Hotel Earnings Estimator
Estimate your earnings for upcoming stays across major hotel brands. Factor in elite status, property type, and co-branded credit cards.
1Stay Costs (USD)
Base points are calculated on the room rate before taxes.
Credit cards often earn multiples on the entire bill.
2Earning Multipliers
Select the card you are using to pay.
Higher tiers earn substantial bonuses.
Residence Inn, TownePlace, Element earn 5x. Executive earns 2.5x.
Total Estimated Earnings
Marriott Points
Updated
Hotel Points Calculator: How Many Points Will You Earn at Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and IHG?
A $300 night can earn 3,000 points or 30,000 points
Two people can pay the same price for the same room and walk away with wildly different point totals. The difference comes from three things: which hotel brand you stay at, what elite status you hold, and which credit card you pay with.
Hotel programs don't make this easy to add up. Base points, elite bonuses and card points are each calculated on a different part of your bill, and each program uses its own rates. The Hotel Earnings Estimator does the math for Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards in one place, so you can see what a stay will earn before you book it.
How to use the Hotel Earnings Estimator
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Pick a hotel program. Tap Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt or IHG at the top. Switching programs resets your card, status and brand choices, because each program has its own options.
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Enter your stay costs in USD. Put the total room rate for the whole stay in Room Rate, and taxes and fees in Taxes & Fees. Base points are earned on the room rate only, while co-branded cards earn on the full bill, which is why the two are separate.
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Choose the card you're paying with. The list shows each program's co-branded cards and the multiplier they earn at that chain. Pick "No Credit Card" if you're paying with something else.
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Choose your elite status. Each tier shows its bonus percentage, which is applied to your base points.
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Choose the property brand (Marriott, Hilton and IHG). Some extended-stay brands earn fewer base points. Hyatt has no brand option, since the calculator uses one base rate for all Hyatt hotels.
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Read your total. "Total Estimated Earnings" updates as you type and is rounded to the nearest point.
Tip: Enter the total for your whole stay, not the nightly rate. If you plan to charge dining or other incidentals to your room, add them to Room Rate. Most programs award base points on eligible charges billed to the room, not just the rate itself.
The formula behind the estimate
The calculator adds two separate pieces:
Hotel points = room rate × base points per dollar × (1 + elite bonus)
Card points = (room rate + taxes and fees) × card multiplier
Total = hotel points + card points
Notice the elite bonus only applies to base points. A 100% bonus doubles what the hotel pays you, but it does nothing to the points your credit card earns. And taxes only count toward the card side of the equation.
Earning rates by program
These are the rates the calculator uses, checked against each program's published terms as of October 2026.
Base points per dollar
| Program | Most brands | Reduced-rate brands |
|---|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | 10 | 5 at Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, Element; 2.5 at Marriott Executive Apartments |
| Hilton Honors | 10 | 5 at Tru and Home2 Suites |
| World of Hyatt | 5 | None in the calculator |
| IHG One Rewards | 10 | 5 at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites |
Elite status bonuses (applied to base points)
| Program | Elite tiers and bonus |
|---|---|
| Marriott Bonvoy | Silver 10%, Gold 25%, Platinum 50%, Titanium 75%, Ambassador 75% |
| Hilton Honors | Silver 20%, Gold 80%, Diamond 100%, Diamond Reserve 120% |
| World of Hyatt | Discoverist 10%, Explorist 20%, Globalist 30% |
| IHG One Rewards | Silver 20%, Gold 40%, Platinum 60%, Diamond 100% |
Hilton added the Diamond Reserve tier in 2026. The calculator's top Hilton option is Diamond (100%), so for Diamond Reserve, add 20% of your base points to the result.
Co-branded card points at the hotel
| Program | Cards and points per dollar at the chain |
|---|---|
| Marriott | 6x: Bountiful, Boundless, Ritz-Carlton (Chase), Brilliant, Bevy, Business (Amex). 3x: Bold |
| Hilton | 7x: Hilton Honors card. 12x: Surpass, Business. 14x: Aspire (all Amex) |
| Hyatt | 4x: World of Hyatt card and World of Hyatt Business card (Chase) |
| IHG | 5x: Traveler. 10x: Premier, Business. 12x: Premier Select (all Chase) |
The dropdown also includes a few older Marriott cards that are no longer open to new applicants but still earn for existing cardholders.
Many of these cards come with automatic elite status, which stacks with the card points. For example, the Hilton Surpass includes Gold, the Hilton Aspire includes Diamond, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant includes Platinum, the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful includes Gold, the IHG Premier and Premier Select include Platinum, and the World of Hyatt card includes Discoverist. If your status comes from a card, select both the card and the tier.
Worked example: the same $1,035 stay at four chains
Say you book three nights at $300 a night: $900 room rate plus $135 in taxes, $1,035 in total. You pay with a mid-tier co-branded card and hold the status that card gives you.
| Program and setup | Hotel points | Card points | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriott, Brilliant, Platinum | 900 × 10 × 1.5 = 13,500 | 1,035 × 6 = 6,210 | 19,710 |
| Hilton, Surpass, Gold | 900 × 10 × 1.8 = 16,200 | 1,035 × 12 = 12,420 | 28,620 |
| Hyatt, World of Hyatt card, Discoverist | 900 × 5 × 1.1 = 4,950 | 1,035 × 4 = 4,140 | 9,090 |
| IHG, Premier, Platinum | 900 × 10 × 1.6 = 14,400 | 1,035 × 10 = 10,350 | 24,750 |
Hilton earns the most points, and Hyatt earns less than a third as many. But points aren't worth the same across programs. Multiply each total by AwardHack's current value per point:
| Program | Points earned | Value per point | Dollar value | Return on $1,035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt | 9,090 | 2.19¢ | $199.07 | 19.2% |
| Marriott | 19,710 | 0.93¢ | $183.30 | 17.7% |
| Hilton | 28,620 | 0.59¢ | $168.86 | 16.3% |
| IHG | 24,750 | 0.68¢ | $168.30 | 16.3% |
The program that earned the fewest points delivered the most value. That's the most common mistake in comparing hotel programs: counting points instead of what they're worth.
Valuations are from the AwardHack Points Valuator as of October 2026. Your own value per point depends on how you redeem, so treat these as a starting point.
What one dollar of room rate earns, by program
Using the same valuations, here's what each program returns on the room rate alone, before any credit card points:
| Program | Base points per $1 | Base return | Top-tier points per $1 | Top-tier return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt | 5 | 11.0% | 6.5 (Globalist) | 14.2% |
| Marriott | 10 | 9.3% | 17.5 (Titanium) | 16.3% |
| IHG | 10 | 6.8% | 20 (Diamond) | 13.6% |
| Hilton | 10 | 5.9% | 20 (Diamond) | 11.8% |
Two patterns stand out:
- Without status, Hyatt returns the most per dollar even though it earns half as many points as everyone else.
- Status matters most at Marriott and Hilton, where the top-tier bonuses (75% and 100%) are much larger than Hyatt's 30%.
Rules that quietly cost you points
Book direct. Stays booked through online travel agencies generally don't earn hotel points or count toward status. Marriott, for example, only pays elite bonus points on stays booked through a direct Marriott channel. Some bank travel programs, like Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, are exceptions at many properties. The Hotel Credits Map shows which hotels participate in those programs.
Award nights don't earn base points. If you redeem points for a stay, you generally won't earn hotel points on the room. Card points still apply to anything you charge.
Taxes don't earn base points. Only your card earns on taxes and fees. That's why the calculator asks for them separately.
Promotions are extra. Chains regularly run bonus-point promotions that require registration. They aren't included in the estimate, so register before your stay and treat any promo points as a bonus on top.
What the calculator doesn't do
- No promotions or targeted offers. Registration-based bonuses aren't included.
- No Diamond Reserve option yet. Use the adjustment above for Hilton's newest tier.
- One base rate for Hyatt. Hyatt affiliates with different earning rules aren't modeled separately.
- No point values in the result. The total is in points. Use the Points Valuator to turn them into dollars.
- No other chains. Only Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and IHG are supported.
Always confirm the posted points in your account after checkout.
Frequently asked questions
How many Marriott points do you earn per dollar?
Marriott Bonvoy members earn 10 base points per dollar at most brands, 5 per dollar at Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Element, and 2.5 per dollar at Marriott Executive Apartments. Elite status adds 10% (Silver) up to 75% (Titanium and Ambassador) on top.
How many Hilton Honors points do you earn per dollar?
Hilton members earn 10 base points per dollar, or 5 per dollar at Tru and Home2 Suites. Silver adds 20%, Gold 80%, Diamond 100% and Diamond Reserve 120%. A Hilton Amex card adds 7x to 14x on top, depending on the card.
How many World of Hyatt points do you earn per dollar?
Hyatt members earn 5 base points per dollar. Discoverist adds 10%, Explorist 20% and Globalist 30%. The World of Hyatt credit cards add 4 points per dollar at Hyatt.
How many IHG points do you earn per dollar?
IHG One Rewards members earn 10 base points per dollar at most brands and 5 per dollar at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. Silver adds 20%, Gold 40%, Platinum 60% and Diamond 100%.
Do you earn hotel points on taxes and fees?
Not from the hotel program. Base points and elite bonuses are earned on the room rate and eligible incidentals. Your co-branded credit card, however, earns on the full charge, taxes included.
Which hotel program earns the most points?
Hilton and IHG usually earn the most raw points, especially with status and a co-branded card. But Hyatt points are worth far more each, so a Hyatt stay often returns more value per dollar even with fewer points. Compare value, not point counts.
Do you earn points on award stays?
Generally no. Award nights don't earn base points or elite bonuses. If you're weighing an award stay against paying cash, remember that paying cash earns points, and use the Points vs Cash calculator to compare.
Is a hotel credit card worth it for earning points?
For frequent guests, often yes, because the card points and automatic status stack. Use the Card Value Calculator to check whether a card's benefits cover its annual fee, and the Credit Card Browser to compare current welcome offers.
The bottom line
The points you earn on a hotel stay come from three sources: the hotel's base rate, your elite bonus and your credit card. Enter your stay above to see all three added up, then multiply by what the points are worth before you decide where to book. The chain that earns the most points isn't always the one that pays you the most.