Finally worked out my unease at the new HH status qualifying changes

[Moopere]

I felt uneasy about this when my email notification first appeared but didn't know if it was the normal sad face due to inflation or what it was. I think I'm onto my objection now. Its the nights increase that bothers me, probably, if it applied to my circumstances, the stays increase would bother me too.

I understand the inflationary nature of the base points increase and can lump that, but my work related Hilton stays are decreasing and whilst my leisure stays are increasing I don't get more annual leave this year compared to last, so its a problem. Basically, the chain wants me to spend more to retain status, which I get, but with limited leisure nights available I can basically forget trying any of the new doubltree hotels which are popping up in places I want to go, and this was going to be my plan for this year - need to be staying at Hiltons or Conrads in order to keep the spend tally high enough to hit the mark by years end.

I suppose, as I ponder whilst writing this, its a bit of a sneak attack on the hoped for upgrades that status holders like to get, that I certainly like to get. If I use some of my limited personal travel nights at a doubletree for instance, I better book a suite, rather than a low or mid range room and hope for an upgrade, because I'll need to do that in order to keep pulling in the base points.

Anyone else with mainly leisure stays feeling the pressure?

 

[dfcatch]

As a leisure traveller - I qualify on stays rather than nights or spend/base points.

So the increase is marginal - but if close - then it's now so quite as close.......

 

[Moopere]

Maybe I fall into a smaller percentage of use-case. I tend want to use nights as I stay for leisure over longer periods but less often, say several days to a week or more at a time. This invites mattress runs, but what a PITA that is. 20 stays to qualify Gold is tough for someone who only gets 20 leave days a year, even given other opportunities that arise, like a few work stays or the odd public holiday or whathaveyou. Given the Gold qualification on nights is now 40, this is also a tough ask and will take some real planning and active searching for extra nights of opportunity.

I don't know, I guess I'm howling at the moon. Companies need to stay profitable and increases in cost are inevitable, with some changes in the program last year, and now this, it feels like the value equation is dropping, yet its still high enough for me to want to pursue - I just need to suck it up I suppose

 

[simongr]

I am a business traveller but self fund the Hilton as I refuse to stay in the corporate hotel and the increase in base points is worse than stays for me.

Now I need to spend an extra $2,000 to maintain Diamond as opposed to spending an extra $500 (before tax deductions) to stay two more nights.

 

[Moopere]

I am a business traveller but self fund the Hilton as I refuse to stay in the corporate hotel and the increase in base points is worse than stays for me.

Now I need to spend an extra $2,000 to maintain Diamond as opposed to spending an extra $500 (before tax deductions) to stay two more nights.

Yes, I suppose this is the nub of it for me too. I probably am going to really struggle to find the extra 4 nights. I know it doesn't sound like much, but I have a hard limit on leisure time away imposed (mainly) by my work conditions. I didn't make 36 nights last year, but qual'd on points. If last year had had the same criteria as this year I'd not have made it on points either. Not a lot of reason to believe I'm going to be in a significantly better position in 2013, which means I'm going to have to plan around base points qualification, which means booking higher cost rooms, which then bumps me into the very real probability of no room upgrades ... as I've never once been upgraded from a executive booking into a suite.

One way or another, Hilton is going to get US$1500 more from me this year is, I guess, what this boils down to for me.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I can't factually reply to the question just yet. For families (my lot), points were preferable because we sometimes have two rooms (get the extra base points but not extra nites/stays) and we have additional expenditure like movies, room service for kids if we go out or sometimes restaurant meals and of course car parking (as it's often cheaper to hire a car for us rather than pay 4/5 or 6 transfers). I must say I feel a bit agrieved but also understand the value of the base points have decreased with inflation over the years.

So we decided to try stays instead this year. Well, that means mattress runs, which do become tiring and it's made all the more difficult by limited AU Hilton properties. So far we're almost half way through diamond requal by stays, but we both find ourselves questioning the logic of running ourselves ragged to do mattress runs. Booking in for a few week long holidays and running up a larger tab is far more enjoyable.........but now about 3x more expensive to achieve than stays.......... or about $8000 more (which in my vocab is a sizable sum of money)!

 

[Cynicor]

I feel the same. I don't know if I would have made gold on stays or nights last year, let alone diamond, but base points allows me to get there. When other countries have hotels that routinely go for <$100USD a night, you can make plat on stays or nights very cheaply. I feel that base point, while eventually needing to be increased due to inflation,already required significantly more spend than the other options.

I will requal again this year, as I already have 75% of the BP required, but will burn all my points prior to March 2015 and will seek SPG plat. If I use as many as possible of my 4 weeks annual leave at SPG hotels then that's 28 nights and I can supplement the rest through my local 4 points if needed. Will get 10 confirmed suite night vouchers and most of the perks of HH for a fraction of 12k.

 

[Moopere]

I will requal again this year, as I already have 75% of the BP required, but will burn all my points prior to March 2015 and will seek SPG plat. If I use as many as possible of my 4 weeks annual leave at SPG hotels then that's 28 nights and I can supplement the rest through my local 4 points if needed. Will get 10 confirmed suite night vouchers and most of the perks of HH for a fraction of 12k.

I was thinking similarly, but SPG plat is 50 nights, better than HH Diamond at 60 and better bennies too I think, on balance, but the gap is wide from SPG gold, in both qualifying and benefits. Given SPGs requirements for Gold qual, I should ordinarily romp it in. Will miss the free breakfasts that HH gold gives, but on the other hand, my last several stays at Hiltons in both Asia and Australia have seen a reluctance to grant more than about an hour or maybe two if I'm lucky late checkout .. SPG gold all but guarantees it to 4pm (on availability of course).

Arrgh, anyway, I'm just whinging now - I'm obviously falling out of the spend target range that Hilton wants their Golds to achieve. Got enough points for a week at Iru Fushi Maldives, maybe I should go out with a bang at years end

 

[serfty]

... .. SPG gold all but guarantees it to 4pm (on availability of course)...

"Availability" comes into it only at those properties designated as "Conference" or "Resort" hotels.

Other than that, late check-out to 4pm is garanteed when you advise them on check-in (not ask).

There's a thread on FT regarding that:.

FAQ: 4 PM Late Check-Out: A benefit for Platinum, Gold & Preferred Plus

SPG take failure of a property to comply with this seriously, see here: Starwood knowingly breaching its own late checkout T&Cs

 

[drron]

The late check out is the winner for me especially with a lot of flights back to Australia leaving at night.plus SPG hotels where you are a frequent stayer can give an even later checkout-the last couple of times at SGS in Bangkok have been a 6pm checkout.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Probably wrong thread, but to you who advocate SPG, do you believe it's worth a stab?

I have HH diamond and actually quite enjoy it as does my other half......happy wife, happy life etc etc (whoever wrote that rubbish obviously wasn't married), but Hilton does have an Aussie shortage of hotels. I've had a SM off the back of HH diamond to IHG plat and have purchased AMB to give them a try, but I'm not at all confident they will have a stitch on Hilton, but they do have far more Aussie properties. I hear on the grapevine from a respected AFF member that Starwood properties in Oz are on the rise again.

I can, without issue, maintain one top tier loyalty programme.

I can, with effort, sustain two top tier loyalty programmes.

I can't do three top tier loyalty progammes.

I do mainly use Aussie properties (I love Australia, and touring/visting around Australia) but we intend to boot out our freeloaders (kids) over the next - insert as short a time frame as possible - and more and more O/S destinations will be needed (GB, EU, US, Asia etc).

So which two?

 

[drross]

Probably wrong thread, but to you who advocate SPG, do you believe it's worth a stab?

I have HH diamond and actually quite enjoy it as does my other half......happy wife, happy life etc etc (whoever wrote that rubbish obviously wasn't married), but Hilton does have an Aussie shortage of hotels. I've had a SM off the back of HH diamond to IHG plat and have purchased AMB to give them a try, but I'm not at all confident they will have a stitch on Hilton, but they do have far more Aussie properties. I hear on the grapevine from a respected AFF member that Starwood properties in Oz are on the rise again.

I can, without issue, maintain one top tier loyalty programme.

I can, with effort, sustain two top tier loyalty programmes.

I can't do three top tier loyalty progammes.

I do mainly use Aussie properties (I love Australia, and touring/visting around Australia) but we intend to boot out our freeloaders (kids) over the next - insert as short a time frame as possible - and more and more O/S destinations will be needed (GB, EU, US, Asia etc).

So which two?

maybe Hilton and Marriott?