Hilton Honors loyalty program Hilton Hotels Worldwide Hotel Loyalty 2012-Q2 promotions

Hilton Home2 Suites first-timer 2,000 bonus points to August 15, 2012

Home2Suites by Hilton is the extended-stay upper midscale brand concept in the Hilton Worldwide chain where Homewood Suites is the upscale extended stay brand. Homewood Suites launched in 1989 and has about 310 hotels in 2012 with plans to grow to nearly 400 hotels with 80 hotels currently in the pipeline for this brand.

Home2 Suites is currently at 9 hotels open for business with the latest property, Nashville/Vanderbilt opening just yesterday in Nashville, Tennessee.

A June 1 piece from Lodging Magazine mentions the Nashville Home2 Suites hotel partnership with Vanderbilt University to benefit the local children’s hospital.

To mark the opening, the property has partnered with Vanderbilt University to benefit the local children’s hospital with a “Give Back 5%” program. Through the end of December, five percent of all room revenue generated from the university’s guests will be donated to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Lodging Magazine – Home2 Suites Opens New Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. June 1, 2012 

Home2 Suites First Timers promotion = 2,000 bonus points

First-time stays completed by a HHonors members at Home2 Suites from May 15 to August 15, 2012 will earn 2,000 bonus points.

  • Earn 2,000 bonus points for first-time Home2 Suites stay May 15-Aug 15, 2012.
  • HHonors promotion registration required.
  • Offer valid only once per HHonors member. (You don’t get two bonuses completing two Home2 Suites stays.)
  • Two Home2 Suites Jacksonville, North Carolina and Fayetteville, North Carolina are not participating in this promotion.

Participating Home 2 Suites hotels:

  • Baltimore Downtown, MD
  • Lexington Park Patuxent River NAS, MD
  • Charleston Airport/Convention Center, SC
  • Nashville Vanderbilt, TN
  • San Antonio Downtown-Riverwalk, TX
  • Salt Lake City/West Valley City, UT
  • Salt lake City/Layton, UT

Upcoming Openings for Home2 Suites Hotels

  • Biloxi/North D’Iberville, MS (will open June 25, 2012)
  • Charlotte I-77 South, NC (will open July 31, 2012)
  • Columbus, GA (will open Sep 27, 2012)

A Home2 Suites press release in May 2012 indicates there are 70 more hotels coming.

Home2 Suites by Hilton currently operates seven hotels and has nearly 70 properties in its development pipeline. CN Hotels is also developing another Home2 Suites in Charlotte, NC. The brand current has 11 properties under active construction in Biloxi, Miss.; Nashville, Tenn.; Frisco, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Oxford, Ala.; Huntsville, Ala.; Jackson/Ridgeland, Miss.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Rahway, N.J.; Baltimore, Md.; and Columbus, Georgia. Future properties are slated for many of the nation’s major markets, including Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Denver. Home2 Suites also is approved for expansion into Canada and Mexico.

 

Home2 Suites features

  • free wi-fi and media hub in room
  • 42” TV
  • Modular furniture
  • refrigerator-freezer, microwave, dishwasher, sleep sofa, desk
  • multiple outdoor spaces
  • combination laundry and fitness area
  • community space

The Home2 Suites website offers suite descriptions and photos. The wikipedia article for Home2Suites is quite informative for quick hotel design and features background.

I have not seen a Home2Suites property yet. The website photos and descriptions remind me of Starwood Hotels Element brand which also has only a small number of properties open around the US. There are no Home2 Suites in California yet, but probably one will pop up soon near a military base. Seems to me the brand is cashing in on Department of Defense bookings with the locational proximity of so many hotels to military bases.  The first Home2Suites opened February 2011 in Fayetteville, NC conveniently located near Fort Bragg.

Earlier this year I had a conversation with a hotel manager in a different chain in close proximity to a busy military base. She bragged about the constantly full occupancy with military personnel staying for a month at a time at high rates.

Holy Cow! Only 5 Points per Dollar at Home2 Suites? 

Loyalty Traveler’s main complaint about Home2 Suites is Hilton HHonors set a precedent by reducing points earning rate to 5 base points per dollar at Home2 Suites when all other hotel brands in Hilton Worldwide earn 10 points per dollar. And miles earners are limited to 100 miles per stay.

Those 2,000 bonus points help boost the lower earn rate for Home2 Suites first-timers. After that it is meager earnings at Home2 Suites without a good promotion bonus.

 

Ric Garrido, owner and writer of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

 

2 Comments

  • cook June 3, 2012

    Ah, yes. The extended stay (ESH)hotel, again. While it is very fair to say that ESHs can provide some signifigant savings, some also cut a few more corners than they should. Four and five-star service can become an annoyance during a 20-30 day stay, but some of the ESHs clip their expensive services in the wrong places. As one who has spent a lot of time in ESH rooms, I’d advise potential guests to get a clear understanding of what IS and is NOT included – and well before one checks in. I do not mind sleeping on the same sheets for a few days, but please make the bed, clean the bathroom and coach-kitchen and empty the trash! If the location is one that suggests a need for bottled water, provide a daily supply and don’t nickle and dime me to death; the house either provides bottled water or it does not. Empty, close or remove the Mini-Bar, but leave the fridge. If I want a drink (rare), I’ll find a bottle shop. Lastly, please provide some reasonable laundy option other that your “Four-Hour” return service, priced at $5.95 of higher for a pair of shorts or $3.95 for a pair of socks! If I’m staying for 20-30 days, I can manage just fine with Four Day service, not Four Hours. While ESHs have their place, I don’t think that most of them understand what services their guests really need or want, especially at the medium and higher levels. For one, I want the basics covered, but I damn sure don’t need a “welcome fruit basket six days a week. If I want a few pieces of fruit, I’ll let you know…

  • john June 4, 2012

    I’m looking forward to trying a Home2, although the above posters comments are well taken. The promotion is what is giving me the incentive to do the stay. I generally tend to shy away from extended stay hotels.
    What tripped me up was that there are really so very few Home2 open by August 15, 2012.;)

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