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.

 

[Flashback]

Status: Gold
Property: Doubletree Anaheim Convention Centre
Date: June
Booked: Standard King
Received: Checked in early (approximately 1:30-2:00 and she had to change my room; got a small room on the 4th floor (7 floors in total). Should have waited to checkin.

Status: Gold
Property: Hilton Anaheim Convention Centre
Date: June
Booked: Standard King
Received: Exec Floor (with no lounge) but standard room.

----

After 5 nights in 4 separate hotels around LA, I've come to the conclusion that Universal Hollywood is great staff wise, better than LAX Hilton, Hilton Anaheim and Doubletree Anaheim. LAX was the worse, the others were average.

It seemed difficult to get an upgrade (1/5 luck) and water in the room (1/5 luck).

Also, slightly off-putting, the bellmen seemed (at 2 hotels) to use their own taxi 'mates' to get some sort of commission from the drivers!

That's to be expected in the US as you can get HH Gold out of a Weetbix box!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

That's to be expected in the US as you can get HH Gold out of a Weetbix box!

Do they have Weet-Bix in the US? I'd have thought it'd be Corn-Bix

 

[jukebox333]

Do they have Weet-Bix in the US? I'd have thought it'd be Corn-Bix

More likely Apple Jacks!

 

[thewinchester]

Status: Gold
Property: Parmelia Hilton Perth
Date: 15-16 JUN 2013
Booked: Queen Hilton
Received: Queens Hilton Deluxe Plus (No exec, mid floor, away from lift)

Fast and efficient check-in and check-out, nice upgrade and very large room (my twitter friends such as Princess Fiona and kristyt will recall my description of how large the room was).

Adelphi Steakhouse has now been closed (poss. for renovations, not sure) and Globe Wine Bar/Restaurant has now been renamed as the Adelphi Grill.

Firstly, I have to give full praise to Gearold - the property's Director of Operations, for going above and beyond to recover this unfortunate situation.

Downside of experience was my absent-mindedness leaving a jacket in the room.

However, this left jacket has actually helped the hotel identify that a member of their contract housekeeping team has been stealing. They're investigating, because they themselves know it was there. Someone checked the mini-bar just after I checked out, and reported that the jacket was still in the room and was trying to see if I was still on property (all in their logs).

Between that contact and Housekeeping going to up to the room to secure the jacket, someone believed to be a member of their housekeeping team is suspected of stealing it.

They've even gone to the extent of checking the front of house CCTV, and were able to confirm the jacket I was wearing on arrival was indeed the one which was seen in the room but is currently AWOL due to the errant contract housekeeper.

I only became aware of all this from Gearold this morning, when I popped down there to hopefully collect the jacket. I can see that he is going out of his way to get to the bottom of this, and has already offered to make good on the stolen property.

So kudos to the Parmelia, and Gearold. Always had good experiences - and when things go wrong they make the effort to do right by the customer.

 

[Flashback]

Status: Gold
Property: Hilton London Olympia
Rate: £128 AAA rate
Date: 09 Jun - 10 Jun
Booked: Double Hilton Guest Room
Received: Hilton Double Executive


I wasn't sure whether I should book here given the reviews on room sizes - but between a choice of this, London Metropole and London Kensington they all looked much of a muchness. This one provided breakfast at 6am (rather than 6.30) so it won out as I need to get to the office early. Surprised upon check-in to get an Exec Room, which is very spacious so no issues with size! The Exec Lounge has hot food from 6-8... hopefully should be half decent.

Well, I'd have to say that the reviews to me at least don't depict this hotel. Although it's an old(er) building, I think the rooms are done nicely and it doesn't feel as dated as some other hotels I've stayed at that were newer. The EL was rather nice and had a good selection of food, so if I had a need to be in this area of London would definitely stay there again.

 

[Flashback]

Status: Gold
Property: Hampton by Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schipol
Rate: €89 AAA rate
Date: 20 Jun - 21 Jun
Booked: Double Bed
Received: Double Bed

Fairly late booking, so happy to get the rate I did - Hilton was asking near €300 so not really worth the extra for a quick overnight as I'm spending less than 12 hours here. Very friendly lovely young girl down at reception who even called up to the room to ask whether the room was OK and that I had settled in. Nice touch. It's only been open 2 months so feels very new and clean, would quite happily stay here again. Room is standard Hampton by Hilton decor / layout and breakfast will no doubt be the same. As a Gold received my water & snack at check-in as well as a personalised letter with HH points balance etc. It has a gym but unfortunately no time to try it out.

 

[jaspon]

Status: Gold
Property: Hilton Adelaide
Booked: Queen Guest Room
Received: King Executive Suite
Rate: $135 (great getaway rate)

nice welcome at check in
King Executive Suite, Located on the 16th floor
With separate bedroom, lounge and dining area
Two bathrooms (guest en-suite and main bathroom)
Full Executive Lounge privileges
Free inroom Internet/ 2 x comp btl of water
comp hot buffet breakfast in the downstairs restaurant

Quite a pleasant stay!

 

[titfilou]

I have a stupid question. Do you guys register for estandby or do you usually get the upgrade for free?

 

[Flashback]

I have a stupid question. Do you guys register for estandby or do you usually get the upgrade for free?

Open your booking via the HH site and you can access it there.

Edit: sorry, misread the question! Upgrade usually for free, as part of status benefits.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I have a stupid question. Do you guys register for estandby or do you usually get the upgrade for free?

Most usually ignore the estandby offer as it can mean you pay for an upgrade that you may have received as complementary anyway. In certain cases (like for example, you know the hotel is fully booked) the estandby option may give you a better chance of securing one of the few upgrades that may become available at the last minute.

Of course, the only way to ensure you get a particular room is to book it originally. My modus operandi is to book the minimum room(s) that I could make do with and any upgrade is then just a bonus. I never rely on getting an upgrade, even though they are fairly commonplace here at Oz Hiltons and occassionally I have declined an upgrade simply because it hasn't been suitable to me (that's when I've been upgraded from a double/double guestroom to a king exec. Pretty hard to sleep 2A+2C in a king exec. :shock

 

[JessicaTam]

Status: Diamond
Date: 20-21 June
Property: Hilton Sydney
Booked: Twin exec room
Received: Probably a twin exec room

Turn down with chocolates

I had to prompt for water, and no welcome note. Breakfast was busy in Glass, and it showed with the slow service (coffee/breakfast order). I will look elsewhere when next in SYD.

 

[serfty]

I have a stupid question. Do you guys register for estandby or do you usually get the upgrade for free?

I have this saying: "You can't eat a view".

For me a bigger room on a higher floor is not really relevant. As a Diamond I am guaranteed lounge access and some sort of breakfast as complimentary status benefits, so I have no need nor desire to pay additional.

The only time I have ever used the Nor1 was at the Rome Cavalieri where Imperial lounge access is not guaranteed.

 

[muffy28]

Have checked in at Hilton Surfers Paradise for the first time and cannot find the mini bar. There is a large fridge and I've opened every door in the kitchen. Any help appreciated. I'm in a relaxation room or suite. Have never stayed in one before. Thanks.

 

[DC3]

Maybe you are in the Residences and not the Hotel.

 

[muffy28]

Thank you. It appears you are correct, however, yesterday when I checked my bookings it said I had been upgraded to a relaxation suite. But now I'm in a 2 bedroom apartment in the Residences. In my bookings now there are 2 listed with the same confirmation number - 1 for the hotel and 1 for the residences. I'm extremely confused. I have access to the Executive Lounge.

 

[k3nnis]

How's the traffic and noise around HSP at the moment ?

 

[Flashback]

I have this saying: "You can't eat a view".

For me a bigger room on a higher floor is not really relevant. As a Diamond I am guaranteed lounge access and some sort of breakfast as complimentary status benefits, so I have no need nor desire to pay additional.

The only time I have ever used the Nor1 was at the Rome Cavalieri where Imperial lounge access is not guaranteed.

Thanks for the heads up serfty! I have a free night certificate to use through my HH Plat Visa and that was on the shortlist for me to use it on once I hit diamond shortly. Sounds like maybe not... Venice is sounding like another good option.

 

[muffy28]

K3nnis it is very quiet at HSP. Beautiful night and awesome view.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Have checked in at Hilton Surfers Paradise for the first time and cannot find the mini bar.

Most in the residences apparantly don't want a mini bar so they don't immediately provide one. If you do particularly want it though, just ring magic and they'll provide you with one.

 

[cgoh]

2 stays

Status: Diamond
Date: 22-23 June
Property: Hilton Sydney
Booked: King Deluxe Plus
Received: exactly what I booked

Had the worst check in experience at Sydney Hilton out of all Hilton property I had stayed in, the check in chic was pretty plain in her tone and when asked for an upgrade, she said because it's the weekend the best she can do is a high floor room. She also said all suite had been booked. Took out my phone and looked at the Hilton app, and whoola... suite still available for sale on the website! Couldn't be bothered arguing with her as I only need a place to have a good rest after a long trip. But I didn't appreciate she sent me to the ATM outside when it was pouring rain because I was $50 short on the room deposit (she asked for $600 and the room was only $249). Quite disappointed with this actually. On the other hand, checked in at HOTP today.

Status: Diamond
Date: 26-27 June
Property: HOTP
Booked: King Guest Room (16,000points + $61)
Received: Relaxation suite with spa.

I am at 100% success rate with upgrade at HOTP and pretty amazed by the check in chic. It was probably 6 months since my last stay at HOTP and she remembered my surname (I did spend around 45 days there last year though and she sees me quite often). Probably deserve an email to the GM acknowledging that!.