How to Get Elite-Like Benefits Without Hotel Status

Listen… I haven’t been in the miles and points game quite long enough to have tons of status. Okay, fine — I actually have Hilton Honors Gold Status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite from holding The Platinum Card® from American Express (enrollment required).

But I’ve also been known to shamelessly mooch off our head writer’s status on a few trips — and let me tell you, it’s NICE.

We’re talking free breakfast, room upgrades, late checkout, and yes, sometimes even those cute towel animals.

The good news? You don’t have to spend 50+ nights a year chasing hotel status to enjoy these perks. But how the heck is that possible?

Well, I’m glad you asked. Grab a snack, and let’s dive into how you can unlock those sweet hotel perks without chasing elite status.

Bank-Specific Booking Programs

If you have the right credit card, you can unlock elite-like benefits instantly. No mattress runs required.

Chase: The Edit and Renowned Hotels & Resorts

The Edit by Chase Travel^℠  is Chase’s boujee hotel program, offering benefits like daily breakfast for two, room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and a property credit (usually around $100).

Eligible Card(s): It’s available to Chase Sapphire Reserve® and J.P. Morgan Reserve cardholders and is bookable through Chase Travel.

Renowned Hotels & Resorts, on the other hand, is specifically for certain United Club cardholders. It offers similar benefits to The Edit (daily breakfast, upgrades, and a $100 property credit) but is available at different properties, including some not found in The Edit collection.

Eligible Card(s): The New United Quest℠ Card, The New United Club℠ Card, and The New United Club℠ Business Card.

Booking tip: Log in to the Chase portal via your card account to see eligible properties and perks. The Edit bookings may earn loyalty points and elite night credits, which is always a plus!

American Express: Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) and Amex Hotel Collection

Amex’s Fine Hotels + Resorts are available to Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders, and FHR is arguably the gold standard.

You’ll get:

• Daily breakfast for two

• Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout

• Noon check-in when available

• Room upgrade upon arrival (when available)

• A unique amenity per property — often a $100 spa or dining credit

Booking tip: FHR bookings earn hotel loyalty points and elite night credit at most chains and are accessible through the American Express Travel® portal.

Eligible Card(s): The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the American Express Corporate Platinum Card^® , and the Centurion^® Card from American Express.

The Amex Hotel Collection is like the little sibling to FHR but still packs some solid perks. For example, you’re looking at:

• A $100 experience credit (often for dining or spa services)

• Room upgrade upon arrival (when available)

• Noon check-in and late checkout, when available

Booking tip: You’ll need to book a minimum two-night stay through the Amex Travel portal to unlock these benefits. And yes — these stays usually earn points and elite credit with the hotel’s loyalty program.

Eligible Card(s): The American Express® Gold Card, the American Express® Business Gold Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, and the Centurion^® Card from American Express.

Capital One: Premier Collection and Lifestyle Collection

Premier Collection is Capital One’s answer to FHR and Chase’s Edit. Available to Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business cardholders, it features:

• Daily breakfast for two

• $100 experience credit

• Room upgrades and early check-in/late checkout when available

Booking tip: You must book through Capital One Travel while logged into your account. These perks apply even when booking with Capital One miles.

Eligible Card(s): Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business

Capital One’s Lifestyle Collection is basically Capital One’s version of a luxury hotel program but with a little more flexibility.

You’ll get:

• A $50 experience credit (usually for dining or spa services)

• Room upgrade, early check-in, and late checkout (all when available)

• Daily breakfast for two

Booking tip: These stays have to be booked through Capital One’s travel booking site, and you’re looking at 10x miles on hotels with your Venture X or Venture X Business and 5x miles with Venture Card.

Eligible Card(s): Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture X Business, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and certain Spark Miles cards.

Visa: Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection

Certain Visa Infinite cardholders can access the Visa Infinite Luxury Hotel Collection, and the collection honestly comes with some pretty sweet benefits.

Perks include:

• Room upgrades when available

• Late checkout

• Complimentary breakfast

• $25 to $100 food and beverage credit

• VIP guest status

Booking tip: Not every Visa Infinite card automatically grants you access, and benefits may vary. Bookings are done through VisaLuxuryHotelCollection.com.

Eligible Card(s): Visa Infinite and Visa Infinite Privilege cards

Citi: Luxury Hotel & Resort Collection

Just log into the Citi Mobile® App or hop over to Citi Travel. Pick your destination, dates, and number of guests, then use the filters to narrow down your search. Keep an eye out for Hotel Collection spots — they’ll be labeled.

Perks typically include:

• Daily breakfast

• Early check-in/late checkout

• Room upgrade when available

• Property amenity (usually valued at $100)

Booking tip: Citi doesn’t promote this program heavily, but you can still (and should) make bookings.

Eligible Card(s): Citi Prestige® Card (although it’s no longer open to new applicants) and Citi Strata Premier® Card

Hotel-Specific Booking Programs

Alrighty, now that we’ve gotten the banks out of the way, let’s chat about some solid hotel programs offering some sweet perks of their own. You’ll usually need to book through an eligible travel advisor to take advantage of these programs.

Hyatt Privé

Hyatt Privé is an invite-only program accessible through approved travel advisors.

Booking through Privé gets you:

• Daily breakfast for two

• Early check-in/late checkout

• Room upgrades

• A $100 property credit

Booking tip: It works for top-tier Hyatt brands like Park Hyatt, Andaz, and Grand Hyatt. Booking Privé often offers better perks than even top-tier Hyatt Globalist status.

Eligible Card(s): You don’t need a specific credit card to book Hyatt Privé, but using the The World of Hyatt Credit Card can help you earn more points. But again, this program is invite-only.

Hilton for Luxury

For Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR Hotels, NoMad, and Signia Hotels and Resorts, the Hilton for Luxury program (via travel advisor) comes with:

• Daily breakfast

• $100 property credit

• Room upgrades

• Early check-in and late checkout when available

• Keep in mind, perks vary depending on hotel chain

Booking tip: This program stacks with Hilton Honors elite benefits and point-earning, making it even more valuable for all of you loyalists.

Eligible Card(s): This is another one of those “invitation-only” programs, and likely involves booking through an agent, but it doesn’t hurt to be locked into the Hilton Honors programs with cards like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card or the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

Accor STEP

STEP (Special Travel Experience Program) is Accor’s luxury booking program, available through select advisors. It includes brands like Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, and Banyan Tree.

Benefits include:

• Daily breakfast

• $50 to $100 property credit

• Priority upgrades and VIP amenities

Booking tip: You’ll still earn Accor points and elite credit when booking STEP rates.

Eligible Card(s): There are no specific cards that grant access to Accor STEP, and it’s all booked through agents.

Four Seasons Preferred Partner

This exclusive program is only accessible through authorized Four Seasons advisors and offers:

• Daily breakfast for two

• $100 property credit

• Room upgrade (confirmed early at some hotels)

• Early check-in and late checkout

Booking tip: Four Seasons doesn’t have a loyalty program, so this is one of the only ways to consistently get added perks.

Marriott STARS and Marriott Luminous

STARS covers ultra-luxury Marriott brands like Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and EDITION, while Luminous includes properties like Autograph Collection, JW Marriott, and W Hotels.

Booking through an eligible advisor gets you:

• Daily breakfast

• Property credit (often $100)

• Upgrades, early check-in, and late checkout

• Points and elite credit

Booking tip: These perks stack with Bonvoy elite status and can even beat them in value.

Eligible Card(s): The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is your fast track to STARS perks thanks to automatic Platinum status. Other cards like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card offer Gold status, which helps you earn toward it, but won’t get you there on their own.

All-Inclusive Booking Perks

Several hotel groups now include luxury perks even at all-inclusive resorts:

• Marriott All-Inclusive by Luminous: Properties like Royalton now fall under Marriott Luminous, which means you can get perks like room upgrades and resort credits even at all-inclusives.

• Hyatt All-Inclusive (Ziva, Zilara, Alua, and more): Booking through Hyatt or a Privé advisor can give you some extras at Hyatt’s growing all-inclusive portfolio.

• Alta Collection: Alta is a curated set of high-end all-inclusives that work with advisors for perks. While they are not linked to a major chain, these often come with upgrades and credits through platforms like Virtuoso.

Bottom Line

Elite hotel status might feel exclusive, but you don’t need to chase nights or spend thousands to unlock VIP perks. Daily Drop is here to the rescue (again) for making these seemingly unattainable perks… well… attainable.

With the right credit card or by booking through preferred programs and travel advisors, you can enjoy room upgrades, free breakfast, spa credits, and more — even if you’re a casual traveler.

Best of all? Sometimes these perks are even better than what elites get. So next time you’re booking a trip, skip the status FOMO and book like the baller you are.