It’s that time of the year again, when one of the large travel reward programs upgrades and downgrades some hotels.

It’s a routine practice, which, inevitably creates winners and losers.

You might be on the winning side if a hotel which you already frequent moves up the list. Yes, you will need more points to redeem free, or reduced-cost nights at that hotel. However, every dollar you spend there will accumulate base and bonus points all the faster.

If your hotel moves down the list, it’s a mixed bag. If you have already accumulated a lot of points, you will be able to snag a room for free, or almost free. If you are just beginning the trajectory, your most-frequented hotel won’t help you get reward nights at the nicer properties.

Regardless of what this may mean for travelers, the hotels surely win. There are actuaries hard at work, to figure out how to extract more dollars from travelers, while still making them feel like they are valued customers.

If, for some reason, you’re caught in the middle, look for similar hotels within the same brand family. Chances are you can find one within the same metropolitan area. This is a less drastic step than starting from the bottom with another hotel chain.