Sonesta Travel Pass hotel loyalty program: Advantages and disadvantages – The Points Guy

Before 2020, I was unfamiliar with Sonesta and its Travel Pass loyalty program. To be fair, Sonesta only operated 58 properties at the beginning of that year. However, following the acquisition of the Red Lion hotel group, the loyalty program has quickly expanded to encompass over 1,100 properties across eight countries.

If your travels are mainly concentrated in the countries where Sonesta operates — including the U.S., Canada, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Peru, and Sint Maarten — you might question whether Sonesta and its Travel Pass program are worth your attention.

I haven’t paid much attention to the Sonesta Travel Pass program until now. But, the 2023 revamp of the Sonesta Travel Pass along with the recent inclusion of Red Lion hotels prompted me to revisit the program. Here’s what I found out.

Achieving elite status with Sonesta is straightforward.

Sonesta Travel Pass offers four elite membership levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The criteria for achieving each membership level are as follows:

• Bronze: None
• Silver status: Requires 10 nights or 10,000 points annually.
• Gold: 20 nights or 20,000 points annually
• Platinum status: Achieved with either 40 nights or 40,000 points annually.

Nevertheless, achieving Gold status does not require staying 20 nights or accumulating 20,000 points. Primary cardholders of the Sonesta Credit Card from Bank of America automatically receive Gold status for as long as their account remains active.

The details about the Sonesta Credit Card have been independently gathered by The Points Guy. The information on this page has not been assessed or supplied by the card issuer.

Sonesta provides an opportunity for elite members of other hotel loyalty programs to match their status. To apply for a status match, sign up for Sonesta Travel Pass and get in touch with Travel Pass customer care with your Travel Pass Member ID and a copy of a current membership card or statement that displays your status in another hotel loyalty program.

Related: Evaluating the top hotel elite status levels and the methods to achieve them

Sonesta Travel Pass utilizes fixed rates for award nights.

Sonesta Travel Pass has established specific pricing for award nights at its various properties. Unlike before, when the program provided an award chart and listed which hotels fell into each tier, you now need to search for a stay and click on the property to view the cost of award nights and available room types.

The absence of a published award chart and the requirement to search for a stay to determine the award cost are significant drawbacks. Without a published award chart, Sonesta has the flexibility to alter award night pricing at any property whenever it chooses, without attracting the negative publicity that typically accompanies a switch to dynamic award pricing (as seen with Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One Rewards, and Hilton Honors) or annual category adjustments (as practiced by World of Hyatt).

Related: Optimize your hotel points by obtaining a complimentary fourth or fifth night on award stays

40,000 Sonesta points for a comprehensive resort package.

Sonesta operates two all-inclusive resorts next to each other in St. Maarten. However, I was only able to find award rates for one of them, the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa, online. The cost for each award night at this resort is 40,000 points.

This seaside resort is a popular spot for aviation enthusiasts due to its proximity to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) and its view of Maho Bay in Sint Maarten. The resort features 420 rooms, an oasis pool with a swim-up bar, a kids club, a water park, and a teen zone.

The other venue, the Sonesta Ocean Point Resort which caters exclusively to adults, used to be available for booking at 50,000 points per night. Unfortunately, this resort no longer shows up in the search results on Sonesta’s website.

Related: 26 top all-inclusive resorts worldwide, as recommended by frequent travelers

The benefits and amenities provided by Sonesta are not clearly specified.

As I was composing this article, I grew more and more frustrated by the insufficient information and vague benefits I found on Sonesta’s website.

As per the membership benefits chart, Silver, Gold, and Platinum members receive a welcome gift, early check-in, and late checkout. Nevertheless, after thoroughly reviewing the terms and conditions as well as the entire Sonesta website, I found no additional details regarding these benefits for different member tiers. Because these benefits are not clearly defined and might vary depending on the individual property, I find them to be of limited value.

Complimentary daily continental breakfast is a perk available to Gold and Platinum members at select hotels. However, it is not specified which hotels do not provide this benefit. The Sonesta Travel Pass terms and conditions only state the following regarding the breakfast benefit:

The complimentary continental breakfast benefit allows the member to obtain a voucher or credit for a free continental breakfast at select Sonesta outlets. The specifics of the complimentary breakfast benefit may differ depending on the brand.

This clause in the terms and conditions raises several inquiries. For instance, how many vouchers or how much credit are members granted? Is the voucher or credit exclusively for the member, or is it also given per guest staying with the member?

Typically, Sonesta ES Suites provides a complimentary breakfast to all guests. However, because some locations may not offer this amenity, the brand’s page indicates that there is no “guarantee of free breakfast at every Sonesta ES Suites,” and advises guests to “check with respective hotel for details.” As a guest, I would prefer that all Sonesta ES Suites properties include complimentary breakfast so I wouldn’t need to verify with each location individually.

Related: The reasons and methods for optimizing your hotel stays by leveraging multiple loyalty programs.

Bottom line

The Sonesta Travel Pass hotel loyalty program offers appealing features such as readily attainable hotel elite status and an all-inclusive resort available for 40,000 points per night. However, the vague benefits and the absence of an award chart make me hesitant to invest too much interest in the program.

While I don’t have immediate plans to stay at Sonesta, I will use a status match if I book a stay at one of their properties. When that happens, I’ll be curious to see what the on-site experience is like with Platinum status, including the amount of a breakfast voucher or credit I receive.