Rove just launched a new feature to earn points on top of your normal hotel loyalty benefits, which makes it great for those who want to double-dip.

Historically, you could either choose one or the other

In the airline industry, you typically get points and elite status qualification when you make a booking through a third party like Expedia. But that hasn’t been the case in the hotel industry in quite a long time. There are one-off times where you could benefit on your hotel booking from both the travel agency and the loyalty program (like we recently got with our Intercontinental Tahiti stay), but it’s certainly not a guarantee.

That would always present an interesting dilemma: do you remain loyal to a single hotel chain or do you just choose any hotel based on its combination of price, location, and quality? Hotels have evolved loyalty programs into offering elite benefits (to entice you to stay at that hotel and book directly) and offer member-only discounts. They’re trying to find that right balance between filling rooms and offering incentives to keep commissions down.

The main exception to this has been going through specific third-party travel agents (like American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts). However, that’s only been open to certain high-end hotels, bookable with credit cards with high annual fees.

Rove introduces an innovative way to earn

As of October 14, 2025, Rove launched a new program that’s intended to remove that decision point from the process: Loyalty Eligible Hotel Bookings.

If you asked any frequent traveler why they choose not to book with third parties for hotel stays, the answer is generally the same: Hotel chains incentivize direct bookings by restricting elite status benefits and hotel points to those who’ve used their platforms to book.

Or at least, that’s how it’s been—until now. Rove has already made waves by granting access to transferable rewards without the need for a credit card. But now we’re revolutionizing the hotel booking industry by offering an unprecedented feature: Starting today, Rove members can triple-dip their earnings by booking and earning miles through Rove, pocketing points through their preferred hotel program, and stacking their rewards with their preferred credit card.

That’s a neat offering, especially making it available to everyone without the need for a $550+ annual fee credit card.

How to double-dip with Rove

Note: I understand the press release from Rove states that there is a “triple-dip” possible, but the third dip is earning points with their credit card. That was always possible, so I’m going to continue calling this a double-dip. That said, it’s nice that they’re ensuring the hotel booking will classify as hotel.

First, you’ll want to sign into your Rove account. If you don’t have one, you could sign up through my link to earn an extra 500 miles just for signing up. Once there, click on “Hotels” along the top bar.

After entering details about your stay, you’ll find hotel options pop up. What we’re interested in is the filter along the lefthand side of your screen. That “Loyalty Eligible” tag? You’ll want that clicked to the on position.

Let’s say we’re looking for a stay in Dallas, Texas. Clicking the “Loyalty Eligible” flag, you’ll see a host of options appear.

If you want to search for a specific chain, that also becomes easy once you turn on the “Loyalty Eligible” flag.

Once you select your hotel, make sure you’re choosing the correct rate. Let’s assume we wanted to check out the Thompson Dallas. If you want to also earn Hyatt credit, click the “World of Hyatt Eligible” tab before selecting a room.

If you’re ever in doubt about choosing the right rate, it will be obvious on the final screen, where you’ll only be prompted for your hotel loyalty account detail if and only if you selected the eligible rate.

I took one for the team and did a dummy booking for a refundable rate at the Thompson Dallas. Even for a refundable booking, your credit card is charged up front for the entire amount for the stay. Sadly, there isn’t much detail on what the “fees” represent.

But the good news is that the stay appears in my Hyatt account instantly. In my experience, if it shows up there, it will generally mean I get Hyatt credit for the stay.

But is it worth it?

Normally, this “Loyalty Eligible” rate earns 5x, but hotel stays booked through October 31, 2025 will earn 10x instead.

In the example we’re walking through, I should note that I didn’t cherry pick results. I’m just simply choosing a random hotel in a major city on a random weekend in the future.

Let’s now go to the Hyatt website directly. What would it say for the same room and dates?

That $438/night rate translates to $1,022.09 total through the power of math, I suppose.

But, in this example alone, we’ll see that we’re overpaying for this hotel stay by $104.13 ($1,126.22 Rove price – $1,022.09 Hyatt price). In return, we’re getting 11,262 Rove miles (as we’re currently earning 10x). That means we’re paying 0.92 cents/Rove mile, which isn’t a bad deal. If this were the normal 5x deal, we would instead earn 5,631 Rove miles at a cost of 1.85 cents/mile. I’d likely pass in this case.

You’ll need to compare the hotel’s rate when booking directly against Rove’s rate to know how much of a deal it is. I imagine all deals will be different.

How are resort fees handled?

Let’s stick with that same Thompson Dallas example with Rove’s rates.

Interestingly, the Hyatt app does break out the taxes and fees. But I have a legitimate question for Hyatt Globalists. The amount that Rove charges up front is $1,126.22, which is the amount Hyatt shows in their breakout and includes the resort/destination fee with associated taxes. But Globalists get resort/destination fees waived on all stays.

Does Rove eventually reimburse you for the resort fees that aren’t collected on your stay? Do they just pocket it as profit? Normally, resort fees aren’t collected until after your stay, but this brings up an interesting question of what exactly will happen. We’re personally going to be hesitant to use Rove for Hyatt stays until proven otherwise.

What other alternatives are there?

If you’re looking to earn elite credit and points at hotels, the main option would be to book directly or via a program like American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts. Remember that if you book directly, you might also earn cash back on your stays by booking via a shopping portal.

But what if you’re not looking for elite credit with a hotel chain? Well, there are other options available to you:

• American Airlines awards Loyalty Points on hotels booked through their portal, which can help you earn AA elite status.
• Rocketmiles can offer a hefty airline points bonus for some loyalty programs, including Alaska, Amtrak, Turkish, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
• Agoda, an online travel agency, sometimes has a decent number of bonus points via Rakuten (like 10x points). While it matches what Rove offers, some might find more flexibility in Rakuten points that can convert to American Express Membership Rewards points.

In any event, it’s worth it to continue to shop around to make sure the price you’re getting is a good one.

Will you use Rove for your hotel bookings?

Suggested reading:

• Are Mattress Runs Worth Your Time and Money?
• Hyatt’s Brand Explorer: A Fun Way to Engage with Hotels
• Quick Hit: Overriding The Hotel Thermostat In Your Room