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Final month at Sundance, Chase Sapphire cardmembers rubbed shoulders with stars reminiscent of Alexander Skarsgård and Jenna Ortega; bought early-access tickets to coveted premieres reminiscent of “The Second;” and sat entrance row to intimate business panels.
This previous weekend, in the meantime, Hilton Honors members attended the 2026 Grammy Awards, the place they noticed performances from Justin Bieber, KATSEYE, Lola Younger, Alex Warren and extra stay from the Crypto Enviornment. However members not solely attended the start-studded awards present, they had been additionally handled to a three-night keep at The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (a Hilton property) and an in-room glam appointment: the complete VIP remedy.
These are simply two latest examples of how loyalty applications – spanning bank cards to lodges – are focusing much less on factors alone, however entry to unique, culture-driving occasions. The timing is not any accident. In keeping with Hilton’s 2026 Developments Report, one in 5 world vacationers cite leisure and sporting occasions as the first motive behind their journey plans, whereas 86% say they worth experiences greater than materials items. Manufacturers are responding accordingly, reframing loyalty not as a reduction mechanism, however as a technique to anchor journeys round moments that really feel culturally consequential.
Nicholas Braun and Dave Franco at The Shitheads solid social gathering
Joshua Lawton for Chase
Taika Waititi and Alexander Skarsgard at The Gallerist solid social gathering
Joshua Lawton for Chase
Jenna Ortega, director Cathy Yan and Natalie Portman at The Gallerist solid social gathering
Joshua Lawton for Chase
At Sundance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Expertise served because the homebase for cardmembers, the place they had been in a position to in a position to step inside for complimentary meals and drinks, precedence seating for day by day panels and a heat refuge between premieres — all with out the necessity for extra credentials past their Reserve card.
Maybe the greatest perk was the power to skip the lengthy traces and waitlists for buzzy occasions – in Park Metropolis’s freezing chilly temperature, no much less. All through the weekend, Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan (“Josephine”); Kiernan Shipka, Dave Franco and Nicholas Braun (“The Shitheads”) and Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega (“The Gallerist”) had been just some of the bold-faced names who strolled by way of Chase’s Reserve hub to rejoice their films. Meals, too, performed a task within the technique. Chase introduced in Frasca Meals and Wine for a pop-up residency in Park Metropolis, with reservations snapped up rapidly by way of OpenTable.
These perks develop past awards season. Hilton has been scaling an entry mannequin throughout sports activities, wellness and culinary journey by way of its Hilton Honors Experiences platform, which permits members to redeem factors for extremely curated, passion-driven moments worldwide. Accessible choices vary from a McLaren Mastercard F1 Crew VIP Expertise in Shanghai and a VIP bundle for the 2026 Carabao Cup Ultimate in London, to a Seychellois culinary immersion, a 110-minute signature remedy on the Waldorf Astoria Spa Los Cabos Pedregal and even an Aescape AI-powered therapeutic massage in Salt Lake Metropolis.
Whether or not it’s Sundance, the Grammys or an F1 race, these firms are repositioning their rewards applications as a gateway to culturally and experientially important moments.
