Hilton’s employee travel program, Go Hilton, has become a favorite among staff members while also contributing significantly to the company’s revenue. This program allows Hilton employees, along with their friends and family, to stay at Hilton properties at greatly reduced rates. Employees can enjoy up to 40 nights per year at flat rates ranging from $40 to $80 per night, while friends and family can benefit from 70 nights annually at a 50% discount off the best available rate.
Lora Lawler, Hilton’s Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Technology, emphasized the importance of travel to the company’s mission and how it engages their team members. Despite its current popularity, the program faced challenges in the past. It underwent a comprehensive overhaul a decade ago due to persistent dissatisfaction among employees, as highlighted in Hilton’s internal surveys.
Rick Morrow, Senior Director of the Go Hilton program, led its transformation. Initially, employees encountered difficulties with booking room availability, largely due to the reliance on hotel management to update room inventories on the platform. Additionally, employees faced administrative hurdles involving paperwork and managerial approval, leading to frequent booking rejections.
In response, Hilton introduced a revamped program in 2016, complete with an online booking portal and a centralized system for managing room availability. By collaborating with Hilton’s commercial teams, Morrow’s team developed an occupancy forecast model based on historical and projected data, making more rooms accessible to employees during off-peak periods.
The Go Hilton program continues to evolve, driven by employee feedback collected through annual surveys. Originally offering 30 nights each for team member and friends and family rates, the program expanded these limits to 40 and 70 nights, respectively, following suggestions from employees.
Hilton has also implemented a long-term tenure benefit, granting lifetime friends and family rates to employees with ten years of service and lifetime team member rates after 20 years. This initiative has contributed to improved employee retention, with some staff choosing to delay retirement to qualify for these benefits.
Since its relaunch, the Go Hilton program has resulted in over 35.8 million bookings and generated close to $3 billion in revenue. The past year marked its most successful, bringing in nearly $550 million.
Lora Lawler advises other HR leaders looking to develop successful talent programs to focus on creating offerings that benefit both employees and the business. She emphasizes the importance of creativity in finding cost-effective solutions that provide tangible value to staff members.
This report, originally written by Paige McGlauflin, was first published by HR Brew and featured on Fortune.com.
