Updated on November 4, 2025

NOTE:  The following is our own independent information; we are not affiliated with Hilton and neither pay nor receive compensation from Hilton regarding the marketing opportunities described here. Any Hilton-related trademarks referred to here are used for purposes of identification only.

Hilton Advance was launched on, on July 1st, 2019. This fast-moving initiative changed the structure between Edge, Top-Up and Destination Marketing.  It focuses on incremental revenue and share shift from OTAs. Also, decision making is shifting to focusing on the Lifetime Value of customers.  

Previous Hilton eCommerce Program

Previously, Hilton’s eCommerce division was segmented and invoiced via different strategies:

• Edge: This program combines online paid advertising and dedicated eCommerce expertise to effectively manage all aspects of the user’s online experience. This covers search engine optimization, local listings management and various paid campaigns run at the enterprise level. Examples are TripAdvisor Business Listings, Google Ads PPC and retargeting. Originally, you had a dedicated eCommerce manager to have calls with hotels and discuss strategy, but now it has more recently turned into a self help model. They introduced Content Gateway to allow hotels to be more self-sufficient in updating their website content. But, you have to know what you need and what to ask.  
• Top-Up (now called Hotel Level Marketing Powered by Beacon): This has been around a while is Hilton’s metasearch program. It allows hotels to layer and add their funds to Hilton funds to combat OTAs and drive more direct revenue to brand.com via metasearch. The layering of funds provided opportunities that could not be reached as a single hotel. Originally an opt-in program, it turned into an opt-out program. Under Advance, you are 100% in, no matter what and funds added via Hotel Level Marketing Powered by Beacon are in addition to what Hilton already spends with the Advance Program.
• Destination Marketing: This was an opt-in co-op program for select destination markets. This leverages the bargaining power from participating hotels in the market to deliver larger campaigns. An example would be partnering with the local baseball or football teams, that a hotel would not be able to fund on its own. Currently, they are in 31 cities.  Under Advance, you are 100% in, no matter what.

The new Advance program combines all 3 initiatives into 1 REQUIRED program. 

Fee Structure 

Previously, the 3 programs were managed independently:

• Edge: 4.25% commission on consumed stay revenue from Demand Gen bookings.  This means you only pay for associated campaigns, invoiced monthly.
• Top-Up (now called Hotel Level Marketing Powered by Beacon): This fluctuated and was market specific, billed monthly.
• Destination: Per room fee model ranging from $24 to $120 per room per year, billed twice per year.

The new Advance program combines fees for all 3 initiatives plus other additions.  The Advance program fee will be 1.35% of all digital direct bookings minus booking exemptions (HiltonLink, Passkey, Honors Redemption and Team Member Rates). However, if your client prefers to enter the corporate ID into hilton.com instead of the POG, it is not excluded.  

100% of Hotel Contributions will be invested in generating more direct bookings.  Also, the brand will continue to provide significant funding to invest in Hilton Advance.

It is important to note these initiatives are enterprise level and will likely impact the hotel, but indirectly. Think about the Paris Hilton campaigns. Huge marketing push with great results but didn’t help the individual Hampton Inn in the suburbs of Alabama. Expect this program to fund more consideration and intent campaigns.

What do I get with Hilton Advance?

1. Metasearch: Google Hotel Ads, Trivago, Kayak and Tripadvisor
2. Sponsored Listings: Google Property Promoted Ads, Tripadvisor Sponsored Listings, Bing Sponsored Listings
3. Paid Social: Prospecting & Retargeting – Facebook & Instagram (does not include customized campaigns for property specific initiatives)
4. Paid Search: Brand Paid Search includes Brand plus location-based terms (GEO) so an example would be Hilton Nashville or Hilton Garden Inn San Diego, CA. Paid search does not include any non-brand terms and does not include property specific terms.
5. Display: Prospecting (does not include targeting specific audiences or retargeting)
6. Affiliate: Card Linked Offers, Content Publications, Influencers, and Buy-Now Pay-Later partners
7. Reporting: GOS Property Report is available in Hilton Lobby under Operational Reporting.  After the change away from Koddi for Direct Channel marketing tactics to the Hilton Hotel Level Marketing Powered By Beacon the Hilton Advance reporting is no longer available in Koddi.
8. SEO Support: Hilton Advance provides SEO support across several key areas, including One Hero Web Optimization, which delivers strategic guidance and technical enhancements to ensure brand.com websites follow SEO best practices; Content Strategy, which identifies gaps and opportunities to increase traffic, awareness, and guest value; and Local Listings Optimization via YEXT, which enhances hotel visibility in search engines, maps, and navigation platforms.

Advance will still focus on these key digital channels:

• Paid and Natural Search
• Web and Mobile Banners
• Social Media Content
• Affiliate Sites
• Search Consolidators

Key Takeaways

Unified, Mandatory Marketing Structure:
Hilton Advance, launched July 1, 2019, consolidates the previous Edge, Top-Up, and Destination Marketing programs into a single required enterprise-level initiative. This eliminates the opt-in/opt-out flexibility hotels once had, making participation and funding automatic across all Hilton properties.

Shift in Strategy and Measurement:
The program’s focus has evolved from individual campaign performance and short-term ROAS toward lifetime customer value, incremental revenue, and share shift from OTAs. Decision-making is now centralized under an enterprise model that prioritizes long-term brand growth rather than hotel-specific customization.

Fee and Impact Overview:
Under Hilton Advance, hotels pay a 1.35% fee on all eligible direct digital bookings, replacing prior per-program charges. While 100% of these contributions are reinvested into direct booking initiatives such as metasearch, paid search, social, and SEO; the benefits are largely indirect, driving brand-level visibility rather than property-specific performance.

For assistance navigating the digital journey for your hotel, contact Cogwheel Marketing.