Taking Hilton business elsewhere
 

Many FTers (and perhaps others) pledged to take our Hilton business elsewhere (including me) due to the massive devaluation of the Hhonors program.


Does anyone have insight as to if our action has had any effect the Hilton can feel yet? I know it has only been about a month...but have our voices been heard yet?

i don't really expect hilton to do anything about this....what is done is done....

I did not join the crowd. I booked 12 stays (= 12 nights) with my favorite 5 star Hilton in a European capital at 130 to 150 USD per night for a junior suite for midweek stays under PR09SW, will get upgrades to wonderful Duplex Suites, three free nights, 12000 bmi miles and a bunch of HH points. I value the perks, the rates and not so much the points, so I do not complain too much (and I am one of the big losers).

As a relatively new HH Gold it is good to see that there are obviously still some very good deals to be had so long as you book your stays logically and efficiently. I for one will be staying with HH for the time being.

I have been on here for a long time, just recently decided to join the forum instead of sitting back and keeping my mouth shut. I also did not join in on leaving for a different hotel chain. I have had plenty of great stays with Hilton. Don't get me wrong, I have had a few bad ones also but you will get that anywhere. Hilton has not raised their point value in over 7 years, so it was bound to happen that they finally did. Just like the price of gas or milk, they go up and down but they eventually stay in one general rate.

why?
 

Hilton hasn't had a change in points in over 7 years...doesn't everything go up? Did you stop driving because the price of gas has quadrupled in the past 18 years?

They are offering Going Global rewards starting at 4 nights for silver, gold and diamond vip members, which are a discount of points. Going Global was originally 6 nts or more. Sounds like to me there has been some give and take?

I think that properties have moved up in categories, though. I think Hilton picked a very bad time and method of increasing points needed. Add that to the lackluster performance of Hilton compared to other frequent stay programs, and you'll have a lot of people moving sizable business to other hotels.

I think it will take time to sink in and loyal customers to find greener pastures. The IC's "Biggest Loser" promo is far from done--they have already said the winner will be part of an advertising campaign.

Speaking for myself--Last year stayed 130 nights at Hiltons. For this year, it's going to be WAYYYYYYY less.

For now, I look to all intents and purposes as loyal to Hilton as ever. Hilton have no idea that this is my last hurrah!! But it's the Stay On Us promo that got me to take my needed 36 revenue nights done by March 31. I want to keep my Diamond status as I exhaust my million plus HH points in the next two years. Have another 24 free nights this year (that will get me Diamond for 2012)--and the rest of my points will be used next year (Tahiti in May, Europe in the summer). And then I'm done--cheers Hilton.

Had the devaluation not taken place--I would have add another 280K points. Almost two six-night trips at level 6 properties disappeared into thin air as I was spending $$$$ supporting Hilton in the worst economy anyone can remember.....

As an aside--I think the Priority Club is the worst of the alternatives--Marriott, Hyatt or Starwood are all much better options with respect to their product lines. Example--limited service is Holiday Inns. Awful. And can you believe that the "all overwater bungalows" Intercontinental Thalasso (in Bora Bora) actually built three land-based bungalows with no views for ALL guests using points--elite status included? I'll bet you won't see those three bungalows in Prioity Club's advertising as they try to woo HHonors loyalists. See why Priority Club is a bad, bad idea....

i completely agree with most of what you have stated....even i am at the beginning of exausting all my hilton points & will probably make diamond again this year based on award stays alone....but it will most likely be my last year with hilton....

as far as priority club is concerned....i do agree that it is the worst of the alternatives but its hard to get away from them, given the large number of hotels all over the world & how inexpensive they are....its hard for me to spend over $100 for an overnight stay at an airport hotel (i end up spending 1-2 nights a month in airport hotels due to my weird flight timings) when i can find a holiday inn for between $30-$50 a night....

timing
 

I agree not the best time with the economy, but would there ever be a good time? I travel quite a bit and tend to just roll with the changes...unfortunately customer service does vary location to loaction, but I think that is with any chain....

Mini Program Review 2010
 

Hyatt Gold Passport vastly improved and more generous/hospitable then anytime in their history ^Great broad based redemption value
Gold Points Vastly improved with all categories for redemption improved with regards to value ^
SPG consistent and satisfactory though there was a kind sorta devaluation of categories that didn't move down this year.
Even then not as dramatic as you know who HH :-: :)
Priority Club consistent :-:
Hilton HHonors a massive collapse of value and no improvement anywhere in the program or recognition/benefits at hotels :td::td:

So far this year I have had 4 revenue stays and 1 award stay, and none of them were at a Hilton: a Hyatt, 2 Hyatt Places, and a Springhill Suites. I had a completely discretionary stay on Tuesday when I got stranded in Kansas City, and the airport Hampton was a distant third choice.

My big test is coming up over the next few weeks when I have two one night IC leisure stays, less than $75+tax each night, and expect to get 13k IC points if all the promos hit. If Hilton hadn't devalued their program, I would have ended up at Hamptons both of those nights.

Never read that part, but I'm not worried because I'm not in the potential #1 camp (though hoping to be in the top 20K). This makes their campaign in my mind even more brilliant.

No and neither should anyone else - that is simply not true. IC upgrade policies there are in fact more generous that those of Conrad Maldives for example (and IC RA is by all accounts the strongest top tier status among all programs) but this is OT here.

I've been Diamond or Gold for 12 consecutive years, and I'm done with HH. I'm using my points and moving on, probably to SPG.