A few weeks ago, during Thanksgiving break, we took a beautiful family Umrah trip with our older two children (ages 13 & 9).  We left our toddler with family – it would have been difficult with her due to the nature of the trip.  We know many families have to bring their young children, and we were fortunate that our families were able to divide and conquer and watch her while we were out for 10 days.  

Now if you’ve gone for Umrah, or are planning a visit, you know just how costly it can be.  We paid cash for our flights on Turkish Airlines, but we used Hilton points to secure our hotel stays.  In Makkah, we stayed at Double Tree Hilton Makkah Jabal Omar.  On the same road, there is also a Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah, as well as a Jabal Omar Marriott Hotel, Makkah.  There are also other Marriott properties, as well as many other smaller boutique hotels in Makkah.  Jabal Omar road was a convenient location as all 3 chain properties had shuttles taking people to and from the hotels.

When my husband went for Umrah in fall of 2021, he stayed at Conrad Makkah.  He stated that while this hotel was a little closer to the Haram, he preferred the Double Tree Hilton Makkah Jabal Omar overall.  In his personal opinion, it was more family friendly, a nicer hotel, and had a better breakfast spread.

My husband and I each got the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card at different times.  I actually got this card a few years back, and while my account is now closed – I still had the points sitting in my account.  (The current offer is different from when we each got the card.)  There’s also other co-branded Hiltons cards that could be worth considering if you’re planning Hilton stays:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card (check rates and fees here)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (All information about Hilton Honors Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by HassansonHoliday.  The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.)
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (check rates and fees here)

I’m generally wary of going for co-branded hotel cards unless I have a tentative plan or specific redemption in mind.  I find the most value in the World of Hyatt program, and being a The World of Hyatt Credit Card holder.  Award stays cost less points/night (and overall), and there are more family-friendly options from the hotel brand – though yes, Hyatt has less of a global footprint.

So let’s take a look at some hotel options.  Many of you may be planning Umrah for Spring Break 2023.  Let’s take a look at Double Tree Hilton Makkah Jabal Omar:

Note that these are the starting rates for standard rooms, if you need a larger room/more beds, or a suite – rates may be higher.

Now let’s look at Thanksgiving break 2023:

Ok, rates are slightly lower – that goes to show that the further out you plan – the better award availability you will find.

Let’s take a look at Jabal Omar Marriott Hotel, Makkah now.  Here is the nightly rate, for a random night, during Spring Break 2023:

Here is the nightly rate, for a random night, during Thanksgiving week 2023:

For this particular hotel, it’s actually higher during Thanksgiving week – though that’s almost a year out!  

When you search on Marriott’s site, you’ll find multiple other properties in Makkah.  Nightly rates vary, and make sure you note the distances from the Haram.

Here are the options for Marriott properties in Madinah, in the Spring Break 2023 timeframe:

The nightly rate increases to 21,000 points/night here when you search dates during Thanksgiving break 2023.

There are also multiple co-branded Marriott card options that you could choose from if you’re looking to stay here:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card 
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card 
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card 
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card 
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card 

Now let’s look at Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah.  Here are rates/night for Spring Break 2023:

Here are rates for Thanksgiving break 2023:

Now you’ll see what I mean about how Hyatt has way more affordable award rates!  One sign up bonus from The World of Hyatt Credit Card can easily cover 5- 6 nights.  Keep in mind, I’m doing a general search for those respective time periods (as they are popular), and your actual dates could vary.  Again, these are also rates for standard rooms, and rates can vary even from one night to the next depending on the season of travel.

Now let’s take a look at options for Hiltons in Madinah – there are no Hyatt properties here.  Here are the rates for March – Spring Break 2023:

Here are the rates for Thanksgiving break 2023:

Now again, there are smaller non-chain and boutique hotels that you could look into as well.  But those will generally be further out, and a longer walk to the respective Harams.  By no means is this a conclusive list of hotels, but if you’re looking to cover your stays in Makkah and/or Madinah in points, here are some options you could look into.  Both Hiltons, in Makkah and Madinah, had a great morning breakfast spread, and were walking distance from the Haram (in Makkah we did use the free shuttle the hotel had available to go to/from the Haram).  My husband and I both have Hilton Gold status; though bookings were made under my husband’s account, all four of us were able to have free breakfast at both locations.  You can read about the different tier levels and benefits here.

We all know that Umrah is generally a very expensive trip – proper planning can help you secure hotels using points and cut costs tremendously!