Hhonors - Changes to benefits offered at hotels

[Mal]

They've been trialling "My way" for a while now at selected hotels, but are rolling it out to all Hilton/Conrad/Doubletree hotels. There is some interesting wording, and I really wonder if all hotels will follow this correctly when you choose Option 1 (eg Diamonds get automatic access to lounge regardless of whether they are on the exec floor, if Exec rooms are available where it is available on check-in and the continental breakfast for all HH Gold/Diamond members etc).

My Way On-Property VIP Benefit Options
Choose any one of these on-property VIP benefits at Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts and Doubletree® hotels worldwide, effective 15 August 2008.

Option 1. Receive a space-available room upgrade, including breakfast. You will be upgraded to an Executive Floor room (where/when available) at time of check-in. If an Executive Floor room is unavailable, you will be upgraded to the next best available room from the room type booked. Upgrades exclude suites, villas and specialty accommodations. At hotels with Executive Floor lounges, if an Executive Floor room upgrade is available, you will also receive access to the lounge. In addition you will receive complimentary Continental breakfast for you and up to one additional registered hotel guest each day of your stay. See below for details.

Option 2. Enjoy complimentary high-speed internet access. Each day of your stay. At hotels that already offer a choice of a standard or higher-speed connection, you will receive access to the higher-speed connection at no cost. If a hotel does not offer high-speed internet connectivity, simply choose another option.

Option 3. Earn 1,000 Hilton HHonors® bonus points per stay. A great way to maximize your points earnings.

You are automatically defaulted to Option 1 above unless you make a different selection at HiltonHHonors.com/myway. You can even change your selection for every HHonors stay.

Executive Lounge Access Policy Changes at Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Doubletree
Please note, if you select Option 1 above, the following policy will apply effective 15 August 2008.

If you are a Gold VIP, you’ll be given access to the Executive Floor lounge when you receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor. If an Executive Floor room upgrade is unavailable, you’ll still receive daily complimentary Continental breakfast in lieu of lounge access.

If you are a Diamond VIP, you’ll enjoy access to the Executive Floor lounge, even if you don’t receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor, including daily complimentary Continental breakfast.

At hotels without Executive Floor lounges, Gold and Diamond VIPs will receive complimentary Continental breakfast for themselves and up to one additional registered hotel guest each day. If breakfast is included in the room rate, you’ll receive an alternate welcome amenity that varies by hotel.

 

[serfty]

Not much really has changed for those staying outside the USA; it's mainly clarifying the existing situation.

I see this as a enhancement for Diamonds; in that they are now Guaranteed Exec lounge access when staying at hotels that have them worldwide.

Outside the USA, there's little change for Golds. Within the USA executive lounge access is no longer a guaranteed perk.

Here's a June FT post listing the Gold perks as they were previously.

...
Hilton® Hotels in North America 1000 points or

Upgrade to Executive Floor (if available), OR
Executive Floor Lounge access (if the hotel has a Lounge), OR
High Speed Internet Access (available in the US and select locations in Mexico and Canada), OR
complimentary continental breakfast for the member and one guest each day of the stay.
If the rate already includes breakfast, a special food and beverage amenity will be presented.


Hilton® Hotels outside North America (No 1000 point option

Upgrade to Executive Level or to the next best available room type (does not include suites). Upgraded rooms are subject to availability at the time of check-in and only guests that receive an upgrade to the Executive Level will be given access to the Executive Lounge.

At hotels that do not have upgraded types of accommodations or an upgrade is not available, Gold VIPs will receive additional amenities and/or services, which vary by property....

 

[dajop]

Wonder what will happen at Parmelia Hilton in Perth. They seem to interpret the options as their option to offer you one privilege, rather than you have an option to select the privilege you prefer. In my experience, almost impossible as a HH Gold to get a free breakfast out of them, they prefer to give you a room upgrade, which for me has almost no value. Maybe just my bad luck though.

 

[straitman]

Wonder what will happen at Parmelia Hilton in Perth. They seem to interpret the options as their option to offer you one privilege, rather than you have an option to select the privilege you prefer. In my experience, almost impossible as a HH Gold to get a free breakfast out of them, they prefer to give you a room upgrade, which for me has almost no value. Maybe just my bad luck though.

dajop,

I have the email address of the GM of the Parmelia Hilton if it is of any use to enquire further.

 

[simongr]

I am wondering if I will see any difference as a result of this. At the Conrad I always check in on the exec floor and therefore get Exec floor access and exec floor continental breakfast. At the Waldorf I got a continental breakfast - but I think next time I would prefer a room upgrade and get breakfast with my colleagues...

 

[serfty]

Wonder what will happen at Parmelia Hilton in Perth. They seem to interpret the options as their option to offer you one privilege, rather than you have an option to select the privilege you prefer. In my experience, almost impossible as a HH Gold to get a free breakfast out of them, they prefer to give you a room upgrade, which for me has almost no value. Maybe just my bad luck though.

Through these changes a HHonors Gold is basically guaranteed Continental Breakfast at the very least. Hotels will no longer be able to dodge this with an "Upgrade".

... and Diamonds are Guaranteed Exec Lounge access (when one exists).

Melbourne HOP has been very good at this dodging recently. i.e. An upgrade to a "Business" room; I have taken to spending the couple of extra $$ to purchase these rooms in the first place.

Two stays ago; I asked about an upgrade on check-in and I was promptly told "Yes you have an upgrade - to a "Business" room". This changed to + Lounge access when I pointed out this was the type of room I had originally booked.

 

[simongr]

... and Diamonds are Guaranteed Exec Lounge access (when one exists).

Not at the Waldorf.

 

[serfty]

Not at the Waldorf.

Fair enough, I should have clarified that what I posted related to: Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts and Doubletree® hotels worldwide only.

• One category room upgrade (excludes suites and the Napua Tower at Grand Wailea). If room upgrade is not available, you will receive 1,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points.
• One category room upgrade (excludes suites and the Napua Tower at Grand Wailea). If room upgrade is not available, you will receive discount at select resort facilities (may include spa, golf, restaurant, etc.)
• Discount at select resort facilities (may include spa, golf, restaurant, etc.).
• 1,000 HHonors bonus points.

I would generally select the 1st option maybe the last if it was a short stay.

 

[simongr]

Just a bugbear that even paying $500/night as a Diamond I can't into the exec lounge at the Waldorf - but on an award in London I got Exec lounge access

 

[Platy]

Actually these changes have impacted on my Hilton experiences locally (the changes were "trialled" at some Australian hotel).

Several months ago, on my last visit to Cairns Hilton (I am a regular) I had always previously scored a room upgrade (usually Exec) and always lounge access - last trip this all changed and they told me no more lounge access for Gold customers unless upgraded to Exec (I was upgraded to waterview side of hotel only). :evil:

I offered them the choice of giving me the access or waving my monthly business goodbye for good. They finally agreed to give me access in recognition of 3 years of loyal patronage as I was halfway out of the door. Actually I haven' been back since.

Also be careful - the rules are changing for tier recognition - previously based on rolling 12 months to maximise your chances of best tier - now moving to calender year from 1 Jan 2009. :shock:

I am pissed off having just done a Hilton marathon on my US/Caribbean trip - now I will be struggling to maintain Gold whereas my strategy would have had me onto Diamond without these new changes to the rules by my expected June 2009 current tier expiry.

A June anniversary is worst case scenario!!!

Not happy Hilton. :evil:

Local staff inform me that many Gold card holders have stormed out of reception on check in, especially in SYD, and tossed their cards at staff in anger at the changes. Generally they have had a lot of bad feedback from customers.

The changes are a significant dilution of benefit.

I have to say that my Gold card was very useful on my US/Caribbean recent trip, but this pre-dated the cutover to the new system.

I may of missed the notification, but I cannot remember being notified of these changes and only found out the hard way. coughola. :evil:

 

[dajop]

Local staff inform me that many Gold card holders have stormed out of reception on check in, especially in SYD, and tossed their cards at staff in anger at the changes. Generally they have had a lot of bad feedback from customers.

The changes are a significant dilution of benefit.

The trouble with the Hilton program is that in Australia (and Asia), Hilton family hotels are premium hotels - with a premium price. Locations are (relatively) limited. Therefore to qualify gold with 16 stays - or however many nights, it is not necessarily a particularly easy feat. Really the domain of the business traveller.

However in the US with the prevalence of the Hamptons, Hilton Garden Inn's etc, it is neither premium in price or quality (even many of the Hiltons in the US seem below par compared to Asia/Pac) nor are they restricted to just the bigger metropolises. So gold is a doddle if travelling in the US, could do it on annual vacation.

 

[serfty]

I guess Cairns was the exception; I have had running battles in BNE and MEL this year; as I posted earlier, at least the benefits are standardized world wide rather than having a set of rules for N/A and different ones from the rest. (See post #2 of this thread).

At least it guarantees me breakfast as a Gold.

For OzFest #2 I have simply booked exec level anyway and will get the 1K bonus.

 

[simongr]

The trouble with the Hilton program is that in Australia (and Asia), Hilton family hotels are premium hotels - with a premium price. Locations are (relatively) limited. Therefore to qualify gold with 16 stays - or however many nights, it is not necessarily a particularly easy feat. Really the domain of the business traveller.

It isn't that hard for a business traveller to qualify on spend rather than on night/stays. I am intrigued as to what my travel future will hold with reduced int'l travel. I have 270K HHonors points :shock: at the moment that I am hoping will not have an expiry date attached to them soon...

 

[parsonstrish]

Unsure if this is the right place to share my experience @ the Hilton New York two different times in August.

I stayed there last year, was gold, given upgraded room, complimentary continental breaky. Very happy over all with room, attitude of staff.

This all changed when I stayed early August and again late August. What rude people. I paid for ex. room and had access to lounge. (dropped to silver on my annv. date).

The most courteous people were the housemaids, telephone operator and one person in ex. lounge.

Very handy hotel to lots of city areas, but unsure if I will stay again. I've had it with rude people, 'customer service', I don't think so.

My room, both times, was not as large as '07 room, but comfy all the same.

 

[austrider]

It isn't that hard for a business traveller to qualify on spend rather than on night/stays. I am intrigued as to what my travel future will hold with reduced int'l travel. I have 270K HHonors points :shock: at the moment that I am hoping will not have an expiry date attached to them soon...

A friendly reminder that HHonors points expires after 12 months of inactivity. I lost a few points last year when my traveling stopped.

 

[JohnK]

Did HHonors always have an expiry date? I thought HHonors points did not expire. I only have 16,000 HHonors points in my account and the only likely stay I will have in the foreseeable future would be in CNS for the next OZfest but this should extend the activity for another 12 months.

What is the best way to spend HHonors points? On a hotel stay? Is there a way to get reasonable value by transferring HHonors points to another reward program?

 

[simongr]

Thanks for the reminder. I had an HHonors account years ago in the UK that had points expire - when I restarted travel and staying in Hiltons they gave me back 2500 points - i thought was a lot at the time

 

[smart1999]

Local staff inform me that many Gold card holders have stormed out of reception on check in, especially in SYD, and tossed their cards at staff in anger at the changes. Generally they have had a lot of bad feedback from customers.

. :evil:

I don't quite understand. If SYD has an Exec available they have to upgrade you to this on check-in, right? It's only if they don't have one available that they can offer you a one category upgrade plus free breakfast. So, what's different from before?

 

[serfty]

... So, what's different from before?

Sydney Hilton would previously give lounge access to Golds whether they were upgraded to an executive room or not. Now they only get it if upgraded to an exec room.

Note that before these changes (as mentioned in the OP), for non Nth American Hilton's such lounge access for Golds (& Diamonds) was always at the whim of the establishment.

These changes are definitive.

 

[NM]

I don't quite understand. If SYD has an Exec available they have to upgrade you to this on check-in, right? It's only if they don't have one available that they can offer you a one category upgrade plus free breakfast. So, what's different from before?

I don't believe there is any have to involved with upgrades.