{"id":420,"date":"2026-10-23T14:57:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T03:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uxrobot.ai\/ux-audits\/?p=420"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:57:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T03:57:43","slug":"hilton-vs-ihg-vs-wyndham-downtown-chicago-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uxrobot.ai\/ux-audits\/hilton-vs-ihg-vs-wyndham-downtown-chicago-hotel\/","title":{"rendered":"We priced a weekend in downtown Chicago on Hilton, IHG and Wyndham. Hilton\u2019s first price was a members\u2019 rate."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Independent outside-in audit<\/p>\n \n \n

UX Robot followed one customer journey on Hilton\u2019s website on a computer, then ran the same journey on IHG and Wyndham, on 22 October 2026. We are not affiliated with any of them, and we did not use their analytics. Each website led to a different hotel, so this compares how clearly and how early each one shows the price, not which hotel is cheaper. It is a review of one public journey on one day, not a judgment on the hotels.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n $239<\/span>\n The first price Hilton showed: a Hilton Honors members\u2019 rate, with no word that it is per night or before taxes.<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
\n $591.91<\/span>\n The weekend\u2019s real total for that room, first shown after choosing a hotel, a room and a rate.<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
\n 2<\/span>\n New browser tabs Hilton opened, for the results and the rates, without telling sighted visitors.<\/span>\n <\/div>\n
\n 12,100<\/span>\n Monthly Google searches for \u201cdowntown chicago hotels\u201d. Hilton is not on the first page; Wyndham is sixth.<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n 01 \/ User story<\/span>\n

As a couple planning a weekend away, I want to book a room in downtown Chicago for our dates and see the total price with taxes and fees, so that we can choose a hotel that fits our budget.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 02 \/ Test task<\/span>\n

Two adults want a weekend in downtown Chicago from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026 and have not chosen a hotel. Starting from each website\u2019s home page: search, choose a hotel, a room and a rate, and continue until the total for the stay, with taxes and every mandatory fee, is shown.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 03 \/ Start pages<\/span>\n

The home pages of Hilton<\/a>, IHG Hotels & Resorts<\/a> and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 04 \/ Safe stopping point<\/span>\n

Before entering guest details, signing in, creating an account or paying.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 05 \/ Conditions<\/span>\n

United States websites in Chrome on a 1280 \u00d7 720 computer screen, as a first-time visitor who is not signed in. Two in three Chrome visits to Hilton\u2019s home page come from a computer (23 September to 20 October 2026), so we tested on one. Hilton\u2019s journey also tried its menu and its Locations pages.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 06 \/ Tested<\/span>\n

22 October 2026, by a UX Robot run: the journey on all three websites, WCAG 2.2 A and AA checks, usability checks and search checks on all 11 Hilton pages reached, Chrome UX Report speed data and Google search results.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The 30-second result<\/p>\n \n \n

IHG and Wyndham put the weekend\u2019s full price in front of the couple sooner. Hilton leads with a members\u2019 rate.<\/h2>\n \n \n

Hilton\u2019s search is the steadiest of the three and its final summary is clear: $497.82 for the room, $94.09 in taxes, $591.91 in all, before any guest details. The trouble is everything before it. The first price, $239, is a Hilton Honors members\u2019 rate that does not say it is per night or before taxes, the results and the rates each open in a new tab without telling sighted visitors, and the total only appears once a hotel, a room and a rate are chosen. IHG offers prices with taxes and fees from its results onwards, and Wyndham puts a \u201cTotal for Stay\u201d breakdown under every rate. Neither is spotless: IHG applies its own members\u2019 discount unless you untick it, and Wyndham\u2019s nightly rate leaves out the destination fee its own notice says is included.<\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n \n
\n Stage by stage<\/span>\n \n \n \n
Who did each stage of the journey best<\/caption>\n
Stage<\/th>Hilton<\/th>IHG<\/th>Wyndham<\/th><\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
01 First screen<\/th>Similar<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
02 Where, when and who<\/th>Better<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td>Behind<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
03 Search results<\/th>Behind<\/span><\/td>Better<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
04 Room and rate<\/th>Behind<\/span><\/td>Better<\/span><\/td>Mixed<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
05 The total<\/th>Behind<\/span><\/td>Better<\/span><\/td>Better<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
06 Before paying<\/th>Similar<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
Browsing for Chicago<\/th>Better<\/span><\/td>Similar<\/span><\/td>Behind<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n
Whole-website speed<\/th>Mixed<\/span><\/td>Slowest<\/span><\/td>Mixed<\/span><\/td><\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n