Hilton Premium Club (INDIA ONLY)

One of the lesser-known offerings by the Hilton chain, at least in India, is the Hilton Premium Club (HPC). This is a paid-membership proposition, that offers a reasonably good range of benefits. Other chains, particularly Sheraton, have / had similar offerings in the past, and did a good job with telemarketing (before the DND days) to potential customers. I've been a member with Sheraton's Culinary Plus, and I think the Hilton offering may well be superior to that.

Benefits

HPC is essentially a membership program, that offers a variety of benefits. The membership is to the program per se, but you need to register with one of their hotels as the base - this is likely, because Hilton properties in India have different owners. The cost of enrolling into the program, therefore, depends on which property you choose as your "base". This entitles you to a set of benefits at that property, plus discounts on stays (eg, 10% off on Best Available Rate) F&B discounts, discounts on in-room dining, etc at other Hilton India properties. The program cost varies, from Rs 6000 (~US$ 100) to Rs 9972 (~US$ 166), plus taxes, depending on which city and property you choose to enrol with. The membership is valid for one year, and is renewable.

Typical benefits (thought some may vary across cities/properties) are:

Dining

• 50% discount on the total food bill when 2 persons dine.
• 33% discount on the total food bill when 3 persons dine.
• 25% discount on the total food bill when 4 persons dine.
• 20% discount on the total food bill when five to fifteen people dine.
• 20% discount when the member dines alone.
• Variable discounts at specific restaurants depending on city / property.
• 15% discount on the food and beverage bill on In-Room dining (Room service).

Accommodation

• Certificate for one night's complimentary stay (typically, at a King room level)
• Certificates (up to 5?) for 30% discount on BAR at any participating hotel in India (some restrictions apply)
• 10% discount on BAR on any day of the week (some restrictions apply)
• 2 or 3 certificates for room upgrades to next highest category

Others (varies by property, typical items listed below, YMMV)

• One certificate for a buffet / meal for 2
• One chocolate cake (1kg) when dining at a restaurant at the hotel
• One certificate for 2 cocktails / mocktails
• Three certificates for 50% discount on dining, and 20% discount on beverages
• 20% discounts at spa, pastry shop, health club (for walk-ins)
• One complimentary hair cut!!!

Typical benefits at other Hilton India properties

• 20% discount on the food and beverage bill for a table of up to 15 people.
• 10% discount on the best available rate for room reservations.
• 15% discount on food & beverage bill on In Room Dining (Room Service).

Participating hotels are Hilton New Delhi/Janakpuri, Hilton Chennai, Hilton Garden Inn New Delhi/Saket, Eros Hotel Managed By Hilton New Delhi, Nehru Place, Hilton Hotels in Mayur Vihar, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Goa - Arpora - Baga, Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa Pune, ,DoubleTree by Hilton Gurgaon New Delhi NCR and Hilton Mumbai International Airport. However, registrations can be had only with the Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon properties - Goa and Pune are excluded (understandably!).

Impressions

From what I can see, the range of benefits is quite impressive. For me personally, I would elect to register with Hilton Noida or Gurgaon, as these are the locations I travel to and stay at, most frequently. It also entitles me to benefits at my home location, so that works fine for me. Plus, both Noida and Gurgaon memberships are at the lower end of the price range, so it is also efficient.

What particularly makes sense, is that with virtually one stay (plus reasonable drinks and a dinner for two), you recover a substantial part of the membership fee you've paid. Finally, Hilton has big plans for India - they are looking at 50 properties in the next 2-4 years. While there is a likelihood that some of them (the new ones) may not join the HPC, others will, and the range of options to use this membership will only likely increase. Significantly.

HHonors

The other big plus with this, is that the HPC is independent of the HHonors program - meaning, you will continue to earn HHonors points on all spends at Hilton India properties. Sad thing, that the discounts you get mean, that there will be a smaller folio size!

Conclusion

I have to say, that this is a far superior product to what Sheraton offers in India. Great value for your money, whether or not you're a business traveler. As a matter of fact, even as a personal membership, the HPC makes a lot of practical sense. As I've said a couple of paragraphs back, this has a very efficient ROI proposition. I've also mentioned in an earlier post, that my line of work involves entertaining clients, so this works very well for me. Plus, once you've got your value back for the membership fee paid, it is better in many ways compared to the SPG triple benefits (for starters, this is valid for an entire year, and renewable!). And for me personally, HHonors points are of far greater value than Starpoints. End conclusion - a big thumbs up from me!

PS: A non-sequitur, but methinks the guy in the picture above bears a very striking resemblance to Julian Assange!