Some of the WanderBat comparison was confirmed in a separate survey conducted in July by IdeaWorksCompany. In the resulting “Switchfly hotel reward payback survey,” one Starpoint was valued at $0.029, while one Marriott Reward point was valued at $0.009.
As that survey explains, face value can be misleading because of differing rates of accrual. For instance, SPG members earn two points per dollar spent on property, while Marriott Reward members earn 10 points per dollar spent.
The resulting “reward payback” further underscores the point, with Marriott Rewards returning an average of $9.40 for every $100 spent. SPG, by comparison, returns an average of $6.10 for every $100 spent, ranking it the lowest of the four hotel loyalty programs studied in the Switchfly survey.
Loyalty loyalists
SPG is widely regarded as having some of most ardent and loyal constituents. But independent rankings and satisfaction scores suggest otherwise.
U.S. News ranks Marriott its top hotel rewards program. SPG, meanwhile, comes in eighth.
In J.D. Power’s “2015 Hotel loyalty/rewards program satisfaction report,” SPG ranked 13th among 15 programs studied with an index score of 661 out of 1,000.