cayenne

After years of being a Hilton Diamond member, I am seeing a serious decline in their quality, and service. I know droves of others have left the HHonors realm due to the change in Diamond requirements this year.

I've been staying at more SPG properties this year, and have been happy with the service and the amenities. I've been comparing both programs and I am seriously considering swapping over and putting full stay into the SPG bucket.

Are there any downsides that this group is aware of relative to harder upgrade policies, etc? I'm assuming SPG offer's some sort of status match challenge?

craz

Big difference is the # of propertys and no low end propertys meaning No Hampton Inn types, so youre lucky if there will be a Hotel in the city you need and most likely it will be downtown and full service.Which works for some folks and not for others

Id suggest you write up where you stayed last yr with HH and see if *W has any hotels and if their location works and what if any rate difference there may be. If SPG doesnt work check Marriott

EuropeanPete

Are you sure you're not going to miss the Hilton patent Alarm clock?

Drop HHonors, I really can't imagine you looking back. There will be some things that SPG does worse (a worse redemption rate and less free booze either as a gift in the room or in lounges), but overall I've had no regrets since leaving Hilton 2-3 years ago.

One of the first things you'll notice (for good or bad) is that SPG has a much wider range of hotels (at 4*+ level), and there are even big differences within the individual brands. I never saw many Hiltons other than the Hilton and the Conrads, so the change made it felt like I wasn't tied to a hotel chain in quite the same way.

pricesquire

Depart asap. I agree re: not only the devaluation of points/options w/ Hilton, but more importantly the quality of hotels and service. Over the years, I've found the staff to be less accommodating, the rooms to be in worse condition, and the executive lounges to be more miss than hit.

The two things I'd say:

1) The quality of SPG is much higher. That can be as much a detriment as it is a benefit (think: higher rates).

2) SPG doesn't really have "the Hampton option"---I mean, a baseline hotel you'll find in any city, off any highway, in the US. (Not a fan of the Hampton--more referring to it's availability).

KENNECTED

You may to search this forum. There is a Hilton comparison thread. Downsides are going to be based on the individual user based on your expectations.

There is a status match thread in this forum the detail what you need to do.

KENNECTED

IMHO, the Four Points & Aloft are the equivalent of the Hampton Inn & Hilton Garden Inn. Based on city and location.

What Hilton doesn't have is a W or Le Meridien counterpart. And SPG doesn't have an Embassy Suites counterpart. Yes, there are some Sheraton Suites properties. But SPG/Starwood doesn't have a full fledged brand.


Here is how I look at things

SGG Brand = Hilton Brand
Luxury Collection = Waldorf=Astoria
St. Regis = Conrad
W = N/A
Le Meridien = N/A
Sheraton/Westin = Hilton/Doubletree
Four Points/Aloft = Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden Inn
N/A = Embassy Suites
Element = Homewood Suites

MSPeconomist

I think of Conrad as closer to Westin than StR. Also element and most alofts are new and stylish in contrast to the supposed Hilton equivalents, with more emphasis on adult beverages.

craz

I disagree with the 4P/Aloft being eqv to Hampton & HGI Most 4Ps are the pits and runned down HIs and HGIs arent so HIs you get free breakfast AFAIK no *W brand offers a free breakfast. HIs are located at many Interstate Exits, dont know of a single 4P or aLoft that is

If anything this is what *W has been missing from its line up a HI type brand and decent HGI type as well, aLoft just misses the mark. Marriott has its Fairfields and CYs that compete with HI and HGI and also are all over the place

KENNECTED

Come on guys, you guys act like there are no crappy Four Points. Four words - Four Points Miami Beach!

holtju2

If you take into account the number of points that you earn from stays and number of points required for awards, SPG is worse than Hilton HHonors.

LuisHK

I agree on the inferior rewards, however in general I felt SPG properties are better than Hilton/Conrad.

EuropeanPete

I don't think either comparison is exactly right. I think of the Conrad as a grown-up and higher end W, more than anything else. Conrads tend to be quite a lot better than Westins (usually a solid 5* vs. a standard 4*) and do have an element of "cool" that the W's have, though obviously not so 18-30 holiday in its style.

stiwi

I think both chains have great properties and they would perfectly complement each other unless you want to focus on one. I have switched majority of my stays to SPG after recent HH devaluation. What I have quickly noticed is that points adds up slower in SPG than at HH. It is because SPG excludes some items that HH don't, e.g. SPA. At HH after a few stays I was enjoying Maldives, at SPG after few stays and 50 nights I am leaning towards miles... As a Diamond/Plat I have got some nice upgrades at both. SPG BRG is great though.

MSPeconomist

There certainly are FourPoints located at highway exits, including some airport properties. Some of the new or newly renovated ones can be very nice, but the older ones can be sad, although not necessarily a bad deal for the price.

craz

If I was to leave the Sheraton in Parsippany,NJ and get on the I-80 heading West, the next *W would be in cuyahoga Falls 20 mins South of Clevland a Sheraton Suites thats after an 8 hr drive and going out of my way to get there. There are many Hamptons,Fairfields,Comforts etc at alot of the exits along the way.

4P wise there are in NYC then I think Chicago would be the next location. I think bet Parsip and Chicago youd pass by tons of HGIs Hamptons, Fairfields CYs etc etc right off the Interstate

Its not only *W Hyatt is really no better even with the Hyatt Place, but in a couple of yrs (if not already) HP will leave 4P in the dust. Maybe its due to 4P being like Radisson that they take whatever place cant fit in anywhere else. So you never know what youre gonna get till you get there. With CYs and HGIs youd never have that problem