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.

 

[serfty]

HH Gold
28 May to 31 May
Property: Hilton Adelaide
Room booked: King Hilton Executive room
Rate: January Sale 50% B&B rate $215 per night (before 20% HPC discount)
Received: King Hilton Executive room,"no upgrade available". Negotiated free internet for stay instead. "delightful chocolate truffles" also.

 

[anat0l]

Friday 28 May 2010 to Monday 31 May 2010
Property: Hilton Adelaide
Room Booked: Queen Guestroom
Duration: 3 nights
Rate: AUD 118.00 January Sale (bed & breakfast) (rate with 20% discount)
Status: HH Silver; HPC
Received: Two bottles of water, that is all. Not that I expected any more.

 

[steptoe]

HH Gold (after recently completing Hilton racing fast-track to gold)
11 - 14 June
Property: Adelaide Hilton
Room booked: King room
Rate: ~$160 AUD January 50% sale
Received: Upgraded to Executive King Room & lounge access.

 

[drron]

HH Gold
11-14 June.
Property.Hilton KL
Room booked.King Exec.
Rate.300 ringits(January sale)
Got.King Exec.2 bottles water.Nil Else.

 

[serfty]

HH Gold
11-14 June.
Property.Hilton KL
Room booked.King Exec.
Rate.300 ringits(January sale)
Got.King Exec.2 bottles water.Nil Else.

What was your VIP preference selection? With a January Sale booking (Includes full breakfast) for an executive level room I would select either internet or 1000 bonus HHonors points - I would gnerally avoid the upgrade option.

If I had selected the upgrade option hoping for a "suite type' upgrade and was advised none was available, I would then negotiate an alternative amenity. (see post #61)

 

[serfty]

Status: Gold

Hilton South Wharf Melbourne.
Booked "Great Getaway Sale", KING HILTON GUESTROOM 2 Guests $174.
Upgraded to Executive level, lounge access, welcome letter (Water standard on executive level)
Breakfast available in lounge or in restaurant as per rate.

 

[drron]

What was your VIP preference selection? With a January Sale booking (Includes full breakfast) for an executive level room I would select either internet or 1000 bonus HHonors points - I would gnerally avoid the upgrade option.

If I had selected the upgrade option hoping for a "suite type' upgrade and was advised none was available, I would then negotiate an alternative amenity. (see post #61)

I knew there would be no upgrade for a gold so set my preference for internet.Was told that i could only have breakfast in lounge.Didn't bother arguing as the lounge brekkie adequate for us.

 

[serfty]

I knew there would be no upgrade for a gold so set my preference for internet.Was told that i could only have breakfast in lounge.Didn't bother arguing as the lounge brekkie adequate for us.

Fair enough on the first part as you received what you requested.

As for the second; I believe they were wrong - I would have pursued this if I was in that situation, especially for three nights. See here from the January Sale T&C's:

33% off Best Available BED & BREAKFAST Rate (defined below) at Hilton and Doubletree; ... The Best Available BED AND BREAKFAST Rate is the same as the Best Available Rate except the rate includes breakfast.

 

[dajop]

HH Gold

Hilton Hanoi Opera
Booked: standard king
17-18 July $128USD++/night
Upgraded to exec floor, signed welcome note, free water bottles, free broadband

 

[Sprucegoose]

Status: HH Gold
Property: Hilton Sandton (Johannesburg) over Easter
Booked: King Hilton Guestroom
Rate: 1160 ZAR (~ $178)
Received: At check-in I was informed that it was the hotel's policy to only upgrade Diamond members, not Gold. I argued for 20 minutes, produced the printout of the HHonors policy for room upgrades and executive lounge access and got Hilton worldwide reservations on the phone who confirmed king bed availability on the executive floor. Eventually, and very reluctantly, I got my upgrade. The duty manager told me that he has had this issue with other Gold guests but has been instructed by the general manager to only upgrade Diamonds.

Let that be a lesson to all those intending to be treated fairly in Africa.

Keep going North......

SPRUCE

 

[straitman]

HH Diamond
23-24 July.
Property. Hilton Melbourne Airport
Room booked. King Hilton Guest Room.
Rate. $A204 AP minus 20%
Got. King Hilton Deluxe. 2 bottles of water, welcome letter, breakfast and an argument about HPC discount eligibility as I paid by Amex.
No noticeable difference between treatment as a Gold or Diamond.

HH Diamond
24-25 July.
Property. Hilton Auckland
Room booked. King Hilton Guest Room.
Rate. $NZ231.20 AP minus 20%
Got. King Hilton Deluxe. 2 bottles of water, welcome letter, full breakfast and good service..
No noticeable difference between treatment as a Gold or Diamond.

HH Diamond
25-30 July.
Property. Hilton Lake Taupo
Room booked. King Hilton Guest Room.
Rate. $NZ184 AP minus 20%
Got. One Bedroom apartment with lake views. 2 bottles of water per day, welcome letter, bottle of wine and chocolates, continental Breakfast and superb service.

HH Diamond
25-30 July.
Property. Hilton Auckland
Room booked. King Hilton Guest Room.
Rate. $NZ215 AP minus 20%
Got. Bow Suite with full harbour views. 4 bottles of water per day, welcome letter, bottle of wine, full breakfast and superb service.

 

[anat0l]

HH Diamond

Have to ask: are you feeling any more love at other properties as a Diamond compared to a Gold?

 

[straitman]

Have to ask: are you feeling any more love at other properties as a Diamond compared to a Gold?

Yes (though not at the Airport Hilton) as you will see when I get to post the rest of my recent stays.

 

[QF WP]

HH Gold
In: 04 Aug Out: 05 Aug
Property: Hilton Melbourne Airport
Room booked: King Hilton Guest room
Rate: Premium Club Special ($220 before 20% HPC discount)
Received: Upgrade to King Deluxe, 2x free water each room, card signed by GM and helped myself to the Fruit Mentos in the bowl

HH Gold
In: 05 Aug Out: 06 Aug
Property: Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Room booked: King Hilton Guest room
Rate: Bed & Breakfast Rate, $270 (before 20% HPC discount) [but only charged $216 to CC and she gave me $54 in cash]
Received: King Hilton Deluxe, access to Exec Floor for drinks/canapes and breakfast (both of which were used ) 2x free water each room, card signed by GM
​

 

[dajop]

HH Gold

Millenium Hilton Bangkok
26-27 July
Booked standard king
Upgraded to exec floor, welcome note & fruit

Comments:
- Don't know if it was due to being a Sunday night , but evening canape offering much reduced compared to last visit to this hotel in March, reduced to 3 small canapes served to table plus a small range of self serve dips, chips and breads. Thumbs down.
- Had 5:45am checkout and as would be too early for breakfast in exec lounge they offered - without me asking - a breakfast box to collect on checkout. Good range of fruits and pastries and a juice. Thumbs up for this one.

 

[steptoe]

HH Gold
In: 023 Aug Out: 25 Aug
Property: Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Room booked: King Hilton Guestroom
Rate: Great Getaway special $202.50
Received: King Hilton Executive room, water, card signed by GM, breakfast in lounge or buffet in restaurant (used latter)

First stay here, well impressed, in Executive Lounge writing this.

 

[Bundy Bear]

HH Gold
In: 14 Aug Out: 15 Aug
Property: Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Room booked: Twin Hilton Guestroom
Rate: $241.00
Received: Twin Hilton Executive room, water, card signed by GM, breakfast in lounge.

Very impressed with Hilton South Wharf, the one reason why all my paid stays in the US during my trip in June were with Hilton.

 

[anat0l]

Saturday 14 August 2010 to Sunday 15 August 2010
Property: Hilton Melbourne South Wharf
Room Booked: King Guestroom
Duration: 1 night
Rate: AUD 212.00 Advance Purchase (bed only) (rate without 20% discount from HPC MFAS card). Discount was paid out at check-out in cash.
Status: HH Silver
Received: Room on the Executive Floor. Not an upgrade, i.e. did not receive Executive Lounge access, but just got a room on the Executive Floor, which means bigger room, free water and turn down service. Probably nothing related to my status or me, they probably just ran out of regular rooms - my guess.


Had two other stays but didn't get anything else special out of them - as to be expected as a Silver - although I did have to twist some arm to get my MFAS cards to work on Advance Purchase rates (i.e. after one books the room and then uses the MFAS card). But that did mean I completed my MVP fast track and I am now back up to HH Gold.

 

[Danger]

But that did mean I completed my MVP fast track and I am now back up to HH Gold.

Anat0l, can you please confirm that your MVP fast track worked at properties outside the US. The MVP website says the promotion is only valid at US Hiltons.

 

[anat0l]

Anat0l, can you please confirm that your MVP fast track worked at properties outside the US. The MVP website says the promotion is only valid at US Hiltons.

I harboured the same fear for a while but some other opinion and some closer examination of the wording makes the context ambiguous. However, I can confirm that my four stays were all in Australian Hiltons, and I still got Gold.