Should You Book Four Seasons Hotels with Loyalty Points? Discover the Reasons

Is Booking Four Seasons Hotels with Loyalty Points Really Worth It?

One of the most common questions I receive from families looking to travel is whether it's possible to book a Four Seasons hotel using loyalty points. Technically, the answer is yes, but it’s not the best way to utilize your points.

Unlike hotel chains such as Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton, Four Seasons does not have a loyalty program. This means you won't receive any perks unless you are a special guest. There are no free night certificates, no reward charts, and you cannot transfer points directly into a Four Seasons account.

Example of Four Seasons Hualalai

To illustrate this, let’s consider one of my favorite resorts in Hawaii: Four Seasons Hualalai. A 5-night stay here can cost around $6,500, depending on the season and room type. If you want to pay entirely with points through the credit card portal, you’ll need about 650,000 transferable points.

At first glance, a free hotel stay worth $6,500 sounds amazing. But I often wonder: What else could those points do? What else could I get for those 650,000 points?

What Else Could Points Do?

Just this past March, my family flew round-trip from San Francisco to Singapore in business class, using points from a credit card that I transferred directly to Singapore Airlines. We never fly more than 6 hours in economy class; instead, we primarily use points – points that I wouldn’t have if I wasted them on low-value hotel stays. This international flight lasted over 16 hours with flat seats, lounge access, excellent food, and plenty of space to sleep.

If we had paid cash, ticket prices could range from $5,000 to $15,000 per person, totaling between $15,000 and $45,000 for our family of three. So why spend 650,000 points on a $6,500 hotel night when you could potentially gain value up to $45,000?

Why Loyalty Points Are Often Better Spent on Flights

Many might argue that spending money on hotels is justifiable, especially when the costs aren’t as high as Four Seasons. However, shelling out $5,000 to $7,000 per person for airfare is something most travelers wouldn't do.

When deciding how to use loyalty points, I often ask myself: Do I want something that could be paid for in cash, or something I would never want to spend cash on?

Alternative Approach

For me, I’d prefer to pay cash for a night at a Four Seasons hotel and save my points for business class flights. This approach also allows us to take advantage of the benefits from the Four Seasons Preferred Partner program, enhancing the value of our stay.

When clients book through us as a Four Seasons Preferred Partner, they often receive:

• 🍽️ Daily breakfast for two (often valued over $120 per day)
• 💵 Resort credit of over $100
• ⬆️ Room upgrades when available
• ⏰ Early check-in when available
• 🌅 Late check-out when available
• ⭐ VIP recognition throughout the stay

When Is It Reasonable to Use Points?

If you have a significant amount of points, don’t travel internationally often, rarely fly business class, or simply prefer staying in hotels, then using points through the credit card portal might be a good option. However, if your goal is to maximize value, it’s hard to overlook this difference. Would I want to spend 650,000 points on a $6,500 hotel night? Or use those points to trigger an international flight worth $15,000 to $20,000?

Conclusion

I absolutely love Four Seasons hotels; they are some of my favorite properties in the world, and I’m willing to pay cash to stay there while earning triple points for purchasing additional airfare. However, I dislike using hundreds of thousands of loyalty points for a hotel room when those points could unlock other experiences that are otherwise unattainable. So, while there is a way to book Four Seasons with points, I rarely recommend it. Use your points for flights, pay cash for hotels, and let a preferred partner provide the perks.

Article referenced and edited from: Be My Travel Muse