Published: 21 August 2026
How to Earn Avios on Hotel Stays
Hotel stays are one of many ways to grow your Avios balance, with tens of thousands of hotels around the world offering opportunities to collect Avios, which can be used to redeem for reward flights on airlines such as British Airways..
However, earning the most Avios isn’t always as simple as adding your British Airways Club number to a booking. Depending on the hotel group, you might earn more by collecting hotel points and converting them later, or choosing Avios instead of hotel points, or even crediting the stay to Iberia, Finnair or Qatar rather than BA.
In this guide we compare the major hotel programmes and show you the best strategy for maximising the Avios earned from your stays.
Avios earning at a glance
| Hotel group | Best Avios strategy | Approx. earning |
|---|---|---|
| Accor | Earn Qatar Avios + convert ALL points to Iberia | ~3 Avios/£ |
| Choice | Earn Choice points, then convert | ~1.5 Avios/£ |
| Hyatt | 500 Qatar Avios/stay if spending under $250 | Varies |
| Hilton | Earn Honors points, then convert | ~0.75 Avios/£ |
| IHG | Select Avios instead of IHG points | ~1.5 Avios/£ |
| Marriott | Earn Bonvoy points, then convert | ~2.5 Avios/£ |
| Meliá | Earn MeliáRewards points, then convert | ~2.6 Avios/£ |
How Can I Earn Avios on a Hotel Stay?
In order to earn Avios for your stay, some hotels require you to join their own loyalty programme. When you have collected enough points you can usually use them for an overnight stay or alternatively, convert them into airline miles. This article is focused on optimising Avios earning so it is always important to check whether you would be better off using your hotel points for a room instead.
Other hotels allow you to earn Avios instead of participating in their loyalty scheme. This is clearly very attractive if you are an infrequent guest but of course you will not be earning points towards a free night. Â
The general consensus is that converting points to airline miles is not usually as good a use of your hotel points compared to using them for hotel stays. However, it does avoid having points balances in multiple hotel schemes that you may never use.
Maximise your Avios Earning by crediting to the right Airline scheme
It is important to note that the airlines that use Avios as their loyalty currency sometimes have different relationships with individual hotel groups. This means you may only be able to earn points by crediting your stay to one specific airline or alternatively earn a higher rate by choosing to credit one Avios issuing airline over another.Â
Our recommendation is that serious Avios collectors should have accounts with BA, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar to maximise their Avios earning opportunities from hotels and other areas of spend. The article below clearly indicates which airline to credit your stay in order to get the most Avios.
Look out for opportunities to double-dip (and even triple-dip)
Some hotel groups, such as Accor, enable you to earn Avios directly plus also collect hotel loyalty points (which you can later convert to Avios) which enable you to double-dip your earnings. If you have a credit card that earns Avios or Amex Membership Rewards, you can also get points for that as well (and triple-dip).
Other Important points
- If you book a hotel via an online travel agent (OTA), you will not qualify for earning loyalty points for your room stay. You will need to book it directly with the hotel or use a corporate travel agent.Â
- If you want to credit your stay to the airline rather than the hotel’s own loyalty scheme, make sure your preference is set in your loyalty membership profile. You can normally do this yourself on the hotel company’s website or alternatively at the front desk when checking in. Do not wait to do this until check-out as you will likely encounter problems.
- Spend based earning is typically based on the cost of the room excluding sales tax or VAT
Which Hotel Programme is Best for Earning Avios?
Accor is the standout option for pure Avios earning, particularly because of the opportunity to double-dip. By linking ALL with Qatar Airways Privilege Club, you can earn Qatar Avios alongside your normal ALL points and subsequently convert those hotel points into Iberia Avios.
Marriott and Meliá also offer attractive conversion rates, while IHG makes things particularly simple by allowing members to choose Avios instead of hotel points.
Hilton is considerably less attractive if your sole objective is earning Avios. The conversion rate of 10,000 Hilton Honors points to 1,000 Avios means you may be sacrificing considerable value compared with using those points towards hotel stays.
Accor – Accor Live Limitless (ALL)
- Key Brands: Ibis, Novotel, Pullman, Raffles
- Approx locations: 5,800 (worldwide), 250 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 25 ALL Rewards points per €10 (lower rates for Ibis & some other brands)
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 4,000 Reward points > 2,000 Avios = 0.5 Avios per point (BA)
- 2,000 Reward points > 1,300 Avios = 0.65 Avios per point (Finnair)
- 3,000 Reward points > 3,000 Avios = 1 Avios per point (Iberia)
- 2,000 Reward points > 1,500 Avios = 0.75 Avios per point (Qatar)
Earn Avios directly:
- 1 Avios per € spent in Accor Hotels, in addition to usual reward points (Qatar)
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- Link your Accor and Qatar accounts to get 1 Avios per € for the stay and then convert your ALL Reward points to Iberia to get 2.5 Avios per € (minimum transfer of 3,000 points) to get 3.5 Avios per € (approx 3 Avios per £) overall
Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges
- Key Brands: Ascend, Clarion, Comfort, Econo Lodge, Quality (all worldwide excluding Nordics & Baltics) plus Radisson, Park Plaza & Park Inn (in the Americas only)
- Approx locations: 7,500 (worldwide), 150 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 10 Choice Privileges points per $
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 5,000 Choice Privileges points > 1,000 Avios = 0.2 Avios per point (BA, Iberia)
Earn Avios directly:
- No option
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- Convert Choice Privileges points to Avios and effectively get 2 Avios per $ (around 1.5 Avios per £), note minimum transfer of 5,000 points
Hilton – Hilton Honors
- Key Brands: Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Hampton
- Approx locations: 9,200 (worldwide), 200 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 10 Hilton Honors points per $Â
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 10,000 Reward points > 1,000 Avios = 0.1 Avios per point (BA or Qatar)
Earn Avios directly:
- No option
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- Only option is to convert Hilton Honors to Avios to effectively get 1 Avios per $ (approx 0.75 Avios per £) overall
Hyatt – World of Hyatt
- Key Brands: Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt
- Approx locations: 1,450 (worldwide), 20 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 5 World of Hyatt points per $ (2.5 points per $ at Hyatt Studios)
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 5,000 World of Hyatt points > 2,000 Avios = 0.4 Avios per point (BA, Qatar)
Earn Avios directly:
- Opt out of World of Hyatt points and earn 500 Avios per stay (Qatar)
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- If you are spending under $250, the best strategy here is to take the 500 Avios per stay and credit them to Qatar. Over $250 and you are better taking the World of Hyatt points and converting them – however you do need to convert a minimum of 5,000 Hyatt Points (so $1,000 spend) which, given their small UK footprint, might be challenging for some collectors.
IHGÂ – IHG One Rewards
- Key Brands: Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, InterContinental, Crowne Plaza
- Approx locations: 7,000 (worldwide), 350-400 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 10 IHG One Rewardspoints per $ (5 per $ at Staybridge Suites & Candlewood Suites)
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 10,000 IHG One Rewards points > 2,000 Avios = 0.2 Avios per point (BA, Iberia, Qatar)
Earn Avios directly:
- Opt out of IHG One Reward points and earn 2 Avios per $ spent in all IHG Hotels (1 Avios per $ at Candlewood Suites & Staybridge Suites) (BA, Finnair, Iberia, Qatar)
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- If you have little interest in collection IHG One points, your best option is to set your account earning preference to miles and earn 2 Avios per $ (approx 1.5 Avios per £) overall
Marriott International – Marriott Bonvoy
- Key Brands: Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Courtyard
- Approx locations: 10,000 (worldwide), 160 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 10 Marriott Bonvoy points per $ (lower rates on some other brands)
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 3 Marriott Bonvoy points > 1 Avios = 0.33 Avios per point (BA, Iberia, Qatar, Vueling)
Earn Avios directly:
- Opt out of Marriott Bonvoy points and earn 2 Avios per $ at most brands (although 1 Avios per $ at Moxy, citizenM & others) (BA, Iberia, Qatar, Vueling)
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- The best strategy here is to earn 10 Marriott Bonvoy points per $ and converting them to Avios at 3:1. This effectively gives 3.33 Avios per $ (approx 2.5 Avios per £ overall) and the minimum transfer is only 3 points.
Meliá Hotels – MeliáRewards
- Key Brands: Meliá, INNSiDE
- Approx locations: 400 (mainly Nordics), 8 (UK)
- Entry level earnings rate: 10 MeliáRewards points per €
Convert points to Avios (minimum points conversion):
- 100 MeliáRewards points > 30 Avios = 0.3 Avios per point (BA, Iberia)
Earn Avios directly:
- No option
Strategy to maximise Avios earning
- Convert MeliáRewards points to Avios with Iberia and effectively get 3 Avios per € (around 2.6 Avios per £)
Others
Smaller Hotel Groups
- Holiday Club Resorts, 7 spa hotels in FInland – 350 Avios per night (Finnair)
- Minor Hotels (Europe & America only, includes Anantara, NH, Tivoli, Avani) – 200-450 Avios per night depending on brand (Iberia)
- Paradores Hotels, mainly Spain – 500 Avios per night (Iberia)
- Rotana Hotels, Finland – 500 Avios per stay in Rotana Hotels, 250 Avios per stay in Rotana Suites & Resorts (Qatar)
- Scandic, 320 hotels mainly in the Nordics – 350 Avios per stay (Finnair)
- Strawberry, 250 Hotels in the Nordics (Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Nordic Choice & others) – 333-667 Avios per stay, depending on the brand (Finnair)
- Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts – 600 Avios per night (Finnair), 500 Avios per night (Qatar). Shangri-La Circle points can also be converted to Avios, 1:1 rate, minimum 1,000 points (Qatar)
- Sokoa Hotels (Finland only) – 350 Avios per night (Finnair)
Individual Hotels
- Design Hotel Levi, Lapland – 350 Avios per night (Finnair)
- Naantali Spa Hotel, Naantali – 350 Avios per night (Finnair)
- Ruissalo Spa Hotel, Turku – 350 Avios per night (Finnair)
- Vuokatti Sport Resort Hotel, Vuokatti – 1 Avios per € (Finnair)
- Hotel RukaVillage30, Ruka Ski Resort – 350 Avios for 1-3 days, 700 Avios for 4-5 days, 1,000 Avios for 6+ days (Finnair)
- Hotel Pyhätunturi, Pyhätunturi – 350 Avios for 1-3 days, 700 Avios for 4-5 days, 1,000 Avios for 6+ days (Finnair)
- Bürgenstock Resort, Lake Lucerne, 2 Avios per CHF (Qatar)
- Dusit Doha Hotel, Doha – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
- Dusit Hotel & Suites, Doha – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
- Shaza Doha Hotel, Doha – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
- Steigenberger Hotel, Doha – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
- The Adria, London – 2 Avios per £ (Qatar)
- The Bentley Luxury Hotel & Suites, Doha – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
- Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, Al Ruwais – 1 Avios per 4 QAR (Qatar)
Hotel Booking sites (note you will not earn hotel issued points/Avios on these bookings)
- Avios Hotels – earn 10 avios per £ (BA), 10 Avios per € (Iberia, Aer Lingus) must book at avios.com
- Booking.com – earn 5 avios per $3 (Qatar – must book via this page)Â Â
- Rocketmiles – earn 500-7,500 Avios (or more) per night (Qatar – must book via this page)Â
Short-term Rentals
- AirBnB- earn 2 Avios per £/$/€ (BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus) – must book via this page)Â
- Interhome – 2 Avios per € (Finnair)
An Alternative: Hotel.com Rewards
Instead of earning Avios on your hotel stays, Hotels.com have an interesting scheme. When you complete 10 nights with them, you get £100 back as credit to use against future stays. This can be an interesting option if you are staying at a hotel that does not offer Avios or you don’t want to join another hotel programme just for one stay.
There are a few simple rules that you should understand so read our article for more details or visit hotels.com here.
Our Take
There is no single best hotel programme for every Avios collector, but Accor offers one of the most interesting opportunities, particularly because you can earn Avios directly while simultaneously collecting ALL points which can later be converted into even more Avios.
Marriott and Melia also offer attractive conversion rates, while collecting Avios directly can make sense with IHG and Hyatt if you have little interest in building up balances in their own loyalty programmes.
However, do not automatically convert hotel points into Avios. Hotel points can often be worth considerably more when redeemed for hotel stays, particularly with programmes such as Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt.  Â
The biggest lesson is to look beyond British Airways. As other airline schemes use the same Avios currency, having accounts with BA, Iberia, Finnair and Qatar Airways can open up additional earning opportunities – and you can subsequently move those Avios between programmes.
Finally, remember to consider the credit card you use to pay for your stay. Combining hotel points, airline Avios and points from your payment card can turn a single hotel booking into a very effective double or even triple-dip.
