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6 Resort Chains That Just Aren't Worth The Money Anymore

Why your favorite resort chains may no longer be worth the price.

By Amanda Teague , Edited by Sara Albertelli

Updated July 7, 2026

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Hotel room rates have climbed steadily since 2020, and the brands that once justified their premium prices with reliable service and generous loyalty perks have been quietly walking both of those things back.

Housekeeping cuts, hidden resort fees, points devaluations that happen overnight with no warning, and timeshare contracts that deliver far less than what was promised on the sales floor have all become increasingly common. For anyone trying to save money on travel, especially on a fixed or retirement income, staying loyal to a familiar name out of habit could be costing you more than you realize.

The chains below aren't bad in every instance, but they share a common pattern. Prices have gone up while the experience has quietly gone down.

Marriott (Bonvoy Properties)

There was a time when accumulating Marriott Bonvoy points felt like a genuine investment. The 2018 merger with Starwood created one of the most expansive loyalty ecosystems in travel, and savvy members could reliably cash in years of points for aspirational free nights at Westin, Sheraton, or even Ritz-Carlton properties.

That math no longer works as well as it used to. The average Bonvoy redemption dropped to well under a cent per point by 2025, and award costs at premium properties have spiked sharply with no advance notice to members.

On top of that, longtime elite members have seen perks like complimentary breakfast and room upgrades become increasingly unreliable. You're paying more, getting less, and your points are worth less than they were five years ago.

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Hilton Honors Properties

Hilton's loyalty program used to be one of the genuinely good ones. Diamond and Gold members had real perks, resort fees were sometimes waived on points stays, and the footprint was wide enough that you could almost always find a property worth redeeming at.

Since late 2024, though, Hilton has pushed through three separate award devaluations in under 12 months, with top-tier properties jumping from a cap of around 95,000 points per night to as high as 250,000. That's not a gradual erosion; it's a gut punch for anyone who spent years building up a balance.

Meanwhile, daily housekeeping has been eliminated as a standard at most Hilton brands, and a class action lawsuit over hidden resort fees is still working its way through the courts. The brand still has a massive footprint, but the value proposition for loyal customers has taken a serious hit.

Sandals Resorts

Sandals built its reputation on one core promise: pay a premium upfront, and everything is genuinely taken care of. The staff-to-guest ratio, the attentive poolside service, and the quality of dining across multiple restaurants per resort were what separated it from the sea of budget Caribbean all-inclusives. But repeat guests have been noticing a slide.

Recent reviews describe cut-back food quality, the elimination of poolside drink service (guests now have to get up and order at the bar themselves), and rooms not being ready for hours after check-in at multiple properties.

For a brand charging what Sandals charges, "decent" is not a sufficient outcome. Newer all-inclusive options from competing brands in the same Caribbean destinations are closing the gap fast, often at meaningfully lower nightly rates.

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Disney Resort Hotels

Few brands carry the emotional weight of a Disney resort stay. Families have paid the premium for decades because staying on the property used to deliver something special. The transportation was built in, the theming was immersive, and park access felt effortless. The problem is that almost every individual component of that bundle now costs more than it did.

Ticket prices have climbed, restaurants and merchandise have gotten pricier, and the old line-skipping perk that was once free now requires an add-on purchase. Deluxe resort rates are up roughly 20% since 2019 and were already far above comparable non-Disney hotels in the same markets.

For retirees or grandparents helping fund a family trip, the all-in cost of a week on the property can easily run into five figures, and off-site hotels near the parks have gotten close enough in convenience to make that premium very hard to justify.

Holiday Inn/IHG Resorts

Holiday Inn built its name on being reliably ordinary in the best possible way. Guests knew what they were getting, and for decades, that consistency was the whole point. The brand has been losing ground on that promise in a few quiet ways.

A la carte breakfast was eliminated across U.S. and Canadian properties by the end of 2025, which landed poorly with guests who considered it a signature part of the stay.

At the vacation club level, owners with six-figure point balances report being unable to book rooms months in advance, while the same units show up as available to the general public on IHG's own website. The company has responded that all reservations are subject to availability, which does little to reassure owners paying thousands of dollars a year in maintenance fees.

Wyndham/Club Wyndham Vacation Ownership

Wyndham's vacation ownership model was sold as a smarter way to vacation, a points-based system offering flexible access to a large resort portfolio without the nightly hotel rates. In practice, many owners feel they got a very different product than what was promised.

Booking availability is a persistent problem, maintenance fees keep rising, and visits frequently turn into pressure-filled sales presentations for upgrades. The comparison that keeps coming up in owner forums is a telling one: a straightforward all-inclusive trip to the same destination, airfare included, often costs less than the annual ownership fees alone.

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Bottom line

The brands on this list built their reputations over decades, and for a long time, that reputation was earned. But loyalty is a two-way street, and several of these chains have been making withdrawals without making deposits.

If you're looking to start traveling more without spending more, the good news is that the alternatives have genuinely improved. Independent boutique hotels, newer all-inclusive brands, and even short-term rental platforms have closed the experience gap considerably, often for less than what a comparable chain property would cost.

Sites like TripAdvisor and Google Hotels now make it easier than ever to compare real guest reviews across all of those options before you book, so there's less reason than ever to default to a familiar name simply out of habit.

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Author Details

Amanda Teague

Amanda specializes in travel and personal finance. With six years of experience, she helps readers find ways to see the world without overspending, whether that means identifying affordable retirement destinations, uncovering underrated places that feel luxurious on a budget, or avoiding common travel costs like airline baggage fees.