HotelTonight HT Perks review
HotelTonight Perks is not a loyalty program. There is very little it offers to create loyalty. Is it designed for die-hard AirBnB customers that have zero idea how to book a hotel cheaply using OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) nor know what other loyalty programs offer?
The heading already tells you HT Perks is not as good as Trip.com VIP loyalty program, or even booking through travel advisors for Marriott, Hyatt, or Hilton.
Having said that, I'll go ahead why I think this way for AirBnB users. If you're reading this I'm guessing you're an AirBnB user and you learned about the HotelTonight ("HT") app via some marketing campaign. HT supposedly has some hotel deals for the times you don't want to or cannot use AirBnB so it's sounds great. But is it really? Is it worth using HotelTonight if you're based in APAC? Is their lifetime spend-based loyalty program worth it?
Is HotelTonight worth it in APAC?
I'll answer this question around "worth" by simply comparing prices.
No, it is not worth it. The HotelTonight prices for APAC hotels is not the lowest by quite a margin.
Take the example below of Hotel Indigo in Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year holiday.
- Trip.com: ~$875
- HotelTonight: $891, calculated by paying $978 up front and getting a $87 AirBnB credit. $978 - $87.
- Agoda: $966 through a system suggested hack of switching room types during the stay.
If the price is just as good, what is the HotelTonight downside?
- The main downside is the room type is selected by the hotel in some cases. In other cases, the number of beds is indicated, but you have no idea what size.
Trip.com will go as far as telling you how wide the bed is in meters, not just whether it's queen or king.
- This is a continuation of the previous point. To me, this means HotelTonight is designed for the single traveler. If you travel as a couple, you may or may not fit or enjoy the bed you are provided by the hotel. If you are a family of three, HotelTonight is a terrible choice of an app for making a booking. There are options to choose more rooms in the app, but the obvious question is why you would want to pay so much more for multiple rooms when you are able to get a bigger room with the exact number and size of bed for your traveling party for much less on other sites.
- HotelTonight is not for people that want breakfast. The prices are for the room only and there are no options for rooms with breakfast.
- No HotelTonight coverage in China. The APAC readers this blog targets will likely visit China.
What is the HotelTonight upside?
The program is based on lifetime spend, meaning your HT perks level doesn't expire. This does not however, means the perks at each level will not change forever, nor does it mean all hotels participate in the discounts.
See here for details on the perks levels. Here's the summary, with requirements in USD:
| HT Perks Level | Requirement | Cumulative spend | Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign up | Location-based discounts. Save an extra 5% off when booking via app. | |
| 2 | Spent $250 | $250 | 5% discount across platforms |
| 3 | Spent $1000 | $1000 | Special discounts off for select hotels |
| 4 | Additional $1K spend | $2000 | Special discounts off for select hotels |
| 5 | Additional $1K spend | $3000 | $30 credit for future booking |
| 6 | Additional $1K spend | $4000 | $30 credit for future booking |
| 7 | Additional $1K spend | $5000 | $30 credit for future booking |
| 8 | Additional $1K spend | $6000 | $30 credit for future booking + additional discount |
Level 2: It's unclear what "across platforms" mean. I think it means across app and (desktop) browser as they mentioned "app" specifically in level 1, but it's also fair to think it is referencing a discount whether booking AirBnB or HotelTonight.
Level 5-8: The $30 credit after spending $1000 is basically a 3% rebate.
While you clearly have more discount upside after spending $6k, you have to wonder what that discount is as HT does not list the details. Did you spend $6K only to get disappointed? Or was it worth it?
Based on the "worth it" assessment I did earlier in this post, I don't have much faith in this loyalty program since the prices were higher than competitors to begin with.
My verdict
I think the AirBnB strategic rationale for acquiring HotelTonight is flawed. While it may seem adding HotelTonight to the AirBnB portfolio is giving AirBnB users choice, the target customer segments are a mismatch. With AirBnB, the user knows to a great extent what accommodations they are getting, complete with pictures of what they will sleep on and how many people may fit. With HotelTonight, users have zero clue what the bed and room may be.
There's a seemingly novel feature called "Save for later credit", where you can essentially store the dollar discount to be applied to a future booking, but the credit expires after 12 months. I think Trip.com has a better offering with their Trip coins expiring after 18 months. Read my review of Trip.com VIP loyalty program to learn more.