Hotels

Category Archives for Hotels.

After Gutting Elite Breakfast, Hilton Introduces A Brand With No Diamond Lounge Access

by Gary Leff on July 7, 2021

Jul 07 2021

Hilton Honors was a weak loyalty program to begin with. It was less rewarding for your spend than you realized in terms of free nights earned – it offers lower rebates for both general members and for top elites than the other major chains (I show my work) – and more modest elite benefits than Hyatt and even the consistently inconsistent Marriott.

However what Hilton had going for it is breakfast. That was offered at all brands, without exceptions, and offered even to Golds. Gold is more or less a giveaway level, available via many credit cards and historically bundled via a number of promotions.

Hotel Cancels Award Stay Because They Found Someone Better To Rent Rooms To

by Gary Leff on July 3, 2021

Jul 03 2021

Your travel reservations are never guaranteed, if the travel provider can sell your trip to someone else for (enough) more money. I wrote recently about Hilton cancelling all summer reservations at a Hawaiian hotel property, leaving guests with few options when the hotel had a chance to sell out to a single group booking. Now a similar situation has happened with Hyatt, though unsurprisingly Hyatt did more for the guests that were bumped.

A customer booked at Alila Ventana Big Sur in September on points for their 25th anniversary found that their reservation was being cancelled by the hotel because the property got a better deal from a group booking.

Hotel Starts Automatically Adding Housekeeping Tips Onto Your Bill At Checkout

by Gary Leff on June 30, 2021

Jun 30 2021

A traveler reports that Hilton’s Hampton Inn & Suites Las Vegas-Henderson has a creative new way to squeeze guests. They are automatically adding tips to guest bills, and they aren’t telling anyone.

Hilton Drops Elite Breakfast Benefit At US Hotels Starting July 1, Here’s How That Works

by Gary Leff on June 28, 2021

Jun 28 2021

A month ago Hilton announced that for the second half of 2021, a food and beverage credit would replace breakfast as an elite benefit at U.S. properties. They’ve now shared all of the details about how this will work.

Congress Could Make It Illegal For The Federal Government To Save More On Hotels

by Gary Leff on June 28, 2021

Jun 28 2021

Two Florida Congressmen – Bill Posey (R-FL) and Charlie Crist (D-FL) – have proposed legislation that would prevent the federal government from negotiating lower rates on lodging than what they paid based on 2019 rates. They want to make sure the government pays more than it has to for travel.

Hotel Chain CEO Wants People To Tip More Instead Of Raising Wages

by Gary Leff on June 26, 2021

Jun 26 2021

The plan is to be “encouraging customers to authorize tips at check-in to ensure staff were recognized for their hard work” and having these charged to credit cards, since customers are carrying less cash. They’re also “considering adding a minimum gratuity to restaurant checks.”

This is a tipping point, according to the chain’s CEO, for consumers deciding whether to retain the elevated tipping levels of the pandemic, when consumers felt bad for hotel workers serving customers or whether they’ll revert to pre-pandemic tipping practices. The chain’s task, he believes, is “to educate customers about how hard staff had been working,” and make sure they continue elevated tipping. Hard work shouldn’t be recognized by higher wages.

From Santorini To South Africa, Hyatt Adds 12 New Partner Properties For Earning And Redemption

by Gary Leff on June 25, 2021

Jun 25 2021

Hyatt has a partnership with SLH Hotels that lets you earn points and status at those properties (when booking paid rates through Hyatt) and redeem points at these same properties, though not all of the hotels are part of this arrangement.

Shortly before the pandemic the partnership had grown to include about half of the SLH hotels. We hadn’t seen any additions since then, which isn’t surprising since many hotels would have wanted to pause investment in integration during the pandemic.

Report: Hilton Will Build Hotel On Bulldozed Uyghur Mosque in China

by Gary Leff on June 25, 2021

Jun 25 2021

Hilton may be planning to build a hotel in China over a bulldozed Uyghur mosque. The Chinese government has engaged in ethnic cleaning against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, detaining approximately a million people over the past 5 years and subjecting them to abuse and re-education, forcing them to denounce their religion.

From Free Knives To Fitness Machines, Hotels Are Getting Creative To Attract Staff

by Gary Leff on June 23, 2021

Jun 23 2021

The economy is recovering, states are opening up, and companies are looking for workers. But the number of people in the labor force – working or looking for work – hasn’t risen in a year. Unemployment numbers are down, but roughly the same number of people sitting out of the workforce early in the pandemic are still outside of it. That means it’s tough to find workers, whether you need people to clean Delta Skyclubs, push wheelchairs in airports, or take on any number of other roles.

Hotels are going to some interesting lengths to try to find new employees.

Hyatt Cracks Down On Hotel Adding 3.5% Fee For Electricity In Your Room

by Gary Leff on June 22, 2021

Jun 22 2021

Tthe Hyatt Place Chicago has stopped adding 3.5% surcharges to guest folios for an ‘energy surcharge’.

A Hyatt spokesperson explained, “As soon as we were made aware of this situation, Hyatt worked with the hotel’s owners to look into the matter, and at this time, the hotel has removed this fee.”