Hilton HHonors - What do you want/value from HHonors?

What do you want or value in HHonors? For me it's the points for free stays. I don't care about fitness club access (don't use), free breakfast (unless it's donuts I don't eat it), or free internet (don't bring a computer). As long as my room has a nice bed and a good view, I don't care if it's a suite or a walk-in closet. As for recognition, unless I know you, pretending to know me kinda freaks me out. Since for me cost is one of the main factors in picking a hotel, a free stay is much more valuable. I use employee discounts when I can but Europe doesn't offer them so I'm saving up for a week there.

I know the needs of business travelers put a higher priority on those things I mentioned but does anyone else just not care about those perks?

You are not likely to find too many people here who "just want a bed" We're addicted to upgrades, miles, and status =)

Welcome to Flyertalk,
Halothane

I agree - it's about the free stays. Hotels are consistently, I think, the most annoying added price of any trip, and if I can grab 'em for a song, I will.

I wouldn't mind free internet, either.

I agree with the post above, it's all about upgrades and free rooms. With 45+ nights last year I want to be recognized for my loyalty. I don't feel I should have to pay for room upgrades. If a better room is available it should be offered to top tier guests.

As an occasional Hilton customer, I have to say that I like the nice gyms (or free gym passes), free breakfast buffets/lounge access, and free internet (often through free roaming at FS properties) that I get with Marriott and Hyatt. Room upgrades are nice, and I'm willing to take a good view over a suite with no view.

Free rooms are the whole point of loyalty programs, but I better get the listed benefits above with paid and award stays or I'm not coming back.

As a Starwood Plat and a Hilton Gold (1 stay away from Diamond) I love the free internet and breakfast that Hilton offers me. I have alway hated being nickel and dimed at Westins and Sheratons for these services. Sure they offer free wi-fi in the lobby or the club lounge but then charge $12 for lousy service in the room.

When I'm traveling on business I don't care about suite upgrades. The only time I look forward to them is when I'm traveling with my wife and kids.

Award rooms, and free breakfast (as a Gold). I very often do NOT travel with a laptop, so free computer/internet access is great also.

Consistent, fair treatment whether I am on an award or paid stay. No more lies ("those are sold out", "oh, you have been upgraded - the deluxe room has a washcloth!") or dissimulation.

Consistent, fair treatment whether I am on an award or paid stay. No more lies ("those are sold out", "oh, you have been upgraded - the deluxe room has a washcloth!") or dissimulation.

I also oppose dissimulation in nearly every situation.

Consistent, fair treatment whether I am on an award or paid stay. No more lies ("those are sold out", "oh, you have been upgraded - the deluxe room has a washcloth!") or dissimulation.

Yes consistency is what we ask for. Here's my list:

1. Honesty. Don't tell me you don't have suites/UG's available when you do.
2. Consistency. Follow the rules set forth by Hilton and don't give me "our hotel does this and that" garbage.
3. Good CS. Smile, politeness, and overall pleasantness. Calling to ensure everything is ok is great, calling me by name is nice.
3. Recognition. Recognition comes in areas of benefits, for me it's upgrades, breakfast, internet, parking etc. You name it. As long as there is an effort I'm ok. I understand if no upgrades are available, just don't lie about it.

Yes consistency is what we ask for. Here's my list:

1. Honesty. Don't tell me you don't have suites/UG's available when you do.
2. Consistency. Follow the rules set forth by Hilton and don't give me "our hotel does this and that" garbage.
3. Good CS. Smile, politeness, and overall pleasantness. Calling to ensure everything is ok is great, calling me by name is nice.
3. Recognition. Recognition comes in areas of benefits, for me it's upgrades, breakfast, internet, parking etc. You name it. As long as there is an effort I'm ok. I understand if no upgrades are available, just don't lie about it.

Very well said. These are my sentiments exactly. How many times have we all gotten the BS you mention in #3 or is that really #4? The free breakfast for my wife and I are very important, especially in Europe where the breakfast prices tend to be on the heavy side.

Don't care about:
Suites when it's just me
Free breakfast at the Hamptons
free bottle of water and snack item

Do care about:
Free internet - it's just tacky to charge $150 for a room, then $12 for internet
Wifi, not something that makes me work at a desk.
Free breakfast at places like Embassy Suites
A gym with equipment that actually works


Mainly I just need a room with a bed and don't care about being "upgraded" but I do like having a microwave/fridge and often at the places I stay that is considered an upgrade.

I also oppose dissimulation in nearly every situation.

Not sure I know what dissimulation is..... but since I spend about 200 nights on the road - about 150 of them in Hilton properties - I value upgrades, double-dipping, and free nights. I've financed many great international vacations with my points. As for free internet, I use a broadband card so it's not important. Free breakfast is always available thru the club lounge or in the lobby depending on the property. As Diamond I've always been offered free breakfast in Europe -- even on award stays.

Decent gym. Period.

Do care about:
Free internet - it's just tacky to charge $150 for a room, then $12 for internet
Wifi, not something that makes me work at a desk.
Free breakfast at places like Embassy Suites
A gym with equipment that actually works

That's why HGI, ES, HS, and Hampton are great. I can't stand how I get nickel and dimed at Hiltons. Per my other posts in the Diamond 3 yr thread, my upgrades are ALWAYS better at HGI's and Hampton's.

Decent gym. Period.
You would think hotel GM's would figure out that pathetic gyms don't get used because they are that, pathetic gyms.

Upgrades, and even w/o upgrade, access to the exec lounge (:( that we Golds have lost out on access with the latest round of "enhancements), a program that doesn't lie to me and call cuts "enhancements", free internet, free bottle of water, ....and a price for a hotel room that is in the range that I could get through another site -- I HATE that, as I've recently found, Hilton website has room rates 2x what I've found on non-opaque sites (AA hotel site that lists hotel and costs) and 3x (or 4x?) what they'll eventually sell it for on Priceline or Hotwire. I can take if Priceline is amazingly lower BUT a site that I can see the hotel name?

I want to stay at a Hilton but I can't justify paying 2 - 3x the cost that I could get it for elsewhere. The free breakfast (when you take away the automatic lounge access) isn't worth it.

I guess I'd say I'd ask for the following, in order:
- Consistent delivery on the scheme value proposition
- Effective booking, management, dealing with specific queries
- Some interesting rewards

I'd say Hilton does very poorly on the first (from excellent to awful, depending on the hotel), pretty well on the second and very well on the third - subject to the usual issues of inconsistency.

One of the issues that I'm not sure is obvious in the hospitality industry is that the top users of a hotel or an airline are likely to both be very attentive to detail as well as overly familiar with a company's policies and best practices. You make people happy by just delivering on those - but really piss them off when you mess up even small things of no consequence.

Upgrades, and even w/o upgrade, access to the exec lounge (:( that we Golds have lost out on access with the latest round of "enhancements) ...As a non US resident Gold the latest round of enhancements have improved things for me.

About 50% I was upgraded to exec lounge outside the US; other upgrades were more the "washcloth" style - no breakfast.

I am now guaranteed complimentary breakfast (continental) with every stay should I desire - worldwide.

--- and yes, it's the breakfast - one cannot eat a view ...

Well, from other chains in Europe I usually get:
- free breakfast
- free internet
- often a dining coupon
- free gym and sauna/pool

So to be honest I mainly stay in Hiltons because of better quality hotels. But exec lounge access is important too. I am even ready to give up the free internet and the dining coupon in other hotels just for the exec lounge. The last two times I haven't got it (as Gold). If there is a third time straight, I will most certainly consider other options.

In descending order


Breakfast
Upgrades
Internet

Don't care about free breakfasts or water bottles. Don't really care about room upgrades unless I'm on vacation with my family. Lounge access is an emperor's-new-clothes issue a lot of the time, I think -- often there's not much in it. Can't understand why people get so emotional about getting access to a room with some free Cokes and cocktail weenies.

It's all about:

1. Free rooms with no blackout dates
2. Competitive pricing and a meaningful best rate guarantee
3. Franchisee discipline -- when properties choose to be "fair-weather Hiltons" ("Oh, we don't do that here") and disavow big chunks of the designed experience, it really tears it for me.

For my business stays, I mainly want the bed/smoke correct and a very clean, quiet room. After that, an exec lounge where I can grab a quick breakfast is nice. Free breakfasts in a sit-down restaurant are useless to me: in hotels where I get these certificates, I look for a family on vacation to give them to.

I don't care much about Internet. If the hotel has free Wifi, I will use it. Otherwise, I'll just tether a mobile device. I get speeds good enough for my email and other apps.

For leisure stays, this is when I want my status to be recognized - regardless of chain. Business stays: just don't screw anything up. Leisure stays with family: I really would appreciate the best upgrade possible, and breakfast becomes more important. This is why in the past I've always been pleased with HHonors. I've always gotten very nice rooms on resort stays, along with at least a continental breakfast - usually two coupons per day, value applicable towards more expensive meals if desired.

Even though I'm a higher tier with Marriott, I end up redeeming around half of my MR points for airline miles or credits via their Travel Packages. The packages are a strong point in their program, but it also means I spend fewer award nights in their hotels. They make it painful for elites to visit any property to which they've arbitrarily attached the "resort" tag.

Whenever I'm redeeming a family vacation award, I look at Hilton first, then at SPG for a property allowing a small co-pay for lounge access (since I'm not Plat there), and finally if all else fails, Marriott.

As a 'Lowly' Silver I don't seem to get it, however Free Internet would rank up there at the top. Have decided to cease staying at Hilton's and Embassy's as I've paid $9-12 per night for about 2 weeks of access over the past 3 months.

Though I'd probably prefer the Embassy brand over Hampton (style, better breakfast etc.), my next few booked stays are Hampton or Doubletree where I believe Internet is included. My company doesn't care (within reason) what my room rate is however the 'incidentals' take explaining, it's harder to justify paying a premium for Hilton Brand and then telling them that I don't get free internet like at other cheaper properties!

Other - Accruing points for free stays in my vacations with the family.

The thing I like best about Hilton is the number of properties. The only choice I have is Marriott and Hilton. I cover North America, to include some pretty small towns. I can always find a Hilton property. There are things I like better about SPG, but they have so few hotels it could never be my number one choice. The best HHonors benifit I find is that I can force an award stay. SPG will not let you did it and it drives me crazy. With 200 + nights a year in hotels I can not book anything very far out for vacations or weekend getaways.

I value all the benefits. I don't use each one every trip, but I'm glad they're all there.



Points - The points are always important. Business travel takes me away from my family for days at a time and wrecks my social life. Getting a free room now and then for vacation is a tiny repayment.
Breakfast - I almost always want at least a quick hot meal. French toast and sausage from a warming tray is fine. Cold cereal and and stale danish is not.
Executive lounge - I'd use this benefit more if it weren't so limited! Lounges that close at 7 (or-- gasp!-- even earlier) are hard to get to in time. Free cookies and sodas are better than nothing, but they're nothing special. A room where I can sit while paying for alcoholic drinks is not a benefit. It is a bar.
Internet - In the USA I normally use my data card with unlimited service. Overseas, my usage is metered in many countries, so I really appreciate free internet in the hotel.
Gym - In the rare cases when I find both the time and inclination to use the treadmill or sauna, I like not having to worry about what a day-use membership costs.
Upgrades - Depends on how long I'm in the hotel. If I'm checking in late and leaving early, just give me a clean and comfortable room. If I'm staying for several days, I appreciate the extra space. Of course, it's those arrive-late-and-leave-early-the-next-morning trips where the hotel's most likely to offer me an upgrade.

I travel quite a bit and spend some bucks on business expenses, but being an academic on government studies, have little control about what hotels I can stay in during business trips. I value my travel time with my family, and when we visit "semi-exotic" countries like Bulgaria or Romania, having a Hilton during the first few days of the trip, or the last couple, to shower up and relax makes the vacation better. If I'm in a place like Paris where I can't afford three luxurious meals a day, having an Executive Lounge for breakfast, snacks, and plenty of drinks, in a conveniently located Hilton is a godsend.

Thus, I value the Executive Lounge access and the ability to get a room at any time. As I enjoy alcohol, the Exec Lounge trumps breakfast, though my wife and daughter might disagree.

I spent $39,600 on the Hilton Amex last year, so I took the plunge and upgraded to Surpass, though given the economy I may not make the 40K threshold. Anyway, the Amex Hilton program has made it possible for me to enjoy a "businessman's life" during my several vacations a year with family to foreign places. I have found the hotels and upgrades to be generally better than during my Marriott days.

Free nights, upgrades, free breakfast...in that order.

What I value (that I already have):


Double dipping
Lounge access/breakfast
Stay credits for award stays


What I want (as a Diamond) that I don't have:


Better upgrade policy. SPG gets this right: best available room including standard suites.
PROMOTIONS. Everyone else has them.
Better, more stylish domestic properties. When I travel for vacation, I'm rarely impressed with what Hilton has to offer. W and Westin consistently offer more attractive properties than any HHonors offerings.

In descending order


Breakfast
Upgrades
Internet


At last! Somebody with the same priorities as me.
I like better rooms but I don't want to pay for them.
I bring my own internet service, back from the days I didn't want to have to pay £15/$30 a night for it.
Hilton Breakfast in London? Around £15? Comp, I'll take it. Paid, I'll go to McD and have four of their breakfasts for less money.

I care most about consistency. If Hilton hotels provide the benefits promised then I'm happy.

When I travel for business I expect and use the free breakfast, gym use, and executive lounge.

When I travel for holiday then I care about being upgraded.

I value all the benefits. I don't use each one every trip, but I'm glad they're all there.



Points - The points are always important. Business travel takes me away from my family for days at a time and wrecks my social life. Getting a free room now and then for vacation is a tiny repayment.
Breakfast - I almost always want at least a quick hot meal. French toast and sausage from a warming tray is fine. Cold cereal and and stale danish is not.
Executive lounge - I'd use this benefit more if it weren't so limited! Lounges that close at 7 (or-- gasp!-- even earlier) are hard to get to in time. Free cookies and sodas are better than nothing, but they're nothing special. A room where I can sit while paying for alcoholic drinks is not a benefit. It is a bar.
Internet - In the USA I normally use my data card with unlimited service. Overseas, my usage is metered in many countries, so I really appreciate free internet in the hotel.
Gym - In the rare cases when I find both the time and inclination to use the treadmill or sauna, I like not having to worry about what a day-use membership costs.
Upgrades - Depends on how long I'm in the hotel. If I'm checking in late and leaving early, just give me a clean and comfortable room. If I'm staying for several days, I appreciate the extra space. Of course, it's those arrive-late-and-leave-early-the-next-morning trips where the hotel's most likely to offer me an upgrade.


+1

I would like to add friendly people - Bad attitudes will keep me from returning.

I will use the gym if it is good, too many of them are just pathetic.

On the upgrades, I absolutely hate it when they ask me to pay for an upgrade when as a diamond member I should already be upgraded.

- extra points for being |diamond |
- the free stays that the points get me

What I value (that I already have):


Double dipping
Lounge access/breakfast
Stay credits for award stays


What I want (as a Diamond) that I don't have:


Better upgrade policy. SPG gets this right: best available room including standard suites.
PROMOTIONS. Everyone else has them.
Better, more stylish domestic properties. When I travel for vacation, I'm rarely impressed with what Hilton has to offer. W and Westin consistently offer more attractive properties than any HHonors offerings.


+1

Free vacations.

All the general managers i've emailed for future stays have always been friendly and offered any help they can to accomodate me for the occasion.

I love free stays especially in the Carribean, Europe, and Asia. I book the cheapest rate, often the government rate, and I appreciate upgrades to rooms with beautiful views. I like the free breakfasts. I enjoy free internet access and utilize the free gym. And I admit I like the bottled water in countries where I am unsure about the quality of the tap water.

Yes consistency is what we ask for. Here's my list:

1. Honesty. Don't tell me you don't have suites/UG's available when you do.
2. Consistency. Follow the rules set forth by Hilton and don't give me "our hotel does this and that" garbage.
3. Good CS. Smile, politeness, and overall pleasantness. Calling to ensure everything is ok is great, calling me by name is nice.
3. Recognition. Recognition comes in areas of benefits, for me it's upgrades, breakfast, internet, parking etc. You name it. As long as there is an effort I'm ok. I understand if no upgrades are available, just don't lie about it.

To add to above-truth in advertising. Don't claim to have upgraded bedding when, in fact, only 4 rooms on the property have been done. I freely admit I'm a hotel bed snob & a bad bed will drive me away faster than just about anything.

After that, internet I have to pay for is my #2 annoyance.

Then comes the don't steal me hangers, don't steal me hair dryers, & wall-unit AC's-if I want to listen to roaring engines all night, I'll bunk @ the end of a runway.

Clean & comfortable, please.