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.

 

[froggerADL]

Just checked in for 2 nights at Hilton South Wharf. Am HH Gold.

Booked King Exec Rm. Received exactly this, but again told it was an upgrade. I challenged this but was assured the high floor was an upgrade. Key didn't work so came down again and voiced displeasure at no upgrade - asked the lady to check. She told me none available (but clearly there are all suites available for purchase for tonight and next 2 nights.)

I'm sorry you didn't get a decent upgrade Kermato.

I also checked into HSW this afternoon. HHDiamond. Booked King Guest Room. Received King Yarra Suite so they do do suite upgrades. I thought this was a Diamond benefit only though. I could be wrong.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I'm sorry you didn't get a decent upgrade Kermato.

I also checked into HSW this afternoon. HHDiamond. Booked King Guest Room. Received King Yarra Suite so they do do suite upgrades. I thought this was a Diamond benefit only though. I could be wrong.

Some diamonds do better than others at HSW. I'm 0/3 upgrades since becoming Diamond. Last weekend there were 2 bed suites available for purchase, front desk told me I had been upgraded to a King Yarra Suite when I'd actually booked one.
I really like this hotel so am treating it a bit like air travel ie. always be prepared to crash in the room category booked

 

[anat0l]

Some diamonds do better than others at HSW. I'm 0/3 upgrades since becoming Diamond. Last weekend there were 2 bed suites available for purchase, front desk told me I had been upgraded to a King Yarra Suite when I'd actually booked one.
I really like this hotel so am treating it a bit like air travel ie. always be prepared to crash in the room category booked

To be honest, is a 2 bedroom suite really an "upgrade" from a King Yarra Suite? Particularly if you are staying alone?

 

[Flashback]

The best upgrade I've ever had is to a higher floor room over several hotels ..... so don't feel left out guys ;-)

 

[serfty]

Looks like this is the side effect of reducing the Gold upgrade specification from "minimum Executive floor" to "preferred rooms" is now proven here.

AFAIK, Internationally, Golds never had a facility "minimum Executive floor" as part of the bennies.

Until this year for Gold it was more like "Upgrade to Executive room (if available) - lounge access to be provided if an Executive Room Upgrade was granted, otherwise not". Diamonds had the executive lounge benefit irrespective of any upgrade. Note this was only if the "Breakfast/Upgrade" benefit was selected as the member's MyWay ViP option.

 

[kermatu]

All fair points - and better for there to be more benefits for Diamond status for sure. I guess I was more irked by being told I was upgraded. No sign of any compensatory benefits, either,as anticipated.

Nevermind, time to enjoy a long weekend.

 

[Princess Fiona]

To be honest, is a 2 bedroom suite really an "upgrade" from a King Yarra Suite? Particularly if you are staying alone?

Technically speaking there are two suite categories above the KYS, relaxation and 2 bed. So yes as per the T&C's there were upgrades available.
I think it is/should be irrelevant to the hotel how many guests are staying as the benefit is for the HH Diamond guest.

 

[Moopere]

Status: HH Gold (via MVP)
Property: Hilton Kuching (Malaysia)
Date: 15-24 JUL 2012
Rate: 440 MYR (inc taxes and surcharges, about AUD$135)
Booked: King Hilton Executive Plus Room (64sqm)
Upgraded: Not that I can tell - and did ask, twice. 13th floor penthouse level.
Received: Executive lounge benefits. Two bottles of water per day. Turn down service each day with sweets.
Property Benefits: Breakfast in the Exec Lounge or the Waterfront Restaurant downstairs. Free WIFI in the lounge, wired internet in the rooms (I didn't try it though). Breakfast 6:30am-11, Afternoon Tea 3-5pm, Evening canapés and drinkies 6-8pm. Pool, tennis court, gym all free.

Older style Hilton property but the room I got was on the penthouse level and in very good condition.

Was told upon checkin that I'd received an upgrade, but its near impossible to tell these days unless getting a category upgrade. As I'd booked an executive plus room, and thats what I got, I was happy enough, but was my upgrade from the 12th to the 13th floor? Beautiful view of the Sarawak river. Suites were available for sale the whole time I was there, and whilst I realise that suite upgrades are not a HHG benefit, I was sort of hoping and did drop the hint on 2 different occasions.

Executive lounge staff were fantastic, the lounge manageress extremely helpful with several oddball requests from me.

 

[coolumbla]

booked into HSW yesterday HHgold
king executive room
upgraded to 2 bedroom suite (its lonely up there !)
hand written welcome back letter


kermatu and adl frogger am in teh lounge now looking for an excuse to stop doing emails


C

mind you
i do have 3 upcoming paid suite bookings (2 x KY and a 2 room) and the last stay was a paid ky suite
I wonder if that has anything to do with it

 

[Moopere]

i do have 3 upcoming paid suite bookings (2 x KY and a 2 room) and the last stay was a paid ky suite
I wonder if that has anything to do with it

Not in my experience. I've never received a HHG upgrade to a suite at the HSW despite booking them occasionally.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

My firm outlook on upgrades is to book what you can live with and anything else is a bonus. Note that upgrades aren't an automatic guaranteed gift.

 

[simongr]

Technically speaking there are two suite categories above the KYS, relaxation and 2 bed.

Woah! The relaxation suite is NOT an upgrade from a King Yarra. The King Yarra has 17m2 more space than the Relaxation.

 

[Princess Fiona]

My firm outlook on upgrades is to book what you can live with and anything else is a bonus. Note that upgrades aren't an automatic guaranteed gift.

Woah! The relaxation suite is NOT an upgrade from a King Yarra. The King Yarra has 17m2 more space than the Relaxation.

Maybe not in space, but in $ terms it's more expensive to book and appears beneath KYS in the NOR1 options for upgrade.

 

[hummel]

Forgive me for my previous spelling errors... Next time away I'll bring the laptop anyway...


Status: HH Gold
Dates: 23rd July
Property: Hilton la defense Paris
Booked: King guest room. - $135 Great Getaway sale.
Received: Relaxation suite, breakfast in the morning and wifi

Notes: Happy with the stay and price paid, we were going to try the arc de triumph however it was triple the price and this was only a. 10 minute metro ride from the center of town.

OT I am currently in Adenau, in Germany staying at a little family run hotel. $80 euro a night, wifi, great breakfast and... Everything in the mini bar is $2 euro!

 

[QF WP]

My understanding that along with the HH benefits, that number of stays at the property also reflects well. When Straitman and I checked into HSW last week, the Reception staff were able to tell us how many stays at HSW we'd had since opening, as well YTD and IIRC, lifetime. He put me to shame

He also got the Suite upgrade - which I had lost (I had seen on my HH account the day before that I'd been upgraded to a Yarra Suite but the next day is showed King Exec). I expect that they were either able to sell it, or a Diamond gazumped me.

 

[serfty]

My understanding that along with the HH benefits, that number of stays at the property also reflects well. When Straitman and I checked into HSW last week, the Reception staff were able to tell us how many stays at HSW we'd had since opening, as well YTD and IIRC, lifetime. He put me to shame ...

They can also see your entire HHonors history, all properties you have stayed at, when and how many times.

 

[beardoc]

They can also see your entire HHonors history, all properties you have stayed at, when and how many times.

Which probably explains this quote:

however an interesting comment from a Hilton I stayed recently - "Welcome Back

Esquire- as a REALDiamond member....:shock: " ...a pot-shot at all the new VA Diamonds?

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/hilton-honors-and-premium-club/how-do-hilton-treat-you-18502-36.html

 

[Flashback]

Which probably explains this quote:



http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/hilton-honors-and-premium-club/how-do-hilton-treat-you-18502-36.html

Which is interesting in itself, having spent nearly every day in July at a Hilton, I still seem to be treated as a non-frequent guest who got their Gold handed to them........ I know that in itself, that is not enough to requal Gold for example (given an average rate of 65 GBP / night), however, it's still a lot of time to spend in a darn hotel so it's annoying to be treated with such dismay!

 

[simongr]

I wonder if my history as a base point diamond (I.e. not a cheap mattress runner ) has impacted how I am treated - I have had not "you're not a real diamond" type comments and have been treated very well. Except for the missing 17m2 and only one bottle of water. Can't complain about the two room suite I have booked on an award...

 

[serfty]

I wonder if my history as a base point diamond (I.e. not a cheap mattress runner ) has impacted how I am treated - I have had not "you're not a real diamond" type comments and have been treated very well. Except for the missing 17m2 and only one bottle of water. Can't complain about the two room suite I have booked on an award...

There's a few good FT threads on what they can see with "OnQ".

Here's a recent one: Can anyone tell me, what shows up on screen at check-in? - FlyerTalk Forums

Also:

What HHonors status information do hotel staff see at check-in? - FlyerTalk Forums

Check-in agent can see your lifetime no. of nights - FlyerTalk Forums

Interesting post here from a local:

Originally Posted by SWInsider

...

I use a program (in addition to OnQ) that tells me - if you've got a profile, of course - everything that you've mentioned you like/dislike. If you're more likley to respond to a lunch (eg, "kids under 10") invite or a Saturday night function ("prefers xx_X band vodka" invite.
This is even if you've never stayed with us....OooooOOoooooOOOOoo.......
Big Brother wants you to enjoy your stay indeed!