Hilton Honors Makes “Substantial Increases” to Cheapest Property

NEW YORK - JULY 4: People walk past Hilton hotel at 6th Avenue on July 4, 2013 in New York. Hilton is the 38th largest private company in the United States according to Forbes.

Head for Points states that Hilton Honors has made what it describes as “substantial increases” to the number of points needed by members to stay at the chain’s cheapest properties. This was done without any obvious announcement from the company, something that undermines public trust in the chain.

Hilton Honors, the hotel chain’s loyalty program, has made what has been described as “substantial increases” to the number of points needed by members to stay at its cheapest properties, reports Head for Points. What’s more, the outlet has also observed, is that this sudden increase was made without any sort of public announcement or warning from the hotel chain.

Comparing the difference in points needed for various Hilton properties around the globe between this week and last, the outlet notes that, “As of last week, there were seven UK hotels … which cost 10,000 Hilton Honors points per night.”

These include Hampton by Hilton hotels at Liverpool/John Lennon Airport (LPL), Newcastle, Newport, Corby/Kettering and Sheffield plus DoubleTree by Hilton properties at Newcastle International Airport (NCL) and Sheffield Park.

Of these properties, the outlet reports that, “Six of them now have a maximum price of 20,000 Hilton Honors points per night. They will be cheaper than 20,000 points on nights when the room rate is under circa £65 ($85). Newport is the only one still showing at 10,000 points.”

The outlet states that, “It isn’t clear how many of the 150 x 10,000 point hotels globally have been raised to 20,000 points.” It also states that these increases appear to be a global phenomenon, with many hotel’s previously in the 5,000 point range now increased to the 10,000 point range.

“Many of these hotels were, of course, disproportionately cheap at 5,000 or 10,000 points per night … That said, keeping a few bargains in the portfolio does no harm in keeping people interested … Giving no notice just continues to undermine trust in the program,” it observes.

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