The Hyatt promotion is great, I'm not arguing that. However, if you think that Hilton Gold doesn't provide much benefit, you better not be expecting much from Hyatt Platinum except free internet access.

welcome to ft....good call....i don't think hilton diamond is nearly as good as it was earlier....better to switch to spg or hyatt....

The other thing they could do is bring back Point Stretchers, or something like that. The problem with Hilton's category system is that a hotel has to stay in one category all year, even if it's "worth" that that category only in some peak season(s). Point Stretchers allowed for it essentially drop a category during slower times. Some other programs, like Choice Priviliges, can have hotels have different reward amounts every couple months, so that a hotel doesn't have to pricey (on points) all year if the demand for its rooms only occurs during two months.

I am also dropping to Silver after several years as a Diamond. I will continue to earn points and stays in certain cities but am focusing more and more on Starwood

[QUOTE=keeton;12941557]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. QUOTE]

You must be talking about me since I have some S+H Green Stamps and more than a million Hilton points. I don't feel bad about my Green Stamps bc I didn't see anything I needed. Likewise, I'm only hurt by devaluation if I plan to use my Hilton points. If I have no need for them, then I'm not hurt at all.

I like looking at them.

I don't really care. I had about 450k points banked when I found out about the devaluation so I've just been spending them like crazy. A few days ago I booked a 150k 6 night trip to disney for me and my wife then bought a friend of mine a five night in NYC for his honey moon. I'm always going to have more points than I really need. Even with the points devaluation, a really nice vacation abroad in a top-tier property still won't be any more than 250k points. With how easy it is to get points its not that big of a deal. Heck you get 50% bonus points just for staying if that's your "my way" double dip option, then get another 50% with diamond VIP bonus. Then you have other promotions like double points for x months, credit card bonuses, etc.

Points are very easy to come by so naturally the cost of the room inflates. By the time I have availability to take a vacation I've accrued more than enough points to stay anywhere I want to in the world. Another reason I don't have a problem with it is because they've devalued the Diamond VIP status by making it super easy to get. By ticking off enough VIPs they'll re-value it

I was down to 2 stays in 2009 - my last fall was from Diamond to Silver. I think I'll be feeling pretty blue (and not necessarily in a bad way) soon.

What other chain gives you free breakfast for yourself and a traveling companion at pretty much every hotel. Last weekend in Texas I got full breakfast rather then the continental breakfast I was entitled to at a HGI - this seems pretty standard.

As a Diamod at HGI, not taking the 750 points you should get a FULL Breakfast. See cut and paste from HH Site.

"Complimentary Full American Breakfast for you and one guest (guest must be registered in the hotel) throughout your stay."

I have said this many times. This is one reason why I have moved a lot of my stays to PC properties. Actually, I'm on a PC Pointbreaks stay right now at 5K/night for 3 nights. HH, please bring back PS and make them real...

the devaluation is bad....really bad....hilton states they have not raised award levels for the last 6 years, but that is not entirely true....a fair number of properties all over the world have moved up a category over the last few years, so while the points required per stay may not have gone up, the points required for those particular properties has increased....& now, not only are the good hilton folks increasing the points required for stays, but they are also increasing the categories for each property....this is bad....really bad....

It's the devaluation in the value of points in an economic environment where demand (and prices) are down that most turns me off. [Raising prices in points even as prices in regular currency have generally plummeted is just a means to rip-off customers.] Just wait until some future industry recovery is used as an excuse for HHonors to further devalue the value of accumulated points by bumping properties into higher categories -- that means to reduce the value of points is coming too. Combine all of that with: Hilton's misinformation about what has happened with HHonors points since 2003; and the relative decline in the value of going from Gold to Diamond. The net result is that my use for Hilton will continue to decline with yet more of my stays being redirected toward Hyatt, Starwood and other brands where the trust factor is higher.

Much like I minimized collecting Zimbabwe dollars these past several years, I will minimize collecting Hilton HHonors points next year unless and until something fundamental changes with the governing of the funny currency-issuer known as Hilton.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/hil...els-2009-12-11

Interesting story. Thanks! Hilton thinks the average for hotel loyalty programs is to spend $2500 in order to get a free night? Now I understand the problem!

With all the Hyatt promos going on, you can earn Diamond for less than $1,000 and get enough points for about 10 free nights at a low cat. Hyatt!

Actually, "Hilton" didn't say that. A partner at a "hospitality consultancy" said it.