Which Credit Cards for Boutique Hotel Stays? TravelSort reader Kenny writes “Thanks for your great detail and info on the best travel credit cards posts. I noticed that the hotel cards focus on name brand chains, but my girlfriend and I mainly book independent and boutique hotels. Are any of the credit cards good for this situation, or is it best to try and get additional points via Rocketmiles and PointsHound?”
Great question. Boutique hotels, but their very size, don't have their own credit card, even though they may have their own loyalty program or at least be part of a consortium, such as Virtuoso, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Leaders Club, etc. But that still leaves you several strategies on the points earnings side.
Make Sure the Boutique Hotel Isn't Part of a Major Chain
The major hotel chains include some boutique properties. For example, Starwood's Luxury Collection includes Hotel Imperial in Vienna, Mystique in Santorini, The Royal Hawaiian (“Pink Palace”) in Waikiki, Prince de Galles in Paris, Blue Palace in Elounda, Hotel Pulitzer in Amsterdam, Tambo del Inka in Peru, and many others, virtually all of them with a distinctive sense of place and boutique in nature.
So even if you avoid Westins, Marriotts and Hiltons like the plague, double check that one of the boutique properties in your consideration set isn't part of one of the major chains, since if it is, you'd be best off paying with that hotel's credit card to earn more points (the SPG AMEX in the case of SPG's Luxury Collection), as well as have the chance to redeem for a standard room with hotel points.
Virtuoso Hotels: Book with a Virtuoso Advisor and Pay with the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, Ink Plus
If you'll be staying at a luxury boutique hotel, check to see whether it's a Virtuoso member (Virtuoso includes many boutique properties, not just luxury chains such as Four Seasons), since if it is, you could book with TravelSort or other Virtuoso luxury travel advisor to receive a complimentary upgrade, complimentary breakfast, and a hotel specific amenity such as a $100 food and beverage credit or a complimentary private airport transfer.
Since these benefits don't depend on which card you pay with, you may as well pay with a card that earns 2X points on hotel spend. If you already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred (as of July 19, 2014), it will get you an effective 2.14X for spend made in 2014 and 2015 due to the 7% annual dividend, but note that new Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders don't earn that 7% annual points dividend, and that it's going away for existing cardholders starting 2016. Ultimate Rewards points are best used for airline award travel, not boutique hotels–think transfers to Singapore KrisFlyer or Korean Air.
If you don't have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, both the Ink Bold and Ink Plus earn 2X Ultimate Rewards points for hotel spend, and the Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® earns an effective 2.2% cash back when redeemed for travel (more on this below).
Leaders Club Hotels: Book with Your Travel Advisor or Directly Via Leaders Club and Pay with the Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, Ink Plus
Similarly to Virtuoso, Leaders Club is a consortium of hotels, focused on boutique, independent properties. As I noted in 1 Year Free Leaders Club Membership with World MasterCard Credit Cards, it usually makes sense to book Leaders Club (either with TravelSort / your travel advisor or directly) only if the hotel is not a member of Virtuoso (since Virtuoso benefits tend to be superior) *or* if you'll have a number of 1 night stays at Leaders Club hotels during a calendar year.
As with Virtuoso hotels above, you can pay with any credit card, so Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, Ink Plus, or a new credit card that you're working on meeting minimum spend for is usually your best bet.
For Non-Luxury Hotels Not Part of Any Consortium, Compare Hotel Offers with Third Party Offers
If you're booking a boutique property that isn't part of Virtuoso, Leaders Club or any other consortium that confers valuable benefits by booking with them, your choice is to book with the hotel or a third party.
Pros of booking directly with the hotel include:
- Usually a better room and better chance of an upgrade, than booking with a third party
- Sometimes even better rates, packages and deals than a third party
- Typically more flexible cancellation policies
What are your favorite credit cards for boutique hotel stays?
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Disclaimer: Note that some cards in this post offer credit to me if you’re approved using my links. The opinions, analyses, and evaluations are mine. This content is not provided or commissioned by Chase, Barclays, American Express, Citibank, US Bank, Bank of America, or any other company. They have not reviewed, approved or endorsed any of my articles.