For the major programs, no. Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, and IHG One Rewards all exclude bookings made through online travel agencies from elite night credit and from base point earning. The stay happens, you sleep there, and nothing posts to your account. There are narrow exceptions worth knowing. Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings generally do earn points and elite nights at participating chains. Hotels in The Edit by Chase Travel are eligible to earn. Capital One has begun labeling a small number of portal properties as earning hotel loyalty. Corporate travel agency bookings tied to a negotiated rate usually credit as well. Everything else, including OTA bookings, most card portal bookings, and opaque or prepaid third-party rates, generally does not count. If elite nights matter to you, the reliable move is to book direct. Gondola books direct and adds 3-7% back in Gondola Cash, which is the part a direct booking normally does not give you.
Gondola is a free hotel booking platform that books directly with all the major hotel chains and independents. Because the reservation is direct, stays booked through Gondola earn your hotel loyalty points, elite night credits, and elite benefits, plus your credit card points, and Gondola adds 3-7% back in Gondola Cash on top. AutoSave then monitors the rate after you book and rebooks eligible refundable reservations automatically when the price drops.
Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG all exclude most third-party bookings from elite night credit. Here is the exception list and how to keep every night counting.
For the major programs, no. Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, and IHG One Rewards all exclude bookings made through online travel agencies from elite night credit and from base point earning. The stay happens, you sleep there, and nothing posts to your account.
There are narrow exceptions worth knowing. Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings generally do earn points and elite nights at participating chains. Hotels in The Edit by Chase Travel are eligible to earn. Capital One has begun labeling a small number of portal properties as earning hotel loyalty. Corporate travel agency bookings tied to a negotiated rate usually credit as well.
Everything else, including OTA bookings, most card portal bookings, and opaque or prepaid third-party rates, generally does not count. If elite nights matter to you, the reliable move is to book direct. Gondola books direct and adds 3-7% back in Gondola Cash, which is the part a direct booking normally does not give you.
| What you get | Third-party bookings | Booking direct with Gondola |
|---|---|---|
| Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Priceline | No elite nights, no base points, elite benefits at the hotel's discretion | Not how Gondola books |
| Capital One Travel | Usually none. A limited set of properties now carry an earning label | Every night counts |
| Chase Travel | Usually none on a standard booking. The Edit properties are eligible to earn | Every night counts |
| Amex Travel | FHR and The Hotel Collection generally earn. General portal bookings usually do not | Every night counts |
| Rakuten and cash back portals | Depends on the merchant. Brand-site links earn, OTA links do not | Every night counts |
| Booking direct through Gondola | n/a | Elite nights, hotel points, elite benefits, card points, plus 3-7% Gondola Cash |
Swipe the table sideways to see both columns.
Points you can buy, transfer, earn on a card, or make up later. Elite nights you cannot. They are the one input into next year's status that only accrues by actually staying somewhere, and they reset on a calendar you do not control.
That asymmetry is what makes a third-party booking expensive in a way that is easy to underestimate. Losing 10,000 points on a stay is annoying. Losing the four nights that would have carried you to the next tier costs you a year of upgrades, breakfast, and late checkout.
Add your loyalty number at check-in anyway. Some properties will attach it and extend on-property elite benefits as a courtesy even when the stay will not post. You are unlikely to get the nights, but you may get the upgrade.
If the reservation is still cancellable and the direct rate is close, moving it is usually worth it. Run the direct rate against the third-party rate including what the nights and points are worth to you before you decide.
Gondola books direct with every major chain and independents, so your hotel points, elite night credits, and card points all post the way they should. Gondola Cash adds 3-7% back on top, and AutoSave rebooks you if the rate drops after you book. It is free.
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