We all love saving money when we travel. Earning elite hotel status will make your trip more rewarding and usually more luxurious to your next family vacation. Your rewards and increased comforts can range anywhere from earning free nights, complementary room upgrades, free wi-fi, late checkout, complementary breakfast, and so much more.
As you all know, I’m a mom of very active little boys and we love to travel. Earning elite hotel status is one of the many things we make a plan on how to achieve at the beginning of each year. In this article I’m going to share with you the hotel statuses we plan to keep or earn this year. I’m also sharing with you how to achieve these hotel statuses for free or close to free. This means you don’t have to spend a ton of money trying to earn hotel points and meeting minimum stay requirements (for most places).
One note before we get started. Everyone values different elite benefits from hotels differently. Things that are important to me and my family might not be as important to you and yours. I’m going to try to cover a large extent of why we plan to get/keep these elite hotel statuses, but you need to make the best decision for your family based off of what is most important to you and how you like to travel.
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Disclaimer Note – Mommy And Me Travels is not a financial advisor and I do not take responsibility for your experience with these tips or credit cards. I am providing you information that has worked for us but you will have to look at your own financial situation and decide what is best for you and your family.
Hyatt Elite Hotel Status – Hyatt Globalist
Click Here For More Info On World Of Hyatt Credit Card
Thanks to World Of Hyatt reducing this years requirement to reach Hyatt Globalist to half, this highly sought after premier elite status is within my reach. For 2021, individuals will be able to reach this highly sought after premier hotel status with just 30 tier-qualifying nights or 50,000 base points (normally 60 nights or 100,000 base points are required).
How To Get Hyatt Globalist In 2021
Earning Hyatt Globalist has been on our radar for a few years now. With the pandemic that hit in 2020, we barely achieve Hyatt Explorist. This year World Of Hyatt reduced the requirement to half of the normal level. In addition, there are several beginning of the year (2021) bonuses that make achieving this elite hotel status even easier. After you earn Hyatt Globalist Status it will be good through Feb 2023. This means we will be able to use it for 2 full years. That is a definite win in my book since travel hasn’t completely opened up yet.
Our plan to achieve Hyatt Globalist through the reduced requirements is a combination of the deposit of our annual tier nights received from the Wold Of Hyatt Credit Card, rollover nights from the 2020 promotions, and taking advantage of the Bonus Journey x2 nights before the end of Feb 2021. If you are just starting on your journey towards earning tier-qualifying nights then start here to learn more about the World Of Hyatt credit card.
Things We Like About Hyatt Globalist Elite Hotel Status
When my family travels, we really enjoy having access to free breakfast and larger rooms. The free breakfast affords me the luxury of not having to get my cranky and hungry kids into the car to go find something to eat first thing in the morning. The larger rooms are always nice for when my little ones want to nap in a quiet area (usually a separate bedroom) without the possibility of us waking them while we move around.
Click Here For More Info On World Of Hyatt Credit Card
MGM Hotel Status – M-Life Gold
M-Life Gold is a mid-tier status with MGM hotels. This hotel status can be used many places but the most prominent destinations for use are Las Vegas and Atlantic City. We plan to keep this status for 2021 because we earn it through the M-Life Hyatt match. What this means is that once we achieve the Hyatt Globalist elite hotel status we can then go to the M-Life website and request that they match our status to M-Life Gold. The M-Life Hyatt mach to gold is actually good for those that earn Hyatt Explorist or Hyatt Globalist. Also, you can match back the other way as well from M-Life to Hyatt.
How we are achieving M-Life Gold for 2021
This is one of our easier hotel statuses to reach this year. The only thing we have to do is log into our MGM account and our Hyatt account online. Next find the area in Hyatt that states “Match M-Life” and click M-Life Gold. M-Life rewards run from Feb-Jan each year. We will complete this match status as soon as we achieve our hyatt status.
If you are just starting out, don’t have your Hyatt status yet, but want to take a trip to Vegas soon, this is what I would do. The quickest way to get at least a few MGM perks for your stay is to open the World Of Hyatt Credit Card which gives you automatic Hyatt Discoverist and then do you M-Life Hyatt match to M-Life Pearl. You can always go back and match again once you achieve higher hyatt status if you choose to go that route.
Things We Like About M-Life Gold Reward Status
We travel to Las Vegas a couple of times a year because we have family in that area that we like to visit. Having the m-life gold rewards allows us to occasionally get discounts on rooms, free parking at some casinos (we use this for shows and dinners), and if we gamble we get bonus points towards towards express comps and tier credits. I will tell you if this is a status that I had to work to get, it would not be at the top of my list to achieve this year. But since it is an added bonus I definitely won’t be passing it up.
If you are hoping to make a trip with kids to Las Vegas in the future, you will want to check out our guide here about What To Do In Las Vegas With Kids.
Hilton Hotel Status – Hilton Honors Diamond
Hilton Honors Diamond status is one that we have achieved ever year since we opened out Hilton Aspire Credit Card. One of the benefits of the credit card is automatic Hilton Diamond status. When we travel we like to stay at Embassy Suite Hotels for multiple reasons, one main reason is that all of the accommodations are 2 room suites. This works great for us when our little men want to nap or need to settle down away from the adults when they are discussing and planning other activities.
How we are achieving Hilton Honors Diamond Status for 2021
As I mentioned previously, we achieve Hilton elite hotel status through our Hilton Aspire Credit Card. Note that this credit card has a $450 annual fee but getting Hilton Diamond status helps offset that sting a little bit. If we didn’t have this credit card then we would likely only achieve Hilton Honors Gold Status as it is one of the benefits on our American Express Platinum Card. You can also get complementary hilton gold if you have the Hilton Surpass Credit Card with the $95 annual fee.
Things We Like About Hilton Honors Diamond Status
We spend the majority of our Hilton stays at Embassy Suites which provides free breakfast and an evening happy hour. During our stays at Embassy Suites, most have dedicated lines for elite hotel status members which helps to not have to stand in line to get drinks and snacks in the evening.
Caesars Hotel Status – Caesars Diamond
As I mentioned earlier, we travel to Las Vegas a couple of times a year to see family. We stay on the strip or very close to it. There are many perks that come with Caesars Diamond status and the fast way to get this status is through their matching program. One note- There are 3 different tiers of Caesar Diamond status and each comes with something a little bit different. The one you get through matching is the lowest of the diamond tiers.
How we are achieving Caesars Diamond Status for 2021
There are 2 different paths you can take to achieve Caesars Diamond benefits and hotel status. The first is to go in person to a Caesars Casino and match your M-Life Gold to Caesars Diamond. (Note that this has to be completed in person.)
The second is to match your Hilton Diamond status to Wyndham Diamond status to Caesars Diamond status. This option can all be completed online but will take a little bit longer to work through all of the steps. Also, as you can see from the second option you will be able to add Wyndham Diamond status to your list of elite hotel statuses.
Things We Like About Caesars Diamond Status
If you travel to Las Vegas or Atlantic City you are able to see great benefit from this status. We love that we get a minimum of 15% room discount, waived resort fees, a $100 celebration dinner voucher, and 2 free show tickets. These are amazing for saving money during our trips to Las Vegas, but these aren’t even what we think is the best value of Caesars Diamond benefits. In our opinion, the best Caesars Diamond benefit is the fact that we get a complimentary four-night stay at Atlantis Paradise in the Bahamas.
Marriott Hotel Status – Marriott Gold
If you love Marriott Hotels and normally try to find your way to a Marriott when traveling you can easily earn Marriott Gold status or higher. There are really only two Marriott hotels that we stay at throughout the year, the Gaylord Hotels and Resident Inns. Normally Marriott is not one of our go to hotels but we do achieve this status every year as it is given complementary on one of our credit cards. It is nice to have the elevated status when we do stay at one of these hotels.
How we are achieving Marriott Gold Status for 2021
Achieving Marriott Gold elite hotel status this year will be through our American Express Platinum Credit Card. This is one of the benefits of holding this card and helps us defend spending the large annual fee ($550) each year. This benefit is available through enrollment online and linking your Marriott number to your credit card.
Editorial note – If you are someone that stays at Marriotts regularly then I would recommend that you do a status match from your Hyatt Explorist/Globalist to Marriott Platinum. You will have to stay 15 nights at a Marriott (usually with 90 days) to keep this elevated status, but you will see many more benefits during your stay if you choose to go this route.
Things We Like About Marriott Gold Hotel Status
Marriott Gold is the mid-tier level of this hotels status structure. We don’t get large benefit from it, but we do like that when we stay at Marriotts this status gives us the benefit of earning bonus points per stay, upgraded rooms (when available), enhanced internet, and welcome gifts.
Wrap Up Of Elite Hotel Status That We Plan To Get This Year – Most Are Free Or Almost Free (2021)
I’ve given you a lot of information in this article. I hope you have found a hotel chain that you use and now know how to quickly get the elite hotel status that is best for your family. Gaining elite travel status for hotel stays is an amazing way to make your trips more comfortable and enjoyable. Important note – You will only realize the value of each elite hotel status if you are staying at that hotel chain. Pick what is best for your family!
I know most of the credit cards mentioned above have an annual fee and so are not “technically” free, but if you take advantage of ALL the benefits of these cards you can, in my opinion, get more value than you spend on the annual frees.
Pro Tip – Always check if your credit cards offer items similar to TSA pre-check, Priority Pass Airport VIP Lounge Access, hotel elite status, airline status, discount codes, and so many more than we can’t list them all here. These perks can easily justify the cost of the annual fee (in my opinion).
Annual Fee Breakdown To Get Above Hotel Elite Statuses
- World Of Hyatt Credit Card = $95
- Hilton Aspire Credit Card = $450
- Amex Platinum Credit Card = $550
Total Spent Annually For These Benefits = $1,095
So why do we pay $1,095 in annual fees for these cards? The reason is really very simple, we get a ton more value from these cards then we pay out in annual fees each year. The very few benefits of each card mentioned here for our hotel statuses is just the tip of the iceberg of value received.
If you are looking for the best bang for your buck on a credit card to maximize your hotel elite status options then I suggest you check into the World Of Hyatt Credit Card. With the lower annual fee and the multiple matching options available in 2021, this could possibly be the right card for your family. Only you can decided though if you will get the benefit from credit cards with annual fees. Click here to explore all of the options available on the World Of Hyatt Credit Card.
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**** Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. This article has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of the credit cards, airlines, hotels, or adventures mentioned in the article. Mommy And Me Travels is not responsible for your family travel hacking experience. You have the responsibility for your own success or failure in this travel credit card hacking adventure. ****
