Fresh off Japan release, Hilton launches Korean Amex to woo value-savvy travelers

Hilton launched its first Korean co-branded Korean Amex with Lotte Card, targeting value-conscious travelers and integrating benefits for existing Hilton Honors members with plans for expansion.

Gretchen Moore, Vice President of Marketing & Loyalty in the Asia Pacific, during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido District, western Seoul on June 17. [HILTON]

Six months after quietly releasing its first Korean co-branded Amex in Korea, Hilton is finally debuting it for the world to see. With new hype behind it, the brand hopes to continue courting value-savvy travelers and a market with a tendency to stay loyal.

“We have a very loyal existing Hilton Honors customer base and member base here and it’s important for us to be able to reward that loyalty,” Gretchen Moore, Hilton's vice president of marketing & loyalty in the Asia-Pacific region, told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido District, Western Seoul. “They're cost conscious, and they care about receiving value for what they pay.”

Under the slogan “Turn your everyday into a stay,” Hilton, in partnership with Amex and domestic provider Lotte Card, launched its first co-branded credit cards in Korea this January. The Hilton Honors Amex and the Hilton Honors Amex Premium allow users to earn Hilton Honors points through everyday spending — from shopping to transpiration — which can be then redeemed at more than 8,600 Hilton properties in 139 countries.

Hilton held a media event at Conrad Seoul on June 18 to introduce the cards and also set up an experiential zone in its penthouse to showcase their features to reporters as well as influencers.

Hilton held an experiential zone at the Conrad Seoul penthouse in Yeouido District, western Seoul, on June 18 to showcase the features of its Hilton Honors AMEX cards. [HILTON]

Hilton’s card rollout in Korea marks its second in Asia following Japan, where the program has seen strong results.

Around 5,000 cards have been issued so far, with 97 percent of customers opting for the higher-tier Premium version, according to Lotte Card. Moore is satisfied with that result, saying Korea's market has shown "the same positive response and the same excitement" to the card that Japan's did in 2021.

The card offers lounge access similar to what U.S. Amex Platinum cardholders receive, allowing access to a variety of airport lounges worldwide — two entries per year for holders of the standard card and four for premium members. To use the benefit, cardholders must have spent at least 500,000 won in the previous month.

Some benefits of the newly launched cards were tailored specifically to Korean cardholders — including the absence of caps on point earning or spending limits. The Hilton Honors Amex has an annual fee of 248,000 won for domestic use and 250,000 won for one including overseas use, while the Amex Premium costs 500,000 won per year.

Vice President of Marketing & Loyalty in the Asia Pacific Gretchen Moore, center, Im Jeong-bin, head of the Card Sales Division at Lotte Card, right, and Kim Sean You, American Express Country Manager pose for a photo during a media day held at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido District, western Seoul on June 18. [HILTON]

A voucher for a free weekend stay at Hilton properties is available to standard cardholders who spend over 12 million won in a year; premium members can receive two free weekend stays if they spend 12 million won in their first year and 24 million in those following. Hilton's requirement is higher than that of competing hotel co-branded Marriot Bonvoy The Best Shinhan Card, which has an annual fee of 267,000 won and offers one free night a year if one spends 1 million won.

Moore emphasized that its free nights are available across all Hilton's brands, including luxury properties worldwide, potentially allowing travelers to score rooms that would otherwise cost up to 2 million won per night.

Those offerings within Korea, however, are relatively modest and limited to four properties: Conrad Seoul, DoubleTree by Hilton Seoul Pangyo, Hilton Garden Inn Seoul Gangnam and Hilton Gyeongju. The brand is set to open a new DoubleTree in Yeosu, South Jeolla, next year, marking its first expansion beyond Seoul and Gyeongju.

Nevertheless, Hilton has a lot more in store, and Moore is cautiously optimistic about future expansion.

Korea is a market in which the company has “always been interested in launching,” she said. “We’re hoping to open new hotels everywhere, but we’re very careful about ensuring that our brand proposition can be delivered. It’s about finding the right propositions, and the right destinations that suit our customers’ needs, before we make any commitments.”

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]