hedoman

They're not being given cash. To make use of the gift, cash will be needed.
It's a great gift if you can afford it.

kryten22uk

It certainly does. Gambling wins are tax-free here in UK.

mspreh

Well, I think the gift was very well received by everyone in the department. 5 women even started crying when they found out. I heard some people saying they would try to use it for a nice hotel stay for New Years, and then maybe take a couple of weekend trips. Some others were saying they were going to finally go to places like Hawaii, New York City, and Miami.

The envelop gave some examples of 1 night at a location, or 5 nights at another and how many points that would take. In addition were some examples of cash and points redemptions.

The only negatives were from people in other departments that only got their standard bonus.

Andrea Waters

Surely you realize that millions of Americans aren't in a position to pay for even a weekend away, even with the added bonus of a paid hotel room. There's the cost of transportation, which can be hugely expensive even if the party travels via car. The cost of food, time off of work, etc. We are lucky that we're able to pay the remainder of the expenses but to a whole lot of people, 500,000 HH points are utterly worthless. It may seem crazy but I am guessing a lot of those employees would rather have $100 with which to buy their children gifts or serve Christmas dinner.

hhoope01

Based on the OP's post just before yours, it looks like the points giveaway was pretty well received.

DiverDave

Well, that's a very nice result for your boss and the department. ^

After all, 500K points (even devalued) can buy hotel nights that some of the folks might not be able to afford otherwise.

Cheers, and happy holidays!

David

Jasjot Sadana

Lol...i am pretty sure,even with the devaluation,u could make some very good use of those 500,000 HH points....lets not crib,and love the gift{it surely deserves in return to 100 or 150$ cash value,i would any day trade fr the same lmao}

txflyer77

One thing your boss might consider to help those who aren't as savvy with points as FT is to offer a "default" option or two, especially if there's a nearby Hilton resort or cat 10 property. At least it would give people an idea of what's possible.

"Here are your 500k points, if you don't know what to do, my secretary will book you and your spouse an extended weekend at the WA Chicago."

toomanybooks

100 nights in a cat. 1!

mspreh

They did have a nice example list, of some options that they could do. Then it also had an area reminding people of the buy 4 nights and the 5th at the same place would be free to get more for your points.

All they have to do is visit his secretary, and she will tell them the cost of any hotel stay and the availability at their request.

One person booked a stay already this morning, he booked the Hilton Bentley South Beach for 5 nights in February this morning. He was the first one to book anything. Now we will see if he uses his other 180,000 points he has left to spend. This was one of the example hotels on the letter that they each received.

steppie

I think i would take a group of homeless people into a really nice Hilton, so they could shower and get a good nights sleep. Wouldn't that be a nice, charitable thing to do for Xmas?

ehallison

Yes! Which hotel are you doing this at?

janetdoe

I can't believe that people are moaning and groaning about how these people might prefer $100 to a flexible vacation of their choosing. I would understand the point if these were lower-middle-class jobs, but for sales people who do extensive travel, I would guess that they have both the means and the travel savvy to make good use of this incredibly generous offer. ^

The ironic part is that the CEO will probably requalify for Diamond (since he will get stay credit...), and it sounds like that's the last thing he wants.

The all-inclusives and the Orlando properties are a great idea if they are on a budget, or if they have been wanting a dream/aspirational vacation, this is the perfect chance!

I can't tell if you're being sincere or sarcastic. But if you are being sincere, I think it would be a better gesture if you did it in the lowest category Hampton you could find so that everyone gets free breakfast and you can help more people or give the same people a longer stay.

IME, most Hamptons are just as comfortable as a Hilton, perhaps even more comfortable, with a microwave, a fridge, and likely cheap food within walking distance.

wharvey

You have a great boss; what a way to get major good will for something he himself does not find as valuable... let me know if he has some points left over.... I can book quickly...

Thunderroad

I agree with others that this does sound like a nice offer, given that it's replacing $$ bonuses that are relatively small. As for your question...

If by this question you're asking about good hotels to redeem at, and IF your colleagues have the time and $$ to go overseas for these trips, I'd look at the Conrads in Koh Samui, Bali, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore and Maldives (Rangali). Also the Labriz (first choice) and/or Northolme (second choice) in the Seychelles and the Bora Bora and/or Moorea properties in French Polynesia. I realize that even 500K does not go that far for HH points at top hotels anymore, but perhaps in some cases the cash plus points options are available.

I also realize that for many USA hotel options might be better, but I don't know enough about the best domestic properties to weigh in. Nevertheless, hotel quality aside...you can't do much better than the SF Bay Area as a place to visit.