Spider

Being a HH Gold, I travel a lot in Scandinavia and Baltics and stop at Scandic properties. Now, that Scandic is sold and after their transitional period HHonors system will no longer be honored, I ask you, experienced Hilton guests, where to stay in this region if I want to stick with HHonors?

Maybe it is smarter to switch to another hotel chain and program? If so, then which one would you recommend?

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

In Stockholm there is the Hilton Slussen ( there maybe a hotel in Gothenburg)

In Helsinki there are a couple of Hiltons.

I do not think there is a great many SPG ( few in Stockholm) or Marriotts in scandinavia. Raddison SAS do have quite a few hotels though.

Regards

TBS

raunow

There is a discussion of the Scandic Sell-off in this thread

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=666523

To my knowledge there is no announcement from Hilton or the new owners of Scandic, that Scandic is leaving HHonors. The press-release only stated that Scandic will continue in HHonors under a short-term agreement. Whether they'll leave HHonors or enter a longer-term agreement is pure speculation at this point.

But I do agree that Scandic needs to communicate something on this issue soon if they don't want to lose the business from HHonors members.

Myself, I'm Scandinavian based with approx 30 Scandic nights/year and a similar number of Hilton nights abroad. If Scandic leaves HHonors, I would most likely switch my Scandinavian stays to RadissonSAS. RadissonSAS has a generally better standard hotels than Scandic and nearly the same coverage. Unfortunately Radissons outside Europe are generally not very good, so I'd probably stick to Hilton for those stays. The Radisson GoldPoints program however is not as attrictive as HHonors, and

But lets hope the new owners of Scandic sees the benefits of staying in HHonors ...

raunow

I now stand corrected. According to material released by Scandic they are leaving HHonors and will be launching their own loyalty program.

Details in the above mentioned thread.

kuroneko

Well, it figures. At the time I wanted to book a reward stay in Copenhagen at a Scandic hotel, it gets sold. I just did a search and you can't book a reward stay at Scandics online anymore.

raunow

You've never been able to book Scandic reward stays online. You have to call or e-mail HHonors to check if Scandic is still open for rewards.

hotlguy

I agree that Radisson SAS would be your best bet for preferred hotel chain. Good coverage in Scandinavia, Finland and the Baltics.
Hilton only has a CPH airport property. A Stockholm downtown hotel. The Malmö city centre property. Two Helsinki downtown hotels and an airport location.
I will be trying out Stockholm and Malmö in May. Will keep you posted how that went.

tsastor

I am pretty sure Scandic will honor existing Hhonors reservations so maybe it is better to book sooner than later. I usually do it by calling the hotel directly.

On where to stay in Scandinavia, I stayed in Scandics before they merged with Hilton and would prefer to do so also in the future. But it all comes down to what the Future Scandic is able to offer me. Scandic was the only chain that offered me dinner coupons AND the ability of extensive redemptions in international properties. If anyone is aware of other similar possibilities, please let me know! The Hilton exec lounge comes close but the Hiltons are not enough for my travel patterns.

If you are willing to give up the dinner coupons then there are more options. In addition to Hilton, Starwood has a few (very expensive) properties in the Nordic capitols. RadissonSAS has a reasonable coverage (but not a very good program). Marriott only has one property in Copenhagen that I am aware of! There is good coverage by ICHG only in Finland. Then there are the Best Westerns, local chains and such. You can also make deals with many individual properties. So my conclusion is there won't be an universal answer for everyone. It all depends on you travel patterns and what you value the most.

craz

If Scandics still offer their cut rate prices , then the heck with the stay credit or pts. Ill continue to stay with them as in the past. If their rates go up near to what it would cost me to stay at a HH or SPG or Marriott Hotel, then Id go for the pts, or look for another chain or hotel

GUWonder

There's no great alternative: Radisson, Elite, Rica, Choice Hotels, Best Western, and of course Scandic.

Marriott, ICHotels, Starwood are still going to be weaker in the Scandinavian market than Hilton; and Hyatt is a no-go in the area.

pointsgirl

Intercontinental...always a good choice