ocprodigy

Well, this is interesting. Looks like something had to give with Hilton throwing Diamond status away like candy.

Just checked in at a hotel and was handed a letter titled "WERE MAKING SOME CHANGES TO THE HILTON HONORS PROGRAMME". It states as of 1st June 2016, any existing benefits will cease and be replaced with the following benefits (I've only listed Gold and Diamond);

At first I thought nothing of it. Then it hit me. My Way Diamond Benefits - it's now an OR choice between 1,000 bonus points per stay or the complimentary continental breakfast. Secondly, the complimentary continental breakfast is now for you only, i.e. no additional guest.

I'm hoping this can't be the case, otherwise there will be bookings cancelled on my part. That'd be another insult after performing ridiculous status matches. @HHonorsRepresentative Lauren can you please advise?

Letter:

Baze

If you go to the link that is in the letter it does not say or. I think this is a hotel trying to set their own benefits and hope you won't actually go to the link.

fozziedoggie

Or corporate hasn't updated the new benefits on their website since they don't become effective until June 1st; may change/update the day before?

arlflyer

The way it is written it makes it sound like previously UK and Ireland were doing their own thing and now they're just aligning with the global brand standards. Which is strange, because they always should have been aligned with global brand standards...

sannmann

Maybe previous customers complained they were not receiving the benefits they were supposed to get?

PaulH1

I have just telephoned Hilton Honors customer care in the US and asked if these changes are true.

Agent was not aware of any changes and put me on hold for ten minutes only to come back to the phone and say again he was not aware of any changes.

I then telephoned Hilton Northampton and spoke to front desk manageress who confirmed the changes ARE true.

They have been instructed by Hilton Honors head office in the USA to hand out these letters to Hilton elite Golds and Diamond members.

Changes come into effect in 3 weeks.

I also get lots of Cashback from my Hilton hotel stays via Topcashback which has also mysteriously dissapeared last week and Hilton is no longer on their site.

I asked Hilton Honors Customer Care agent if this was temporary or permenant and again he did not know and not only that he had not even ever heard of Topcashback or Quidco !

Amazing really that Hiltons Honors own agents do not know basic and important changes happening to their own programme.

lifetimeblue

If this is right you are also just getting a, 1, singular bottle of water per stay now (instead of the current 2) also.
It also suggests breakfast is now for one only, does that extend to exec lounge access too for Diamonds?

I'm a bit lost about how this is bringing the UK an Ireland in line with the global standards. Since the global standards haven't changed, they are doing quite the opposite and making the UK standard different from the rest of the world.
Does any other hotel chain do this?

dw

Hopefully we'll get some clarification soon on whether the points OR breakfast for Diamonds is an upcoming global change. And hopefully the reference to breakfast for "you" is just poorly worded and doesn't actually mean the new policy will be breakfast for one. That would be incredibly noncompetitive compared to Hyatt, Marriott and SPG.

ocprodigy

I expect this will be rolled out globally on 1 June 2016 and this is just a UK version of the letter. Otherwise this would put the UK BEHIND the rest of the chain's benefits.

If breakfast and lounge access really is being restricted to the Diamond only, I'll be fuming and looking to move elsewhere. That'd be a shambles.

ocprodigy

That's my thoughts. Here's hoping but with the amount of credit card deals and status matches currently on, they'll need to decrease their offering somewhere and I fear this is it.

Miesque

This is a definite and material decline in Diamond benefits relative to Hyatt where you get a full breakfast and a 1,000 points (or amenity) and a thousand points is worth more in HGP currency.

kauppias

Should this be rolled put there is not much point in renewing diamond and since gold can be had with Amex platinum not much point in doing anything to keep gold either... Very suprised HH would want to Decline benefits of their top tier...

Not very competitive...

geilux

It must be a prank or a joke, no ?

Points Scrounger

That means that breakfast OR points is the global standard.

jeffandnicole

Seems a bit strange they would promote such a devalue in benefits thru a letter to the customers they supposedly value the most.