In an era of mobile payments, why is Hilton turning to credit cards?

In China, where mobile payments are deeply embedded in everyday life, consumers may seem less in need of another credit card. Yet in August, Hilton partnered with Bank of Communications and Mastercard to launch two co-branded credit cards in the Chinese market. What matters is not the card itself but what it signals: a shift in how hotel loyalty programs build relationships with consumers. Hilton Honors is moving beyond the hotel stay and into everyday spending. Traditionally, hotel loyalty programs have centered on a relatively infrequent activity: staying at a hotel. Members earn points through stays or related spending, then often wait until their next trip to redeem them. For those who travel only a few times a year, loyalty can remain disconnected from daily life. Co-branded credit cards are changing that dynamic. By bringing hotel points into everyday purchases, they allow consumers to stay connected with loyalty programs even when they are not traveling. Hilton’s latest co-branded cards put this idea into practice. More than another payment tool, they help foster a more continuous relationship beyond a handful of annual trips, turning daily spending into the entry point and travel experiences into the reward. Jing Daily spoke with Ben George, Hilton’s senior vice president and commercial director for Asia Pacific, about how travel habits in China are evolving, how Hilton Honors is expanding into broader consumer moments, and how global hotel groups are redefining loyalty in an increasingly competitive market. From sightseeing to immersive travel Jing Daily: What do you see as the most fundamental shift in Chinese consumers’ expectations of travel? Ben George: The pandemic was a clear dividing line. Before Covid, outbound travel from China was enormous, with consumers gravitating toward traditional destinations such as Paris and Florence. Travel was often centered on seeing the major landmarks. After the pandemic, travel demand returned quickly, but habits did not simply revert to what they had been before. As travel first resumed amid lingering uncertainty, consumers started with nearby destinations, then gradually ventured farther across China, helping fuel the domestic travel boom. At the same time, travel became more experience-driven. Consumers increasingly want to understand a destination’s history and culture and take part in local life through experiences such as cooking classes. JD: How is Hilton adapting its products and services to these changing travel needs? BG: One way Hilton is trying to improve the travel experience is by removing as much uncertainty as possible so guests can spend more time enjoying the trip itself. Multigenerational travel, for example, is becoming more common, with grandparents, parents, and children increasingly traveling together. That puts greater demands on room arrangements and convenience. In the past, connecting rooms could usually only be requested in advance, with guests often having to wait until arrival to know whether they were available. Now, families can confirm connecting rooms at the time of booking, easing some of the stress of traveling with children and older relatives. The same thinking extends to the Hilton Honors app. Members can book and check in online, view a hotel floor plan in advance, and choose their own room. Whether they want to be near the elevator or farther away, they can make that choice before arriving. The idea is simple: give guests more certainty and control, remove friction from the journey, and leave more room for the experience itself. Beyond the stay: Redefining loyalty JD: Hilton Honors has evolved beyond a traditional rewards program into a broader platform spanning travel and lifestyle experiences. Beyond redeeming points, what do you see as its real value to consumers today? BG: The real value of Hilton Honors is giving members access to experiences they genuinely want, rather than simply helping them accumulate and redeem points. We have worked with the Mastercard McLaren Formula 1 team for more than 20 years, for example, and members can use points for access to races such as the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and take part in exclusive McLaren experiences. In Chengdu, we also offer a panda experience where members can see giant pandas up close and speak with their keepers. We want points to be more than a way to redeem hotel stays. They should open the door to experiences that would otherwise be difficult to access. JD: This August, Hilton launched two co-branded credit cards in mainland China for the first time. Why would a hotel group move into everyday payments, and what does that shift mean for Hilton? BG: The question for us was how to make Hilton Honors part of members’ everyday lives, rather than something they engage with only when they travel or stay at a hotel. The two co-branded cards we launched with Bank of Communications and Mastercard are an extension of that idea. Even when they are not staying with us, members can continue earning points through everyday spending, from grocery shopping to purchases on Taobao. It connects the relatively infrequent act of staying at a hotel with the much more frequent rhythm of daily life. Those points can then flow back into the Hilton ecosystem, whether through hotel stays, concerts, or other distinctive experiences. So the value of the card is not simply that it adds another payment method. It expands where Hilton Honors can be used and creates a more complete loop between everyday spending, travel, and experiences. Chinese consumers also continue to show strong demand for outbound travel. Through this model, benefits earned through everyday spending at home can carry over into overseas trips. For us, that means the relationship between Hilton and its members no longer begins and ends with a single hotel stay but can extend across a much longer arc of daily life and travel. Always listening to consumers JD: What do you think is the key to building long-term consumer loyalty? BG: I think long-term loyalty starts with making consumers feel understood. Every customer is different, and lifestyles and cultural habits vary from market to market. Our goal is to keep the core brand experience consistent while translating those differences into products and services that feel locally relevant. For a global hotel group, that means balancing consistency with local relevance. Whether a guest is in the US, the UK, or Australia, they should know what to expect from a Hilton or Conrad stay. But consistency does not mean replication. Complimentary breakfast, for example, is a consistent part of the Hampton by Hilton experience worldwide, but what is served should reflect local tastes in China, the US, or India. Loyalty also means making each choice create value for the next experience. Many Hilton Honors members stay with us on business during the week, earn points, and later redeem them for a stay at a Waldorf Astoria or another hotel, moving between different kinds of travel within the same ecosystem. JD: As Chinese hotel groups expand rapidly, what do you see as Hilton’s strongest competitive advantage in the market? BG: Hilton’s biggest advantage in China starts with time. Hilton has more than a century of history globally and has been in China for nearly 40 years. The value of being in a market for that long is not simply operational experience but the ability to keep learning about consumers, destinations, and how the market is changing — and to turn that understanding into better products and services. The second is scale and choice. Hilton currently operates over 1,080 hotels in China, with one new hotel opening every two days. We also have 11 brands in the market, from Hampton by Hilton to Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, spanning different price points and travel occasions. The aim is that wherever people go and whatever brings them there, they can find something within the Hilton portfolio that fits. But scale is not the end goal. As Gen Z becomes more influential and travel becomes increasingly digital, we are continuing to build out our digital capabilities so guests can manage booking, check-in, and the wider journey more easily. So our advantage is not simply having more hotels. It is the combination of long-term market knowledge, a broad brand portfolio, and digital capabilities that allows us to keep responding to how Chinese consumers are changing.

In an era of mobile payments, why is Hilton turning to credit cards?

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In an era of mobile payments, why is Hilton turning to credit cards?

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag