Originally Posted by
Condition One
The Hilton representative on FT is too little, too late... The withholding of point stretchers, the fact that most properties are Cat 5 and 6, and now a new Cat 7 along with increased point redemption during a recession just boggles my mind.
Well, whatever changes are in the wind are obviously indefensible -- so there's no percentage in the HHonors reps speaking up. There's really nothing to say. The truth certainly won't do -- that they're looking to dilute the program to where it's just strong enough not to incent mass defections.
(Also, they're banking on most HHonors members not knowing what's happening to them until it's too late... FTers have much higher program consciousness than the average member.)
The recession-bottom timing, of course, is idiotic. After 9/11 when air travel collapsed, most US airlines immediately stripped FF benefits and amenities, repelling loyal customers instead of shoring up those relationships, and promptly spiraled into bankruptcy. Key learning: in a downturn, don't give your loyalists reason to shop around, or even scale back on travel. Hilton obviously doesn't study history.