Premium Room Reward only at certain properties - Major Devaluation of HH points
Oct 14, 2011, 11:33 am
#241
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
Thank you for sharing your feedback about the new ways you can redeem points. We want to apologize for any confusion and would like to clarify a few points.
We are excited to announce that members can, for the first time, use HHonors points to book more than 200,000 premium rooms and suites. These premium rooms are some of the most desired in the world. The new Premium Room Rewards and Premium Room Upgrade Rewards enable our members to book any room in any hotel around the world using Hilton HHonors points. Throughout the years, we have received feedback from many of our members requesting this enhancement. We believe having premium rooms and suites now redeemable for HHonors points is a great addition to our program.
While rolling out this reward program, we did experience a technical glitch with a small handful of hotels which caused these properties to appear to have no standard rooms. We are working on resolving this issue so that standard rooms can continue to be booked with Hilton HHonors points at these properties.
In addition to the three new reward products, Hilton HHonors members can continue to redeem their points to enjoy free standard rooms at the more than 3,750 hotels worldwide with no blackout dates. There have been no changes to the Standard Room Rewards product, allowing members to continue to redeem standard rooms at category one hotels through category seven hotels, like select Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
We value your loyalty and membership to Hilton HHonors and hope that you enjoy our new offerings.
-HiltonHHonors Representative
We are excited to announce that members can, for the first time, use HHonors points to book more than 200,000 premium rooms and suites. These premium rooms are some of the most desired in the world. The new Premium Room Rewards and Premium Room Upgrade Rewards enable our members to book any room in any hotel around the world using Hilton HHonors points. Throughout the years, we have received feedback from many of our members requesting this enhancement. We believe having premium rooms and suites now redeemable for HHonors points is a great addition to our program.
While rolling out this reward program, we did experience a technical glitch with a small handful of hotels which caused these properties to appear to have no standard rooms. We are working on resolving this issue so that standard rooms can continue to be booked with Hilton HHonors points at these properties.
In addition to the three new reward products, Hilton HHonors members can continue to redeem their points to enjoy free standard rooms at the more than 3,750 hotels worldwide with no blackout dates. There have been no changes to the Standard Room Rewards product, allowing members to continue to redeem standard rooms at category one hotels through category seven hotels, like select Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
We value your loyalty and membership to Hilton HHonors and hope that you enjoy our new offerings.
-HiltonHHonors Representative
Also, good to know that problem with no standard awards is being addressed.
Looking forward to folks' reports on whether the Premium Rewards require the ridiculously astronomical number of points we've been seeing, or whether this problem has also been addressed with the official roll-out of the new reward products.
Oct 14, 2011, 11:36 am
#242
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 422
We are pleased to introduce three new ways to use your Hilton HHonors™ points to book reward stays at hotels and resorts worldwide.
Get away faster than ever with Points & Money Rewards™. Use fewer points to book a reward stay when you combine points and money to book a standard room.1
Use Premium Room Rewards2 and Room Upgrade Rewards3 to book or upgrade to any room, including our most luxurious suites.
With more ways to book reward stays than ever before, Hilton HHonors helps you transform points into unforgettable experiences.
Oct 14, 2011, 11:42 am
#243
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 137
I think this email I received 2 days ago explains (that the third option is cash + points):
We are pleased to introduce three new ways to use your Hilton HHonors™ points to book reward stays at hotels and resorts worldwide.
Get away faster than ever with Points & Money Rewards™. Use fewer points to book a reward stay when you combine points and money to book a standard room.1
Use Premium Room Rewards2 and Room Upgrade Rewards3 to book or upgrade to any room, including our most luxurious suites.
With more ways to book reward stays than ever before, Hilton HHonors helps you transform points into unforgettable experiences.
We are pleased to introduce three new ways to use your Hilton HHonors™ points to book reward stays at hotels and resorts worldwide.
Get away faster than ever with Points & Money Rewards™. Use fewer points to book a reward stay when you combine points and money to book a standard room.1
Use Premium Room Rewards2 and Room Upgrade Rewards3 to book or upgrade to any room, including our most luxurious suites.
With more ways to book reward stays than ever before, Hilton HHonors helps you transform points into unforgettable experiences.
How many points is it going to cost us to stay where we want to stay?
If it's a big increase (devaluation in points), then nothing has been resolved.
Oct 14, 2011, 11:53 am
#244
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,678
Oct 14, 2011, 12:00 pm
#246
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,879
From talking to Mr. Nassetta's office, it sounded like there were no changes to the award schedule for standard rooms. However, we did not talk about the number of points that are required for an upgrade / premium room. Right now Hilton seems to be using the "value" of $.003 for Premium room awards. This significantly inflates the point requirements as very few people will redeem at that value.
The reasonable thing to do would be to, instead of using the full rate of the premium room to base the point requirements on, would be to look at the DIFFERENTIAL in price and add those point requirements to the standard award rate. Even this would cause a large increase in point requirements but at least it would be more reasonable.
Also, we Hilton needs to address the lack of AXON / VIP awards requirements for the Premium rooms.
The reasonable thing to do would be to, instead of using the full rate of the premium room to base the point requirements on, would be to look at the DIFFERENTIAL in price and add those point requirements to the standard award rate. Even this would cause a large increase in point requirements but at least it would be more reasonable.
Also, we Hilton needs to address the lack of AXON / VIP awards requirements for the Premium rooms.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:00 pm
#247
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Thank you for sharing your feedback about the new ways you can redeem points. We want to apologize for any confusion and would like to clarify a few points.
We are excited to announce that members can, for the first time, use HHonors points to book more than 200,000 premium rooms and suites. These premium rooms are some of the most desired in the world. The new Premium Room Rewards and Premium Room Upgrade Rewards enable our members to book any room in any hotel around the world using Hilton HHonors points. Throughout the years, we have received feedback from many of our members requesting this enhancement. We believe having premium rooms and suites now redeemable for HHonors points is a great addition to our program.
While rolling out this reward program, we did experience a technical glitch with a small handful of hotels which caused these properties to appear to have no standard rooms. We are working on resolving this issue so that standard rooms can continue to be booked with Hilton HHonors points at these properties.
In addition to the three new reward products, Hilton HHonors members can continue to redeem their points to enjoy free standard rooms at the more than 3,750 hotels worldwide with no blackout dates. There have been no changes to the Standard Room Rewards product, allowing members to continue to redeem standard rooms at category one hotels through category seven hotels, like select Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
We value your loyalty and membership to Hilton HHonors and hope that you enjoy our new offerings.
-HiltonHHonors Representative
We are excited to announce that members can, for the first time, use HHonors points to book more than 200,000 premium rooms and suites. These premium rooms are some of the most desired in the world. The new Premium Room Rewards and Premium Room Upgrade Rewards enable our members to book any room in any hotel around the world using Hilton HHonors points. Throughout the years, we have received feedback from many of our members requesting this enhancement. We believe having premium rooms and suites now redeemable for HHonors points is a great addition to our program.
While rolling out this reward program, we did experience a technical glitch with a small handful of hotels which caused these properties to appear to have no standard rooms. We are working on resolving this issue so that standard rooms can continue to be booked with Hilton HHonors points at these properties.
In addition to the three new reward products, Hilton HHonors members can continue to redeem their points to enjoy free standard rooms at the more than 3,750 hotels worldwide with no blackout dates. There have been no changes to the Standard Room Rewards product, allowing members to continue to redeem standard rooms at category one hotels through category seven hotels, like select Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
We value your loyalty and membership to Hilton HHonors and hope that you enjoy our new offerings.
-HiltonHHonors Representative
If this Hitlon HHonors premium room reward scheme is not now a tool to limit Hilton's expenditures on a per point redeemed basis, I would be entirely shocked if that is not what it is intended to become soon enough. IIRC, Hilton's not in the business of increasing its expenditure per point redeemed by Hilton HHonors customers.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:06 pm
#249
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
I suggest being more concerned about what Hilton Worldwide/Hilton HHonors management have done and will do than what the properties do. The reimbursement properties get from Hilton Worldwide/HHonors is a function of what the property has in its franchise agreement with Hilton Worldwide/Hilton HHonors; the reimbursement received by the properties is not a function of the number of points that Hilton HHonors charges Hilton HHonors customers.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:16 pm
#250
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: MRY
Posts: 430
Is Availability limited to the amount of points you have?
Both BBN and Moorea show no award availability at all anymore. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that this means some type of change!
Man, if our marriage can survive this honneymoon planning fiasco, I think we can survive anything! Planning a wedding is easy in comparison!
Also, thanks to everyone for not making me feel so alone in this! I've been in touch with Hilton since the day they changed the rates and am so happy to hear I'm not the only one upset. At this point, we'll sleep on a pool chair all week if it's 50,000 points!
***Nevermind - it's always available for 1 night (Moorea) but never for 4 nights...and BBN has no award rooms available anymore....I'm so confused!
Man, if our marriage can survive this honneymoon planning fiasco, I think we can survive anything! Planning a wedding is easy in comparison!
Also, thanks to everyone for not making me feel so alone in this! I've been in touch with Hilton since the day they changed the rates and am so happy to hear I'm not the only one upset. At this point, we'll sleep on a pool chair all week if it's 50,000 points!
***Nevermind - it's always available for 1 night (Moorea) but never for 4 nights...and BBN has no award rooms available anymore....I'm so confused!
without an issue. So for some instances, the website seems to restrict availability to the number of points you have in your account if you are signed in.
This may be the issue that some of you are having (just a thought)
I don't recall this being an issue before - maybe it is an "enhancement" with the Beta site?
Oct 14, 2011, 12:27 pm
#251
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LON/BCN/NYC/PDX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, HHonors Gold, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 102
Nope. Happens to me even for single night queries well under my current balance.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:37 pm
#252
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,173
...
Given the availability of standard accomodations at a property is limited by the extent a hotel and/or Hilton want to game it, the availability of the standard rooms using points and how HHonors prices "premium rooms" (direct bookings or upgrades) using points is the thing which needs to be clarified. That hasn't been clarified at all.
If this Hitlon HHonors premium room reward scheme is not now a tool to limit Hilton's expenditures on a per point redeemed basis, I would be entirely shocked if that is not what it is intended to become soon enough. IIRC, Hilton's not in the business of increasing its expenditure per point redeemed by Hilton HHonors customers.
If this Hitlon HHonors premium room reward scheme is not now a tool to limit Hilton's expenditures on a per point redeemed basis, I would be entirely shocked if that is not what it is intended to become soon enough. IIRC, Hilton's not in the business of increasing its expenditure per point redeemed by Hilton HHonors customers.
The knee jerk reaction to this situation is revealing and costly to Hilton, slow communications have no doubt cost them $$$ in switched bookings. The ongoing IT problems have increased the disgust with the HH program. while we all wait and see if they put it back the way it was or devaluate the program in the name of enhancement (aka Delta)
The best thing to do is wait and see how it plays out and then respond accordingly....the inept way these changes are being implemented tend to make me leary of the outcome.
I have a weeklong stay at Hilton coming up and just started learning about their program....I now have to hesitate booking future stays, signing up for credit cards, and getting heavily invested in HH points.
We are just starting a relationship with Marriott and could just as easily build points with them instead.
I found HH points worth less in general, but easier to earn the massive amounts required for redemption. The south pacific standard awards that everyone talks about in these forums, are a tempting prize to persue. I'm not sure if Marriott has anything to compare.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:45 pm
#253
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
I think this email I received 2 days ago explains (that the third option is cash + points):
We are pleased to introduce three new ways to use your Hilton HHonors™ points to book reward stays at hotels and resorts worldwide.
Get away faster than ever with Points & Money Rewards™. Use fewer points to book a reward stay when you combine points and money to book a standard room.1
Use Premium Room Rewards2 and Room Upgrade Rewards3 to book or upgrade to any room, including our most luxurious suites.
With more ways to book reward stays than ever before, Hilton HHonors helps you transform points into unforgettable experiences.
We are pleased to introduce three new ways to use your Hilton HHonors™ points to book reward stays at hotels and resorts worldwide.
Get away faster than ever with Points & Money Rewards™. Use fewer points to book a reward stay when you combine points and money to book a standard room.1
Use Premium Room Rewards2 and Room Upgrade Rewards3 to book or upgrade to any room, including our most luxurious suites.
With more ways to book reward stays than ever before, Hilton HHonors helps you transform points into unforgettable experiences.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:49 pm
#254
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 480
To the HHonors Representative: It would be helpful to know a general time frame when the system will be back up and running. If it's going to be another week...month...another day..etc. I don't want to be checking every 10 minutes, but I am because I'm so nervous about getting a room for our honeymoon. Honestly, I can't even sleep well because I wake up in the middle of the night and check. If I knew it wasn't going to be up for a day or a week, I could calm my nerves.
Oct 14, 2011, 12:54 pm
#255
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,879
To the HHonors Representative: It would be helpful to know a general time frame when the system will be back up and running. If it's going to be another week...month...another day..etc. I don't want to be checking every 10 minutes, but I am because I'm so nervous about getting a room for our honeymoon. Honestly, I can't even sleep well because I wake up in the middle of the night and check. If I knew it wasn't going to be up for a day or a week, I could calm my nerves.