Get free breakfast, room upgrades and more with the best hotel credit cards

If you're loyal to a specific hotel chain, such as Hilton or Marriott, a co-branded credit card that offers increased rewards and benefits can be an easy way to make your stay both more affordable and more luxurious.

Using a hotel-specific card can earn you increased rewards, free stays and complimentary room upgrades at a wide range of properties. In addition, many hotel cards offer annual statement credits on resort purchases, free lounge access, complimentary elite status and travel protections.

However, if you're not loyal to a specific hotel chain, these cards can be pretty limiting. If you stay at hotels that aren't a part of the brand's portfolio, you typically only earn 1 point per dollar spent and miss out on unique hotel discounts.

Even if you favor one hotel chain versus another, a general travel credit card may be a better choice than a hotel-specific card. With a travel card, you can earn the same amount of rewards on all hotel purchases, regardless of whether you stay at a big chain like Hyatt or a small boutique hotel, and you can also benefit from general travel discounts, such as annual travel credits, travel insurance and no foreign transaction fees.

The value of hotel rewards points also varies a lot, depending on the program and how you redeem them. As a result, for co-branded hotel cards, we only calculated the estimated number of points you can earn after one and five years. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best cards.)

With all of that in mind, here are CNBC Select's picks for the top hotel rewards credit cards.

• Best for no annual fee: Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)
• Best overall for Hilton: Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
• Best low-cost card for Hilton: Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
• Best Hilton card for business owners: Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
• Best for frequent Marriott guests: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
• Best low-cost card for Marriott: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
• Best Marriott card for business owners: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• Best overall for Hyatt: The World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Best Hyatt card for business owners: World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
• Best for IHG: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Best for luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Best for earning flexible travel rewards: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees)

Who's this for: If you want to earn a competitive rewards rate on hotel purchases without paying an annual fee, consider the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card. Cardholders earn 5X miles on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel.

All other purchases earn 1.25X miles per dollar spent, which is lower than some other cards on this list, but a good value considering the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee. Miles can conveniently be redeemed to book new travel through Capital One Travel, redeem recent travel purchases or transferred to various travel partners, including several hotel programs like Accor Live Limitless, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.

In addition to rewards, this card comes with many of the same travel benefits offered on the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (see rates and fees), one of our top travel rewards credit cards, but without the annual fee. That includes 24-hour travel assistance services, auto rental collision damage waiver and no foreign transaction fees. Plus, you can benefit from 0% Intro APR for 15 months on new purchases, which is hard to find among travel cards. After the intro period ends, a 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR applies. There is a 3% fee on the amounts transferred within the first 15 months. (See rates and fees). *Terms, conditions and exclusions apply. Refer to your Guide to Benefits for more details.

Check out Select's Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card review for more details.

Who's this for? The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card offers an extensive suite of perks for loyal Hilton guests, whether you stay at the Waldorf Astoria or Homewood Suites or any other property in Hilton's portfolio.

Each year, cardholders receive up to $500 in statement credits — $250 at Hilton resorts and $250 for airline fees. On top of that, you get a $100 property credit when you stay a minimum of two nights at Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts or Conrad® Hotels & Resorts. This adds up to fantastic savings and more than pays for the *$450 annual fee.

Cardholders can take advantage of other luxury benefits, including a complimentary free night reward each calendar year and the ability to earn a second reward night when you spend $60,000 in a calendar year. Cardholders also get automatic Hilton Honors Diamond status, which is the chain's highest level of elite status and provides executive lounge access, food and beverage credits, a guaranteed room when making a reservation at least 48 hours prior to arrival and more.

Frequent fliers will also appreciate that the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card comes with a Priority Pass™ Select membership (valued at $429), giving you access to more than 1,300 airport lounges worldwide. There are also no foreign transaction fees*, an essential feature for travelers.

This card offers the highest rewards rate when compared to the other two Hilton Amex cards: Cardholders earn 14X points per $1 spent at Hilton; 7X points per $1 spent on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, on car rentals booked directly from select car rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants; and 3X points per $1 for all other purchases.

Based on the average American's spending budget, you could earn 90,088 points a year with this card (not including the welcome bonus offer), which can be redeemed for future hotel stays.

* See rates and fees, Terms apply.

Who's this for? If you're a more occasional Hilton guest and don't want to pay a high annual fee, then the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card may be for you.

It has a modest $95 annual fee (see rates and fees) and, in turn, you'll receive complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status, granting you upgrades to preferred rooms, free breakfast or daily food and beverage credit, as well as the chance to earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond status through the end of the following year by spending $40,000 in a calendar year. You'll also receive 10 airport lounge visits each year through Priority Pass, enjoy no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees) and can earn a free night reward certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year.

Cardholders can also earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio, 6X points on dining at restaurants in the U.S. (as well as delivery and takeout), 6X points on gas and groceries purchased from U.S. gas stations and U.S. supermarkets, and 3X points for all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

Who's this for? The Hilton Honors Business Card is similar to the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card except it offers bonus points on more common business expenses. It also offers a welcome bonus of 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card within the first three months of Card Membership.

The card has a $95 annual fee (see rates and fees), but that can be considered a tax write-off for your business. Once approved, you'll enjoy benefits like complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold status, the chance to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status by spending $40,000 in a calendar year, 10 airport lounge visits each year through Priority Pass, a free night reward certificate after spending $15,000 in a calendar year and more.

By spending with the card, you can also earn 12X points for eligible purchases made directly with Hilton portfolio hotels and resorts; 6X points on shipping, wireless phone services, and gas station purchases made within the U.S.; 6X points on dining at U.S. restaurants, car rentals booked via certain partner companies and flights booked directly through the airlines or via Amex Travel; and 3X points for all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

Who's this for? If you want a card that offers premium travel perks at Marriott properties and competitive rewards, you should consider the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. The card comes with a steep *$650 annual fee, but the benefits help offset that cost.

Every year, cardholders receive up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide.

Cardholders also receive one complimentary night award every year after their card renewal month — no spending required. The complimentary night award can be redeemed for hotels worth up to 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. And to top it off, cardholders get automatic Platinum Elite status, granting perks like free breakfast at some brands and upgrades to suites, while those chasing a higher tier of status get 25 Elite Night Credits each year.

Frequent fliers can take advantage of an application fee credit of up to $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®, as well as Priority Pass™ Select membership (valued at $429), which gives members access to more than 1,000 lounges worldwide. There are also *no foreign transaction fees.

The rewards rate is higher when compared to the other Marriott Bonvoy cards: Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar spent on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels, 3X points per $1 spent at U.S. restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points per $1 spent on all other eligible purchases. Terms apply.

Lastly, there is a generous welcome offer where you can earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.

Based on the average American's spending budget, you could earn 50,955 points a year with this card (not including the welcome bonus offer), which can be redeemed for future hotel stays.

*See rates and fees, terms apply.

Who's this for? The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is ideal for occasional Marriott guests who do not want to commit to a high annual fee. It costs $95 per year and offers a generous welcome bonus of 75,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 6 months from your account opening. Plus 50,000 Bonus Points after you stay 6 eligible paid nights at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy^® through 1/31/24.

This card stands out for offering a Free Night Award each year after your account anniversary, which you can use to redeem a one-night stay of up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. You'll also have complimentary Marriott Silver Elite status and the opportunity to earn Gold Elite status after spending $35,000 each year, as well as 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of elite status per year, with the ability to earn one additional Elite Night Credit for every $5,000 you spend with the card.

Other benefits include no foreign transaction fees, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, trip delay reimbursement and purchase protection when you pay for travel and other large purchases with the card.

Cardholders earn 6X points per dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties, 3X points for the first $6,000 you spend at grocery stores, gas stations and on dining each year and 2X points for all other purchases.

Who's this for? Business owners who frequently book stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties should consider the Marriott Bonvoy Business® Credit Card.

For a $125 annual fee (see rates and fees), you'll get a 7% discount on standard Marriott guest room reservations and automatic Gold elite status, as well as 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of status. You'll also receive one Free Night Award worth up to 35,000 points each year after your card anniversary, with the opportunity to earn another Free Night Award after you spend $60,000 in a calendar year. Terms and Conditions Apply.

With this card, your business can earn 6X points per dollar spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties, 4X points at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, U.S. purchases for shipping, and wireless phone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and 2X points on all other purchases.

Who's this for? If you frequent Hyatt hotels, such as the Grand Hyatt, Hyatt House or Andaz, and want to benefit from enhanced loyalty membership, you might want to consider The World of Hyatt Credit Card. For a $95 annual fee, you can receive World of Hyatt Discoverist status and other perks.

With Discoverist status, you can take advantage of early check-in, 2 p.m. check-out, a preferred room based on availability and more. You'll also receive five elite night credits toward the next status tier automatically each year, with the ability to earn another two elite nights for every $5,000 you spend on the card in a calendar year.

Cardholders can also benefit from up to two free-night awards per year. One free-night award is given annually on your account anniversary, and the other award is earned after spending $15,000 during a year — which is lower than some other hotel cards on this list that require $60,000 to $75,000 in spending.

This card also offers a range of travel protections, including baggage delay insurance and lost luggage reimbursement.

The rewards rate is good, with bonus rewards on Hyatt purchases and select other categories: Earn up to 9X points total for Hyatt stays (4X bonus points per $1 spent with Hyatt and 5X base points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member); 2X bonus points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting (taxis, mass transit, tolls and ride-share services) and gym memberships; and 1X bonus point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Based on the average American's spending budget, you could earn 31,312 points a year with this card (not including the welcome bonus), which can be redeemed for future hotel stays.

Who's this for? The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is ideal small business owners who are Hyatt enthusiasts and may have shifting priorities throughout the year.

This card offers a unique "adaptive accelerator" that rewards you for whatever you're spending on most. You'll earn 2X points per dollar spent in your top three spend categories each quarter (through 12/31/24; then your top two categories each quarter), 4X points at Hyatt properties, 2X points for fitness club and gym memberships and 1X point on all other purchases. Eligible bonus spend categories include dining, airline tickets purchased directly with the airline, car rental agencies, local transit and commuting, gas stations, internet, cable and phone services, social media and search engine advertising and shipping.

Other useful perks include automatic World of Hyatt Discoverist status, the opportunity to earn five elite night credits for every $10,000 you spend on the card, a 10% rebate when redeeming points (up to 20,000 points back per year) and the ability to gift Discoverist status to five people, even if they're not authorized users on the card.

The card has a $199 annual fee, but that's partially offset by the up to $100 annual Hyatt Credit. Simply spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property on the card and earn $50 in statement credits, up to two times, each anniversary year.

Who's this for? Loyal guests of InterContinental Hotels Group hotels may want to check out the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. For a $99 annual fee, you can benefit from a large welcome bonus,multiple free night awards and IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status.

IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status provides complimentary room upgrades upon availability, late checkout, a welcome amenity at check-in, among other perks.

Every account anniversary year, you receive a free night award that can be redeemed at IHG hotels with a current point redemption level of 40,000 points or less. Hotels in the IHG brand include Kimpton, Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites. When you redeem points for stays of three nights or more, zero points will be deducted from your account for the fourth night.

Frequent flyer or not, you'll also enjoy up to $50 worth of United TravelBank Cash each year and a statement credit of up to $100 every four years to put toward Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS membership.

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card offers a high hotel rewards rate of up to 26X points total per dollar at IHG® hotels: Earn 10X points per $1 spent at IHG® as a cardholder, plus 10X base points as an IHG® Rewards Club member and 6X points with Platinum Elite Status (a benefit of this card). Plus earn 5X points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants and 3X point per $1 spent on all other purchases.

Based on the average American's spending budget, you could earn 48,089 points a year with this card (not accounting for the welcome bonus or annual fee), which can be redeemed for future hotel stays.

Who's this for? If you enjoy staying at luxury hotels and want to get the VIP treatment, look no further than The Platinum Card® from American Express. It offers automatic gold elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors programs and other elite-like benefits through the Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection programs. Perks of these programs may include room upgrades, late check-out, early check-in, complimentary breakfast and property credits.

The rewards rates are also impressive: Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotel stays through American Express Travel. You'll also earn 5X points per dollar for flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (up to $500,000 per calendar year) and 1X point on everything else. Since this card is not tied to a particular hotel chain, you have a flexibility in how you redeem your rewards. Terms apply.

These luxury benefits come at a price as the annual fee on this card is $695 annual fee (see rates and fees). However, there are a number of other perks as well, such as an up to $200 annual hotel credit (Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay), up to $200 annual airline fee credit, up to $100 annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, up to $240 annual digital entertainment credit, worldwide airport lounge access, cell phone protection, various travel and purchase protections* and more.

Who's this for? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is another excellent choice for someone who wants to earn valuable rewards and benefits when traveling without being brand loyal.

It offers some of the most competitive returns for hotel and other common travel expenses: Earn 10X miles per dollar on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles per dollar spent on flights through the portal. Plus, you'll earn 2X points on all other purchases.

When it comes time to redeem your rewards, you can either use your miles toward booking new travel through Capital One Travel, redeem recent travel purchases or transferring them to various travel partners, such as Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM, Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards.

Similar to the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program, Capital One will also soon launch the Premier Collection, which will offer Venture X cardholders premium perks at participating properties like a $100 experience credit, daily breakfast for 2 and complimentary WiFi on every booking, plus other premium benefits like room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout when available.

With a $395 annual fee (see rates and fees), this is one of the less expensive premium credit cards available and there are lots of benefits that make up for it, including a $300 Capital One Travel credit to use toward purchases made through Capital One Travel, airport lounge access, cell phone protection and 10,000 bonus miles on your account anniversary (worth at least $100 toward travel).

Paying for your hotel stay with the right credit card can make a big difference. Not only can you maximize the rewards you earn, but you may be able to score additional perks like automatic elite status, free breakfast, room upgrades and more. These hotel perks usually come with an annual fee, but they can be worthwhile for frequent travelers.

Most of the travel cards on this list require good or excellent credit (scores above 670), so it's a good idea to check your credit score using a credit monitoring service such as Chase Credit Journey or CreditWise before applying.

To determine which cards will put the most money back in your pocket, Select evaluated popular rewards credit cards offered by major banks, financial companies and credit unions that allow anyone to join and offer bonus rewards on hotel-related purchases. We compared each card on a range of features, including travel rewards (points and miles), annual fee, welcome bonus, introductory and standard APR, one-time perks, annual perks, redemption rates, as well as factors such as required credit and customer reviews when available.

Select teamed up with location intelligence firm Esri. The company's data development team provided the most up-to-date and comprehensive consumer spending data based on the 2019 Consumer Expenditure Surveys from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can read more about their methodology here.

Esri's data team created a sample annual budget of approximately $22,126 in retail spending. The budget includes six main categories: groceries ($5,174), gas ($2,218), dining out ($3,675), travel ($2,244), utilities ($4,862) and general purchases ($3,953). General purchases include items such as housekeeping supplies, clothing, personal care products, prescription drugs and vitamins, and other vehicle expenses. Select used this budget to compare cards that reward specific purchases and estimate how many rewards the average consumer might earn.

We then estimated how many points the average consumer could earn over the course of a year, two years and five years, assuming they would attempt to maximize their rewards potential by earning all welcome bonuses offered and using the card for all applicable purchases.

It's important to note the value of a point or mile varies from card to card and based on how you redeem them, and this is especially true for co-branded hotel rewards cards.

Our final picks are weighted heavily toward the highest five-year returns, since it's generally wise to hold onto a credit card for years. This method also avoids giving an unfair advantage to cards with large welcome bonuses.

While the five-year estimates we've included are derived from a budget similar to the average American's spending, you may earn a higher or lower return depending on your travel habits.

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For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, click here.

For rates and fees for the Hilton Honor Surpass Card, click here.

For rates and fees for Hilton Honors Amex Business Card, click here.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.

*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions and Limitations Apply.  Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.  Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.