Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.
We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.
Did you know that you can earn valuable points and status by booking work events at select hotel chains?
It’s true — and you may be able to earn more points than you think. Nearly of the major hotel chains have started offering bonus points to event planners. In most cases, you’ll earn both elite credit and redeemable miles, putting you closer to top-tier hotel status and free nights at properties around the world.
So if you’re an event planner, you should become familiar with each of the hotel chains’ event and meeting points earning schemes. After all, depending on the types of events you run, you could earn thousands of dollars worth of hotel points that you can use for personal travel, employee travel, or corporate gifts.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to earn points and status with meetings at all of the major hotel chains worldwide, broken down by hotel chain. In each section, we’ll also discuss the best credit cards to use for each type of event.
Bookmark this guide and refer to it the next time you book a meeting — that way, you’ll never leave points on the table.
Let’s get started!
Hilton has a special program for special events and meetings dubbed the Event Planner Program.
This program awards redeemable Hilton Honors points to event planners when planning meetings and events at thousands of Hilton properties worldwide. Currently, you can earn 1 Hilton point per dollar spent on events and meetings, with an annual limit of 100,000 points per year. You’ll earn points on event expenses like food, drink, event space rentals, rooms at the hotel, and more.
Maxing out this limit would give you enough points to book a free night or 2 at most Hilton properties worldwide, including select Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotels.
The major downfall of the Hilton Event Planner program is that it’s, well, hard to use.
You can’t book your meetings or events online. First, you’ll have to look through Hilton’s extensive list of participating hotels and find the hotel where you’d like to book your event. Not all Hilton hotels are listed here, but there are thousands of options listed spanning most countries where Hilton has a presence.
Then, you have to do one of the following to actually book your meeting:
Once you have a proposal drafted, you must include that you’d like to receive Event Planner Points. Hilton notes that you should also include this in your event contract to ensure that you receive points once the event is completed.
Note that you must be a Hilton Honors member in order to earn points on your meetings and events. You can create an account for free on Hilton’s website. At this time there is no way to earn Hilton Honors status by booking meetings and events.
American Express offers a handful of Hilton co-branded credit cards with varying points-earning rates, welcome bonuses, and benefits. You should be able to earn bonus points on your Hilton meetings and events so long as the hotel bills your event as a Hilton purchase.
Here’s a look at a few of the Hilton cards that we recommend:
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesComplimentary Hilton Honors Silver status, plus great earnings at Hilton, U.S. gas stations, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. restaurants!
You can’t beat a comfy king-sized bed and room service. For many travelers, it’s the hotel that really makes or breaks an experience. If you’re one of those people, you’ve probably stayed at a Hilton hotel.
Whether your visits are for work or pleasure, the Hilton brand has you covered with more than 6,200 locations in 100 counties and territories.
To enjoy a host of great benefits, you may want to apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Card.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesAn excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and Priority Pass lounge access.
If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status, to airport lounge access, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesAutomatic Hilton Diamond status, an annual free night, and a travel and resort credit make this the perfect card for those who stay in Hilton hotels.
Paying hundreds of dollars for an annual fee on a co-branded hotel card might seem ridiculous, but you should know that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is much more than your run-of-the-mill hotel credit card.
The Hilton Aspire card is not only a phenomenal card for Hilton Honors loyalists, but even those who visit Hilton hotels just a few times a year can still get excellent value out of all the benefits that are packed into this card.
So let’s have a look at what makes the card so valuable to travelers.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesAn excellent option for business owners and business travelers who stay at Hilton properties often and want perks like Hilton Honors elite status.
For frequent business travelers who regularly stay in Hilton hotels, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is a great option.
Not only will the card help you earn more points on all of your Hilton stays, but you’ll also receive automatic elite status, complimentary Priority Pass visits, travel protections, and the opportunity to earn free night certificates.
Here’s a detailed look at all the benefits this card offers so that you can determine if it’s a good fit for you.
Alternatively, you can charge the event purchase to a Chase Sapphire Reserve® card, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, or Chase Sapphire Preferred® card and earn 2-3 points per dollar spent on travel at Hilton properties. Again, this bonus should trigger so long as the meeting or event charge codes as a standard Hilton purchase.
Marriott also offers ways to earn bonus points on meetings and events hosted at various Marriott properties around the world.
The hotel chain calls this program Marriott Meetings. Under this program, you’ll earn 2 Marriott points per dollar spent on meetings and events at Marriott properties. Standard Marriott Bonvoy members (those without elite status) can earn up to 60,000 points per event, but those with status can earn more.
Better yet, those with Marriott Bonvoy elite status will earn a points bonus on all meetings and events. Here’s a breakdown of the bonuses:
|
Points Bonus
|
Max Points Earning per Events
| |
|---|---|---|
|
Member
| 0% | 60,000 |
|
Silver Elite
| 10% | 66,000 |
|
Gold Elite
| 25% | 75,000 |
|
Platinum Elite
| 50% | 90,000 |
|
Titanium Elite
| 75% | 105,000 |
|
Ambassador Elite
| 75% | 105,000 |
Cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express include complimentary upgrades to Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, so you may want to apply for this card if you frequently book meetings to earn extra points.
You’ll also earn elite qualifying nights for meetings. Your first meeting will earn 10 elite qualifying nights, and all further meetings will earn 1 elite qualifying night per 20 hotel room nights you book.
There is a maximum of 20 elite night credits awarded per booking, so you could earn top-tier Marriott Bonvoy elite status if you frequently book events wherein people need to stay overnight.
You can start the Marriott Meetings booking process using this page on the Marriott website. Enter your information on the form, and you’ll get a quote for properties near the area you searched.
Click the Add To RFP button to request a Request for Proposal for up to 3 hotels of your choosing. The hotels you select will look over the specifics of your event and send a quote and other information regarding your event.
Once you’ve received your RFPs and found the hotel you’d like to book, Marriott notes that you should include your Marriott member number throughout your contact with the hotel as well as in the contract. This will ensure that you get points and elite night credits for your meeting.
Both Chase and American Express offer co-branded Marriott Bonvoy credit cards. Like the Hilton cards mentioned earlier, these have varying benefits, points-earning, and welcome bonuses. You should be able to take advantage of the Marriott bonus spend category on meetings and events so long as the hotel invoices you like a standard hotel stay.
Here’s a look at some of favorite Marriott Bonvoy credit cards:
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Like Hilton, you can use a select Chase credit card that earns bonus points on travel expenses to earn bonus rewards on your meeting or event purchase. Other credit cards that offer bonus points or miles on travel purchases may be eligible for bonus earnings, too.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has a program called IHG Business Rewards.
This platform lets businesses keep track of employee and company points, but also lets businesses earn IHG One Rewards points on meetings. When booking a meeting through IHG, you’ll earn 3 IHG points per dollar spent on meetings. You’ll also earn at this rate when booking qualified group stays – something often done in conjunction with a large meeting or event.
Do note that there’s a 60,000 point limit on points earning for meetings and events. As of the time of writing this article, there’s no way to raise this limit with IHG status.
In order to book an IHG Business Rewards meeting, you must sign up for a free IHG Business Rewards account on IHG’s website.
Once this account is created, you can search for meeting space on IHG’s meetings website. Simply input your destination and group size and you’ll be presented with all available options.
Look through all of the available options, find the hotels that interest you the most, and click the Add to RFP Cart button beneath the hotel’s title. You can request proposals for up to 10 IHG hotels at once.
When you’re ready to request RFPs from each of these hotels, click the cart button at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Then, click the Request a Proposal button. You’ll receive a proposal with pricing and further information in a couple of days.
Chase offers 3 co-branded IHG credit cards that earn bonus points on various purchase categories, including IHG stays. Like other hotels on this list, you may earn bonus points by paying for your meeting with this co-branded credit card.
Some of the IHG credit cards include:
Likewise, you can use a card that earns bonus points on travel to earn extra points on IHG meetings. Remember though, this is dependent on if the property you book with codes your bill as a standard hotel stay or another various travel purchase category.
Wyndham is another major hotel company, with thousands of locations spanning the U.S., Europe, and beyond.
Meeting planners can use the company’s Go Meet program to earn bonus points on all meetings planned at the company’s worldwide properties. You’ll earn 1 point per $1 spent (with a 1,000 point minimum) on all expenses when planning Wyndham meetings, including rooms (10 room minimum), event space costs, and food and beverage catered by the property.
Unfortunately, there is no way to earn Wyndham status with meetings at this time.
There is no way to book Wyndham Go Meet meetings online at this time. Instead, fill out this form on the Wyndham website and a Wyndham Go Meet representative will contact you to help you start the booking process.
Wyndham currently offers 2 co-branded credit cards from Barclays. Each of these cards has varying welcome bonuses, points-earning, complimentary status tiers, and annual fees. Charging your Wyndham “Go Meet” meetings should trigger the spend bonus for the Wyndham hotel stays so long as they’re billed by the hotel.
Check out our post on the best ways to earn Wyndham points which includes a section on Wyndham’s credit cards.
As you’d expect, you can also charge your meetings to credit cards that earn extra points on travel. You can earn points in the travel category so long as Wyndham bills your meeting directly from the hotel in question.
Accor is a hotel company that includes properties like Ibis, Novotel, Sofitel, and others. While these are mostly found in Europe and the Middle East, you can find some Accor properties in major U.S. cities like New York City and Chicago.
The hotel company has a solid meetings program — dubbed Accor ALL Meetings —that lets you earn points on meetings booked at its properties. You’ll earn 1 Accor Live Limitless point for every €2 spent on Accor meeting expenses. Like all Accor Live Limitless points, these can be redeemed for hotel stays and other Accor redemptions.
You can also share points earned on Accor meetings with others on your team. The company notes that you can name up to 15 people to share points with and you can make up to 30 transfers per year. Contact Accor to initiate a transfer.
First, you have to sign up for an Accor ALL Meetings account on the company’s website. Then head over to the Accor venue finder tool and enter your meeting criteria like location, the number of attendees, how many meeting rooms you’ll need, and more.
Accor will present all available venues to you in the map underneath the search box. If you find a hotel you’re interested in, click on it and then click the green Request a Quote button in the pop-up window.
You’ll now be taken to a screen where you can input more information about your meeting. Fill out this info and follow the on-screen prompts. Once you’ve submitted your meeting request, you’ll hear back from Accor with a quote in a few days’ time.
Accor doesn’t offer a U.S. co-branded credit card. With this in mind, use a credit card that earns extra points on travel to book your event. You’ll earn bonus points for this purchase so long as you’re charged by the hotel (hence making it a travel purchase).
Choice Hotels is best known for budget hotel brands like Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, EconoLodge, and others. There are thousands of these brands spanning even the smallest cities in the U.S. and Canada, making it a great option for meetings in off-the-beaten-path locations.
You can earn 4 points per dollar spent on meetings at Choice Hotel locations so long as you book a meeting space and a minimum of 10 guest rooms. You’ll earn points on hotel-provided food and drink, guest rooms, and all other meeting expenses.
You don’t need any special type of Choice Hotels account to book meetings — just make sure that you have a standard Choice Privileges account before you book your meeting. You can create this account free on the Choice Hotels website.
Then, head over to the Choice Hotel Planner Rewards website and scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a list of states and Canadian provinces with hotels that have event spaces. Click on the state or province where you’d like to book your event.
You’ll see a list of cities and their respective Choice Hotel properties. Click on the ones that interest you, and you can find out more about the hotel. Note the properties that you’d like to request a quote from.
Now, fill out the booking request form. Here, you’ll have to enter the specifics of your event like the number of people attending, number of guest rooms, and more. You should hear back from the property just a few days after submitting this form.
Unfortunately, there is no way to submit requests for multiple properties at once. This means that you’ll have to fill out this form multiple times in order to get quotes from multiple properties.
After your meeting has concluded, claim your points by filling out the Planner Rewards Form. You must do this after all meetings at a Choice Hotel as the company does not credit points automatically.
Choice Hotels has a co-branded credit card with Barclays. The Barclay Choice Privileges Visa Signature card earns a massive 5 points per $1 spent at Choice Hotel properties, and you should earn this bonus on meetings if the hotel bills your card directly.
The card also has a fluctuating welcome bonus and other benefits.
Of course, you can earn bonus points on credit cards with a travel spend bonus so long as the hotel bills your card directly and it codes as a travel purchase.
Finally, you can earn points on Hyatt meetings using its Meetings on Demand service.
Event planners can earn 1 World of Hyatt point per dollar spent on all meetings, up to 50,000 points per stay. Note that these are strictly redeemable points and do not count towards World of Hyatt status.
Better yet, you can split your earned points up to 3-ways with other event planners on your team. This rewards everyone on your team for their hard work in planning company events and keeps points earning fair.
You can also earn World of Hyatt points with meetings. Each World of Hyatt status tier — including top-tier Globalist status — can be earned by reaching a certain number of meetings or events hosted each year. Note that this is independent of qualifying through nights or base points, so you’ll have to plan a lot of meetings to qualify for elite status this way.
Hot Tip:World of Hyatt Globalist status is one of the most valuable hotel statuses on the market, offering great hotel benefits and a fast-track to American Airlines status.
Here’s how many qualifying meetings or events you’ll need to reach World of Hyatt status:
| Status Tier |
Qualifying Meetings/Events Required
|
|---|---|
|
Discoverist
| 3 |
|
Explorist
| 10 |
|
Globalist
| 20 |
There are a few things to note about earning World of Hyatt status through meetings. According to Hyatt’s terms and conditions, a “Qualifying Meeting” is considered a meeting or event with “no fewer than ten (10) paid guest rooms for the same night.”
This means that you must book at least 10 guest rooms for the event in order for it to be counted towards elite status. Thankfully, though, you can choose to have all rooms billed to a central account or you can have each attendee pay their own room.
Note that multi-day events and meetings do not count at multiple qualifying meetings. This means that you must host individual events in order for them to count as more than 1 qualifying meeting.
Head over to the Meetings on Demand website and enter your location, group size, and select whether or not you need to book guest rooms in addition to an event space. Then, click the Check Availability button on the right-hand side of the screen. After moving through the steps, you’ll be given a quote for your meeting.
If you’re happy with the quote, call the hotel directly to book your meeting and specifically state your World of Hyatt number over the phone. This will ensure that you’re awarded points for your booking. While it may be possible to do this online, we highly recommend calling so that there’s less room for error.
Like other hotel chains on this list, Chase offers a co-branded: The World of Hyatt credit card. You may be eligible for bonus points earning by charging your event to this card — here’s a look at the benefits, welcome bonus, and points-earning rates:
The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.
When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.
Likewise, credit cards that earn bonus points and miles on travel may earn bonus points on Hyatt events and meetings. As discussed in previous sections, this is dependent on how the hotel bills the event to your credit card.
Best Western Rewards members who own a small business and book through the Business Advantage program enjoy the following benefits.
First, you’ll want to sign-up for the Business Advantage program through the Best Western Website. For any questions you may have with this process you can call 1-855-504-1079 or email at businessadvantage@bestwestern.com.
Head over to the Best Western Meetings website and enter your location, group size, and select whether or not you need to book guest rooms in addition to an event space. Then, click Search Spaces. After moving through the steps, you’ll be given a quote for your meeting.
Once you’ve found an option that you like, simply call the selected hotel to complete the booking.
Best Western offers two credit card options to help boost your point earnings when booking meetings.
The first is the Best Western Rewards® Mastercard®, which charges no annual fee, earns 3x points per $1 on Best Western stays, comes with Gold Elite status, and offers a 10% discount when cardholders select the Best Western Rewards Rate at bwrcarddiscount.com.
The Best Western Rewards® Premium Mastercard®, on the other hand, comes with Best Western Platinum status, and earns 10x points per $1 on Best Western stays, and a 10% discount when cardholders select the Best Western Rewards Rate at bwrcarddiscount.com.
Whether you’re planning a wedding or a board meeting, you should take advantage of these points and status earning opportunities when you can. Coupled with using the right credit card, you can rack up tons of points depending on how many events you plan annually.
If you plan lots of events every year, don’t be afraid to switch between these programs from time to time. This gives you a more diverse points portfolio, opening up more redemption options and keeping you safe from points devaluations.
Once you’ve earned points, make sure to check out our various hotel point redemption guides. These will help you get the most value from your points by showing you how to book everything from 5-star hotel nights to first class airfare with your hard-earned hotel points.
Happy planning!
The information regarding The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the IHG® Rewards Club Select Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Choice Privileges® Visa Signature® Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding The World of Hyatt Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Best Western Rewards® Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Best Western Rewards® Premium Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
In some cases, yes, weddings will be treated like any other meeting. Be sure to talk to your hotel of choice and ask if this is the case if you’re unsure.
Hotels will occasionally run bonus points promotions for events and meetings. Keep an eye on hotel websites for the next big promo!
Choice Hotels offers the most points per dollar spent at 4 points per dollar, but the value of Choice Hotels points is subjective. Make sure to consider what points you value the highest when booking a meeting.
Was this page helpful?
Andrew was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and now splits his time between Chicago and New York City.
He’s a lifelong traveler and took his first solo trip to San Francisco at the age of 16. Fast forward a few years, and Andrew now travels just over 100,000 miles a year, with over 25 countries, 10 business class products, and 2 airline statuses (United and Alaska) under his belt. Andrew formerly worked for The Points Guy and is now Senior Money Editor at CNN Underscored.
Travel is changing fast... Stay on top of all the points strategies, exclusive offers & pivotal news - and lock in huge savings along the way.
We respect your privacy. Please view our privacy policy here.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
2 comments
James
March 27, 2021
Are there any data points on if the spend on Hilton or Hyatt events counts towards earning lifetime status with either chain?
Jarrod West
March 29, 2021
Hi James,
With Hyatt, event bookings earn bonus points and not base points, so events will not count towards lifetime status. The same goes for Hilton, you’ll only earn base points for paid stays.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
Email needed if you'd like comment updates. It will NOT be published.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.