An annual study is debunking any myths that hotel frequent guest programs don’t make money.

The Hotels SCORES study, conducted by Phoenix Marketing International of 12,000 frequent guest program members in 11 countries, found that three quarters of people who are redeeming points for hotel stays also purchase an additional room night with each redeemed award.

Additionally, share of room nights among members also increased by 150 percent to 500 percent.

“That’s big,” said John Antonello, who heads Phoenix’s travel division and is the main expert involved in creating the study. “If you have three quarters of the travelers purchasing additional nights, then you factor in factor in food and beverage and whatever costs are incurred at the hotel, and it starts generating additional revenue above and beyond the initial stay.”

Antonello believes it is critically important for programs to recognize their elite members. “Those elite members really are giving the lion’s share of the room nights to that particular program,” he said. “That’s key because those are the guys who are generating the majority of revenue not only for the program but for that particular brand as well.”