Promotion Dates: July 15 through September 30, 2009
Offer: Earn progressive points, up to a maximum 10,000 points after 5 stays.
Stays Points per Stay
First Stay 500 points
Second Stay 1,000 points
Third Stay 1,500 points
Fourth Stay 2,000 points
Fifth Stay 5,000 points
Registration Link: Hiltonhhonors.com/stay5earn10000
Hotel occupancy is dropping around the globe along with average room rates and this is the summer marketing plan for HHonors loyal frequent guests?
10,000 HHonors points will buy you one free night at the bottom of the barrel Hilton Hotel Category 1 properties. In all of California there is only the Hampton Inn Tulare available at the Category 1 level.
The Hilton San Francisco or the other two Hiltons in the city will cost 40,000 points for a free night at these Category 6 hotels. These hotels have all had recent rates under $100 per night. And now it looks like Hilton HHonors has even eliminated PointStretchers for the remainder of 2009.
I don’t see much value in this HHonors summer offer.
Loyalty Traveler Promotion Rating = 1 Key
Obviously Hilton HHonors continues to pursue a loyalty marketing strategy designed to entice new members with instant elite status offers, but hold back loyalty program points bonuses from the membership.
Hilton HHonors is the hotel loyalty program which use to give 2,000 points just for updating your frequent guest member profile online every three months. Has there been a lucrative promotion since the WalkforHope campaign a few years back? A member could get 5,000 points for a $25 online registration as a virtual walker and support cancer research at the same time.
Let’s compare summer promotions across the major chains.
Marriott Rewards – free night up to Category 4 Hotel with every 3 stays by August 31. The value of the free night should be at least a $100 and will be around a $200 value at many properties. Hilton’s 10,000 points after 5 stays is a $100 value based on the cost to just buy 10,000 points for $100 from HHonors.
Hyatt Gold Passport – 2,500 points per stay when paying with MasterCard through September 15. Five stays at Hyatt will provide enough points for a free night at all but the highest category hotels. A free night at a Category 4 hotel like the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is 15,000 points and a member with five stays should earn about 15,000 points with 2,500 points assuming $500 in spending and 12,500 bonus points. A free night will be worth $200+.
Starwood Preferred Guest – The free weekend night promotion after two stays is ending July 31 and a new promotion has not been announced yet. If history is a sign, Starwood has been providing the best offers this year.
Wyndham Rewards – 10,000 miles for 3 Stays in different brands through September 10. This is at least a $100 value for hotels where the average daily rate is around $60 per night. I don’t have Hilton’s average room rate data, but likely higher room rates for 3 stays at Hilton brands than the economy Wyndham brands.
Choice Privileges – 3 stays earns 14,000 points through August 13 and these points can be used for savings at an all-inclusive Barcelo resort stay.
IHG Priority Club – free night after two nights through August 15. Six stays could be worth 3 free nights at InterContinental Hotels with Priority Club that would otherwise cost 120,000 points or $900+ in room rates at an upper upscale hotel. This is a high value loyalty promotion.
Hilton HHonors’ summer entry in this lush hotel loyalty travel landscape is to offer 10,000 points after 5 hotel stays. The maximum bonus is 10,000 points. A $100 value-added incentive.
I used to be a Hilton HHonors loyalist when I was getting great value from the program in the first half of this decade. Over the past several years I have found greater value with other hotel chains. In the midst of the travel industry meltdown of 2009, I see Hilton HHonors offers little incentive to draw this loyalty traveler back into the Hilton family of hotels.
Double Dip is a nice feature for points and miles, but there is generally more hotel value for the frequent guest in the other major hotel loyalty programs.
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