typically, it would expire on March 31, 2021. Now, Hilton Honors will allow you to keep whatever status you had through March 31, 2022. That’s an update to their original extension, listed below.
Hilton Honors To Extend Elite Status Benefits

So What Else Is New?

  • Hilton is cutting elite status requirements in half in 2021. Don’t forget, earning elite status in 2021 guarantees you that status for all of 2021 and 2022.
  • Points won’t expire this year. Even if you had points that were supposed to expire during 2020, Hilton will delay the deadline until December 31, 2021.
  • Weekend nights won’t expire. If you have a Hilton credit card that grants you free weekend nights, the company has extended their deadlines. For those that were supposed to expire on March 11, or new ones between now and August 30, the new expiration is August 31, 2021.
  • Hilton will offer rollover nights. Per their website, “All nights you earn this year from stays between January 1 through December 31, 2020, will automatically be carried over to the 2021 calendar year and count towards your 2021-2023 Tier Status. Note that this update will be reflected in your account by the end of this year.”

Hilton Honors Points Unlimited Promotion Is A Soft Start To 2020
2,000 Points Per Stay (Plus A Bit More)
How Much Is It Worth?

Reservation Relief

Standard cancellation rules now apply to your reservations. If you think that there is a chance that you will cancel or postpone your trip, be sure to make a fully-refundable reservation.

Hilton is making adjustments to its policy for cancellations. They include:

  • All reservations, including non-cancellable or Advanced Purchase ones, made through and including September 30, can be changed or cancelled for no fee. Just be sure to do it at least 24 hours before your scheduled arrival day. (expired)

Read More:

HILTON’S COMMITMENT TO YOU, OUR GUESTS, AS WE NAVIGATE THROUGH CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

IHG Rewards Club: Extend And Discount

You may not have heard of “IHG,” but you know some of its hotel brands, including InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Kimpton (among others). Its elite status program is the weakest of the big four, but it has a tremendous number of hotels around the world and their quarterly promotions tend to be pretty good.

For hotel status extensions, IHG is matching most of the other lodging companies for its COVID-19 policies regarding elite status. Namely, they are extending everyone’s elite status through the 2021 year, with that status expiring in January, 2022. If you have purchased the company’s Ambassador status, they’ll give you a six month extension. Not great, but better than nothing.

If you still want to earn status, or a higher status than where you are now, they’ll give you a discount there, as well. They’ve reduced requirements across the board by at least 25%, although it will still require a number of nights, particularly at the high end.

IHG isn’t my favorite program but, given the strength of the Holiday Inn brand, they have an excellent assortment of mid-priced hotels.

All bookings, including non-cancellable/non-refundable, made prior to December 31, can be cancelled up to 24 hours in advance, without penalty.

Hyatt Offers Multiple Paths To Elite

Hyatt has already announced that it is extending elite status through February 28, 2022 for its members, based on your status as of March 31, 2020, but they’re adding in a bonus if you want to achieve a higher status or run up the total on your elite nights, the number of nights that you need to stay each year to earn status. But to take part, you’ll need the World of Hyatt credit card, or the legacy card that preceded it.

Hyatt has also announced that it is cutting the tier requirements in half for next year (status good through for 2021 and 2022), meaning that you will only need 5/15/30 nights to earn Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist status, respectively. The tier point requirements have also been cut in half to 12,500/25,000/50,000.

You earn Hyatt elite status based on how many nights you stay, but you can also get “nights credits” for spending on the World of Hyatt credit card. Normally, you earn two nights for every $5,000 that you spend but, through June 30, they’re giving you three nights. These nights are combined with the ones from your stays but, if you don’t plan on staying at a property, you can pick up top-tier Globalist status for a mere $100,000 in spending on your credit card between now and June 30 (As of publication, this deadline has not been extended). Starting in July, though, Hyatt turns back into a pumpkin and the offer reverts to two nights. (expired)

If you don’t have the World of Hyatt credit card, they’ll also give you 50,000 points and ten nights toward elite status to sign up. You also get Discoverist status (the lowest of the three tiers) by having the card.

Suite upgrades and club lounge passes that expire this year will be extended to 12/31/21.

Marriott Finally Gets Around to Extending Elite Status

Given how long it has taken for Marriott to announce its COVID-19 elite policy, I was expecting something pretty interesting. Okay, who are we kidding? It’s Marriott. There will be nothing interesting. But they did announce their plans today and you could get a bit of a bump in your quest for elite status.

Bonvoy Elite Extension

  • If you earned status in 2019, it will now expire in February, 2022, instead of February, 2021. That’s been pretty standard for the lodging companies.
  • Suite night awards from elite status are being extended through December, 2021.
  • Free night certificates will be extended through January 31, 2021.
  • If your points were set to expire, you’ll get a breather through February 1, 2021.

Receive A Tier Credit Bonus Based On Your Earned 2019 Status

Sure, they could just make it simple, but what would be the fun in that? So they’re going to give you tier credits toward next year’s status based on what you earned last year. See, I told you that it would be fun. For example, if you earned Platinum Elite status last year, they’ll credit you with 25 tier nights in your account. Why 25? because that’s half of the minimum requirement for the status that you earned last year. Note: It doesn’t matter how many nights you actually earned last year; You’ll just get the minimum amount.