jamesteroh

PC announced it is also going to be harder to get/maintain status next year with them.

One nice about PC is at least they are increasing their benefits. If Hilton brought back the GUARANTEED diamond force on reward stays and would offer a hot breakfast if available at all properties, even if a lounge is available like they do at the Hilton Atlanta, people probably wouldn't have as big of a problem with the new requirements and it would be rewarding best members.

sdsearch

For reference:

SPG Plat (whose benefits are somewhere between HH Gold and HH Plat, as it's the first SPG level to give you both internet and breakfast) is 25 stays or 50 nights (no base points option).

Marriott Gold (whose benefits are roughly like HH Gold, though not given at all brands and on all days of the week the way HH does) is 50 nights (no stays or base points option). Marriott Platinum is 75 nights (no stays or base points option).


That's only for those who hold the respective credit cards (and 2 cards, personal and business, in the case of SPG). But anyone who can do that can also hold a Citi HHonors Reserve card, and take HH Gold down to 0 stays. So I don't see the point of even saying how many nights you need with SPG or Marriott with a card (wihtout mentioning that it's with a card), because it's of as little relevance to non-USA members as is getting HH Gold with 0 stays (due to the Reserve card) is.

Anyone who can lower SPG to 21 stays or Marriot to 35 or less nights can lower HH to 0 stays. Anyone who can't lower HH to 0 stays (due to not being in the US, or having bad creditk, or whatever) also can't lower SPG from 25 to 21 or Marriott from 50 to 35.

sdsearch

Where does it say that? I just finished reading the PC forum thread on that, and the only thing that's mentioned is a Chinese website mention of free internet, which has not been confirmed to apply to anywhere in the world. No one has confirmed any increased benefits outside China that I can see in that trhead. (And since when is a benefit added only in China touted as "increasing their benefits"?)

At any rate, PC starts from such a low point (no free breakfast benefit except at hotel's whimsy, no free interent benefit except at hotel's whimsy) that just about anything might considered an increase of benefits there, without there still being much of any benefits!

jamesteroh

Was on the front page of FT where they have five main travel stories. There is also a story about HHonors changes.

http://www.flyertalk.com/the-gate/bl...-benefits.html


I agree their benefits aren't that great unless you have their top tier RA level. I wish Hilton would have a level like that. I believe you are GUARANTEED to be upgraded to the next level room at IC's and also get free minibar privledges.

nsx

They aren't really disguised. Everyone knows that the program exists to promote sales. Still, the "loyalty" designation is appropriate. Customers expect the programs to reward patronage. Customers are therefore justifiably horrified when the programs confiscate balances with zero-notice devaluations.

Running a program strictly as a marketing tool with no attention to loyalty results in what I call a treachery program. That in turn results in bad will toward the company: in effect, an anti-marketing program.

ORDnHKG

Do you forget Hilton always sell rooms that have lounge access, and not to mention cheap upgrades thru Nor-1 ? Not to mention people that have lounge access bring their entire families and friends to the lounge without checkin any guest limits. Stop allowing gold access would eliminate some people in the lounge, but not by much. It is just like all the UA 1Ks are complaining they are not getting the upgrades they used to, well the reality is because they are selling cheap upgrades.

I don't know about SFO Hilton, but even for Hilton SF Union Square, there are always long lines at the starbucks, does that means every single one has a voucher ? Absolutely not. They always have long lines at the checkin too, it is just because it is a huge property, people will go to starbucks even if they can't get it for free.

jamesteroh

I agree with the OP about eliminating lounge access at the Palmer House. It would cut down on lounge overcrowding a LOT. The Hilton in Atlanta and the Washington Hilton are both very strict on giving out lounge access and you don't have nearly the problems of overcrowding at those two hotels. A lot of times you can't even find a seat at breakfast at the PH lounge, and if a lounge is that overcrowded they should be restricting access to people on floors 22 and Diamonds, especially since gold is so easy to get. This is a property though that also gives out internet access to silvers and the wifi is always slow.

A nor-1 will only get you lounge access if you are on the exec floor, unless you are a diamond. That does take away from the available upgrades for diamonds and golds though, but if Hilton can sell the rooms and people are willing to pay for them, you can't blame them. I have a friend that has no status on Delta and he has benefited a lot from FCM and I have used it as well if it's a peak time and I don't think I will get upgraded.

Not sure why a diamond would complain about the long line at Starbucks at union square Hilton. One nice thing about being diamond there is you get the continential breakfast for free with the voucher in the restaurant downstairs, so you can just eat there. Sounds like they are also giving diamonds vouchers to use later in the day at Starbucks, so I am sure not going to complain about a line at Starbucks if I already received breakfast downstairs and have another voucher for a coffee and pastry to use later I would rather see the lines long at the SB kiosk at the SF Union Square and have no wait for a table for the buffett.

100,000miler

I think HH is getting far too heady on its own self importance. I have been a Diamond for many years and frankly rarely do I get anything more than extra points and free Wi Fi which is standard practice on all main chains.

Rarely if ever do I get an u/g to a suite whereas SPG was always very generous about that.

Further, why do I have to fight to get a late check out? Again SPG was very generous with that. I was just at the Doubletree in Sunny Isles FLA and they refused me, as a DIA, a late check out which was very inconvenient. I could recount many other properties that are just as tight on late check out privileges.

I am not one bit impressed with HH Diamond program and now that the ante has been raised, I would expect better benefits or I am walking to another chain which gives me true Loyalty service, not marketing ploys.

ORDnHKG

Wifi: Most of my stays are in HI, HGI, HS anyway, and they all have free wifi. It is only many HGI switch to all non-smoking properties, so I switched to many DT and Hilton recently.

Upgrades: I seriously don't see I am getting much upgrades anyways, 4 times total to suites for all 9 years as a gold, I can care less if I got a better view, and I already put high floor as my note in my profile, so I pretty much get high floor without any upgrades. Many Hiltons and Conrads don't even have lounge, so it is already a moot point. And since I always get a smoking room, and rarely there are smoking rooms in the exec.floor, so I just got put in a room like people book thru priceline.


Actually no, I don't need any loyalty to get free breakfast if I choose a right brand, many 2 star brands already have HI style hot breakfast. Since most of my stays are between HI, HGI, and HS, and sometimes ES. All HI, HS, and ES already have free breakfast without loyalty. As for HGI, I can switch to Hoiliday Inn Express for free breakfast, which I am already doing it anyways when there is no HI or HGI around, or their price too high.

If Hilton decided to eliminate breakfast for gold, I certainly will explore other options that have free breakfast without any loyalty like Comfort Suites and Best Western, many of those two have comparable amenities to HI and HGI too. Several months ago I even stayed at a Ramada at GJT that have free breakfast, as even HI charge $30 more than the Ramada ! Sure the room is dated, but the room is clean, bed is comfy, wifi works fine and the breakfast totally comparable to HI, I even got UA miles just like at any other Hilton family brands, I see no points to pay $30 more for a 8 hours stay ! HI style breakfast is fine with me as many Hiltons and DT will only give continental breakfast anyways.

Eliminating breakfast for gold would only open a door to more varieties of hotels and pay less of a premium to HI, HS, and HGI.

little_dc

The email about the changes to the HH program has a little lie in it, "For the past ten years, we have not changed the qualifications for Gold and Diamond status" This is not true at all! A few years back you changed from a rolling calendar to standard calendar. This was a major change to qualifications. Why be so misleading? I understand the changes but why justify it with misleading info?!?!?

Keyser

so does spg....

Keyser

got the email this morning with the new requirements....yet another devaluation from hilton....there seem to have been a lot of them over the last few years....

there was first an system wide increase in hotel categories, followed by taking away diamond force on award stays & then with the introduction of premium rewards at insane redemption prices just convinced me that hilton is no longer the great program it used to be....i spend about 150 nights a year in hotels so re-qualifying for diamond won't be a problem for me, even with these new levels....but it just doesn't seem worth it now....

i'm about 10k base points away from re-qualifying for diamond & have another 7-8 stays left before the year runs out....i can easily send them hilton's way & re-qualify but i've decided to drop hilton as one of my programs so these stays go to spg....so long hilton....

mnredfox

While in general I'm always accepting (not necessarily agreeing) with these types of moves, my question is this, why make Diamond harder to attain when over the years the gap between Gold and Diamond continues to erode?

No more DSA
Diamond force is mostly useless due to rack rates
Diamond availability on rewards has basically been removed due to prem room scam
UG's rarely come (for me) to suites (yes I know this isn't a guaranteed benefit)
Golds get free internet, lounge access (if UG'd to exec)
No such thing as late check out (like Hyatt/IHG RA)

uxb

Emphasis mine

You prob meant HH Diamond. Regardless, SPG Plat is above and beyond both HH Gold and HH Plat, and has been for years. I have no idea how you could argue otherwise.

+1, Hilton has been doing this since '07.

+1, However, in re: Doubletree Sunny Isles Beach, late check-out is hard to come by since Canadians got a lock on the property during this time of the year. I believe they have timeshares.

I found that I got better upgrades as a Gold than I did as a Diamond. In fact, I was only upgraded once as a Diamond (to an executive room) at the Conrad Tokyo.

Eliminating breakfast for gold would only open a door to more varieties of hotels and pay less of a premium to HI, HS, and HGI.[/QUOTE]

Guess I must've missed this E-mail.

A big +1 here. There is no difference between Iron Pyrite and Cubic Zirconia except for the number of bonus points you get per stay. Whoopie!!! Perhaps, they plan to introduce new benefits in 2016 when all of their fast tracks are removed... NOT!!!!!

stifle

I agree to a point.

I have made Diamond on stays the past two years, and two extra stays just means two MRs down at the local Ł50 a night Hilton.