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.

 

[eric2011]

Sofitel reopens on Saturday 5th February from what I saw.

Post automatically merged: Jan 31, 2022

You may need to go to the top, and by-pass the others.

And the Sofitel at the Gold Coast isn’t due to open until June from what I’ve heard

 

[chowda85]

Congrats on getting the suite upgrade. I stay here 2 or 3 times a month as a Diamond and have never got better than Executive floor.

Thanks, and for what it is worth I may have got lucky this time as celebrating a Birthday.

 

[Mox_Fulder]

Property: Hilton Adelaide
Status: Diamond
Room booked: King Deluxe Plus
Rate: $226
Received: King Junior Suite + 2 drinks voucher + 1 plate canapes

First time back at this Hilton since 2016.

Missing were the complimentary bottles of water and the in-room slippers. The bathrobes were still there.

Room was impressive on the 13th floor but the fridge was empty.

Really liked the upgrade and the bonus chromecast on the TV ensured I have enough entertainment instead of relying on free to air. Also noticed, they no longer have any cable channels as well.

Full complimentary breakfast at the Coal Bar + Grille.

Also, surprisingly, the Club Sandwich is no longer available on the In-Room Dining menu. What's a Hilton without club sandwich ? Settled for a beef burger instead as it was too late to go out for something else. Just hoping that its only because of Covid that they are keeping their menu limited for now. The service desk could not explain the reason. Oh well.

 

[QF_Flyer]

Another one from me:
Property: Conrad Singapore
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Deluxe King
Rate: S$225 per night (4 for 3 rate via Hotelux - Impresario booking)
Received: King Executive (Floor 30)

Escaped to Singapore last week for a few days, spent the first 4x at Conrad Singapore, which was also the hotel I was last in at Singapore just as COVID became a thing. So 22 months since my last stay.

Booked via Hotelux, mostly because of the Impresario benefits and the rate, which was unbeaten by the Hilton website (4 for 3 made the average around $225, vs $350 booking outside of Impresario). US$100 on property credit included, double HH points and breakfast too (although Diamond, so had that anyway).

Checked in late (maybe 22:00 or so) after arriving at SIN (usual formalities for VTL, then called ahead as requested to give the hotel the rego of my Grab, so they could keep me away from others). Separate check in for VTL arrivals, as you have to be isolated until you get the -ve PCR, so you don't get a room key at first, just taken to your room and left to your own devices. Welcome amenity included a pack of dried fruit, bottle of sarsaparilla and bag of red velvet cookies, room also contained a lot of bottles of water (except they're no longer bottles, but recyclable tetra-pak cartons, which is fine - these were replenished with housekeeping, which coincidentally is being carried out daily still (I mention this as IC Singapore is not providing daily housekeeping unless requested)).

As breakfast was included, I was able to order that in-room, since I wasn't allowed out (I did anyway, even though I had the PCR back overnight). Once PCR was received, I emailed that to the front desk and they promptly brought me room keys and I was free. Day two onwards it was at Oscar's as normal - and it was normal, except instead of helping yourself the buffet is served to you by the staff, but you still wander around and pick what you want.

Lobby lounge open and operating as normal and, more importantly, the exec lounge is open - only the Level 31 lounge now, and at reduced hours. I had to book a slot (1 hour each for afternoon tea between 14:30-16:30 and evening canapés between 18:00-20:00). Lounge is open 14:30-22:00 each day, closing for sanitation 17:00-18:00. Afternoon tea and evening canapés are served per a set menu, which alternates based on odd/even days (instead of you helping yourself, as was the case pre-COVID), and the staff are more than happy to bring you more of anything you like. Wine and beer available for arvo tea, same for evening canapés but with sparkling wine, coughtails and spirits too.

On the testing side of things, the hotel have apparently got an on-site facility for supervised COVID tests, but that requirement was removed the day before my arrival (but remained for anyone who arrived before that day), so I was subjected to self-administered RATs only. These are widely available for around $5 each, unlike here, where they're unavailable and approximately $10,000 each if you can find them. I bought a pack of Panbio ones which are TGA approved to cover me there and bring home (mostly for the arrival into Australia test, but also to have some spare, given the aforementioned, current scarcity). But I digress.

Will add a note about the staff, who were all really great, especially the Exec lounge staff who made a point of remembering me and greeting me by name each time I was in there. I left for the IC Singapore after day four, so will end it here, but for a few photos.

 

[Andrew Curran]

Property: Hilton Darwin
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Hilton King
Rate: $193
Received: King Executive With View

Perfectly comfortable hotel in that functional way - think Hilton Adelaide, Cairns, Brisbane etc. Coffee machine in the room, decent bathroom, and plenty of power points.

Boosted to the top floor next door to the lounge. Nice harbour views but the air con causes condensation between the double windows.

Nice enough lounge. Met the infamous Robyn. Very quiet at the moment, just a handful of guests in there including a small boy who was so thrilled with the snack selection - always good to hear from a happy customer.

Breakfast in Pepperberry was fine. The setup is quite small but there's an omelette station. Coffee comes from a push-button machine.

An interesting lobby that channels 1985.

Out on the street, it is reasonably gritty with a lot of rough sleepers around.

Accommodation in Darwin is generally very run of the mill. The city sorely needs a decent hotel. The Westin down at the waterfront isn't going to happen according to Hilton employees I spoke to. A lot of corporates stay in apartment hotels like the Mantra or the Oaks Elan. The Rydges looks like a remand centre and the two Doubletrees don't look much better. I'm eyeing the bungalows in the Palms Resort behind the Hotel Darwin for the next visit.

 

[SYD]

Property: DoubleTree Melbourne
Status: Gold
Room booked: Interior King
Rate: $180 (average) - AAA rate
Received: King City View

Cookies and water on arrival.

Continental buffet breakfast (yes, actual buffet back). Hot options available for an upgrade fee.

Last year we could order a barista coffee and cooked to order breakfast off the menu as there was no buffet.

 

[astrosly]

Property: DoubleTree Melbourne
Status: Gold
Room booked: Interior King
Rate: $180 (average) - AAA rate
Received: King City View

Cookies and water on arrival.

Continental buffet breakfast (yes, actual buffet back). Hot options available for an upgrade fee.

Last year we could order a barista coffee and cooked to order breakfast off the menu as there was no buffet.

Having an a la carte breakfast was one of the good things to come from covid. Am sorry to see the buffet back.

 

[Blackadder]

Property: Hilton Darwin.
Status: Gold
Room Booked: Double Double with view
Rate :$197 Stay and Save with Breakfast.
Received: Double Double with view (paid upgrade to executive with view)
Standard two bottles of water, welcome letter.

Meh

 

[DC3]

… Stay and Save with Breakfast …

Good breakfast?

 

[SYD]

Property: Hilton Darwin.
Status: Gold
Room Booked: Double Double with view
Rate :$197 Stay and Save with Breakfast.
Received: Double Double with view (paid upgrade to executive with view)
Standard two bottles of water, welcome letter.

Meh

Were you charged for the “upgrade”? I rarely, if ever pay for upgrades - I often get at least the first upgrade option free.

Unless your already a Diamond member - an Exec Floor (with Lounge access) upgrade can be good value at some properties.

 

[Blackadder]

Were you charged for the “upgrade”? I rarely, if ever pay for upgrades - I often get at least the first upgrade option free.

Unless your already a Diamond member - an Exec Floor (with Lounge access) upgrade can be good value at some properties.

Yes , couldn’t give it as a complimentary but when I asked about paid upgrades $70 per night.
Will see during the stay if that charge sticks.

Post automatically merged: Feb 11, 2022

Good breakfast?

Just checked in today , but previously Breakfast has been pretty good here.

 

[SYD]

Yes , couldn’t give it as a complimentary but when I asked about paid upgrades $70 per night.
Will see during the stay if that charge sticks.

Post automatically merged: Feb 11, 2022

Just checked in today , but previously Breakfast has been pretty good here.

Oh, you paid and then got the Exec with view? I read it that you paid extra for an upgrade but only got what you originally booked!

 

[Blackadder]

Oh, you paid and then got the Exec with view? I read it that you paid extra for an upgrade but only got what you originally booked!

Yes my bad, paid for the upgrade to Exec with view after nothing offered as a complimentary

 

[JessicaTam]

Property: Hilton Darwin.
Status: Gold
Room Booked: Double Double with view
Rate :$197 Stay and Save with Breakfast.
Received: Double Double with view (paid upgrade to executive with view)
Standard two bottles of water, welcome letter.

Meh

I will be there in a couple of weeks so keen to hear what you think of the property overall. I have only stayed at the DT in the past.

 

[Blackadder]

I will be there in a couple of weeks so keen to hear what you think of the property overall. I have only stayed at the DT in the past.

A older property than the DT (former Plaza Hotel), but well refurbished.
Good room size , and personally worth the upgrade to the harbour view rooms.
Only downside as such to the room, air conditioning causes condensation on the outside of the windows, but can live with that.
On site restaurant Pepperberry is only a couple of years old, and a award winner at the recent NT dining awards.
About a10-15 min walk to the Waterfront , a good pub virtually opposite or a short walk along Mitchell Street to other Pubs.

 

[DC3]

Yes, I remember the Crowne Plaza, Darwin.

 

[Andrew Curran]

Back in the 80s/90s it was a Sheraton & one of the DTs was the Beaufort.

 

[DC3]

And the Holiday Inns were in there somewhere pre-DT. And “Open All Year” apparently:

Holiday Inn Darwin, hotels, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[Andrew Curran]

The DT Esplanade was the former Beaufort and the DT Darwin (also on the Esplanade) was the former Holiday Inn and before that clearly a Travelodge. Haven't stayed in either but on a walkabout sussing out of Darwin's hotels the other weekend I would pick the DT Darwin purely on the basis it has balconies..

 

[Blackadder]

The DT Esplanade was the former Beaufort and the DT Darwin (also on the Esplanade) was the former Holiday Inn and before that clearly a Travelodge. Haven't stayed in either but on a walkabout sussing out of Darwin's hotels the other weekend I would pick the DT Darwin purely on the basis it has balconies..

Drifting off topic, but the former Travelodge was decimated by Cyclone Tracy, with Cars ending up in the Swimming Pool, and one on the 6 th floor.
Apparently the Travelodge was open in 1973 or thereabouts.