Hilton Unveils Digital Innovations to Enhance Business Travel for SMEs

Hilton Unveils Digital Innovations to Enhance Business Travel for SMEs

Introduces New Hilton for Business Platform and Enhancements to Events.Hilton.com

McLEAN, Va., 2023-Oct-18 — /Travel PR News/ — Hilton announced two new digital innovations designed to create a more seamless travel experience for small- and medium-sized businesses. The innovations are part of Hilton’s long-term commitment to digitally transform the business travel experience – from booking to billing – for the millions of small- and medium-size enterprises that represent the backbone of the global economy and comprise roughly 85 percent of Hilton’s business transient guests.

The initiatives, which will launch by early next year, include: 

Hilton for Business: This multi-faceted program, currently in test with select customers and slated to launch globally early next year, will feature a new booking website designed especially for small- and medium-sized businesses, along with targeted benefits including:

• Portfolio-wide Discounts: Small and medium businesses that join Hilton for Business will gain access to a discounted rate on Hilton.com and on the Hilton Honors app across Hilton’s global portfolio of more than 7,000 properties.
• Loyalty Benefits: To recognize loyalty, the businesses will earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for program registration and travel milestones. Hilton Honors members will continue to earn Points each time they stay.
• Rapid onboarding: Hilton for Business registration is built to enable a quick and seamless enrollment for businesses online without complicated forms or processes.
• Program Management: In addition to enabling travelers to easily book discounted rates, each Hilton for Business program account can be set up with varying permissions across a designated team. Business owners will have full control – or can delegate to others on their team – over the program management system built to be simple and intuitive with tools and resources.

Small Meetings and Event Packages via Events.Hilton.com: To support the growing demand for in-person gatherings, Hilton is expanding its events booking capabilities, enabling customers shopping for meeting packages for up to 35 attendees to book guest rooms and meetings or event spaces, with or without 10 to 25 guest rooms, directly on Events.Hilton.com without a separate contract or phone call. This enhancement is especially valuable to small and medium-sized businesses who need to plan small in-person meetings and events quickly without staff or third-party support.

“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, Hilton. “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.”

For more than 100 years, Hilton has led the industry in evolving the business travel experience by listening loudly to customers and responding quickly to their needs. These initiatives are being introduced following a year of innovations focused on addressing the needs of today’s small- and medium-sized business traveler, including the debut of two new brands — Spark by Hilton and Project H3 by Hilton.

“Hilton for Business is an outstanding benefit for smaller companies to manage their travel programs,” said Patrick LaCava, executive vice president, Operations, Syufy Enterprises, one of the select Hilton customers currently testing and refining the program. “It offers a cost-effective hotel program for our business travelers, providing an excellent discount while still earning Points for our travelers and company.”

To book a small meeting or event package, visit Events.Hilton.com. To gain exclusive access and be one of the first to be included on the waitlist for Hilton for Business, visit Hilton.com/HiltonforBusiness.