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Using hotel points to unlock award stays is an excellent way to reduce travel expenses. IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors are among the hotel companies that offer the fourth or fifth night free on consecutive award stays.
Today, we’ll take you through how you can get that fourth or fifth consecutive night free with IHG, Marriott and Hilton.
How to get a hotel free night
On most longer consecutive award stays, IHG, Marriott and Hilton offer a free night.
The specifics of this perk differ across the three programs, but at a high level, to qualify for the complimentary night, you typically need to stay exclusively at a single hotel and cover the entire cost using points.
As a general rule, this benefit isn’t applicable when using free night certificates or points-and-cash awards. If your stay is eligible for a free night, you’ll see the savings directly on your hotel site’s website.
IHG One Rewards fourth night free
Of the three hotel companies, IHG’s complimentary night perk stands out as the most generous and exclusive in the industry. IHG provides a complimentary fourth night free unlike Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors where the perk only kicks in with a five-night stay.
When booking four consecutive nights with IHG, you receive a free night. However, this advantage is restricted to holders of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. Having elite status in IHG One Rewards doesn’t provide access to this benefit.
You can use the fourth-night-free perk on an unlimited number of stays each year. IHG automatically provides the discount online, provided you are signed in to the account associated with your card.
Marriott Bonvoy fifth night free
Marriott Bonvoy members get the least expensive night free when you book five nights with points.
This perk is available to all Bonvoy members and is applicable across all Bonvoy properties for standard rooms on standard awards and PointSavers rates. There’s no limit to the number of free nights you can receive.
To avail yourself of this discount, simply book an award stay of at least five nights, and the fifth-night-free reduction will be automatically applied.
To be clear, Marriott will cover the cost of the least expensive night rather than the actual fifth night.
Hilton Honors fifth night free
Hilton’s fifth-night complimentary has slightly more restrictions.
On stays of up to 20 nights, every fifth night is offered at no cost when redeeming points. If you’re planning to book a Hilton award stay that’s longer than 20 nights, we recommend making a separate reservation for the stay beyond the first 20 nights to make the most of this perk. And like Marriott, Hilton’s fifth night free is only available for standard rooms.
But here’s the main restriction: Hilton’s fifth night free is exclusively available to Hilton Honors elite members.
Luckily, earning Hilton status is straightforward. You can earn Silver status with the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees) Higher status tiers can be unlocked through Hilton’s other co-branded credit cards, as well as The Platinum Card® from American Express.
If you’re an elite member, log into your Hilton Honors account, search for your desired stay and you’ll see the fifth night free.
Bottom line
If you’re eligible for IHG’s fourth night free or Marriott’s or Hilton’s fifth night free, consider adding an extra night to your award booking if it aligns with your travel schedule.
This can be a great way to get effectively 20% or 25% more from your points. Even if you don’t plan to spend the extra night, booking a free night on either end of your stay can be a way to secure early check-in or late checkout without any extra points while also earning additional nights toward hotel elite status.
Click here for rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
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