Sonesta Travel Pass Loyalty Program — Full Review [2022]

- Updated: January 2, 2022, 8:00am CST|

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Travel /
Hotels

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Sonesta Travel Pass Summary Table

Hotel Website Sonesta.com
Loyalty Program Sonesta Travel Pass
Hotel Brands 7 brands, including Royal Sonesta, Sonesta Cruise Collection, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, Sonesta Posadas del Inca, Sonesta Select, and Sonesta Simply Suites
Points Are Worth ~0.7 cents per point
Award Chart Link 11 tiers (10,000 to 50,000 points per night)

Branded and Partnered Credit Cards

Currently, there’s only 1 credit card that allows you to earn Sonesta Travel Pass points, the Sonesta World Mastercard® Credit Card, which is issued by Bank of America.

At the moment, there are no transfer partnerships from the major transferable currencies that can allow you to earn Sonesta points.

Therefore, the best way to earn Sonesta points through credit card spending is to make purchases on the Sonesta card.

Sonesta Travel Pass Overview

Sonesta operates more than 300 properties worldwide. It has properties in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Saint Maarten, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, and Peru.

Across 7 brands, the Royal Sonesta brand is considered as the most luxurious, although the top-tier resort is a Sonesta Hotels and Resorts property, not a Royal Sonesta property.

Joining Sonesta Travel Pass

You can enroll online for a free Sonesta Travel Pass account.

How To Sign In to Your Sonesta Travel Pass Account

Visit Sonesta.com, click the button in the top-right corner that says MEMBER REWARDS, and click SIGN IN. Enter your login credentials and sign in.

Viewing Your Account Activity

Your Sonesta Travel Pass dashboard shows all of your recent activity, including past stays, future stays, elite status qualification, how close you are to a free night stay, and more.

Exclusive Offers show you any available exclusive offers, any terms and conditions applicable, and special promo codes.

Setting Profile Preferences

You can choose from an array of travel preferences by visiting your Member Profile page. These include leisure vs. business travel, room preferences, bed arrangement preferences, and elite amenity preferences.

Points Expiration

Sonesta Travel Pass points expire after 2 years of inactivity. As long as you accrue or redeem Sonesta points once every 24 months, your points will not expire (see terms and conditions).

Sonesta Travel Pass Benefits

Sonesta Travel Pass Status

Sonesta Travel Pass members get several benefits just for enrolling in Travel Pass. These benefits include complimentary upgraded Wi-Fi, a 5% discount across all locations worldwide, the ability to earn Sonesta points, and express check-in and checkout.

Benefits	Member (0 to 5 nights/year)	Preferred (6 to 11 nights)	Elite (12+ nights)
Reward points to earn free nights	X	X	X
Complimentary upgraded Wi-Fi	X	X	X
A 5% discount across Sonesta locations worldwide	X	X	X
Express check-in and checkout	X	X	X
Customized room preferences	X	X	X
Exclusive member-only offers	X	X	X
Assistance from Member Champion during your stay	X	X	X
Exclusive priority reservations line		X	X
Guaranteed room type (bed type)		X	X
Early check-in and late checkout		X	X
Priority self-parking			X
Available at Sonesta Select, Sonesta ES Suites, and Sonesta Simply Suites Only:
Sip ‘n snack credit	$5	$10	$15
Available at Royal Sonesta and Sonesta Hotels & Resorts Only:
Discount on dining and resort amenities		10%	15%
Complimentary room upgrade		X	X
Choice of welcome amenity			X
Complimentary non-alcoholic beverage			X
Discounted suite upgrade			X
Complimentary club lounge access (or continental breakfast daily)			X

Sonesta Travel Pass Preferred

All member benefits, plus:

Exclusive priority reservations line
Guaranteed room type (bed type, usually between 1 king bed or 2 double beds)
Early check-in and late checkout, subject to availability (up to 3 hours beyond regular times)
A $5 additional sip n’ snack credit ($10 total)
A 10% discount on dining and resort amenities
1-category room upgrade, subject to availability

Sonesta Travel Pass Elite

All Preferred benefits, plus

A $5 additional sip n’ snack credit ($15 total)
A 5% additional discount on dining and resort amenities (15% total)
Choice of welcome amenity
Complimentary non-alcoholic beverage per stay (maximum value of $15)
A 50% suite upgrade discount at check-in, based on availability
Complimentary club lounge access (or continental breakfast daily)

Value of Sonesta Travel Pass Status

Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria club lounge — Sonesta Travel Pass Elite members can enjoy club lounge access (where available), which can include complimentary breakfast, cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres. Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria. Image Credit: Sonesta

Sonesta Travel Pass has relatively few elite status tiers (at just 2 beyond the standard member level). However, the program has some of the easiest elite status qualification criteria out there.

Beyond the basic member level, Sonesta Travel Pass Preferred status is neat, but ultimately the benefits are minimal. The most useful is early check-in and late checkout for 3 hours beyond the normal times (subject to availability) and complimentary 1-category room upgrades (subject to availability).

In our opinion, the biggest jump in benefits comes when you hit top-tier Sonesta Travel Pass Elite status — you’ll get priority self-parking, a welcome amenity and complimentary non-alcoholic beverage, discounted suite upgrades (subject to availability), and most importantly, complimentary club lounge access or daily continental breakfast.

Earning Sonesta Travel Pass Status

Unlike other elite status programs, earning Sonesta Travel Pass Status is super easy! You can qualify for top-tier status with just 12 nights per year.

When you compare that to Marriott Bonvoy’s top-tier Ambassador status, which requires 100 nights and $14,000 in qualified spending, getting elite status with Sonesta Travel Pass is a walk in the park!

Elite Status	2022 Qualifying Nights
Elite	12+
Preferred	6 to 11
Member	0 to 5

If you hold the Sonesta card, you’ll automatically receive top-tier Sonesta Travel Pass Elite status!

Sonesta Travel Pass Lifetime Status

Currently, Sonesta does not offer lifetime membership status. You’ll need to requalify every year to enjoy membership status.

Sonesta Travel Pass Status Match

If you have any hotel elite status that offers similar benefits to the tier you’re interested in, all you need to do is email Sonesta Travel Pass at [email protected] with a copy of your current hotel loyalty membership status in the other program and your Sonesta Travel Pass member ID to get matched!

You can use any comparable hotel loyalty program, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, and Choice Privileges.

How To Earn Sonesta Travel Pass Points

The easiest way to earn Sonesta Travel Pass points is through paid hotel stays.

Earning Points on Stays

Base Points: When you stay at any participating Sonesta property worldwide and book a qualified room rate (excluding reward stays, group rates, day use, third party reservations, online travel agencies, and certain other discounts), you will earn 10 points per $1 spent.

Elite Status Bonus: Currently, there’s no elite status bonus for earning points.

Exclusive Offers: Sonesta Travel Pass offers a variety of promotions to earn additional bonus points. These promotions are accessible via the Exclusive Offers page in your membership dashboard. The promotions can vary from bonus points per night to 2x or even 3x points. You can also get upgrades and discounts with exclusive offers.

Earn Sonesta Points for Hosting Events

Sonesta has a couple of different promotions that allow you to earn more points for hosting meetings and events.

To start off, if you book a group rate for 30 or more room nights (the number of rooms multiplied by the number of nights), you’ll get 50,000 bonus points. Those who book 15 to 29 room nights will earn 25,000 points.

If you plan a wedding with Sonesta Travel Pass, you will earn 10x points per dollar spent (up to 150,000 points), plus an extra bonus of up to 250,000 points, depending on your catering spend.

Lastly, if you’re booking a group rate (not as the host offering the group rate) as an attendee, you can earn 10 points per dollar (5 points per dollar at Simply Suites)!

Share Sonesta Travel Pass Points

Unfortunately, you can’t share or transfer without a specific redemption in mind.

If you do have a redemption you want to book for someone else, you can only do so for immediate family, meaning parents, children, spouse, and siblings.

You must call the customer care desk and submit a transfer form to accomplish the transfer.

Earn Sonesta Travel Pass Points With Credit Cards

Unfortunately, the only way to earn Sonesta points through credit cards is with the co-branded Bank of America card.

Sonesta Travel Pass doesn’t have any transfer partnerships with flexible currencies like Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Other Ways To Earn Sonesta Travel Pass Points

Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of other ways to earn Sonesta Travel Pass points.

How To Redeem Sonesta Travel Pass Points

Sonesta Maho Beach Resort Casino and Spa St Maarten — Redeem 40,000 points per night at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa – St Maarten. Image Credit: Sonesta

The primary objective of accumulating Sonesta Travel Pass points is to redeem them for free nights at a Sonesta property.

There are no blackout dates, and you can book a free night for as few as 10,000 points. The only consideration is that the hotel you’re booking must have standard room availability.

Types and Cost of Room Awards in Sonesta Travel Pass

Currently, you cannot use a mix of cash and points to book room awards in Sonesta Travel Pass.

Also, you can only book standard rooms with Sonesta Travel Pass points (you cannot book upgraded rooms or suites with points).

You can redeem points online or over the phone (call 855-622-2160 or 617-658-0078).

The number of points you redeem will depend on which tier the property falls under.

Sonesta Travel Pass Award Chart

Tier	Points Cost (Per Night)
1	10,000
2	12,500
3	15,000
4	17,500
5	20,000
6	22,500
7	25,000
8	27,500
9	30,000
10	40,000
11	50,000

You can also filter properties by tier.

The information regarding the Sonesta World Mastercard® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

Featured Image Credit: Sonesta

Frequently asked questions

Are Sonesta Hotels part of Marriott?

Sonesta Hotels are not part of Marriott. Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is partially owned by SVC, a Boston real estate trust.

What hotel chain is Sonesta a part of?

Sonesta is its own hotel chain. In fact, Sonesta consists of 7 brands: Royal Sonesta, Sonesta Cruise Collection, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, Sonesta Posadas del Inca, Sonesta Select, and Sonesta Simply Suites.

Do Sonesta Travel Pass points expire?

Sonesta Travel Pass points are valid for 24 months without any activity. If you have any earning or redeeming activity, your points are extended for another 24 months.

How long do Sonesta points last?

Sonesta points last forever as long as you are in active standing. If you don’t earn or redeem at least 1 point every 24 months, your account will fall into “non-active” status; then, your points will expire.

How many points is Sonesta a night?

You can redeem as few as 10,000 Sonesta points per night at a Tier 1 hotel or as many as 50,000 Sonesta points per night at a Tier 11 hotel.

About Stephen Au

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Stephen has been privileged to enjoy many premium cabin products and 5-star hotels. As one of the foremost experts in credit cards, over the past 4 years, he has amassed a portfolio of over 70 credit cards, both personal and business. Stephen has personally tested, first-hand, almost every major rewards credit card on the market today, spanning banks such as American Express, Bank of America, Barclays, Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, City National Bank, U.S. Bank, and more.

Cathy Levitt July 10, 2022
Is there a cap on the number of points I can accumulate?
- Jarrod West July 11, 2022
  Hi Cathy,
  There is no cap on the number of points you can accumulate.
Melanie Wall July 23, 2022
I am an elite travel pass member but Sonesta didn’t honor my travel pass points for a night that was supposed to be credited and charged my bank card for the supposedly free sip n’ snack credit. Sadly, these travel pass points are a worthless waste of time and a major hassle to try and use. I have never experienced such terrible service from a hotel.
Melanie December 29, 2022
I’m disappointed with Sonesta travel pass points redemption. I want to be able to book with my points without calling their redemption office. I like the Hilton and the Wyndham loyalty program. I am able to book a room directly with the hotel on the next city. We did 6,000-7,000 miles road trips in last 3 years and we stayed in hotels. This year we did not stay in Sonesta, very inconvenient to use my points.
David February 5, 2023
Can you get points with them by booking one of their cruise ship accommodations?
- Jarrod West February 6, 2023
  Hi David,
  Yes, you should be able to earn points for that.