(NewsUSA) – “The customer always comes first” should be every company’s mantra. However, a lot of companies say it, but don’t act on it. So, how do we make sure we’re living up to that mindset? The answer is simple — just ask. On any given night, half of the guests in our hotels are members of the Hilton Honors loyalty program and their feedback is what helps us make our program so esteemed. We listen, learn, anticipate and evolve Our members most recently told us they want more flexibility with the Points they earn from stays with us AND the ability to use them faster. In response, we’ve added new perks to Hilton Honors that are inspired by and created based on member feedback. Slide into Free Stays Later this month, we’ll roll out a flexible Points & Money slider, giving Hilton Honors members the ability to book a stay using nearly any combination of their Points and money. So, why does this matter? It gives more options to people who travel frequently. It also gives those who don’t typically have enough Points for a free stay the ability to start using their Points much more quickly. A New Way to Pool Our research shows that 40 percent — nearly half — of travelers take trips with three or more family and friends. This can include anything from family reunions to bachelorette parties and everything in between. So, starting this spring, Hilton Honors members can “pool” their Points with up to ten other members. Ours is the only program in the industry that allows this many people (11 total) to share their Points and to do so for free. Amazon Shop with Points: Diapers, Canoes and Shoes, Too Members tell us they want to use their Points in as many ways as possible. So we set out to give them a way to do just that. Starting this summer, Hilton Honors members will be able to use their Points on just about anything available on Amazon.com — from diapers to shoes, or even canoes. When Life Puts a Pause on Travel We know how important elite status in our program can be to our most frequent guests. We also know that life can throw some occasional curveballs that take you off the road — anything from a new job to a new addition to the family. We also know that life doesn’t follow a re-qualification schedule, so we’ve guaranteed that our Diamond members can extend their status for up to a year in the event they have to take a travel hiatus, adding some stability amidst schedule (and life) changes. This isn’t the first time we’ve used feedback from our members to evolve our program, and it certainly won’t be the last. Member feedback enables us to evaluate what we’ve done and how we could do it better. These new perks are just another stop on our journey to make Hilton Honors the most customer-centric loyalty program in hospitality. We’ll keep asking the questions, and we hope you’ll keep sharing your thoughts with us. So the next time someone asks you, “what matters to you most?”– make sure to share your honest feedback because your two cents could be the next industry game changer, likely brought to you by Hilton Honors. — Mark Weinstein, senior vice president and global head, customer engagement, loyalty and partnerships, Hilton NewsUSA Travel
