Tag Archives for hilton.
The Graduate Hotels brand is a 10-year old chain with 33 hotels (all but two in the United States) with a focus on acquiring and remodeling properties in college towns such as Annapolis, Ann Arbor, Berkeley and Bloomington. Expansion is planned near UT Austin, Auburn, SMU and Princeton.
Both chains report that 78% of their revenue comes from the U.S. Their international footprints are smaller than you’d think!
Marriott has more than twice as much booked liability for hotel award night redemptions as Hilton. But that does not mean “Marriott’s loyalty program generated a far higher total volume of rewards for members than Hilton’s did” since Hilton pays hotels less when members redeem than Marriott does.
With Hyatt expected to onboard some Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties in the coming months, their Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership has been in doubt. Now Hilton has launched a new partnership with SLH.
When you order a burger at the Hilton Toronto Airport they present you with a liability waiver to sign. It spooked the guest enough – asked to sign a waiver prior to eating their burger? It must be unsafe!
Marriott Bonvoy (inclusive of former Starwood members) is the largest program while Hilton Honors has been growing quickly and catching up. Accor’s loyalty program – which is newer than the others – is small for the chain’s size. And while World of Hyatt is the smallest among these 7 hotel groups, it hits substantially above its weight, something that’s true both for program membership and for its co-brand credit card deal.
Hilton’s premium co-brand is interesting because it straight up comes with Honors Diamond status, though I view Hilton Diamond as worth less than similar status at Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG (no guaranteed late check-out from Hilton or IHG, even, but at least IHG offers confirmed suites).
The premium card is also the only one where Hilton spend is more rewarding that putting it on an alternative card.
There are folks who will come out ahead – those who already have unlimited Priority Pass and will get the full $200 per year value out of the statement credits – but overall judging the pure value of the card I don’t think this is a net improvement. It’s still a good value product but I don’t see this refresh as an improvement.
Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria has backed out of hosting the “Seize the Moment US Campaign for Palestinian Rights National Conference” planned for October 27 – 29, which was set to be keynoted by Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American congresswoman and member of ‘the squad’ known for her opposition to Israel.
Hilton has communicated upcoming changes to housekeeping, bathroom towels, bedside power outlets and night lights to hotel owners in the Americas, which they say are changes that “will have the biggest impact on guest satisfaction” while at the same time “being mindful” of property owner margins.
According to an internal communication reviewed by View From The Wing, Hilton hotels must be “clean everywhere and offer a hot breakfast, a great shower experience and a few reliable and friendly touches.”
Did you know that Hilton specifically says that 44% of its brands do not have to upgrade elite members at all?
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
