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.

 

[pauly7]

At that egregiously expensive rate you booked it you probably deserve the upgrade and all the bric-a-brac that came with it:!:

Except the sex change, of course.

+1 especially at that dump of a hotel

 

[straitman]

+1 especially at that dump of a hotel

pauly7,

Is there a better one at Melbourne Airport and what specifically don't you like about the Hilton :?:

Your comment does beg the question though, does anyone know if the renovations have started yet :?:

 

[rwatts]

...does anyone know if the renovations have started yet :?:

The Melbourne Airport Hilton is currently up for sale by the owners Mulpha Australia. Expressions of interest close October 25th. Price is believed to be around $120m.

Richard.

 

[pauly7]

pauly7,

Is there a better one at Melbourne Airport and what specifically don't you like about the Hilton :?:

Your comment does beg the question though, does anyone know if the renovations have started yet :?:

No there isn't to my knowledge.... I think the interiors basically need ripping out and everything replaced, the linen burnt and the staff replaced (well some )

Cannot WAIT for the renovations!

 

[pauly7]

The Melbourne Airport Hilton is currently up for sale by the owners Mulpha Australia. Expressions of interest close October 25th. Price is believed to be around $120m.

Richard.

Really?! With the lease to Hilton or will it potentially be rebranded?

 

[rwatts]

Really?! With the lease to Hilton or will it potentially be rebranded?

I've seen a few articles around such as this one at Articles - Developments - Development News: Airport Hilton for Sale : accomnews.com which includes

Mulpha Australia has put the Hilton Melbourne Airport on the market and it is available with vacant possession.

and

''Vacant possession allows total flexibility for an incoming purchaser to acquire a unique and strong-performing asset in one of Australia's key hotel investment markets,'' said CBRE Hotels director George Nicholas

So not sure how to interpret that. Another article elsewhere says

The busy hotel is understood to be one of Australia's most profitable.

Richard.

 

[straitman]

No there isn't to my knowledge.... I think the interiors basically need ripping out and everything replaced, the linen burnt and the staff replaced (well some )

Cannot WAIT for the renovations!

I was told by the Operations Manager (on 10th August) that renovations had been approved and were due to start in October.

 

[Flashback]

I was told by a senior manager (I have forgotten his position) that renovations had been approved and were due to start in October.

Which you wouldn't think they were going to do if selling the hotel and it being branded to something other than Hilton?

 

[GCC]

My first stay after achieving HH Gold via the MVP fastrack
HH GOLD -
14 October
Property: Adelaide Hilton
Room booked: Double guest room
Rate: $180AUD ( attending convention on package rate)
Received: early check in, personal greeting from duty mgr on check in, upgrade to executive floor, welcome card with decanter of 12 yo single malt & delicious chocolates.

Great service & great property

 

[straitman]

Which you wouldn't think they were going to do if selling the hotel and it being branded to something other than Hilton?

I'll ask the question, though I don't really expect a straight answer, when I stay there on the 24th Oct.

 

[markis10]

Which you wouldn't think they were going to do if selling the hotel and it being branded to something other than Hilton?

Renovations are often part of the management contract, its not unusual for a hotel to rebrand just after they are done, Crowne Plaza Royal Pines is a good example, as are the three HI's in Adelaide that are now other brands.

If a hotel is one of the most profitable, why sell it?

 

[anat0l]

Is there a better one at Melbourne Airport and what specifically don't you like about the Hilton :?:

The hotel isn't a great representation of how good the Hilton brand could be, even in Australia. It's definitely showing its age. Then again, some of the other Hiltons have some older rooms, too (Hilton Adelaide on the non-premium floors comes to mind. Not sure about the Parmelia Hilton Perth.)

Why am I not too surprised that the hotel is actually very profitable.

Paying over $300 for a room at the Hilton South Wharf is somewhat palatable. That much for a room at the Hilton MEL Airport can only be argued down to necessity, circumstance or someone else picking up the bill.

In saying all this, even with the recently refreshed Holiday Inn MEL Airport, their prices tend to be rather unpleasant (in HI standards anyway), plus HI beds are usually pretty hard IMO (unless you get the premium rooms with possibly new beds).

 

[Bundy Bear]

The hotel isn't a great representation of how good the Hilton brand could be, even in Australia. It's definitely showing its age. Then again, some of the other Hiltons have some older rooms, too (Hilton Adelaide on the non-premium floors comes to mind. Not sure about the Parmelia Hilton Perth.)

Why am I not too surprised that the hotel is actually very profitable.

Paying over $300 for a room at the Hilton South Wharf is somewhat palatable. That much for a room at the Hilton MEL Airport can only be argued down to necessity, circumstance or someone else picking up the bill.

In saying all this, even with the recently refreshed Holiday Inn MEL Airport, their prices tend to be rather unpleasant (in HI standards anyway), plus HI beds are usually pretty hard IMO (unless you get the premium rooms with possibly new beds).

Exactly what Anat0l said; paying $300 for the Hilton Melbourne South Wharf is expensive but you can see the value; paying $300 for Hilton Melbourne Airport you feel like you are being ripped off.

 

[straitman]

For those living in country Victoria the Airport Hilton has a 'Sleep Ezzzy' rate of $220. It requires a phone booking but worth the value. As a Diamond (or even Gold) you will normally get an upgrade, breakfast, free internet and it is a qualifying booking. You also get the HPC discount so the price goes down to $176 which is OK by me.

It may be worth someone asking who really is entitled to this rate.

 

[hgwells01]

Only HH Silver atm but have enrolled for the MVP program and will qualify with pre bookings next week in Thailand for Gold, had an unexpected quick trip to Melb and stayed at the Hilton on the Park, was upgraded to a Relaxation Suite on checkin, nice surprise, Conrad tomorrow night

 

[meloz]

HH DIAMOND
6-8 Dec
Property: coughet Arcadia
Room booked: King guest room
Rate: 5,680 Bht ++
Received: Upgraded to Exec wing, Lounge + breakfast, letter,bowl of fruit, chocs and "WELCOME HOME" sign made of flowers on room door.

Meloz​

 

[hgwells01]

Booked worldwide govt rate of 205.00 pn for 2 nights at the Hilton on the Park, upgraded to Exec floor with access to the Lounge and 2 bottles of water waiting in the room, letter from the GM welcoming me back to the hotel.

 

[QF WP]

HH GOLD
Night of 17 January
Property: Melbourne Airport Hilton
Room booked: King Junior Suite, Any Weekend Anywhere Sale (breakfast included)
Rate: $289.50 AUD (before 20% HPC discount)
Received: Room as requested, card from GM, 2 chocolates & 4 x 400ml waters. Posted view onto my Facebook page

Very happy, great check in (Bridget) but had an issue at breakfast - went up to get cooked breakfast, when I returned my open paper and untouched pot of tea had been cleared. :evil:

 

[anat0l]

HH GOLD
Night of 17 January
Property: Melbourne Airport Hilton
Room booked: King Junior Suite, Any Weekend Anywhere Sale (breakfast included)
Rate: $289.50 AUD (before 20% HPC discount)
Received: Room as requested, card from GM, 2 chocolates & 4 x 400ml waters. Posted view onto my Facebook page

Very happy, great check in (Bridget) but had an issue at breakfast - went up to get cooked breakfast, when I returned my open paper and untouched pot of tea had been cleared. :evil:

Are the Junior Suites at this Hilton actually good? That's a good rate for a Junior Suite, even without the HPC discount, but the standard rooms are pretty huge as they are, just without partitions to make it look suite-ish. The only thing that looks better immediately is possibly the view.

As for the two chocolates, I seem to remember getting a couple of chocolates a few times that we stayed at this property. But they were just two toffee-chocolates in wrappers - basically two out of a box of Cadbury Roses. Of course, there was a small jar of Mentos mints of various flavours if you need a further sugar hit.

 

[QF WP]

It was definitely a Junior Suite, whilst larger than normal room, not the largest Suite (which they gave me earlier last year). It was the end room on Level 7, opposite the QF Domestic Terminal and thus I took a photo (of the view, not the room) and posted on FB.

My chocolates weren't Roses, they were much nicer - Lindt? They were round, soft middles and in a red wrapper.

I didn't get the jar of Mentos in my room on this visit, disappointing as I would have taken most of them - for my office staff and visitors.