Points Programs Are Ruining Luxury Hotels. Paying Guests Aren't Happy

Look out! Here come the rewards members!

The Bonvoy Problem

Points programs are destroying the luxury-hotel experience. Can anything stop the freeloaders?

March 21, 2026Reading Time: 4 minutes

Several years ago, at a confidential meeting hosted by one of the world’s top hotel chains, a manager launched into a rant. He ran one of the chain’s flagship ultra-luxury properties and was facing a constant, unfixable problem: guests staying for free on points. “These folks showed up with coolers full of their own food, and had everything removed from the mini-bar so they could put it in there,” he said. “Their sole goal was to stay in the hotel, and spend as little as possible, making sandwiches at the breakfast buffet”—included in the rate—“then stashing them in napkins for a poolside picnic lunch.” His tirade ended with a plea, recalls Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst at Atmosphere Research, who witnessed it: Could his exclusive property be exempted from the chain’s awards program, to protect the experience for paying guests? The corporate overlords’ answer was immediate: absolutely not.