MCLEAN, VA—Hilton added more than nine million members to its loyalty program last year, bringing the program’s total memberships to more than 60 million in 2017.
“While our scale, size and industry-leading brands and commercial platform continue to drive strong unit growth, similar attributes are also driving tremendous growth in our loyalty program,” said Chris Nassetta, Hilton’s CEO, during an earnings call.
Hilton is projecting even stronger growth to its loyalty program in the future. It believes recent upgrades to Hilton Honors (e.g., making it easier for its members to use points) will create a greater value proposition for all of its rewards members.
“We believe these enhancements will continue to make Honors the most customer-centric loyalty program, driving incremental value for guests and the overall system,” Nassetta said. “By ensuring that all of our customers get the best value and the best experience through Hilton Honors, they are much more likely to have a direct relationship with us.”
Designed to promote the benefits of being an Honors member, Hilton’s Stop Clicking Around campaign, which was launched in Feb. 2016, contributed to the growth of Hilton’s loyalty program. “I would say it’s been quite successful,” he said.