Changes to Hilton Premium Club

[JohnK]

I also received the offer from Macquarie to sign up for Premium Club by June 01 with offer of 7,500 bonus points as well.

Must be getting desperate.

 

[serfty]

I have received the 7½K email offer as well as a call in the last week.

 

[Scozzie]

I also received the offer from Macquarie to sign up for Premium Club by June 01 with offer of 7,500 bonus points as well.

Must be getting desperate.

Must be getting really deserate now, have just received updated offer extended to June 30th with the 7500 bonus points as well

Not a dogs chance of getting my renewal.

 

[anat0l]

I got the same email and offer of 7,500 Macquarie Rewards points, not Hilton HHonors points.

There are no partner airlines or hotel programs that you can sweep Mac Rewards points to. You can use them for paying for travel, probably similar in rate and style to say Amex TravelKey or CBA Awards Travel. The rest of the rewards catalogue isn't anything to write home about.

So frankly it's a pretty ordinary offer. Very ordinary.

 

[JohnK]

Must be getting really deserate now, have just received updated offer extended to June 30th with the 7500 bonus points as well

Wasn't the reason along the lines of "due to popular demand we are extending the offer....".

You are right they are showing a sign of desperation. It would be interesting to find out the actual conversion ratio of old HPC members going across to MHPC.

 

[Mal]

Must be getting really deserate now, have just received updated offer extended to June 30th with the 7500 bonus points as well

Not a dogs chance of getting my renewal.

Similar views to mine. I can't see the benefit, and a sweetener of 7500 points isn't really a sweetener - more like anaesthetic to dull the pain.

 

[oz_mark]

I got the same email and offer of 7,500 Macquarie Rewards points, not Hilton HHonors points.

I really wish they had hooked into the hhonors program.

Not that it matters. 3 weeks after my membership expired, I have not heard anything from Macquarie or Hilton.

 

[kpc]

I've let my HPC membership lapse....still have 2 "member for a stay" cards left to use:idea:. The current offer from Macquarie is basically woeful....cf to the wonderful deal straitman got us 2 years ago! thanks again Bill!

 

[oz_mark]

I've let my HPC membership lapse....still have 2 "member for a stay" cards left to use:idea:.

Ditto - I used one on my last stay.

The current offer from Macquarie is basically woeful....cf to the wonderful deal straitman got us 2 years ago! thanks again Bill!

In pure $ terms it is pretty much in line with what the program was costing. Sometimes sensational offers come along, but they have a habit of not staying around.

 

[moa999]

Now targeting SCG members (Macquarie is the terminal provider) and there are special food and drink queues for Macquarie holders (in fact only Macquarie tap cards can be used at the tap terminals)

Same details as previous but offering 10,000 Mac Rewards for applying by 31/8/10, regular $295 fee and a usual 0% interest on balance transfers for 6 months

Not seeing any value there.

 

[Danger]

Can someone confirm if the Hilton Macquarie card needs to be presented at a check-in? For example, if I was to book a room for my partner and I for a couple of nights but I wasn't arriving until the second night. How is the HPC discount applied? Would my girlfriend have to present my Macquarie card?

 

[serfty]

Can someone confirm if the Hilton Macquarie card needs to be presented at a check-in? For example, if I was to book a room for my partner and I for a couple of nights but I wasn't arriving until the second night. How is the HPC discount applied? Would my girlfriend have to present my Macquarie card?

Supposedly yes, although you don't need to actually spent on it.

 

[straitman]

Supposedly yes, although you don't need to actually spent on it.

I had an interesting experience at Melbourne Airport Hilton a few weeks ago which I need to follow up with them.

I did my usual prepaid booking using my Amex and presented my Hilton Macquarie card at checkin to show my HPC eligability. When it came time to checkout the girl on duty was not going to refund me the HPC discount amount as I had not paid using the Hilton Macquarie card. I argued the case and she was adamant that the Hilton Macquarie card must be used for bookings. She refunded me the 20% 'on this occasion' but said that in future I must always use the Hilton Macquarie Visa. (At 0545 when I was up earlier than I prefer and she was obviously very tired at the end of her shift it was not shaping up well for a little while) I will follow up shortly.

A sideline was that at the Auckland Hilton and Lake Taupo Hilton they just looked cross eyed at the Macquarie card and wanted to know where my real HPC card was :!:

 

[anat0l]

A sideline was that at the Auckland Hilton and Lake Taupo Hilton they just looked cross eyed at the Macquarie card and wanted to know where my real HPC card was :!:

There's still a brief period before all of the HPC member cards (let alone benefit cards, e.g. Member for a Stay and Great Rate) lapse over.

In any case, HPC changes (or the new Hilton Macquarie scheme) and the related lag of knowledge transfer aren't all that surprising. Staying at the Conrad Treasury once before they left Hilton group - and this was well into the HPC program (but well before the new Mac takeover) - there were glaring inconsistencies with respect to how the 20% discount was applied to incidentals (e.g. food). I ended up complaining and was comped a breakfast/wine voucher.

On the other hand, the Treasury did have a very generous breakfast policy (for HH Golds who chose upgrade/breakfast benefit)...

 

[serfty]

I had a call from a Hilton Macquare Sales person making a desperate effort to get me to take up the offer.

She even stated something along the lines of "you don't have to use it to get the 20%, you just have to show it".

There is NOTHING in the T&C's that indicate you have to charge the cost of the room to your Hilton MacQuarie card to get the 20% discounts.

 

[straitman]

I had a call from a Hilton Macquare Sales person making a desperate effort to get me to take up the offer.

She even stated something along the lines of "you don't have to use it to get the 20%, you just have to show it".

There is NOTHING in the T&C's that indicate you have to charge the cost of the room to your Hilton MacQuarie card to get the 20% discounts.

That is my understanding also. I actually asked in Auckland and Lake Taupo but as I mentioned they didn't even know much about the Macquarie card at all.

I have the name of the person who I had trouble with and I will follow up and post back in the next few days.

 

[QF WP]

Straitman, I had exactly the same issue with Airport Holton on check-in Wednesday night. Told him that it was against Trade Practices to force me to use a particular card as they accept all types (Amex, MCard etc). Told him the only reason I took up another credit card was the HPC benefits and I have absolutely no desire to put any charges to it other than the annual fee. Told him if he was going to enforce that crazy rule, I will change any future bookings to the Holiday Inn. He backed down.

Had no troubles on check-out, other than HPC discount hadn't been deducted so had to show the card - but they happily debited the nett cost to my Amex. I can't understand why the Night Staff can't process those transactions so it shows by the time they slide the Express Check Out envelopes under the door, because it means I can't use it.

Had less issues at South Wharf, other than the girl in Exec Lounge forgot to process discount, so she had to refund the 20% in cash. Happy with that, more HH points.

Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

 

[straitman]

Straitman, I had exactly the same issue with Airport Holton on check-in Wednesday night. Told him that it was against Trade Practices to force me to use a particular card as they accept all types (Amex, MCard etc). Told him the only reason I took up another credit card was the HPC benefits and I have absolutely no desire to put any charges to it other than the annual fee. Told him if he was going to enforce that crazy rule, I will change any future bookings to the Holiday Inn. He backed down.

Had no troubles on check-out, other than HPC discount hadn't been deducted so had to show the card - but they happily debited the nett cost to my Amex. I can't understand why the Night Staff can't process those transactions so it shows by the time they slide the Express Check Out envelopes under the door, because it means I can't use it.

Had less issues at South Wharf, other than the girl in Exec Lounge forgot to process discount, so she had to refund the 20% in cash. Happy with that, more HH points.

Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly

Thanks LW.

I'll include your experience when I 'discuss' this with them.

 

[Danger]

My experience reflects others'. Earlier this week I phoned the Hilton Cairns to make an AP reservation. I gave the lady my full Macquarie card number to verifty eligibility, she told me what the new (less 20%) was and then asked what credit card I would like to pay with! (As an aside, it may well have been noted but the 1.5% credit card surcharge Hilton introduced a few months back doesn't apply to AP bookings as a credit card is the only method of payment.)

 

[straitman]

My experience reflects others'. Earlier this week I phoned the Hilton Cairns to make an AP reservation. I gave the lady my full Macquarie card number to verifty eligibility, she told me what the new (less 20%) was and then asked what credit card I would like to pay with! (As an aside, it may well have been noted but the 1.5% credit card surcharge Hilton introduced a few months back doesn't apply to AP bookings as a credit card is the only method of payment.)

It appears, thus far that Melbourne Airport Hilton is the only one that seems to have an issue.