Hotel Memberships – Is it really required?

Most of us plan our vacations with family or solo and this post is to highlight the different memberships I have seen with / experienced so far.

In this post, I will compare my experience with two major options available in India, Club Marriott and Club ITC both a part of Marriott Bonvoy yet offer different options.

Club ITC

We will start with the Club ITC membership and the salient features that it offers.

ITC hotels is an integral part of Marriott Bonvoy, yet, it offers Club ITC membership for it’s guests from India with options ranging from free nights to upgrades and discounts on restaurants across its properties in India.

Club ITC Membership

I have recently enrolled in Club ITC after ignoring it for this long since my travel journeys started in 2016 and being a fan of Marriott Bonvoy till date.

Club ITC offers two options:

• Club ITC membership which gets you points for your stay / room upgrades and different levels of membership which is free of cost and accumulates points basis your stay and spends
• Club ITC Culinaire Program which offers great deals through certificates for its members and comes with a cost associated with it

Cost of Club ITC Culinaire Program

Club ITC Culinaire membership is available at ₹12,000 + taxes which includes a primary and spouse membership. Membership benefits are not transferable and is valid for 12 calendar months.

You get green points for the amount that you spend on your stay and at restaurants of ITC hotels.

My Experiences with Club ITC

I did recently order from ITC through their newly updated app and was amazed with the support and care with which my order was delivered.

The call from the restaurant team and the chef the next day to check on the order and experience was a great way to care for guests!

Club Marriott

Coming to Club Marriott, this is unlike Club ITC hotel specific and doesn’t cover pan India stay option with the package.

You could purchase for a specific city / hotel of choice in your city / across India.

As I stay in Hyderabad, my natural choice was Westin Hotel in Hitech city.

Club Marriott Westin Membership

Club Marriott Westin offers two levels of membership.

Level 1 & Level 2 with varied benefits.

Level 1 offers discount benefits for its customers at Westin Hyderabad and other Westin / Marriott properties across participating hotels in India.

The cost is ₹11,800 inclusive of GST

Level 2 in addition to level 1 benefits offers room stay (2 certificates of 100% off and 2 certificates 50% off and 5 certificates with 30% discount) making it a good option to take.

The cost for a Level 2 package is ₹15,340 and has one year validity.

Final thoughts

I have stayed and dined multiple times at Westin properties in India and Bali and can say by far this is my favourite place to spend a vacation at.

Having dined at ITC Kakatiya and Kohenur in Hyderabad, I can say they offer some very good options too.

The fact that they are a part of the Marriott Bonvoy makes them offer almost similar experiences in dining though my favourite is Seasonal Tastes at Westin!

Depending on your budget, I would recommend choosing between one of the options and experience the hospitality firsthand.

Until my next post, this is Srikanth signing off, do share your experiences, suggestions/questions in comments below.