Thanks, HHonor GGuard, for your post.

Even as I read your OP, my first thought was "I bet this is a Hampton Inn guy." One of the things I've always liked about the Hampton brand is your attitude - I always feel welcome there and I feel like the people who work there want the property to be the best in its market. (In my experience, it usually is and you can tell by driving around the building and around the buildings of the nearby competitors.)

Priority Club is trying hard to win HH converts (you gotta love their online ad campaign). In the end, I think it'll be tough for them to gain many long-term converts primarily because they're going head-to-head with Hampton Inn more than anything. (Sure, they might pick up an Indigo or Intercontinental convert or two, but their bread and butter is rural/suburban HI and HIX.) Even if the HHonors program is struggling, the Hampton brand itself is still a strength.