The universal need for Wi-Fi access is quickly becoming a reality throughout the daily lives of most Americans. Free Wi-Fi is also commonly used as a tool to generate customer engagement among consumers in bars, restaurants, and cafes. Many establishments, such as hotels, are now even incorporating Wi-Fi connections into their loyalty programs.
Hilton Worldwide has just announced that it will begin offering free Wi-Fi to every member of HHonors, the hotel chain’s popular world-class loyalty program. The new policy will go into effect according to the tiered structure of the loyalty program’s membership levels.
Beginning in the second quarter of this year, Diamond members will receive complimentary premium Wi-Fi at every Hilton property. Standard complimentary Wi-Fi access will be extended to Blue and Silver members, and will continue to be a benefit for HHonors Gold members.
To receive these benefits, members need only to book their stays directly either through a proprietary Hilton channel or through one of their corporate travel partners. This marks a departure from other hotels such as Starwood and Marriott that require loyalty program members to book stays exclusively via an official company channel.
These new benefits come on top of Hilton HHonors’s already comprehensive loyalty program, which allows members to collect points almost anywhere. After points are earned though various hotel stays, dinning experiences, and by making purchases with the HHonors credit card, members can then spend those points on a wide range of rewards. HHonors allows members to acquire merchandise, access to exclusive events, take vacations, make charitable contributions, and more.
As the only loyalty program to offer “No Blackout Dates,” HHonors also lets members trade points for airline miles through a partnership with United Airlines MileagePlus.
The HHonors loyalty program is free to join for Blue, Silver, Gold and Diamond level members, but each tier requires an escalating minimum of Hilton Hotel stays during the calendar year. This incudes overnight stays at any of the more than 4,000 hotels that Hilton operates in 90 countries across the United States, Europe, and Asia.