Why Earning Airline Miles From Hotel Stays Matters
If you travel regularly for business or leisure, every hotel night you book is a quiet opportunity slipping by if you are not collecting loyalty points. Earning airline miles from hotel stays is one of the simplest and most underrated ways to build up a substantial points balance without booking a single extra flight. For British travellers in particular, the default thought is often Avios — the currency of British Airways Executive Club and the Iberia Plus programme. But Avios are not the only game in town, and depending on which hotels you frequent, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points may actually be a smarter choice.
This guide breaks down which hotel chains allow you to earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points, why some of them do not partner with British Airways for Avios, and how to think strategically about which currency to collect on any given stay.
Should You Always Take Airline Miles Over Hotel Points?
Before diving into the specifics, it is worth addressing a common mistake that even experienced travellers make: automatically selecting airline miles whenever a hotel gives you the option. The general rule of thumb among points enthusiasts is that you should almost never take airline miles by default.
Hotel loyalty programmes — think Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, or IHG One Rewards — typically offer significantly better value per pound spent when you stay within their own ecosystem. If you are a regular at a particular chain and realistically expect to reach a meaningful redemption threshold, collecting hotel points is usually the wiser move. A free night at a Hyatt property, for example, can deliver outstanding value that airline miles simply cannot match at equivalent spend levels.
However, there is a clear exception to this logic. If you are staying at a hotel brand you do not plan to return to, or you already have enough hotel points and do not foresee a redemption on the horizon, then redirecting those earnings into airline miles makes perfect sense. This is especially true when the hotel's partner airline is one you already fly with regularly.
British Airways Hotel Partners: Where Avios Flow Freely
British Airways has built up a reasonably solid portfolio of hotel partners over the years. Avios can be earned at major chains including IHG Hotels and Resorts, Radisson Hotels, and through platforms like Airbnb when you pay via certain methods. The list expands further when you factor in chains that partner with Iberia Plus, which uses the same Avios currency and allows straightforward transfers between accounts.
For travellers who primarily fly British Airways and want a single, unified points currency, this network works well. But it has gaps — sometimes significant ones — and that is precisely where Virgin Atlantic Flying Club steps in.
Hotel Chains Where You Can Earn Virgin Points (But Not Avios)
Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club programme has its own set of hotel partnerships, and several of these chains do not appear on the British Airways partner list at all. This creates a genuine opportunity for Virgin Points collectors to earn miles on stays that would otherwise go unrewarded in the Avios ecosystem.
Marriott Bonvoy Hotels
Marriott Bonvoy is one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, covering brands from budget-friendly Fairfield Inn properties to ultra-luxury Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels. Marriott allows members to convert Marriott Bonvoy points into Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. While this is technically a transfer rather than direct earning, the practical result is the same: your hotel stays feed your Virgin Points balance. Notably, British Airways does not have a direct earning partnership with Marriott, making this a Virgin-exclusive benefit for Avios collectors who stay within the Marriott portfolio.
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Honors is another programme that allows points conversions into Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. With thousands of Hilton properties worldwide — including the Conrad, Curio Collection, and DoubleTree brands — regular Hilton guests have a meaningful pipeline into their Virgin Points balance. Again, British Airways does not offer a direct Hilton earning partnership for Avios, giving Virgin Atlantic a distinct edge here.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World
For travellers who prefer independent boutique properties over large chains, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is a compelling option. SLH partners with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, allowing stays at its curated collection of independent luxury hotels to contribute to your miles tally. This is a particularly attractive partnership for those who avoid big-brand hotels and would otherwise miss out on airline mile earning entirely.
How to Maximise Virgin Points From Hotel Stays
- Always check the earning rate before you book. Miles earned per night or per pound spent can vary significantly between programmes and hotel tiers. A higher-category Marriott property may yield more transferable points than a budget option.
- Use a Virgin Atlantic credit card for payment. Pairing your hotel stay earnings with a Virgin Atlantic Reward or Reward+ credit card payment stacks additional miles on top of what the hotel itself awards.
- Transfer at the right time. When converting hotel points to Virgin Points, check for transfer bonus promotions. Both Marriott and Hilton periodically offer bonus miles on conversions, sometimes adding 25–50% on top of the standard rate.
- Don't neglect status. If you are working towards or already hold Virgin Atlantic Flying Club elite status, your hotel-earned miles count toward your annual tier qualification in some cases.
Virgin Points vs Avios: Which Is Worth More From Hotels?
The honest answer is that it depends on how you plan to redeem. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles are widely regarded as offering exceptional value on premium cabin flights to the United States, the Caribbean, and beyond — particularly when booking Virgin Atlantic Upper Class or partner award seats on Delta Air Lines. If long-haul premium travel is your goal, Virgin Points collected through hotel stays can ultimately unlock redemptions that Avios holders might struggle to find availability for.
Avios, on the other hand, shine for short-haul travel and for flexible use across the oneworld alliance. Neither currency is objectively superior; the best choice depends entirely on your travel habits and redemption goals.
The Bottom Line
The key takeaway is simple: do not let your hotel stays go to waste, and do not assume Avios are always the right choice. For stays at Marriott, Hilton, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers earning opportunities that British Airways simply does not. If you are building a Virgin Points balance for a dream Upper Class redemption, these hotel partnerships are an easy and often overlooked accelerator. Map out where you stay most often, identify which airline currency those chains support, and let your hotel nights do the hard work for you.