I agree. You'll probably get a fast track back to Diamond which will be easy to achieve.

Why even stay 16 times when you can do this:

https://www.hiltonhhonors.com/landingpages/mvp.aspx

A couple stays totally 9 nights, and you're in.

I agree... as far as what you get at the US hotels, Diamond doesn't get you much.

I'll hit nearly 40 stays and nearly 70 nights before the end of the year.

Next time I check in late and there are no upgrade rooms left (at a hotel that actually has upgrade rooms), I can take consolation in the fact that someone with 4 stays and/or nine nights might have grabbed the last one.

Yes, Gold is just about as good as Diamond and easy to achieve. I didn't know it was that easy, though.

There is already a lengthy thread on this topic (the pending devaluation) -- well, actually MORE than one thread, but the closest match (on how bad it is or isn't) is the following (in spite of the thread title):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...elsewhere.html

For me, it was a combination of the devaluation plus lack of any real promotions that drove me away. There was really no competition this year when it came to comparing promotions from Hyatt, SPG, and HH. In a bad economic year in which I had much less travel than before, I had to put my stays with Hyatt and SPG in order to get the best value because of their promos.
I planned on returning to HH more when my travel picked up again, and other programs' promos went away. However, I really dont see a need to return now with the point structure changed so much, as I still get more value out of my stays at other properties. Offering better and more competitive promos, even with the increased redemption amounts, would bring me back. I just won't put up with both increased levels and lack of good promos.

The people hurt by the devaulation are those who were "banking" their points for some way-in-the-future vacation (retirement?). I bet if you looked in the personal effects of some of these people, you would find some unredeemed books of S&H Green Stamps as well.

As for the promotions at HH, I found them a-plenty. In fact, it seems that HH was printing money with all of the promotional point offers so you should expect point inflation to occur.

As for those who earned status/points purely with the Amex card, well, those people earned HH a tidy little profit with no expense from HH so I would qualify those people as the best customers of all!

Personally, I think a 20-25% devaluation is a little steep in a soft-to-moderately-recovering travel market. I realize all of the big programs value and compensate their hotels for awards differently, but they've all indicated there is some correlation between average room rates, travel demand, and the number of points required for an award.

2009 hasn't seen these metrics rise: they've been flat or down in most markets where data is published.

I could sort of understand the program structural changes, which by themselves are about a 3-5% devaluation. But the accompanying entire category upward shift was a real killer. That's what turned a 5% devaluation into 20-25%, looking at the popular 6-night GLON awards.

My only remaining hope is that Hilton will realize how drastic the devaluation was and how it both changes the value proposition of doing future paid stays as well as diminishes the incentive to use HHonors partners. If they returned most of today's Cat 5 and Cat 6 hotels to their proper category, thus leaving us with a 3-5% devaluation, I think I'd be more apt to continue booking HH stays and using the Surpass card.

You nailed it. For those of us with sizable amounts of accrued points--they are suddenly worth much less, even though room rates have drastically decreased.

All because Hilton has been making boatloads of extra $$$$ selling points to credit card companies.

So Hilton wins big time. We as the most loyal customers lose big time.

But those of us who have supported Hilton the last year by traveling in a huge way during the economic meltdown have other options.

Last year I stayed 120 nights. This year I'll be lucky to make it to Gold for 2011....

As a diamond HH, this is the first I have heard of this. Does anyone have the link to the announcement? What happens on 1/15.10?

Welcome to Flyertalk ^
Pretty much the HH program turns into a deflated pumpkin
Read through hundreds of posts here
Long story short your loyalty is being rewarded with a 20% devaluation
which seveverly impacts this once great programs value

http://hhonors1.hilton.com/en_US/hh/...nclickhere1009

For 2010, I am letting HH Diamond fall back to Gold or lower. I like the lower end Hamptons & HGIs. I'll be concentrating all my stays around Marriott. I'll probably burn all my points for a trip next summer.

Has anyone had success on a status match from Marriott? Is this even a possibility?

Do you have any status with Marriott now? Check the Marriott Board, but many of us got targeted promotions with accelerated tracks to Elite levels. I'm Silver and they gave me Gold through year-end, with Gold through 2010 if I stayed 10 more nights. Nine down as of last week and will complete it later this month.

I stayed at a NYC Courtyard last week with a colleague who was puzzled as to how she got Gold status all of a sudden and I explained it to her. Filled her in on the promotion and the upcoming Hilton devaluation and she's burning her HHonors points up, too.

[QUOTE=Athena53;12951183]Do you have any status with Marriott now? Check the Marriott Board, but many of us got targeted promotions with accelerated tracks to Elite levels. I'm Silver and they gave me Gold through year-end, with Gold through 2010 if I stayed 10 more nights.

Good to know. I got matched with SPG but most of the tiny towns I have to go to don't have SPB properties. Think I'll give Marriott a try.

[QUOTE=halothane;12682273]I will be burning my HH points before the change and will be getting rid of my Hilton Amex. I've not stayed in a Hilton property in two years as I have turned my loyalty towards SPG and Hyatt. I've received better treatment, upgrades, benefits, and better promos.


Halothane[/QUOTE

Wow! I'm new to the forum, and joined because of researching exactly this topic. I've had a three year run with Hilton Gold, and it was getting less beneficial to keep that status and not get higher Hyatt benefits. Now with the free night after two promotion with Hyatt - it's goodbye Conrad!