One of the benefits of earning elite status in a membership program for a lodging company is complimentary access to executive lounges and club rooms, where eligible guests can partake in an oasis that offers food, beverages, and other offerings in a quiet setting — but is lounge access at hotel properties being redefined in the United States?
Is Lounge Access at Hotel Properties Being Redefined in the United States?
The number of lounges at hotel and resort properties in the United States has been reduced over the years. Moreover, the offerings were generally becoming boring to the point where access did not seem to be a big deal. Does anyone really care about partaking in complimentary lukewarm egg rolls and tepid mystery fried balls coated with bread crumbs that are rarely replenished with a limited selection of alcoholic beverages while sitting on worn furniture?
Enter Signia by Hilton, which was first announced on Friday, December 14, 2018 as the seventeenth brand that was added to the Hilton portfolio and was officially launched on Friday, February 22, 2019. One controversial offering of the brand is Club Signia, which is a lounge that guests who have elite status cannot access without paying extra money.
In fact, elite status means nothing with Club Signia. Anyone can simply pay extra to access it — whether or not he or she earned elite status in the Hilton Honors membership program. An example is given later in this article.
To a veteran frequent traveler, that seems to reek of blasphemy and sacrilege. Reactions from some members of FlyerTalk denounced Club Signia as a further weakening of the benefits of members of Hilton Honors who have earned top tier Diamond elite status…
…but is Club Signia really symbolic of a dilution of benefits to elite status?
A Closer Look at Club Signia
I was taken on a private tour of the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center hotel property after a media reception with executives from Hilton during the Global Business Travel Association Convention 2024 yesterday morning, Monday, July 22, 2024. In fact, the tour was actually my idea. I simply requested it, as I had never been at a Signia by Hilton hotel property until then. The tour was conducted by Kenny Monteith, who is the senior marketing manager at the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center hotel property.
The finale of the tour was Club Signia, on which this article is focused — and had me thinking about whether lounge access at hotel properties is being redefined in the United States.
Club Signia is located behind the silver curved wall in the lobby area across from the front desk, which a corner of it is visible in the lower left corner of the photograph shown above. The main entrance to the hotel property is on the right.
The hours of operation of Club Signia are between 6:30 in the morning and 10:00 in the evening on a daily basis.
Much of the Club Signia lounge is in view after walking through its entrance from the lobby.
An open kitchen with dedicated staff is available in Club Signia. Food on the menu can be cooked to order by the chef on premises. Although the hotel property has at least three dining concepts, Club Signia does not share any menu items with any of them as lounges at other hotel properties usually do. Rather, unique menus are created, with the food freshly prepared in the lounge itself by chefs solely for guests of Club Signia. Only room service options at this hotel property give a “best of” menu listing items from all of the dining venues. Guests are encouraged to interact with members of the staff as part of the approachable luxury concept of Signia by Hilton.
Breakfast had already concluded and lunch had not yet started during my visit.
An exclusive cocktail bar is available to guests of Club Signia. The art on the wall is an original piece that was created by a local artist in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
Use of a private room within Club Signia is available at no extra cost. The private room is located between the open kitchen and the bar.
Adjacent to the open kitchen in a partially enclosed area is the buffet, where guests can help themselves to as many freshly prepared foods as are offered. I was there just after breakfast had concluded; so no hot foods were available. Breakfast and dinner are the times when a more significant amount of food is available; while lunch sees a lighter selection due to not as many people typically being in Club Signia during the middle of the day.
In addition to sliced tiramisu cake, the assorted macarons and snickerdoodles are among the pastries that are freshly baked in-house and not simply purchased outside and brought in to the hotel property.
Chocolate covered malted milk balls, candy malt mix, candied slices of kiwi fruit, dried apple slices, popcorn, peanuts, and other assorted snacks — both sweet and savory — are offered in glass jars throughout the day. A variety of cold soft drinks and cans of La Colombe latte are available in a refrigerated unit below the counter throughout the day as well.
Healthier options include cucumber salad, edamame salad, and a zucchini and yellow squash salad — as well as two varieties of whole fresh apples. I did not sample any of the food or beverage options in Club Signia.
Adjacent to the buffet area is a place where guests can read and relax in front of two flat-screen televisions. Club Signia is a quiet retreat from the rest of the hotel property because its walls are insulated enough to keep external noises outside.
The front desk can be seen through the glass doors of the entrance of Club Signia.
Example of the Cost of a Club Signia Room Rate
A stay of one night — checking in on Sunday, August 18, 2024 and checking out on Monday, August 19, 2024 — for two adult guests was chosen because those dates offered one of the least expensive nights to stay at the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center hotel property.
At least 36 different types of room rates were offered; and within each room rate were different prices for anything from rates that were not refundable to rates that included other options. The least expensive room rate offered for this night was $182.28 — which is not refundable and paid in advance — becomes a total of $218.08 when taxes of 16.90 percent per room per night plus a mandatory $5.00 per room per night charge that is imposed by the state of Georgia were added and included…
…and the least expensive room rate offered for this night which included access to Club Signia was $312.62 — which is not refundable and paid in advance — becomes a total of $370.45 when taxes of 16.90 percent per room per night plus a mandatory $5.00 per room per night charge that is imposed by the state of Georgia were added and included.
This means that access to Club Signia will cost an extra $152.37 for the night, which includes all taxes and fees for two guests. That by itself may seem pricey — but when you consider that the Club Signia room rate includes but is not limited to…
- One or two guests staying in the room, as the room rate does not change
- Significantly better chef-driven and curated food options are available in Club Signia than in a typical lounge at a hotel or resort property
- A room with views of Atlanta on either the highest floor or the second highest floor of the hotel property
- Personalized concierge service
- Checking in early
- Checking out late
…is the additional charge for a Club Signia room rate more justifiable — especially when the total additional cost for each guest is $76.19?
Once I better understood Club Signia and its benefits, I remarked to Kenny Monteith that Club Signia is similar to having an all-inclusive option added to the Signia by Hilton experience. Having just returned from a Hilton all-inclusive resort property in Cancún himself, he thought for a moment and agreed with that sentiment.
When viewing it from that perspective, is the upcharge really all that expensive after all?
Final Boarding Call
People generally enjoy partaking in amenities that do not cost extra — and understandably so — but does the complimentary lounge experience benefit hotel and resort properties financially? They ultimately seem like loss leaders, as the lounge usually:
- Needs to be supplied with food, beverages, and other amenities
- Needs at least one employee to ensure that guests are happy; and
- Must be constantly maintained.
All of that costs money…
…and if the people who are eligible to use the lounge are not happy with it, then what is the point of having one in the first place? Hotel and resort properties typically convert obsolete lounges into a meeting room or an extra room to offer guests in which to stay. One more room to offer leads to increased revenue.
Although I have always enjoyed complimentary access to lounges and I like getting things for free as much as the next person, I can understand why Club Signia is not included in the room rate of Signia by Hilton hotel properties — even for members of the Hilton Honors membership program who have earned elite status — as the experience allows anyone who is willing to pay extra to enjoy the full use of it…
…but perhaps a compromise could be considered: why not offer a discount — perhaps ten percent or 15 percent — to members of Hilton Honors who have earned elite status; or possibly offer a couple of extra amenities or benefits at no additional charge to elevate the experience further? Doing so potentially preserves the Club Signia experience as intended while simultaneously still offering it as a benefit of sorts to eligible members of Hilton Honors — and the hotel property basically retains its revenue stream from Club Signia.
Which would you prefer with regard to lounges in hotel and resort properties within the United States: a mediocre experience for no extra cost; or spend more money for a potentially elevated experience? Is Club Signia an example of lounge access at hotel properties being redefined in the United States?
All photographs ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
