How do Hilton treat you as an Elite?

[QF WP]

Just thought I'd create a thread for this - looking back over the last year, I thought I'd done a thread here as well as on Priority Club.

I'm a Gold member.

Friday, 22 May to Sunday, 31 May (yes, 9 nights)
Property: Hilton Cairns
Room booked: King Room
Rate: Travelzoo $135 package rate (included bottle of red wine)
Received: Upgrade to King Suite, card from GM and the wine, obligatory 2 free water bottles per day

Wednesday, 8 July
Property: Hilton Parmelia Perth
Room booked: King Room
Rate: Award room
Received: Upgrade to King Suite, card from GM and the obligatory 2 free water bottles

Thursday, 9 July
Property: Hilton Adelaide
Room booked: King Room
Rate: Award room
Received: Upgrade to Exec Floor, card from GM and the obligatory 2 free water bottles

Saturday, 11 July
Property: Hilton Brisbane
Room booked: King Room
Rate: Met Package (birthday present for Mrs LW, included 2 buffet breakfasts at Atrium Cafe & 2 tickets to Qld Art Gallery for Impressionists Showing from Metropolitan Museum New York - to get some culture)
Received: Upgrade to Exec Floor, card from GM and the obligatory 2 free water bottles

Got some more travel to do to Melbourne this Friday, so hoping to fly down Thursday night to sample the new Hilton.

 

[JessicaTam]

Date: March 2021
Hotel: DT Melbourne
Booked: Queen Guest Room
Received : King City View Room
Status: Gold

As @sudoer noted, the hotel is quiet despite the construction on the street outside. I was upgraded to a city view room on an upper floor at the end of the corridor so that helped.
For breakfast, Gold members get to choose one hot drink, one juice and one meal item from the a la carte menu plus one side. View attachment 243320

this is the avocado toast:
View attachment 243321
The coffee was okay but it was quite weak so I popped around the Journal cafe for a second coffee.

Overall it was a really pleasant stay. I’ll definitely be back.

I stayed at the DT on Sunday night and echo your experience. The hotel is debating whether to keep the a-la-carte breakfast permanently. I.e. no buffet.

I told them I would do a study tour of AU HH breakfast offerings and report back in a fortnight.

 

[JessicaTam]

Have a upcoming Cairns Hilton stay as a diamond and wondering if anyone has recent experience re exec lounge benefits/breakfast etc?

Thanks in advance

I am staying there this week, so will post my experience here.

 

[Stealthflyer]

I stayed at the DT on Sunday night and echo your experience. The hotel is debating whether to keep the a-la-carte breakfast permanently. I.e. no buffet.

I told them I would do a study tour of AU HH breakfast offerings and report back in a fortnight.

If they did buffets like the ones in Bangkok or Trieste, I’d be much more enthusiastic. Why are the Australian ones so miserable?

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

If they did buffets like the ones in Bangkok or Trieste, I’d be much more enthusiastic. Why are the Australian ones so miserable?

Yep, Bangkok was wow - pre-covid, of course. Wonder what it's like now

 

[hossein_au]

If they did buffets like the ones in Bangkok or Trieste, I’d be much more enthusiastic. Why are the Australian ones so miserable?

They keep encouraging us to travel locally, but with miserable offerings/service and ridiculous pricing, I am far more inclined to stay home till I can travel internationally than to spend my money on domestic tourism.

It is ashamed, but Australian domestic tourism has long been priced disproportionate to the level of hard/soft products on offer.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I stayed at Hilton Sydney on the weekend.
Booked and paid for a City Suite (this is the new name for the Relaxation Suite).
Tried to thank me at check-in for my loyalty and advised I had been upgraded x2 categories except I hadn’t and they didn’t seem to understand this

Exec Lounge in Zeta bar. I thought the service was very good, proactively offered extra F&B.

Large queue at Glass next morning as I think there was lot of Luxury Escapes guests.
Took ages for coffees to arrive although not charged for it.
There is a buffet but the staff serve you.
Asked for and received 2pm checkout.
Phone call from housekeeping at 11.45 asking when we would be leaving though.

Overall not bad, not outstanding, similar to my many million stays there before but with a Covid flavor.

 

[moa999]

Booked and paid for a City Suite

Exec Lounge in Zeta bar. I thought the service was very good, proactively offered extra F&B.

Ongoing issue with Hilton's systems i suspect. Staff just assume people book base rooms.

Is Zeta usage a permanent thing?

 

[DC3]

... Is Zeta usage a permanent thing?

They seem rather reluctant to reopen the EL.

 

[eric2011]

I stayed at Hilton Sydney on the weekend.
Booked and paid for a City Suite (this is the new name for the Relaxation Suite).
Tried to thank me at check-in for my loyalty and advised I had been upgraded x2 categories except I hadn’t and they didn’t seem to understand this

Similar experience for me a couple of weeks ago. Booked and paid for a Junior suite, received no upgrade. Is there something in the T&C's regarding upgrades only for rooms, not suites or that just an IHG thing?

 

[Stealthflyer]

Date: March 2021
Hotel: Hilton Sydney
Booked: King Guest Room
Received : King Deluxe
Status: Gold

Unlike the DT Melbourne, Sydney Hilton is sticking with the buffet, although staff serve you to avoid handling tongs. As a gold member I received a continental breakfast with a surcharge of $10 for hot items, which as always I turned down. Thankfully the flat white didn’t come with an extra charge.
I’ve stayed at the West Hotel Sydney (Curio) before but never the Hilton. I expected that higher prices would equal better rooms but honestly, the Hilton seems pretty old and tired. The television gave a buzzing sound when on, the toilet dripped, the carpet had long hairs on it from previous guests, and things generally looked shabby. The Hilton is in a better location and has better views, but I think I’m going to stick to the .
On a related note, the neighbouring building still has signs in the windows saying “you’ve got this” and “hang in there” from when the Hilton was used as a quarantine hotel. Maybe the buzzing television was the result of overuse when people were quarantining

Edits: updated the name of the other Hilton hotel in Sydney to West Hotel Curio

 

[DC3]

... I’ve stayed at the Doubletree Sydney before but never the Hilton ... The Hilton is in a better location and has better views, but I think I’m going to stick to the Doubletree ...

I must have missed the DoubleTree Sydney. That’s one that I haven’t heard of. What street is it in?

 

[Princess Fiona]

I must have missed the DoubleTree Sydney. That’s one that I haven’t heard of. What street is it in?

There isn’t one. Perhaps the OP meant the West Hotel Curio.

 

[Stealthflyer]

I must have missed the DoubleTree Sydney. That’s one that I haven’t heard of. What street is it in?

Oops I meant the West Hotel, Curio Collection. I had Doubletree in my head from Melbourne. It’s on Sussex St.

 

[hydrabyss]

Date: March 2021
Hotel: Hilton Sydney
Booked: King Guest Room
Received : King Deluxe
Status: Gold

Unlike the DT Melbourne, Sydney Hilton is sticking with the buffet, although staff serve you to avoid handling tongs. As a gold member I received a continental breakfast with a surcharge of $10 for hot items, which as always I turned down. Thankfully the flat white didn’t come with an extra charge.
I’ve stayed at the West Hotel Sydney (Curio) before but never the Hilton. I expected that higher prices would equal better rooms but honestly, the Hilton seems pretty old and tired. The television gave a buzzing sound when on, the toilet dripped, the carpet had long hairs on it from previous guests, and things generally looked shabby. The Hilton is in a better location and has better views, but I think I’m going to stick to the .
On a related note, the neighbouring building still has signs in the windows saying “you’ve got this” and “hang in there” from when the Hilton was used as a quarantine hotel. Maybe the buzzing television was the result of overuse when people were quarantining

Edits: updated the name of the other Hilton hotel in Sydney to West Hotel Curio

Considering the Hilton was just renovated I wonder if using it as a quarantine hotel has increased the wear or where some rooms not done.

 

[GlennIE]

Date: March 2021
Hotel: Hilton Adelaide
Booked: King Hilton Deluxe
Received : King Superior Suite
Rate: Prepay and Save ($207.40)
Status: Diamond

3 night stay here. Executive Lounge is still closed so they provided a cards for canapes and drinks (drink cards can be used for coffee in the morning).
The room was a surprise as I've only been upgraded to a junior suite at his property once during my 10+ stays.

 

[jonboixxx]

Have a upcoming Cairns Hilton stay as a diamond and wondering if anyone has recent experience re exec lounge benefits/breakfast etc?

Thanks in advance

I stayed there 8-10 February and received the usual upgrade to exec floor. They gave me a river view on 9 but when I requested 3pm checkout, they gave me cityside on 8, which is fine as I like watching the sunset. (You can also keep an eye on the quarantine hotel across the park).
Exec lounge was still shut in February so small canapés and drinks were in a sectioned part of the gin bar downstairs. Breakfast was in the downstairs restaurant and was like an assisted buffet which was perfectly adequate.

 

[DC3]

Have a upcoming Cairns Hilton stay as a diamond and wondering if anyone has recent experience re exec lounge benefits/breakfast etc? ...

Is that the Cairns trip that you did a couple of weeks back? Did the Hilton Cairns go okay?

 

[Daver6]

Date: April 2021
Hotel: Hilton Perth
Booked: King Hilton Deluxe
Received : King Hilton Deluxe
Status: Gold
Rate: $196 members sale

Just a one night stay on a Saturday night. Prior to check-in the only better room showing availability was a king executive which is actually smaller than the Deluxe (at 46sqm). Checked in early at midday and room was ready. Asked about upgrade and told nothing available but given EL access. Two bottles of water given at reception.

Hotel is newly renovated and looks shiny. Room was a decent size. Small balcony but door to it is locked. No view to speak of. All rooms (according to the room description on the website) are meant to have bathrobes and slippers. Non-provided. While out I used the HH chat app to query this. Asked if I was just looking in the wrong spot or if not available to please drop some off. Message was acknowledged but never actioned. Pool area is adequate. Gym looked decent enough.

I suspect the main draw card of this hotel is it's location in the west end of the city for business travellers.

I'll cover the EL in the next post. No breakfast served in the EL and told to use the main restaurant. No mention of continental only breakfast which was nice. Coffee tax of $4 enforced. You could order eggs Bennie for an extra $9. Food was decent enough.

 

[Daver6]

EL is situation on the ground floor and open for drinks/canapés between 5pm and 7pm. Buffet style for the food and someone is there to pour the drinks. I didn't see spirits but did hear someone ask for them. I didn't hang around to find out the answer but it wasn't an immediate no.

Disappointing to see hot canapés are only available from 6pm. Even more disappointed that it was a single option shown in the last image. The lounge fit out is nice enough, but no view or external windows. I don't know how busy in the grand scheme of things it was, but most seats taken, but not over crowded.

 

[Flashback]

Doesn't look too much different from when I stayed there years and years ago, very little refurb on the rooms it looks like. Robes etc. are not provided at the moment due to COVID, but should be provided on request. Perhaps a call down would have got them sent up, if they're not responding via the app!