Perhaps one looking for any of the following:

(1) Premium rates that the big chains seem to command in Europe vs. local boutiques in the 3-4 star range. (Frequently unwarranted IMHO, but they do seem to command it nonetheless.)

(2) Better access to international business travelers who frequently negotiate contract rates with the bigger brands.

(3) Access to the marketing, branding, promotional assets, etc. that a big brand brings.

Not saying that a super-luxe boutique should do it, but if you're independent now...or tied in with a lesser brand...it could make good sense to align with Hilton.

Could not agree more. Until recently I had been 98% HH. I saw it as the easier, least need for thinking way to keep one account rich with points. Starting last year (HHs poor promo was the impetus or final straw) I reached out to MR and got matched. Best move I ever made! I do enough stays to maintain Diamond and EP with MR (though towards November I may have to use one or the other heavier to maintain both).
This move gained me 6 on those meager but still very usable Cat 1-4 free night certs with Marriott (my trip Idaho-Wyoming-S Dakota is now making them extremely valuable). When I go to a city on business I now have a bigger array of hotels to choose from. I almost always stay as close to the job site as possible.
When I over think and over plan a vacation, I have more options for using points for the more optimum stay. When one or the other has the better promo, I can move to them more heavily, temporarily, to maximize my rewards. Just the best hotel strategy change I have done!

To one poster who was asking as to which one is better? For HH and MR it is hard to say. The Promos have been MR. Using points I have to give the edge to HH right now, however, it hasn't been long enough for me to make a fair judgment (though when you factor in the free certs, MR wins). But MR has, to me at least, some odd categorizing methods for some hotels. Quite honestly there is a sizable chunk of things about MR and HH that are even.

All NYC hotels up 40%
 

Going to be in NYC for three nights in mid-June. Looking around for a HI, HGI, DT, or Hilton to book with points. No hotel is less than 70k points/night. Used to be 50k was the (heretofore) extreme high to book a room. The days of saving points to use to book a couple of days are over. Who has 210k points for three nights in a Hampton Inn?

Maybe this is true all over the world. I wouldn't mind blowing my stash of 260k for a luxury week in London or Rome, but 70k/night for a domestic Hampton Inn is ruinous.

Have you left honors sinceleft honors since devaluation?
 

This probably happened to a lot of people. I had over 360k Hhonor points when the devaluation hit. Left a bad taste in my mouth. (like everyone else)

My primary has been Hilton properties due to their wide number of properties (and work related travel). My fall back has been IHG for the HI and HIX. However, I felt that hhonors gave me a better value then IHG.

Has anybody switched their preferred hotel brand since the devaluation?

Are you serious? Yet another devaluation thread. Yawnariffic. :rolleyes:

See these threads among many others:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ht=devaluation

If someone has actually left HH and taken their business elsewhere I suspect they would not be monitoring this forum. Probably won't get many responses from them.

Fall Out, now that we are more than 1 year past Major Devaluation
 

OK, I admit it, I'm still pissed off at Hilton/Hhonors for the devaluation. I have avoided almost all stays at properties other than to redeem the points I had accumulated in the past since the announcement. Today I received a wedding invitation at a Hilton Property abroad, I have enough points for 5 of the 7 nights I plan to stay, and will reluctantly pay for the other 2.

I am wondering if other people are in the same boat as me, or I am off in an ocean by myself.

After the devaluation last year, I made 2 paid stays at Hilton properties for a total of 9 nights. I moved most of my stays to Marriott, where they got 97 nights from me in less than 9 months.

This year I already have 103 nights stayed at Marriott properties, with only 1 stay and 3 paid nights at Hilton properties.

Our company has actually taken a negative stance against staying at Hilton because we viewed the action they took as a negative, and the points and miles people collect are considered part of the overall compensation package for our employees that are forced to travel.

From June 1st, 2011 to May 31st 2012 our company paid for 2,318 hotel nights across all brands. 2,004 of those were at Hilton Properties. (This is the last full fiscal year for us before the devaluation, and our policy change.)

From June 1st, 2013 to May 31st, 2014 our company paid for 2,912 hotel nights. With only 87 in Hilton properties.

Does anyone else have similar experience on a personal level to me, or with the company they work at?

I don't travel for work anymore, and I don't plan my personal travel around reduced point offerings from Hilton. I think that almost every major player has devalued; it's seems similar to the airlines, "domino" effect.

Hilton is still the best program out there for my personal travel, so I tend to look more for Points + Cash (P+C) options to help soften the blow.

OT, but I don't understand why a property shows availability for an all points stay but not P+C? Seems to me that if a points stay is available, it should ALWAYS include the option of either all points or P+C. :mad:

On a more positive note, have you seen this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...on-points.html ^

The devaluation really pisses me off, but what pisses me off even more is that Hilton continues to cut our benefits while requiring more nights/stays from their members who actually stay in their properties, while giving out status more easily via credit cards and fast tracks.

I could live with the deval if they would guarantee me a late checkout like Hyatt and SPG does and if they would save upgrades to the club/exec floors and suites for diamonds like Hyatt does. It really pisses me off when I read the gold upgrade thread and see that gold's who have status through a credit card are getting better upgrades at the same properties I stay at. Also irritates me that there is no lifetime status.

If Hilton is going to devalue their points like this and require more stays, then ADD benefits, don't take them away.

I have been dual diamond with Hilton and Hyatt for quite some time based on stays and this year I am making no effort to maintain the status at Hilton. I will simply put $40,000 in spend on my Hilton credit card and will have the status for lounge access when I am overseas and when there is no other choice but to use a Hilton for domestic office travel. My paid stays are going to Hyatt and SPG this year where they appreciate the loyalty more than Hilton.

Just wait till they outline the VIP perks at the new brands. I have a gut feeling they will be lame.

Also still pissed at the point devaluation and mostly the cut back in standards in the lounges.

No useful HH rep still on here after saying over and over it was coming.

There is a few sweet spots around but over all the good ol' day are over.

Not if the product got better and they jacked the rates for reward nights that would be on thing, but over all many hotels are cutting back. How about getting some standards at the doubletree brand (a cookie should not be the only standard)

I still stay at Hilton properties. I compare what hotels are available and at what rates, and I go with whatever I like. Consumers don't really understand loyalty. They do what makes sense to their bottom line, and if some other brand decided to provide better incentives, they would either jump ship, or demand dues for their loyalty from the brand they were supposedly loyal to. The sad part is, when the consumer is disloyal, he/she is praised for their saavy. When a company decides to cut costs for the benefit of the company, they are evil and greedy. The truth is everyone on both sides want better value. Nothing personal, it's all just business.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...vel-increases/

So much for "the mighty force of FT will make 'em pay for what they've done".

No difference at all.

After being Diamond for many years I'm placing less emphasis on picking Hilton properties to maintain status. I'm splitting my stays between Hilton, Marriott and the occasional something else. I'm using my HH points at places that still treat me decently -- there are a few. But I'm guessing that may have more to do with the fact that I'm a repeat customer there and not because of Diamond status.

I've learned that if I want a nice room I need to book it and not hope for upgrades, especially on award nights. So I pay for the room. If I'm going to do that then there's no reason to give priority to Hilton.

I have to laugh when I see 250 My Way points post for a Hampton Inn stay. Some Hamptons are giving both the points and snack. I think they must realize how little the points are worth.