S tarting in August, free Wi-Fi Access to the Internet will be offered to all members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program.
When you book your stays directly through a proprietary official Hilton channel or one of the corporate travel partners of Hilton Worldwide, complimentary standard Wi-Fi access to the Internet will be offered to you if you are a Blue or Silver VIP elite level status member; and if you are a Gold VIP elite level status member, complimentary standard Wi-Fi access to the Internet will continue to be offered to you.
Beginning sometime during the second quarter of this year at all Hilton Worldwide hotel properties, complimentary premium Wi-Fi access to the Internet will be offered to you if you are a Diamond VIP elite level status member.
This update does not apply to hotel properties where there is a resort charge.
To have complimentary Internet access via Wi-Fi, book directly through a proprietary channel of Hilton or one of the corporate travel partners of Hilton Worldwide:
- The Hilton HHonors mobile software application program for portable electronic devices
- Via any official Internet web site of Hilton Worldwide or Hilton HHonors
- Calling Hilton Reservations Customer Care at 1-800-HHonors or your local Hilton reservations office
- Calling an individual hotel — plus walk-ins and physical on-property too
- Via corporate travel agencies and travel professionals which book via a Hilton proprietary channel
FlyerTalk members are generally happy with this news, as are members of Milepoint; but Gold VIP elite level status members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program will not get the enhanced level of Wi-Fi access which Gold members of both the Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards frequent guest loyalty programs — as well as Platinum elite level status members of the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest loyalty program — now enjoy.
In other words, members of the second-highest elite level status tiers of the Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards and Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest loyalty programs enjoy complimentary premium Wi-Fi access to the Internet; but not of Hilton HHonors.
Then again, Gold VIP elite level status members have received complimentary Internet access at Hilton family properties worldwide since September 1, 2010; so although a benefit is not being lost, the hopes of receiving complimentary upgraded Wi-Fi access to the Internet have not been realized.
There is also some concern as to the speed of complimentary standard Wi-Fi access to the Internet. Will it be adequate enough to be considered as a benefit of any use?
Still, I believe that offering complimentary Wi-Fi access to the Internet for all members of the Hilton HHonors frequent guest loyalty program is a positive development; and as technology improves and costs are hopefully reduced, expect improvements to these benefits.
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
