Dive Brief:
- Hilton unveiled two digital innovations designed to enhance the travel experience for small- and medium-sized businesses, the hotel company announced Monday.
- The Hilton for Business program will feature a new booking website designed for small- and medium-sized enterprises and include loyalty benefits, portfolio-wide discounts, streamlined onboarding and program management capabilities. The Events.Hilton.com channel, meanwhile, will offer expanded events booking capabilities.
- Small- and medium-sized businesses represent roughly 85% of Hilton’s business transient guests. Earlier this year, the company credited strong business transient demand for its positive second-quarter results, as well as predicted further group travel recovery.
Dive Insight:
Hilton for Business is currently being tested among select customers with a global launch expected early next year.
The program offers business owners discounted rates on Hilton.com and through the Hilton Honors app. Businesses can also earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for program registration and “travel milestones.” Meanwhile, individual members will continue to earn points each time they stay.
Hilton for Business accounts also allow for varying permissions across a designated team — meaning business owners can either have full control of the travel booking process, or delegate.
The small meetings and event packages offerings are designed to support growing demand for in-person gatherings. Customers can now shop for meeting packages for up to 35 attendees — with or without added guest rooms — directly on Events.Hilton.com without a phone call.
The capability builds on a finding from Hilton’s 2024 Trends Report, which noted that travelers are increasingly looking for all-digital booking experiences.
“Even as the global pandemic significantly impacted global travel, small- and medium-sized business travelers never slowed down,” said Chris Silcock, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in a statement. “We used that opportunity to listen and learn how we could solve long-running pain points and deliver what these businesses need most — simple booking and travel management tools and recognition and rewards for their loyalty.”
In its release, Hilton also noted that its two recent brand launches, Spark by Hilton and Project H3 by Hilton, were designed with small- and medium-sized business travelers in mind.
