Originally Posted by
italdesign
It's been a while since I've stayed in one. My last 10k hotel was Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi right before Covid, and a few years before that for US ones (which went up first).
Right on. Hilton used to be my goto program for low-category redemptions (other than the periodic IHG Points Breaks). I made many trips domestic and international driven by those redemptions. IIRC the knife started butchering in 2018, and by Jan 2020 HGI Hanoi was the only good cat1/cat2 hotel left on my radar.
As I noted earlier, I think it's wise for loyalty programs to have some low-point "obtainable" awards. If the Hampton Inns are going to be 30,000+ points, I have to believe "engagement" in the program significantly declines. It becomes pointless for most travellers. What's the value of a loyalty program that doesn't engender loyalty?