Hhonors benefits excluded with 3rd party bookings

[JessicaTam]

Hilton have now explicitly excluded Hhonors benefits if a booking is made through a third party website.

From their T&Cs:

• Eligibility for all on-property HHonors benefits, including complimentary Internet and MyWay benefits such as complimentary snacks and beverages, complimentary continental breakfast and space-available upgrades, requires a confirmed reservation made through one of the following channels:
  • Any official direct Hilton Worldwide hotel brand or HHonors website (for example, HHonors.com, Hilton.com, Hampton.com, etc.),
  • Hilton Reservations & Customer Care phone line (1-800-HHonors or local Hilton reservations office),
  • Hilton HHonors or Hilton mobile application,
  • Directly at a hotel in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio, or
  • Through an IATA accredited retail travel agent professional ("Travel Agent") booking through a Hilton Worldwide channel or the following Global Distribution Systems: Amadeus, Apollo/Galileo, Worldspan and SABRE.
• On-property benefits are not awarded in the following circumstances:
  • Reservations booked through a non-Hilton Worldwide-direct booking channel or a non-designated GDS, third party website or any other channel,
  • Rates available on "opaque" websites where the hotel brand and specific hotel are not known until the booking is made, or
  • Third party hotel packages or travel packages not booked through one of the eligible channels.

Whilst it hasn't been stated before (in as much detail), benefits have been provided in the past regardless of how the booking is made.

ref: Loyalty Lobby

 

[nonpop]

So if our corp TA (Amex Travel) books me into the Hilton would it qualify or not ?

 

[serfty]

Actually, the exclusion wording has been there previosly although it was basically in one long line of text - easy to miss/misunderstand

This has made the facit clearer and easier to comprehend.

There are FT threads going back years with comment from people trying to get bennies on such 3rd party bookings.

 

[robd]

So if our corp TA (Amex Travel) books me into the Hilton would it qualify or not ?

If Amex Travel have an IATA number it will.

 

[Cynicor]

Actually, the exclusion wording has been there previosly although it was basically in one long line of text - easy to miss/misunderstand

This has made the facit clearer and easier to comprehend.

There are FT threads going back years with comment from people trying to get bennies on such 3rd party bookings.

Ah, thought I was going mad- I would have sworn black and blue that it was already in there, previously.

 

[RooFlyer]

New or not, this isn't as tight as Accor tries to be. I've had hotels try to weasel out of points etc because a reservation was made by my TA through the GDS. I've usually won when I point out that it was my cc in the reservation and the TA merely typed the keys rather than me. But recently I've been told that any booking other than through the (always coughpy) Accor website won't earn points (but other benefits will accrue).

Yeah, yeah I know its a coughpy scheme but for various reasons the hotels suit me.

 

[JessicaTam]

Ah, thought I was going mad- I would have sworn black and blue that it was already in there, previously.

Thanks for the extra info.

I have added a qualification to my post.

 

[serfty]

Actually, the exclusion wording has been there previously although it was basically in one long line of text - easy to miss/misunderstand

This has made the facit clearer and easier to comprehend.

There are FT threads going back years with comment from people trying to get bennies on such 3rd party bookings.

Actually, I was incorrect here. (That's what happens with small devices; harder to see the full picture)

The "one long line of text" is still there and it relates to earning of stay, nights and base point credit.

This one about not getting status benefits has indeed been added/clarified. There was something there but I need to locate an older copy of the T&C's.

Here's a post on FT from 2012 showing more recent wording regarding status earn credits - a search produced results from 2003.

Link.

Originally Posted by HHonors Terms and Conditions

A "stay" is defined as the total number of consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, whether or not a guest checks out and checks back in again.

Specifically excluded from the definition of "stay" are the following types of ineligible stays: wholesale/tour operator packages; contracted crew rates; travel agency discount rates; Team Member Travel rates, Hilton Family Travel Rates; stays secured utilizing Hilton Grand Vacations Club and Hilton Club timeshare programs, Hilton Grand Vacations marketing packages with a sales presentation requirement; complimentary or barter rooms; Reward Stays (as defined herein); NET Group rates; Series Group or IT Group rates; contracted Entertainment or Encore rates; third party websites bookings (irrespective of rate paid); and "opaque" channel bookings where the brand may or may not be known at the time of purchase.

HHonors points may not be earned (including as a My Way benefit) for or during ineligible stays, including without limitation, folio charges incurred during ineligible stays. If at least one night of the Member's stay is consumed with the use of HHonors Rewards points, the entire stay is considered a "Reward Stay" and no HHonors points may be earned, except that if Member is using Room Upgrade Rewards, any money spent on the original reservation will earn points and/or miles consistent with these Terms. Participating hotel will determine whether incidental charges incurred during either or those stays are eligible for points, except that Points will not be earned for incidental charges at Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, and Home2 Suites by Hilton®.

That being said, some hotel FDCs will allow status benefits anyway, but it's a fluke and should never be counted on. That's been pretty much what has been said in the existing threads.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I must admit to believing all benefits (points, nights, stays, upgrades, exec lounge etc) were always excluded, but often hotels would allow status benefits regardless of point/night/stay earn.

On a slightly different tangent, I also have a corporate code which beats gov't rates, but doesn't earn points/nights/stays so I don't use it. I did try it once to ensure it wouldn't earn and I did note I was still given all HH status benefits.