brp

We are top tier in both Hyatt and Hilton, and the statement above could not be more true. Hilton benefits have degraded to be almost nothing in the US. Hyatt are very strong. Internationally, we still like Hilton as the lounges are quite nice.

We generally go to places where there are sufficient Hyatt choices, so the smaller footprint doesn't impact us.

Cheers.

Kacee

It's more like 5x. Of course, most of the Hilton portolio is low-end and/or limited service, which is mostly irrelevant to many of us.
Oh please. Many of us have elite status across multiple hotel programs and also stay in independent properties around the world.
Absolutely not true, either in terms of property quality or program benefits. I have Hilton Diamond (through Aspire), typically 100-150 nights per year on the road, and yet have at most 2-3 Hilton stays per year. That's because I stay mostly in higher end hotels, and Hilton's high-end offerings are inferior in virtually every significant market (LA being perhaps the single notable exception).

ffgap

So? 400 of Hyatt's properties are HPs. That's fairly low-end and limited service as well!

The almost religious fervor of some posters suggests to me that may not be enough to think rationally about the industry.
Many smart people on FT, I know. But these programs are obviously designed with the goal of making middle management behave irrationally...

This is what I mean by almost religious fervor. I did not compare program quality at all. You did. I did not deny Hyatt's portfolio is more upmarket than Hilton's. In fact, I suggested that to be the case.

Instead, what I was trying to stay is: in light of Hilton's large member base of 180 million (?) members and a non-trivial upscale portfolio, the subset of their customer base interested in SLH is sufficiently large even if they price these properties at 80k/night and above.
Furthermore, I suggested it remains to be seen if Hyatt really traded up by buying MMS and ditching SLH.

coleslaw

You're also assuming it was Hyatt that initiated the trading here...

ffgap

That's true. Is it inaccurate?

I thought Hyatt took over MMS outright. I think it's fair to say that's at Hyatt's initiative. Sure, they might have been approached by MMS or their sponsor before but something like that does go anywhere without the buyer in the driver's seat (especially when the driver is a publically traded company not being taken private as part of the transaction).

So that seems a reasonable assumption. What is slightly more speculative is that the takeover of MMS gave SLH grounds for termination of their agreement with Hyatt, making them find another partner.

What is the alternative story? SLH's contract was about to expire and Hilton snatched them up, making Hyatt reeling and scrambling to piece together a deal with MMS?
That alternative explanation certainly makes Hyatt look much worse.

mcgahat

Hilton is twice as big but the quality is only half as good these days as well, even if I factor in some of the HP's that are dumps. I am a handful of stays away from lifetime Diamond with Hilton and have a few years of Globalist. I had a good run with Hilton back in the day but that day is gone, for now. I like the "bubble" I am in and will stay here.

Kacee

I don't really care about any of that. It's just pointless FT speculation, since no one here knows what the story really is.

I'm sorry to see the SLH properties go. It will be interesting to see whether the switch makes Hilton any more appealing for those who prefer high-end properties, but I kind of doubt the value proposition will be there, as personally I have no motivation to increase my Hilton spend to earn either Hilton elite nights or massively devalued Hilton points (.4 cpp and dropping).

beachmouse

If memory serves, Hyatt bought the MMS brand and booking platform outright around April 2023 after it had been in a general partnership with IHG. It’s just that meaningful integration is taking a while. Which is no surprise since bringing those kinds of niche groups for undue properties is rather a cat-herding kind of scenario.

i feel like the best Hilton redemptions are indeed luxury/high cash price standard awards stacked with the ‘five nights for the price of four’ benefit for elite members. And you can pretty much get Silver with Hilton with a cell phone service promo. We got about 1.3 cpp from Hilton for an award stay in Jackson Hole last year.

sapguy

As a Lifetime Diamond with Hilton and a LIfetime Titanium with Hyatt, and a not-yet-Lifetime Globalist with Hyatt, I can positively say that the Hilton program absolutely SUCKS!!!

The amount of properties is irrelevant to me!

Some of the benefits that Hyatt Globalists get are only dreams for Hilton Diamonds! I know as I am both

Adelphos

Hilton is a massive hotel footprint that continues to grow aggressively, and has a big loyalty program, particularly among US customers. The idea that it is “surprising” that SLH would partner with Hilton is laughable, regardless of anyone’s personal views on the respective loyalty programs. Hilton can drive significant business to SLH properties, probably more than Hyatt given the size the program.

On a personal note, I only do a few Hilton stays a year, but have always found them a great option to have, particularly on the high end (five night redemptions can be a good value) and when I need a Hilton Garden Inn or whatever in a given city.

Adelphos

The “story” is that partnerships change all the time given circumstances. On the Hilton side, the company seems to be more interested in partnerships and acquisitions than they have been in really decades. They have been rumored to look to do other partnerships and acquisitions as well.

ffgap

I don't want to get into a semantics flame, especially in light of me not being a native speaker.

Nevertheless, you are using the phrase "all the time" quite liberally.

Hyatt is still a partner of SLH--and Hilton's partnership has yet to launch. Given the announcement of the SLH-Hyatt cooperation was in 2018, the relationship spans 5 years (measured from the members' perspective).

Hyatt's deal with MGM lasted exactly 10 years. We don't know if the Lindblad deal was open-ended or fixed term, but we know it was terminated after 4 years by a mutual agreement of Hyatt and Lindblad.

So again, I think it is a bit inaccurate to sum it up as "these partnerships change all the time."

scubadu

Ummm... does any of this matter? It is what it is, the partnership is winding down. A new one will emerge. Obsessing about the why/how seems like a waste of time.

Regards

ffgap

FYI, these is a thread in the Hilton forums on the upcoming relationship Hilton-SLH.

ITT, I believe the question "what happens during the transition period with WoH bookings of SLH?" has been addressed already. Unless I am missing something, the discussion left for this thread is then mostly about evaluating what happened and what are the perspectives for Hyatt with regard to partnerships along the lines of SLH.

Posting about other posters wasting time seems like a waste of time

brp

I'm not sure I've seen anything definitive on this simply because, AFAIK, nothing definitive is known. Other transitions have been handled differently from what I've read. Sometimes prior bookings are honored (with points/dollars), sometimes not. we won't know which this is until something is announced. So, I agree that continuing to discuss it is fruitless. I disagree that it has been addressed. In the end, we shall see,

Cheers.