Hilton’s Loyalty Upgrades Are Good News for Frequent Travelers

Hilton’s loyalty program is about to get much better for frequent travelers. This week, the hotel group — which includes 14 brands — is changing the way in which elite members of its Hilton Honors loyalty program earn points. Silver members will now earn an additional 20 percent point bonus on bookings while Diamonds will earn a 100 percent bonus.

Diamond members will also be introduced to a variety of new perks including bonus points for every 10th stay past 30 nights and the ability to gift status to a peer.

These perks position Hilton well to compete for the heaviest of business travelers out on the market. But they also position Honors well for a year in which many business travelers may be looking for a new loyalty program to call home. Marriott and Starwood are due to make a big announcement for how their joint program will operate, while Wyndham and Hyatt have also made big changes in the last year. As many uncomfortable business travelers see change, Hilton may be ready to receive them with open arms.

More details on Hilton’s changes were profiled below.

If you have any feedback about the newsletter or tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet me @grantkmartin.

— Grant Martin, Business of Loyalty Editor

Skift Stories and More Expert Insight

U.S. Pilot Shortage Claims a Casualty: Will More Airlines Shut Down? For at least five years, smaller U.S. airlines have said they feared a pilot shortage, warning travelers they might someday go out of business because no one would fly their planes. This week, however, the national pilot shortage claimed a real casualty.

Looking at the Future of Expense Reports: Most people hate filing their expense reports after a business trip, but new advances are slowly turning the time-intensive process into a more frictionless experience for both travelers and their companies.

Hilton Boosts Its Loyalty Program With Elite Bonuses: Updates to Hilton’s loyalty program will soon make Hilton Honors more lucrative for elite travelers. Between those tweaks and last year’s cash and points upgrades, Hilton is bringing a strong loyalty program to the table for 2018.

Boeing’s Newest Dreamliner Is More of a Regional Aircraft Than Its Predecessors: Earlier Boeing 787 Dreamliners revolutionized aviation, allowing airlines to open sexy new long-haul routes. The 787-10 probably won’t do that, but it’s still an impressive aircraft.

Why Airlines Almost Always Serve Breakfast on Long-Haul Overnight Flights: If you’re a frequent long-haul traveler, you’re probably familiar with the spectacle of an airplane breakfast. About 90 minutes from London, or Shanghai or Sydney, the lights go on, and flight attendants come through the aisles banging coffee kettles, often offering a limp omelet, chewy sausage, and a stale, but warmed, croissant.

Hilton Follows Marriott as Meetings Disruption Is on the Agenda: Much to the chagrin of third-party meeting and event planners, it looks like commission cuts are going to spread across the industry.

The Evolution of the Hotel Front Desk: Why Tech Can Only Go So Far: As technology continues to transform the hotel industry, one fixture remains a puzzling constant: the front desk.

JetBlue Drops Trays for Carts to Speed Up Service out of Cramped Galleys: JetBlue Airways Corp. flight attendants are turning in their trays and will begin using onboard carts as passengers call for faster snack and beverage service and more options.

Longer Flights Have Hong Kong Airlines Rethinking Customer Experience: For the latest installment of our Airline Insiders series, we’ve interviewed Chris Birt, general manager for service delivery at Hong Kong Airlines. We spoke to Birt about the challenges of launching new long-haul service, and why some questions — like what meals to serve at what times — continue to vex the industry.

SUBSCRIBE

Skift Business of Loyalty Editor Grant Martin [[email protected]] curates the Skift Business of Loyalty Newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Monday.

Subscribe to Skift’s Free Business of Loyalty Newsletter