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.

 

[Aeolus]

This week at DT Melbourne, owners decided to adopt the continental breakfast restrictions for diamond, with $10 extra for hot options, ie same rules as gold. What’s more disappointing was that they told staff to advise guests that they are not doing anything new but to align with Hilton APAC. What a laugh, did they not realise their guests travel around and know what’s on offer?

 

[DC3]

This week at DT Melbourne .... $10 extra for hot options, ie same rules as gold ... to align with Hilton APAC. What a laugh, did they not realise their guests travel around and know what’s on offer?

Treating Diamonds like mushrooms now.

 

[Sabot]

Treating Diamonds like mushrooms now.

The response is pretty easy, don't stay there.
More and more Hilton properties are failing to live up to the spirit of the loyalty program.
It's easy to envisage a point where it's not worth the effort to ensure you make the number of stays per year.

 

[drross]

The response is pretty easy, don't stay there.
More and more Hilton properties are failing to live up to the spirit of the loyalty program.
It's easy to envisage a point where it's not worth the effort to ensure you make the number of stays per year.

Agree. Not sure what we’ll do when our Macquarie Diamond expires March 2021

 

[Harthagan]

Are diamonds generally able to get the restaurant buffet breakfast, or only the executive lounge breakfast?

 

[Pele]

Are diamonds generally able to get the restaurant buffet breakfast, or only the executive lounge breakfast?

Restaurant buffet.

 

[JessicaTam]

This week at DT Melbourne, owners decided to adopt the continental breakfast restrictions for diamond, with $10 extra for hot options, ie same rules as gold. What’s more disappointing was that they told staff to advise guests that they are not doing anything new but to align with Hilton APAC. What a laugh, did they not realise their guests travel around and know what’s on offer?

Wow, and you are one of their regulars. I am there at the end of next month so will see if it is still 'policy' then, or if they have come to their senses.

 

[Aeolus]

Wow, and you are one of their regulars. I am there at the end of next month so will see if it is still 'policy' then, or if they have come to their senses.

The staff were most embarrassed about the new rule, especially when they have to inform the regulars. I felt sorry for them. I asked the staff to inform their upper management to visit other hotels within Australia and APAC to determine who they are “aligning” to.

 

[Flashback]

I wouldn't consider it to be such a bad thing, the hot stuff usually tends to be the unhealthy stuff - so helps with the waistline when travelling regularly

 

[boomy]

I wouldn't consider it to be such a bad thing, the hot stuff usually tends to be the unhealthy stuff - so helps with the waistline when travelling regularly

Don’t know about helping the waistline as in Europe I often don’t even bother with hot food but indulge in local cheeses, cold cuts and maybe a piece of cake for dessert to go with the complementary coffee.
If DT MEL would serve decent continental breakfast I wouldn’t mind giving up hot food, all I have is fried eggs and baked beans so no big loss but the continental options are so dire that I can’t find anything to eat apart from bircher muesli which often runs out and not being restocked. Add to that the stupid coffee tax we have here in Australia and it makes the whole breakfast experience a sad joke.

 

[Sabot]

Don’t know about helping the waistline as in Europe I often don’t even bother with hot food but indulge in local cheeses, cold cuts and maybe a piece of cake for dessert to go with the complementary coffee.
If DT MEL would serve decent continental breakfast I wouldn’t mind giving up hot food, all I have is fried eggs and baked beans so no big loss but the continental options are so dire that I can’t find anything to eat apart from bircher muesli which often runs out and not being restocked. Add to that the stupid coffee tax we have here in Australia and it makes the whole breakfast experience a sad joke.

Agree, it's penny pinching of the worst kind.

 

[bullerdude]

It’s nice to have the hot option for the breakfast as a gold/diamond but i never expect it as continental breakfast is the listed benefit. The quality of some of the continental breakfasts is probably more the issue I’ve personally experienced.

 

[Sabot]

It’s nice to have the hot option for the breakfast as a gold/diamond but i never expect it as continental breakfast is the listed benefit. The quality of some of the continental breakfasts is probably more the issue I’ve personally experienced.

The problem is that it's provided in almost every other Hilton I've stayed at.

 

[bullerdude]

The problem is that it's provided in almost every other Hilton I've stayed at.

Most do extend the breakfast to full buffet and it would be a small number of hotels where I’ve only had a continental option. I just don’t expect it and I’m usually pleasantly surprised.

I do find the doubletree properties to be more inconsistent given the lower requirements of the brand when compared to the standard Hilton branded properties. Hopefully the new Hilton opening in Mel later this year will provide a solid alternative to the DT.

 

[pangwen]

Property: Hilton Sydney
Date: 9/2/2020 for one night (due to weather-related cancellation of evening QF flight out of SYD)
Status: Gold
Booked: King guest room - fairly good deal $219/night
Received: King executive room - unfortunately didn't get to use the full benefit as we checked in after 2200 (after being at the airport for 7+ hours waiting to see what would happen to our flight), and had to leave before the exec lounge opened to catch a flight at 0630 the next morning

Really enjoyed the room - we stayed at the Pullman Hyde Park earlier in this trip and this was definitely a massive step up. Bed was comfortable, room looked and felt "new" (compared to the Pullman), shower was hot (according to the Mrs, I'm not much of a hot shower connoisseur). Bonus was that there was shelter all the way from Town Hall station to the hotel entrance so we didn't get soaked in the almost-horizontal rain.

Staff were very friendly - would stay again for the right price.

 

[Flashback]

If you travel in the US you'll find it fairly strictly enforced. That being said, I've often found it's been DT where I've had the best experience in the US and they've given us either the full breakfast or a nice a la carte menu!

 

[Sabot]

If you travel in the US you'll find it fairly strictly enforced. That being said, I've often found it's been DT where I've had the best experience in the US and they've given us either the full breakfast or a nice a la carte menu!

The only reason to stay in a US Hilton is to ensure you meet the yearly requirement for Diamond.
I pretty much stay in Home 2 Suites by Hilton when I'm there.

 

[Flashback]

The only reason to stay in a US Hilton is to ensure you meet the yearly requirement for Diamond.
I pretty much stay in Home 2 Suites by Hilton when I'm there.

I actually don't mind a lot of the Hampton by Hilton properties too, a lot of them are quite modern and you know exactly what you're getting. The same goes for IHG and HIX properties.

 

[Sabot]

I actually don't mind a lot of the Hampton by Hilton properties too, a lot of them are quite modern and you know exactly what you're getting. The same goes for IHG and HIX properties.

the Boston Hampton Inn was possibly the worst Hilton I've ever stayed in.

 

[Aeolus]

I don’t have a problem with them enforcing the T&C (only way for them to stand out in Australia as there’s not much else) but I do have a problem with the absurd messaging that they’re aligning with the rest of APAC. Honestly, they couldn’t chosen a worst region where we all know that the diamond benefits are most generous, not to mention the higher level of service as well.