My Take on the MeliáRewards Program for Meliá Hotels: Is It Worth It?

The loyalty program for the Meliá Hotels International hotel group is MeliáRewards. With over 360 hotels worldwide across the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe, the brand has a strong presence, particularly in Spain, where it operates over 140 Meliá properties.

With over 60 new hotels in the Meliá pipeline, the brand is clearly experiencing rapid growth. One of my favorite hotels in the world is a Meliá hotel (the Meliá Ibiza), and I’ve always had positive experiences staying with the brand in Spain, Italy, and the Caribbean.

Joining MeliáRewards is easy and free, so I recommend signing up, as you’ll get 2,000 bonus MeliáRewards points for doing so. This way, if you do want to book a Meliá stay, you’ll already have your account ready.

Here’s everything you need to know about the MeliáRewards program and why joining the program is a good idea.

Meliá Hotels

Many Meliá-branded hotels feature the Meliá name, making them easily identifiable as part of the Meliá portfolio, except for Zel.

Here are all the 9 hotel brands underneath the Meliá umbrella, along with a brief description of the concepts each represents:

• Affiliated by Meliá: Midscale and upscale hotels affiliated with Meliá
• Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts: The essence of Spanish culture
• Innside by Meliá: Curious urban and beach hotels
• ME by Meliá: Contemporary, bold, charismatic, artistic
• The Meliá Collection: Experiential, luxurious
• Meliá Hotels & Resorts: Warm, spontaneous, Mediterranean-inspired
• Paradisus by Meliá: Luxurious, authentic, intimate
• Sol by Meliá: Modern and cool beach properties
• Zel: A Mediterranean collaboration with tennis player Rafael Nadal

Melia Ibizá (formerly Sol Beach House) is one of my favorite hotels. The adults-only property strikes the perfect balance between cool and approachable. The rooms are quiet and comfortable, and the rooftop pool is a tranquil haven. I’ve stayed there numerous times with friends, and most recently, with my husband, to celebrate a milestone birthday. Each time, the hotel has surpassed my expectations.

Meliá, founded in Mallorca, celebrates its Spanish roots with a distinct Mediterranean breezy beach feel, especially in warmer destinations. It has a “no pasa nada, siestas welcome” ambiance that I crave while on vacation.

What To Know About MeliáRewards

As I enjoy the overall ambiance of most Meliá properties, I value my membership with MeliáRewards, the brand’s loyalty program. Being part of the MeliáRewards program means I can earn or redeem points for every stay.

Here’s a bit more about the program and why it’s worth signing up for.

MeliáRewards Status Levels

• White: You’re a White member as soon as you sign up — this is the brand’s lowest membership tier. You’ll earn 10 points per euro spent on your Meliá hotel bookings. Right now, you can earn 2,000 bonus MeliáRewards points for just signing up. You’ll also get free Wi-Fi during stays, plus a birthday gift (usually a discount code or upgrade).
• Silver: You reach Silver after 2 Meliá stays, 5 nights, or once you reach 10,000 points. You’ll earn 11 points per euro spent on your Meliá hotel bookings. Your travel companion receives breakfast for free when you purchase breakfast for yourself (applicable to room-only rates).
• Gold: You reach Gold after 15 Meliá stays, 30 nights, or once you reach 60,000 points. You’ll earn 13 points per euro spent on your Meliá hotel bookings. Benefits include discount vouchers, late checkout, priority access upon arrival, plus any Silver benefits.
• Platinum: Become a Platinum member after 10 years as a member of MeliáRewards and 500 nights accumulated. You’ll earn 14 points per euro spent on your Meliá hotel bookings. Benefits include Gold and Silver benefits, plus room upgrades and access to hotel VIP areas.

Get Complimentary MeliáRewards Gold Status

Note that if you hold The Platinum^® International Currency Card from American Express, you can get Meliá Gold status for free, as well as the following benefits:

• 4 p.m. late checkout at city hotels and 2 p.m. late checkout at resort hotels (except in the event of 100% occupancy)
• Earn 13 MeliáRewards points for every $1 spent on your booking
• Complimentary Wi-Fi in all hotels
• 2,000 MeliáRewards welcome points when first enrolling
• 3 discount vouchers for 20% off stays, redeemable in 1 calendar year
• Purchase a breakfast to receive a complimentary breakfast for your travel companion (applies only to reservations at room-only rates)

How MeliáRewards Points Work

Like most hotel loyalty programs, you can earn and redeem MeliáRewards points.

Earning Points

You can earn 10 to 14 MeliáRewards points per euro spent on stays at Meliá hotels. Verify that the Meliá property you’re staying at participates in the program before booking, as a few don’t. Booking MeliáEscapes means you can also earn on your entire travel package, including flights, and you can shop via MeliáShopping to earn more points, too.

If you need to top off your account, you can also purchase MeliáRewards points in 1,000-point increments; Bonuses (such as 20% or 30% more) are sometimes offered for point purchases.

Redeeming Points

You can use your MeliáRewards points to cover the entire cost of a hotel stay or apply them to part of a stay, starting at 2,000 points. Since you’ll get 2,000 points automatically for signing up, you can apply them to your first stay.

The loyalty program doesn’t have an award chart, and award pricing is dynamic, so the rate is often based on demand, season, and other factors.

When you search for a stay, the cash and points price is automatically displayed, making it easy to see how many points you need to redeem. You can use points or cash for any available room type, ranging from the most basic rooms to the most luxurious suites. Additionally, you can choose from different rates, utilizing your points for a room-only stay or a bed-and-breakfast rate.

Just remember that even on Meliá’s U.S. website, points rates are quoted in the European way, where the decimal point is used like the comma in U.S. numbers. For example, a stay at the Meliá Avenida America in Madrid in January starts at $416 or 80,280 points per night (but is quoted as 80.280 points).

Points expire after 12 months of inactivity, so try to at least shop via the Meliá shopping portal to keep your points active, even if you don’t have an upcoming stay planned.

You can earn or redeem rewards for eating at Meliá’s restaurants or using hotel spas, even if you aren’t a guest at the hotel. Just have your loyalty number ready to show. You can also convert your MeliáRewards into Air Europa’s SUMA miles (3 MeliáRewards points equal 1 Suma mile) or Iberia Avios (100 MeliáRewards points equal 30 Avios).

Final Thoughts

MeliáRewards is a program worth joining, especially if you have a trip to Spain planned. With an automatic 2,000 points for joining, you can use them for a discount on your first stay, or keep earning them to save up for a full free night (or more). Since MeliáRewards doesn’t currently offer any co-branded credit cards, you’re limited to earning points for stays and shopping. Still, it’s free to join, and when the opportunity to book a Meliá hotel stay arises, you’ll be ready with your active account.