Web Ink Now: As a member of Hilton HHonors, you are very important to us. Not.

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September 16, 2006

As a member of Hilton HHonors, you are very important to us. Not.

I travel a lot, probably 70 or 80 hotel room nights per year. When I lived in Asia, it was well over 100. Like most people, I've got a deck of frequent flyer and frequent guest cards that I whip out whenever I check in for a flight or hotel stay.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email pitch from Hilton Hotels for an American Express Platinum card that basically threatens to cancel my Hilton HHonors membership if I don't sign up for the offer. Of course, the letters says "you are very important to us." Nonsense.

This "offer" was so outrageous, I checked to see if it was a phishing attempt. No, it was a legit email from Hilton.

This is not a good way to treat your customers, guys. I've probably stayed 100 or more nights in Hiltons over the years.

If you had decent systems, you would know that the last time I stayed at a Hilton property I paid with an American Express Platinum card. So guess what? I don't need another!

If I am very important to you, why not send me an email and say "you didn’t stay in a Hilton property for the past nine months, so we're extending your qualification period because we want you to come back." Why threats? Think I'm going to stay at a Hilton now because I'm so eager to keep my status? Hell no. There's tons of other hotels out there.

Here's the letter:

Subject line: Don't let your HHonors membership lapse

Dear Mr David Scott,  Hilton HHonors Account Number: XXXXXXXXX

As a member of Hilton HHonors, you are very important to us. That's why we want to give you an opportunity to reactivate your HHonors account before it is closed and the HHonors points you've already earned are forfeited. Plus, you can earn an additional 10,000 HHonors bonus points - enough for a free night*

Apply for the no annual fee Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express® and earn 10,000 HHonors bonus points on your first purchase after you're approved. By using the Card, you will reactivate your HHonors account and build upon your current point balance.

Earn points towards free nights faster with the Hilton HHonors Platinum Credit Card from American Express! You will earn 3 HHonors bonus points per eligible dollar spent on everyday purchases (less returns) and 5 HHonors bonus points for each eligible dollar charged at over 2,800 Hilton Family hotels. All this along with no annual fee, a competitive APR and the excellent service you've come to expect from American Express. Apply today by calling 1-866-HILTON6 or click here

You may also keep your HHonors account open beyond December 01, 2006, by taking advantage of one of the following options:

1. Stay just once before December 01, 2006, at any participating Hilton®, Conrad®, Coral by Hilton, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Homewood Suites by Hilton® or Scandic hotel in more than 80 countries worldwide and enjoy all the benefits of the Hilton HHonors program.

2. Earn HHonors points through any number of HHonors partners. For more information about earning points with HHonors partners, click here.

3. Purchase HHonors points at hiltonhhonors.com/purchasepoints. You can purchase up to 40,000 HHonors bonus points online per calendar year (in increments of 1,000 points) and use them toward hotel stays, exciting rewards, and more.   If you do not take one of the actions above by December 01, 2006, your HHonors account will be closed and all accumulated points will be forfeited. Prior to your account closing, you may redeem your HHonors points for any eligible reward. After the points are redeemed, your account will be closed by the date above and all remaining points will be forfeited. For a complete listing of HHonors rewards, click here.   

If you have stayed at a Hilton Family hotel in the last nine months, but did not receive credit for your stay, please submit a missing stay request online now. Simply sign in to your account at hiltonfamily.com, click on the "Member Services" tab, select "Missing Stay Request" and complete the form.

Sincerely,

Mary E. Parks
Vice President, Marketing
Hilton HHonors Worldwide

Posted by David Meerman Scott on September 16, 2006 | Permalink

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Hey David,

I travel about 60 nights a year and spend every one getting Hilton Honors points.

If I were them, I'd send a letter/email asking if there was anything we could do to get you to stay with us ... and then do it.

I've always been put off by those use it or lose it letters, too.

Posted by: Mike Sigers | September 16, 2006 at 11:38 PM

Funny you should talk about Hilton. I was just about to respond to the same Mary Parks about not getting credit if I book anywhere but hilton.com. Seems merely choosing Hilton and paying for a nights stay not longer qualifies you as a "acceptable" customer. Here are the highlights from that message...

Thanks to new enhancements to our Hilton Family websites, there's no reason to make your reservations through any other online source. No matter which Hilton Family site you use, you can easily search all Hilton Family hotels at once--by city, by airport, by hotel features or even by travel route. And booking your stay through www.hiltonfamily.com or any Hilton Family website is the smart choice to ensure you receive Hilton HHonors® points, miles and stay credit for all of your qualifying stays.

HHonors points, airline miles and stay credit toward tier status are not awarded for stays booked through third party online sites. However, we have made an exception for your recent stay at the Hilton Santa Clara. Going forward, though, we wanted to remind you that to ensure you receive HHonors points, miles and stay credit when you book online, be sure to make your reservations through www.hiltonfamily.com or any Hilton Family website. Of course, you will also continue to receive HHonors points, miles and stay credit when you book through 1-800-HHONORS or any other Hilton Reservations Worldwide office, through corporate travel offices, through travel agents, through the websites of Hilton HHonors airline partners or when making reservations by phone directly with a Hilton Family hotel.

For further information or to book a Hilton Family hotel reservation, visit www.hiltonfamily.com today. We look forward to welcoming you again soon!

Sincerely,

Mary E. Parks
Vice President, Marketing
Hilton HHonors Worldwide

Posted by: Graham | September 17, 2006 at 01:05 AM

Hey David,

Wow! I didn't realise anti-loyalty campaigns were part of the new rules of marketing. Talk about "How to lose friends and annoy loyal customers"...

Posted by: Melanie Surplice | September 19, 2006 at 07:04 AM

Posted by: 12 | September 26, 2006 at 09:18 PM

I received a membership renewal card but it has been misplaced. Can you send me another one?

Posted by: Weldon Fikes | October 11, 2006 at 05:59 PM

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