Hotel lifetime status: Marriott Bonvoy vs IHG One Rewards

What counts toward Marriott Bonvoy lifetime elite status?

Marriott Bonvoy measures progress with Elite Night Credits, which the rules describe as credits toward achieving the applicable requirements for Elite Status and for Lifetime Elite Status [2]. The requirements themselves sit in section 4.2 of the programme rules [2].

The credits are narrower than the name suggests. An Elite Night Credit is earned only on a night during a Qualifying Stay, which the rules define as a Qualifying Night, so a stay that does not qualify adds nothing to the lifetime total [2]. The same section ties Elite Night Credits to stays at participating properties and brands rather than to spend [2]. For how annual tiers are earned across programmes, see hotel status qualification.

Earning does not stop when the lifetime tier is reached. Elite bonus Points depend on the member's achieved Elite Status, and the rules apply that bonus to members who have met the requirements for Elite Status or Lifetime Elite Status [2].

Points held in Lifetime Elite Status accounts are not currently subject to expiration, although the rules say the programme may apply an expiration policy to those accounts in the future [2]. Other accounts must record Qualifying Activity at least once every 24 months to keep accumulated Points, Awards and other benefits, and gifting, transferring or receiving Points from another member does not count as Qualifying Activity [2].

Does IHG One Rewards publish a lifetime status tier?

IHG One Rewards publishes no lifetime status path: its membership terms create no tier that a member keeps without qualifying again [4]. Instead, qualification is measured inside a calendar year running from 1 January to 31 December, using Elite Qualifying Points or Elite Qualifying Nights [4].

Only one night per day counts as an Elite Qualifying Night, so two rooms booked for the same date add a single night to the total, and qualifying nights count in the calendar year in which the check-out date falls [4]. Reward Nights count as Qualifying Nights toward Elite qualification [4].

Status earned in a calendar year is maintained through the end of the following calendar year, and a member who starts a year with Elite status must reach the required Qualifying Points or Nights to maintain it [4]. Qualifying Nights above the number needed for Gold, Platinum or Diamond roll over into the next calendar year and count toward Elite status only, not toward Milestone Rewards [4].

Points follow the same annual logic. Club-level membership Points expire once an account has no earn or redeem transaction for twelve months or longer, while Elite Members' Points do not expire as long as Elite level membership is maintained [4]. The annual thresholds for other chains are gathered in status thresholds in the major programmes.

How do the two programmes compare side by side?

The two schemes answer different questions. Marriott Bonvoy sets out a lifetime tier and the credit that feeds it, while IHG One Rewards sets out annual qualification, a one-year carry-over of earned status and rollover nights instead [2] [4]. The general term is explained in the glossary entry for lifetime status.

Exceptions and limits

• Ownership. Marriott Bonvoy's rules state that Points, Awards, Elite Status, Lifetime Elite Status and Elite Night Credits are the sole property of the company and are not the property of members [2].
• Closing the account. A member who cancels a Marriott Bonvoy account gives up any achieved Elite Status or Lifetime Elite Status immediately, and neither may be reinstated or transferred [2]. Status forfeited on cancellation, on cancellation for cause or on deactivation for inactivity is not restored if the person reapplies [2].
• Programme change. Marriott Bonvoy may change, limit, suspend or cancel Lifetime Elite Status, its qualifying requirements and the rules for retaining it, with or without notice, even where a change affects the value of Points or the ability to obtain benefits [2]. The company may also forfeit Elite Status or Lifetime Elite Status with immediate effect in cases set out in the rules, including violation of the programme rules or fraud [2].
• Re-qualification at IHG. Holding Elite status into a new calendar year does not protect it for that year: the member must still reach the required Qualifying Points or Nights [4]. Club-level Points expire after twelve months without an earn or redeem transaction, and using the one night a year provided to IHG One Rewards credit card holders does not count as earn or redeem activity for this purpose [4].
• Which rules apply. Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules say the English version governs if it differs from a translation [2]. IHG's membership terms are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia in the United States, and members residing in China are directed to the Chinese translated version [4].
• Not covered. Lifetime recognition in airline programmes, and lifetime tiers in hotel programmes other than these two, are outside this comparison [2] [4].

Frequently asked questions

Does IHG One Rewards have a lifetime Diamond Elite tier?

IHG One Rewards publishes no lifetime tier of any kind. Diamond Elite requires 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points or 70 Elite Qualifying Nights in a calendar year, and status earned in that year runs to the end of the following calendar year [4].

What earns credit toward Marriott Bonvoy lifetime status?

Elite Night Credits, which are awarded only for a Qualifying Night during a Qualifying Stay and count toward the requirements for Elite Status and Lifetime Elite Status [2].

Do Marriott Bonvoy points expire in a lifetime account?

The rules state that Points in Lifetime Elite Status accounts are not currently subject to expiration, while noting that an expiration policy could be applied to those accounts in the future [2].

Can hotel lifetime status be taken away?

At Marriott Bonvoy it can: a member who cancels the account forfeits any achieved Lifetime Elite Status immediately, and the programme may change or cancel lifetime status and its requirements with or without notice [2].

How long does IHG One Rewards Elite status last?

Status earned in a calendar year is maintained through the end of the following calendar year, and the member must reach the required Elite Qualifying Points or Nights to maintain it in the year after that [4].

Related pages

How hotel elite status qualification works · Status thresholds in the major programmes · Lifetime status · Frequent flyer glossary

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. The programmes covered are Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards; other hotel programmes, including Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, Accor ALL and Wyndham Rewards, are not covered here.

1. Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
2. IHG One Rewards membership terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026