Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydney!

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

I'm sure I've had breakfast at Salt before where I've asked for Eggs Benedict and it's been given to me constructed appropriately.

Quite probably at some time or another, but even the last stay I had there I specifically asked the waiter if I could order a completed eggs benedict (as a test case) and he said they could give me all the parts, but I would have to assemble it myself. It was at that time that we also noticed no English muffins (in fact most of the pastries as well had long gone and this was around 8am). I asked if they could arrange for it be assembled for me and was told no I'd have to do it myself (but he fell short of saying it was a management directive). We're there again this week, so I might press them harder and see if I can't coax (shame) them into it. I am a bit reluctant to push too hard, because as stated, I couldn't really care one way or the other and I do actually appreciate the fact we're currently given a breakfast that's over and above the minimum HH requirement (and when I compare this to the hard and fast line taken by HTaupo, it's definitely head and shoulders above their offering).

 

[Flashback]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

I have some further bad news. I'm staying here for three days, and had my first Hilton breakfast this morning.

It's just pitchers of brewed coffee and tea that are available.

But also, something which hasn't been advertised, is that there is no more Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine. You are not able to order it - management has taken the decision to remove it from the Full Buffet Breakfast menu.

The best they will do is poach your eggs for you and provide you with a little bowl of hollandaise sauce - you have to go and cook your own muffin from the bakery counter, then add your own eggs. If you want ham or salmon you go and pick that up yourself. Initially they didn't want to put an order in for sautéed spinach so that I could make Eggs Florentine, but they did do this.

Bad news, unfortunately. What's happening at HSP is now happening at Hilton Sydney.

Lets hope it is not contagious.

Hilton Perth just recently did a nice eggs benedict for me and Hilton Prague Old Town did their interesting take on it ... but no issues in doing so

 

[drdpr]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

I can not see this going down at all well in coffee capital Melbourne.

Guess I spoke to soon. A colleague of mine is currently staying at HSW, stated they are now charging $4 for coffee at breakfast. So the bean counters are having it their way.

 

[anat0l]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Guess I spoke to soon. Colleague of mine is currently staying at HSW, stated they are now charging $4 for coffee at breakfast. So bean counters are having it there way.

You're right, though. This is not going to go down well in the coffee capital at all.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Quess I spoke to soon. Colleague of mine is currently staying at HSW, stated they are now charging $4 for coffee at breakfast. So bean counters are having it there way.

It had better be decent coffee....

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Guess I spoke to soon. A colleague of mine is currently staying at HSW, stated they are now charging $4 for coffee at breakfast. So the bean counters are having it their way.

Hmm, maybe the thread title needs to change again to relect Hilton Australisia?

As we seem to be drifting away from just HSYD, I might add I had breakfast at HSP this morning and there is still no charge for my flat white. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

 

[drdpr]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

UPDATE: Thread title will need a change. Just spoke to my company insider as to what is going down with this whole coffee charge, is it going to spread? Short answer, YES. But wait there is more. So the word is Blackstone Group, (American-based multinational private equity) is looking to bail out (as private equity naturally do and usually at top of the market...myer anyone), so cutting cost hardcore across whole chain to sacrifice members to get $ up short term to make it look attractive for what ever they are planning. I guess with the ludicrous amounts of money printing in the USA, a public listing is coming soon. It was conveyed that exec lounge is now going to be only for diamonds to reduce costs.

This would confirm the very recent experience of my work colleague (HH Gold) staying at HSW, first time he was denied access. Complained, so did receive some drink vouchers but that's it. (Yes we all know its not a given with Gold status but....maybe coincidental, maybe not). If this is the case, and only the beginning of the cost cutting, I dare say you are completely wasting your money on the new Macquarie HH card to get Gold status. Wont be worth crackers. So be warned. Maybe its time to do a status match and take your business elsewhere. Only way to hurt them, is spend your money else where.

 

[anat0l]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

...It was conveyed that exec lounge is now going to be only for diamonds to reduce costs.

This would confirm the very recent experience of my work colleague (HH Gold) staying at HSW, first time he was denied access. Complained, so did receive some drink vouchers but that's it. (Yes we all know its not a given with Gold status but....maybe coincidental, maybe not). If this is the case, and only the beginning of the cost cutting, I dare say you are completely wasting your money on the new Macquarie HH card to get Gold status. Wont be worth crackers. So be warned. Maybe its time to do a status match and take your business elsewhere. Only way to hurt them, is spend your money else where.

I don't get this.

Golds as a matter of policy do not get access to the Executive Lounge unless they are in an Executive Level room or better (i.e. by either purchasing that room, or upgrading into it, e.g. via NOR1 or at check-in).

The only way this may happen how you describe it is that Golds will never get Executive level upgrades (unless through NOR1 or special comp or whatever), which under the new rules is quite possible and may already be happening. (Golds are never guaranteed Executive level upgrades; under the old rule set, it was a standard to receive Executive unless capacity said otherwise). Now if a Gold were upgraded to an Executive level room but was still denied lounge access, I would be writing up to Hilton pronto, as that's truly nuts. An Executive level room entitles one access to the Executive Lounge (doesn't matter how you got into that room, you still get access); I believe that is written into the rate description for that room type.


In any case, the other changes are not looking nice. Not sure if that's the best way to situate equity before selling it on; if anything, it sounds more like cooking the books. Then again, seems to be the SOP for many equity takeovers in the US - cook up some equity and boost up the books fast, no matter what it takes.....

 

[serfty]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Gold getting access to Executive lounges without being in an executive room is a Hotel specific benefit over and above HHonors T&C's.

If a property wished to provide such an amenity (to one or more gold customers even) - it's fully up to them to do so.

 

[drdpr]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Hi anat01, in not trying to be condescending but 1+1 does = 2. So no exec lounge does sort of imply a clamp down on room upgrades to exec floor. Sure, I grant if your Gold but had many stays at the one hotel I am sure this is very much different to the special comp/fast track to gold promo route. One would at least hope so. Hey I am only a messenger, please don't shoot me . Also sorry if you misunderstood me, my colleague did not get room upgrade, hence lounge access. There was no lounge access without usual gold rules applying.

 

[anat0l]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Gold getting access to Executive lounges without being in an executive room is a Hotel specific benefit over and above HHonors T&C's.

If a property wished to provide such an amenity (to one or more gold customers even) - it's fully up to them to do so.

I didn't even know some properties did allow such a thing.

In my time as a Gold, if I didn't get Executive level room, I had no access. Fortunately for me, the times I was a Gold without an Executive level upgrade was rare.

 

[Ewing]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

I didn't even know some properties did allow such a thing.

HSW definitely did at one stage.

 

[beardoc]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

HSW definitely did at one stage.

When I was first Gold, Hilton Anatole Dallas (nothing to do with anat0l) gave me a room upgrade to a non-Executive Room but then happily gave me Executive Lounge access. It was my first ever Executive Lounge. I virtually lived there for my first stay, I was that excited!

Many hotels in the US as a Gold gave me Exec Lounge access without an executive room.

 

[anat0l]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Hi anat01, in not trying to be condescending but 1+1 does = 2. So no exec lounge does sort of imply a clamp down on room upgrades to exec floor. Sure, I grant if your Gold but had many stays at the one hotel I am sure this is very much different to the special comp/fast track to gold promo route. One would at least hope so. Hey I am only a messenger, please don't shoot me . Also sorry if you misunderstood me, my colleague did not get room upgrade, hence lounge access. There was no lounge access without usual gold rules applying.

Whilst I hold my own principles about "shooting the messenger", you have to forgive me for interpreting your account as implying your Gold colleague not getting lounge access by virtue of simply being a Gold, when this is not the case (they actually needed the right room type, which as a Gold you could be upgraded into).

Had you simply said that Golds were getting less Executive level upgrades, that probably would've avoided all confusion. That said, I think we are definitely seeing more of this. The fact that you stated that a Gold was denied access to an Executive lounge by itself doesn't imply that they didn't get an upgrade. It could be a premonition to new "enhancements" by HHonors, or there was something else, or your colleague was complaining about something they were not entitled to in the first place. So your condescending aside, it just wasn't clear.

That said, what did you colleague specifically complain about? If it was no lounge access, then they were not entitled to one anyway as we just discussed. If it was an insufficient upgrade, then maybe that's something which can be placated by a couple of drinks vouchers.

 

[mattm199]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Last Saturday night stayed at Hilton Sydney, and for the first time in ages (as Gold) did not get Exec Lounge access. Got breakfast in Glass, and they made a point of pointing out the surcharge for Espresso coffee when showing me to the table. At least the fresh juice bar is an alternative for beverages!
As a comparator, I stayed the previous night at SOTP (on a breakfast included rate), and at breakfast was advised that the first Coffee was included, and that subsequent Coffees were charged.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Salt at HSP has apparently now towed the line with this trend as well. My +1 was told over the weekend that espresso coffees would be $5 but as a "diamond" we will continue to receive them as complementary. Let's see if the "diamond" exemption stays or goes.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

It's spreading, Shrek charged $4.50 for a flat white at breakfast in Parmelia Perth

 

[lovestotravel]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

Sign of the times

Not the end of the world really, but just penny pinching

 

[jetlagger]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

It's spreading, Shrek charged $4.50 for a flat white at breakfast in Parmelia Perth 

What a ridiculous 'penny pinching" concept.
$4.50 is such small change.. It's the principal that annoys.

 

[anat0l]

Re: Gold/Diamond [+anyone else][breakfast] Enhancement-coffee [now $5]-in Hilton Sydn

So no one got a response back from Hilton re: their complaint of this change in the system with respect to the Hilton Global standards?