One of the benefits of earning elite status in a membership program for a multinational 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 — so why does a significant disparity exist with regard to lounges at hotel properties within the United States versus elsewhere?
Lounges at Hotel Properties Within The United States Versus Elsewhere
The overall number of lounges at hotel and resort properties in the United States has been significantly 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?
Meanwhile, lounges appear to be plentiful at hotel properties in other countries worldwide — particularly in Asia and Europe, where they are well appointed, stocked with enough good food and beverages to satiate hunger and thirst, and offer such amenities as magazines and newspapers, large flat screen televisions, business centers with printers, a balcony or terrace with a view, and ever a game or two to bid the time.
Hilton as Only One Example…
At one time, hotel properties that were part of the Hilton brand usually offered access to executive lounges in the United States. Many of them were quite good — such as at Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City, whose executive lounge was one of my favorites at one time…
…but that hotel property is one of many which eliminated the executive lounge years ago. At the time this article was written, fewer than 35 hotel properties within the Hilton portfolio that are located in the United States currently have executive lounges — yet many Hilton hotel properties outside of the United States currently have very nice executive lounges…
…such as the Hilton Podgorica-Crna Gora in Montenegro, where I stayed a few years ago. That executive lounge had an outdoor terrace…
…and it was stocked with food during certain hours; snacks and fruit during other hours; and cold beverages all day long. It was also a quiet and relaxing place to unwind — and the room was quite comfortable as well. It was one of many examples of how different Hilton properties are than their counterparts in the United States.
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?
You can view the photographs that I took inside of Club Signia in this article from when I was taken on a private tour of the Signia by Hilton Atlanta Georgia World Congress Center hotel property and judge for yourself.
Final Boarding Call
Hilton is only one example of the dying lounge concept at hotel properties within the United States. 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 — arguably with no measurable return…
…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? Would you prefer the benefits of accruing points easily and attaining instant elite status via credit cards but being the recipient of minimal service and access to few executive lounges that are perceived to be low in quality — or would you rather that elite status and the collection of points was significantly more difficult to achieve but have access to more executive lounges that are significantly better with better service? How important to you is access to lounges at hotel properties?
As I asked in the aforementioned article, is Club Signia an example of lounge access at hotel properties being redefined in the United States?
All photographs ©2022 and ©2024 by Brian Cohen.
