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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.
Do IHG, Hilton and Marriott charge resort fees on free hotel nights with award stays?
Here’s how Hilton and Marriott handle resort fees on award stays:
IHG
- IHG does charge resort fees on award stays.
- The fees are not waived for free night certificates or points bookings.
Hilton
- Hilton does not charge resort fees on award stays booked using points or free night certificates.
- The Hilton terms explicitly state: “No resort fees on Reward stays booked using all Points, or for promotional free night stays (e.g., issued by credit card partners, etc.).”
Marriott
- Marriott charges resort fees on award stays, even when you use points or free night certificates.
- The Marriott terms state: “The Free Night Award includes all applicable taxes; however, the Member may be responsible for payment of additional mandatory resort fees at Participating Properties where resort fees are applicable.”
Do free hotel nights with award stays count as nights toward IHG One Rewards, Hilton Honors and Marriot Bonvoy elite status?
Yes, free hotel nights you book with points or award certificates generally count as nights toward elite status for IHG One Rewards, Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy programs, including the fourth or fifth free night.
Why you should trust CNN Underscored
Our travel team has over a decade of experience with loyalty programs to bring you reliable, in-depth insights into how to maximize your rewards points for free nights, elite benefits and other valuable perks. As seasoned travelers who have navigated award stays across IHG, Hilton, Marriott and beyond, we test these benefits ourselves to provide you with an accurate understanding of the real-world value of each program.
Our recommendations for this article on award stays come from firsthand experience with booking and staying at properties in these hotel loyalty programs. We detail each loyalty program’s rules and limitations for free nights so you can get the most out of your points. Our top priority is to help you make the most informed decisions about your travel with insights based on genuine expertise and practical experience in the loyalty program landscape.
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.