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.

 

[kermatu]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Cairns
Date: 3 days late April
Booked: King Exec Room (2 nights); Exec Spa (1 night)
Received: Exec Spa Room - half-price upgrade 2 nights; Premier Suite 1 night.

Best Hilton experience. Terrific upgrades, especially unexpected final night to the truly impressive Premier Suite. Great lounge service as well, good breakfasts, room service and Mondos all excellent as well. Free small gifts as well as plenty of free water (sparkling and fresh, replenished more than once per day). Outstanding.

 

[Flashback]

Status: Gold
Property: Hilton Rotterdam
Date: 04-06 May
Booked: King Deluxe Room
Received: King Executive Suite
Rate: €63 / night (UK Government employee)

Looks like a 2 room type upgrade, so happy with that. Nice spacious room with a decent view out over town. Exec Lounge looks decent, small cakes, sandwiches, etc. and non-alcoholic drinks during the day. Alcoholic drinks available from 5-11pm. The refurb feels nice enough and I would probably stay here again!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Cairns
Date: 3 days late April
Booked: King Exec Room (2 nights); Exec Spa (1 night)
Received: Exec Spa Room - half-price upgrade 2 nights; Premier Suite 1 night.

Best Hilton experience. Terrific upgrades, especially unexpected final night to the truly impressive Premier Suite. Great lounge service as well, good breakfasts, room service and Mondos all excellent as well. Free small gifts as well as plenty of free water (sparkling and fresh, replenished more than once per day). Outstanding.

I think this is the first reported suite upgrade at CNS! Congratulations.

When you say "half price" upgrade for the other 2 nights, are you referring to e-upgrades (Nor 1) or did they offer that at check-in?

 

[mel-world]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton SFO Union Square
Date: 20-23 April
Booked: Queen Deluxe Room
Received:Queen Deluxe Room
Rate: A$0 would have been too expensive

Worst Hilton experience ever. This is a convention hotel, near Union Square but only a block or two from a rather sleazy part of town. Avoid at all costs. No Executive Lounge, no upgrade and the smallest room ever despite the desk telling us this was a better room than most. No changes possible - sorry hotel full. The room was supposedly refurbished and it was on a HH floor in T3 but would have hated to see the un-refurbished rooms. Only small benefit was a breakfast voucher but the one restaurant was overcrowded and the breakfast was continental at best. Avoid at all costs.

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Toronto Downtown
Date: 03-07 May
Booked: King Deluxe Room
Received:King Executive Room
Rate: CAD236+Taxes

Much better. Large room near elevator (as requested) and very central. Good sized lounge but you have to pay for alcoholic drinks (honour system). Lounge open for a long time each day and the breakfast quite adequate - but busy - due to Maple Leafs Playoff game so hotel very full but coping okay. Much better experience (for a Nth American Hotel)

Still to come - the Hilton in Quebec.

 

[kermatu]

Yes, the lower price upgrade was Nor 1 - should have mentioned that. Don't usually book that but as I had two separate bookings I used it to get to what I thought would be the same room over 3 nights.

Suite was great - but clearly of more benefit for a longer time (with kitchen, dining area etc, one night was overkill!). Forgot to mention Nespresso machine and Bose sound system, added benefits of that suite.

 

[Mollycram]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton SFO Union Square
Date: 20-23 April
Booked: Queen Deluxe Room
Received:Queen Deluxe Room
Rate: A$0 would have been too expensive

Worst Hilton experience ever. This is a convention hotel, near Union Square but only a block or two from a rather sleazy part of town. Avoid at all costs. No Executive Lounge, no upgrade and the smallest room ever despite the desk telling us this was a better room than most. No changes possible - sorry hotel full. The room was supposedly refurbished and it was on a HH floor in T3 but would have hated to see the un-refurbished rooms. Only small benefit was a breakfast voucher but the one restaurant was overcrowded and the breakfast was continental at best. Avoid at all costs.

Nooooooooo! I am booked to stay there in three weeks....gutted that you say it is this bad. Has anyone else had bad experiences at this hotel?

 

[markis10]

Nooooooooo! I am booked to stay there in three weeks....gutted that you say it is this bad. Has anyone else had bad experiences at this hotel?

Its a very popular convention hotel, not unusual for it to host up to 6000 attendees in its two ball rooms, the other hotels on the corner often help with rooms, especially the Nikko.

Yes, it's close to the tenderloin, but even that area has some gems to search out for if your prepared to handle the odd tout/beggar.

 

[jetlagger]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton SFO Union Square
Date: 20-23 April
Booked: Queen Deluxe Room
Received:Queen Deluxe Room
Rate: A$0 would have been too expensive

Worst Hilton experience ever. This is a convention hotel, near Union Square but only a block or two from a rather sleazy part of town. Avoid at all costs. No Executive Lounge, no upgrade and the smallest room ever despite the desk telling us this was a better room than most. No changes possible - sorry hotel full. The room was supposedly refurbished and it was on a HH floor in T3 but would have hated to see the un-refurbished rooms. Only small benefit was a breakfast voucher but the one restaurant was overcrowded and the breakfast was continental at best. Avoid at all costs.

Sounds not such a favourable experience.
The SFO IC appears more desirable.

 

[mel-world]

Yes, it's close to the tenderloin, but even that area has some gems to search out for if your prepared to handle the odd tout/beggar.

You must have a higher personal safety tolerance level than me. I would probably have felt safer in Baghdad.

 

[k3nnis]

Yep the mark Hopkins IC at sfo is not bad.

Sounds not such a favourable experience.
The SFO IC appears more desirable.

 

[DeKa]

Yep the mark Hopkins IC at sfo is not bad.

Mark Hopkins IC is excellent! I really enjoyed my week there about 4 years ago.

 

[JessicaTam]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Parmelia Perth
Date: 04-05 May
Booked: Twin Queen Room
Received: King Deluxe Room

A lovely 'almost suite' room with the king split into two singles (I had requested two beds). I was offered the originally booked room on checkin in case I wanted the larger beds. There is no exec lounge so I was given a drinks voucher for the Adelphi bar (part of the hotel). Breakfast was also in the Adelphi and was pleasant enough, however I can see why they are building a new Adelphi due to open soon. As we had breakfast the weekend manager did the rounds talking to most of the tables (missed us unfortunately).

 

[sinophile888]

Status: Gold
Property: Hilton on the Park Date: 30th April – 4th May
Booked: King Hilton Guest Room
Received: Executive floor
Rate: $215 night with 20%discount on f & b (booked about 2 weeks ago)

We love the location; opposite Fitzroy Gardens with trams 48 & 75 plus Jolimont station right outside.

Our room was on the Executive floor with Executive lounge access. We prefer Lounge access to a room upgrade if we have to choose between the two. The offerings in the Lounge didn’t suit my requirements but pots of peppermint tea were very welcome. Not one gluten free item over four nights.

The staff in the breakfast room were very happy to prepare chicken congee for me from the second morning onwards, plus gluten free toast. The variety offered doesn’t compare with other Hiltons in Asia.

The hotel is looking tired, but all the staff were very friendly and obliging.

 

[Kangol]

Yes, it's close to the tenderloin, but even that area has some gems to search out for if your prepared to handle the odd tout/beggar.

Oooh interested to hear about these gems, I accidentally walked through there during the daytime a couple of years ago and am going to SF again later this year...

 

[tuapekastar]

Nooooooooo! I am booked to stay there in three weeks....gutted that you say it is this bad. Has anyone else had bad experiences at this hotel?

Certainly not the best Hilton, but not that dire IMHO. We got no upgrade but a very high floor (sharing a twin room with my mum, so not much scope to upgrade). Breakfast IIRC was continental and OK, but nothing to write home about. Room was OK. The odd dodgy vagrant about but if you turn right (not left) coming out of the hotel you'll be OK. Come to think of it, if you turn left, then right up the hill you'll get to Fino Italian Restaurant which was excellent and well pried.

 

[Flashback]

Certainly not the best Hilton, but not that dire IMHO. We got no upgrade but a very high floor (sharing a twin room with my mum, so not much scope to upgrade). Breakfast IIRC was continental and OK, but nothing to write home about. Room was OK. The odd dodgy vagrant about but if you turn right (not left) coming out of the hotel you'll be OK. Come to think of it, if you turn left, then right up the hill you'll get to Fino Italian Restaurant which was excellent and well pried.

Pried from the fingers of the dead?

Forgot to mention about the Hilton Rotterdam, with the welcome letter receives it mentions that all golds get Exec Rooms, so not bad!

 

[markis10]

Oooh interested to hear about these gems, I accidentally walked through there during the daytime a couple of years ago and am going to SF again later this year...

Pretty good listing here:

The Tenderloin

The Bourbon and Branch is not listed, if you want to go back to the era of the speakeasy and some interesting coughtails this is the place, gets very busy:
http://www.bourbonandbranch.com/?caseid=welcome

 

[austgap]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Surfers Paradise 3-5th May
Booked: King Hilton Guest Room
Received: King Executive Room
Rate: $229

Disappointed not to have received an upgrade to one of the 'relaxation' room/suites as I have previously. Saying that though, the front counter manager introduced herself personally including her business card and thanked me for my loyalty. Was invited up to the executive club to wait for my room to be ready as had arrived early ~1pm.

Room was fine (Fruit and two bottles of water with a now typed note (was handwritten in 2012) turndown service happened while I was in the lounge for drinks, same level (15) as the lounge which was handy. Lounge not busy for evening drinks. Breakfast at Salt was pretty poor IMHO, everything seemed a bit dry including my omelet. One of the chefs came around and made small-talk with a couple of tables including mine.

 

[turtlemichael]

Status: Diamond
Property: Hilton Brisbane
Rate: AUD330.00
Date: May
Booked: King Executive
Received: King Suite 1 large bottle of water, bottle of Merlot. welcome back card.

On check in was told by the receptionist that I had been upgraded to an Executive King. I pointed out that was what I booked. Duty manager overheard the conversation and looked at the terminal and asked receptionist to put us in the Suite. Nicely handled. Indicates to me suite upgrades, of which they apparently have only 4, are like hens' teeth. Great room. More a large room with a divider (a la HOTP) than a suite. It was described as River View which I think was that brown thing I could es between buildings Excellent bathroom. Because of engagements we didn't use the Lounge for breakfast or drinks but had a nice afternoon tea. Late dinner at Vintaged was just okay with not great service. I've been spoiled by Glass.

 

[simongr]

Back at HOTP. Booked a standard room at the personal rate I have - I think $195. Got my preferred room at the hotel 1901 - relaxation suite.