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This survey, which had Wyndham as its winner, only looked at the value you get when you redeem your points for free nights, and it didn't necessarily take into account other loyalty program perks or benefits that can transform a guest into a loyal customer.
For the second time this year, Wyndham Rewards has come out on top in a hotel-loyalty program ranking.
In a survey conducted by travel consulting firm IdeaWorks Company for travel commerce platform Switchfly, Wyndham Rewards returned, on average, 13.6 percent reward value for every dollar spent on a hotel. That means that for every $100 spent on a hotel room rate, a Wyndham Rewards member gets an average "reward payback" of $13.60.
To compile the data for this second annual Switchfly Hotel Reward Payback Survey, IdeaWorks sent 1,305 reward queries for six global hotel loyalty programs, noting the lowest reward price in points and its corresponding room price in U.S. dollars during the August for reservations spanning August through February.
In last year's survey, Marriott Rewards was tops, with an average reward payback of $9.40 for every $100 spent. This year, Marriott Rewards' average reward payback was about the same, at 9 percent.
Marriott Rewards in this year's IdeaWorks survey was followed by Choice Privileges (8.5 percent), Hilton HHonors (7.7 percent), IHG Rewards (7.4
