In July 2021, Hilton Honors began offering its elite Gold and Diamond members a complimentary Daily Food & Beverage Credit at luxury, lifestyle, full-service and Hilton Garden Inn hotels in the U.S., ranging from $10 to $25 per member, or $20 to $50 for two registered guests, per night, depending on the brand and property location.
Some members have been unhappy with the amounts and how much they cover at the mid-tier Hilton brands and Hilton has increases those from Feb 1, 2022 from $12 to $15 per night, and $15 to $18 per night in select markets. The select markets include the cities of Boston, Chicago, District of Columbia, Key Largo, Key West, New York City and San Francisco, the County of Los Angeles and the state of Hawaii.
Additionally, these credits will continue to replace the traditional breakfast credits that used to be offered as an elite benefit through 2022 (at least).
Many love this change and many hate this change.
To some, this benefit is “meant” to be free breakfast (note this just means we’ve gotten used to free breakfast as an elite benefit across multiple programs). And they feel like this is a downgrade. That’s a valid thought for sure. We all want what suits us best.
However, for others, this more general credit is even better. For example, when we stayed at the LXR Santa Monica this summer, we got $50 for the room per day in credit to be used for any F&B. We had a full dinner one day, lunch another, breakfast yet another and on the 4th I had a few martinis! I don’t actually prefer a big breakfast and too many hotels don’t even allot enough for breakfast. When we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Grand Wailea in Maui, the credit didn’t cover ANY possible breakfast at the restaurant. Yet I felt compelled to use it and then had to pay out of pocket on the difference – for a meal I didn’t even want or enjoy.
And then (while it’s not a Hilton hotel), at the SLS Beverly Hills last week, the breakfast menu was so boring that I only ate it one of four days, preferring to eat cheaper local fare. I’d have much preferred a credit I could have used for an evening cocktail or snacks.
That’s just a long way of saying that I actually like this change (since July) and don’t mind it continuing, though I’m sure many do. And the increase of $3 per person only makes it better.
Thoughts?
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