Hhonors - Changes to benefits offered at hotels

[serfty]

I don't believe there is any have to involved with upgrades.

It depends on what Available means:

You will be upgraded to an Executive Floor room (where/when available) at time of check-in.

If available means there is at least 1 executive level room:

• unsold,
• unallocated (for a booking) and
• unoccupied,

at the time of check-in then the Gold Member should be upgraded to one. (Same for Diamonds).

However, some hotels appear to hold one or more rooms back for last minute revenue sales, redefining Available for their own purposes.

In any case, a Gold should at least be guaranteed a continental breakfast.

 

[smart1999]

To me a room is available if I can book it online or over the phone. I have no other way of checking, of course, whether they have other inventory that they do not release. But if I can book an Exec room online I would expect them to upgrade me to one. The new rules are quite clear on that unless, of course, you choose another option for 1000 points for example.

 

[NM]

It depends on what Available means:If available means there is at least 1 executive level room:

• unsold,
• unallocated (for a booking) and
• unoccupied,

at the time of check-in then the Gold Member should be upgraded to one. (Same for Diamonds).

However, some hotels appear to hold one or more rooms back for last minute revenue sales, redefining Available for their own purposes.

In any case, a Gold should at least be guaranteed a continental breakfast.

Eaxctly! Just like airlines don't make all unsold premium cabin seats available for upgrades, I do not believe there is any requirement for a Hilton Hotel to make all unoccupied rooms available for upgrades. While some hotels may do that, I do not believe HHonors requires that to be the case.

 

[simongr]

Well I shall be checking into teh SYD Hilton this evening and taking with me my advice to request a room upgrade on check in - lets see how we go

 

[simongr]

No room upgrade, Exec lounge full to heaving no other benefits offered. Also room was not ready on arrival, I arrived at noon so did not expect it to be ready, was told they would call when the room was ready. We got back to the hotel around 4PM and received no call.

Not exactly the most stellar Diamond experience I have had...

And mrssimongr much prefers the Conrad

 

[smart1999]

No room upgrade, Exec lounge full to heaving no other benefits offered. Also room was not ready on arrival, I arrived at noon so did not expect it to be ready, was told they would call when the room was ready. We got back to the hotel around 4PM and received no call.

Not exactly the most stellar Diamond experience I have had...

And mrssimongr much prefers the Conrad

Was the hotel sold out for your stay? Otherwise, I don't understand why you didn't get an upgrade. The new rules are quite clear. If you chose Option 1 you will ALWAYS receive an upgrade (unless they are sold out, of course) in which case you would either only get breakfast or you should choose another option I guess:

My Way On-Property VIP Benefit Options
Choose any one of these on-property VIP benefits at Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts and Doubletree® hotels worldwide, effective 15 August 2008.

Option 1. Receive a space-available room upgrade, including breakfast. You will be upgraded to an Executive Floor room (where/when available) at time of check-in. If an Executive Floor room is unavailable, you will be upgraded to the next best available room from the room type booked. Upgrades exclude suites, villas and specialty accommodations. At hotels with Executive Floor lounges, if an Executive Floor room upgrade is available, you will also receive access to the lounge. In addition you will receive complimentary Continental breakfast for you and up to one additional registered hotel guest each day of your stay. See below for details.

 

[simongr]

I was told the hotel was full - and given the number of people in the Exec lounge I am inclined to believe it.

 

[smart1999]

Ah, that explains the lack of upgrade. Did you at least get breakfast for your stay?

I'm actually wondering whether in such a case you can change your preferred option to any of the other two options or not on the spot. It looks like you can change this online, so not sure whether you can change your mind once you know that they can't upgrade you.

 

[serfty]

I believe your preference as noted "24 Hours" (whatever that means) before your stay is what you are supposed to get.

 

[Danger]

I checked-in to the Sydney Hilton earlier today having booked a Hilton Premium Club Christmas special of $155 per night. As an HHonors Gold I checked this morning to see if it was possible to book an executive floor room, to get some idea of the chance of the upgrade. There was availability. At check-in the clerk told me that I'd received an upgrade to a deluxe room but not an executive floor room (or executive floor access). I would, however, get complimentary breakfast. I enquired as to why I hadn't been upgraded to an exec floor to which she said the executive "lounge" was full. I said "so if I wanted to book an executive floor room I couldn't?" She replied that it was possible to book an executive floor room. Some to-ing and fro-ing went on during which time there gradually appeared cracks in her argument that there were no exec rooms available. I then said "I'd like to cancel my reservation then. I don't think this is right. As a Gold HHonors member I understand that I'm supposed to receive an upgrade to an executive floor room if available at check-in." She was surprised, I think, at my determination and went away (for a second time) to speak to the manager. She came back a couple of minutes later saying I would be upgraded to an executive floor room, with lounge access. I'm know enjoying the evening canapes!

 

[simongr]

When we stayed in Sydney I was given lounge access (I am Diamond) but no room upgrade. The lounge was heaving though