How do Hilton treat you as an Elite?

[tharaka]

We stayed a few years ago. Yes, got upgraded to a large Beachfront suite room. Full breakfast. Don’t recall a “happy hour”.

It’s quite expansive (spread out up and down the beachfront) but I quite enjoyed staying there as a Denarau option.

Thanks.

I’ve seen one mention of ‘happy hour’ in the TripAdvisor forum from I think 2017. No mention of the diamond benefit though. Double tree Fiji however offers drinks coupons for Diamond.

 

[drross]

Anyone stayed at the Fiji Hilton beach resort? - How do they treat the Diamonds?

I've read the flyertalk forum and it looks like upgrades are fairly standard. Does it also have the happy hour coughtails/drinks + canapes for Diamond (similar to Bali) there as well?

Yes. About a year before Covid. Good upgrade. Free breakfast and happy hour in the evening with canapés. Delightful

 

[tharaka]

Yes. About a year before Covid. Good upgrade. Free breakfast and happy hour in the evening with canapés. Delightful

Thank you for confirming.

Hope there’s at least a cut down version of the fee canapés and drinks still in place.

 

[SYD]

Property: DoubleTree London Victoria
Status: Gold
Room Booked: Queen Guest Room
Rate: Standard Award Rate (including 5th night free)
Received: Deluxe Room (on 6th of 9 floors)

No upgrade was showing in the app pre-arrival but arrived around 9am and:
a. room was available (always nice to hear when arriving from long-haul),
b. and “we can upgrade you”.

Handed four cookies and two tiny water bottles.

Not sure there is a great difference between a Standard Room and a Deluxe but ok size by London standards. Room at rear overlooking courtyard and adjacent buildings - so no real view to speak of but very quiet. Rooms at front lookout over Victoria station but I believe they can be noisy (included train announcements).

Breakfast included hot and cold buffet selections - so that was unexpected. cough filter coffee but food is otherwise ok.

First time at this property. I don’t mind the location - often overlooked but can be quite convenient. Especially if flying in/out of LGW and staying in central London. A station entrance is literally across the street.

We’d tried to get an AirBnB around Victoria / Pimlico but things are still a bit scarce and/or non-Covid friendly cancellation policies at many so I dropped a shed load of HH points for a 1 wk stay. Wildly different points range across the Hilton properties and this was a trade off in points and location.

 

[stm1sydney]

Diamond, two pax. Hilton Adelaide last week, upgraded to Exec Level room, nothing special. Two water bottles handed over on checkin (not replaced each day).

Exec Lounge still closed but they give you vouchers for one plate of canapes each (small, not very interesting) and four drinks each (so quite pished when we went out for dinner) to be redeemed in the lobby bar between 5 and 7 pm each evening. Thought the drink allowance was very generous. Bar staff very stretched, was quite busy with a couple of big conferences in town. But when you did get their attention they were very good, particularly Stefan.

Comp full hot buffet breakfast each morning. Not very interesting, just the usual b/fast standards, but a decent enough spread.

 

[drross]

Diamond, two pax. Hilton Adelaide last week, upgraded to Exec Level room, nothing special. Two water bottles handed over on checkin (not replaced each day).

Exec Lounge still closed but they give you vouchers for one plate of canapes each (small, not very interesting) and four drinks each (so quite pished when we went out for dinner) to be redeemed in the lobby bar between 5 and 7 pm each evening. Thought the drink allowance was very generous. Bar staff very stretched, was quite busy with a couple of big conferences in town. But when you did get their attention they were very good, particularly Stefan.

Comp full hot buffet breakfast each morning. Not very interesting, just the usual b/fast standards, but a decent enough spread.

Any coffee tax?

 

[DC3]

Hilton Adelaide had probably the worst barista coffee imaginable. I’ve stayed a few times but not in the past several years.

On the most recent stay, I went outside for coffee

 

[jakeseven7]

I don’t trust any hotel coffee anyway.

Any recent opinions of Hilton Little Queen St?

I see mostly luke warm reviews…

 

[Princess Fiona]

I don’t trust any hotel coffee anyway.

Any recent opinions of Hilton Little Queen St?

I see mostly luke warm reviews…

I loved my stay there last year. Had a nice suite. Staying again at the end of April, will report back.

 

[mel-world]

Any recent opinions of Hilton Little Queen St?

I see mostly luke warm reviews…

My stay was definitely luke warm. Lack of front of house staff, no food or drinks at night when I was there, breakfast okay.

 

[DC3]

I don’t trust any hotel coffee anyway.

Any recent opinions of Hilton Little Queen St?

I see mostly luke warm reviews…

I much prefer extra hot

 

[GlennIE]

17Mar2022 - 21Mar2022
Property: Conrad London St. James
Status: Diamond
Room Booked: King Superior Room
Rate: Standard Award Rate
Received: King Deluxe Room

Property is close to major attractions and opposite the station, making it easy to get around London.

Breakfast was mediocre and the gym is locked away at the lowest level with no sunshine and ventilation.

On the plus side they have their Conrad plushie, Monty, available on request.

 

[stm1sydney]

Any coffee tax?

Yes, $5 for barista coffee so I chose the machine coffee, which was fine (but I am not an aficionado). There are a few serious looking Italian cafes in the Central Market next door (eg Lucia's) where presumably you can get good coffee.

The following are recommended for excellent cheap and cheerful dinners in the area around Adelaide Hilton:
Urumqi Uyghur Cuisine, Gouger St
Hut & Soul, Pulteney St

 

[GSP]

Diamond, two pax. Hilton Adelaide last week, upgraded to Exec Level room, nothing special. Two water bottles handed over on checkin (not replaced each day).

Exec Lounge still closed but they give you vouchers for one plate of canapes each (small, not very interesting) and four drinks each (so quite pished when we went out for dinner) to be redeemed in the lobby bar between 5 and 7 pm each evening. Thought the drink allowance was very generous. Bar staff very stretched, was quite busy with a couple of big conferences in town. But when you did get their attention they were very good, particularly Stefan.

Comp full hot buffet breakfast each morning. Not very interesting, just the usual b/fast standards, but a decent enough spread.

Property: Hilton Adelaide
Status: Diamond
Room Booked: No idea, work booked it.
Rate: No idea
Received: Top corner of top floor.

I didn't check in but used the online check in and also digital key and worked perfectly to get to into my room...........but then I thought have I missed out on something??

Was heading out and my phone battery would likely to die before returning so I went downstairs to the concierge to ask for a physical card and at the same time ask (knowing the answer to initiate) about the exec lounge and first time over for two years. They then had a dozen or so vouchers for canapes and drinks in the bar in an envelope for me. Not sure when they were going to give to me....

Overall, I didn't have too much interaction as despite my high room, it was just another room and they were nice at reception and the bar people were good too (possibly favored me on the drinks allocation), so all good for me.

 

[jonboixxx]

Property: Hilton Cairns
Status: Diamond
Room Booked: Double Hilton Guest Room
Rate : $245/night
Received: Double Spa Executive room (Level 8, refurbished), Little Leaf Shiraz, block of chocolate, water.

The room refurbishment is almost complete and my room had new beds, carpet, paint, lamps, armchair, curtains.
Lounge hours have changed to 18:00-20:00 (from 17:30).

Chefs Table is also a new offering, I believe. 3 course menu + paired wines.

As always the staff here are lovely and helpful.

 

[bits]

Property: Hilton Sydney
Status: Diamond
Room booked: King Premium, 17 April
Rate: $240/night for 1 night
Received: King Executive

Easter long weekend so told all suites booked out, no further upgrade. But it was convenient being located on level 36, few doors down from the lounge. Breakfast is now also available in the lounge (if you wish), else Glass. Afternoon tea is served in Cafe Cino or the lounge depending on the day of week.

 

[tharaka]

Property: Hilton Fiji Resort
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Garden view room w/lounge
Received: 1bed Deluxe ocean view

This was a pleasant surprise. I booked an all inc bula bubble deal (3nights), on Trip.com but was treated as diamond without hesitation at the property.

Upgraded to highest of 1bed suites, free 1000 points since I didn't use free breakfast as it was inc in my all inc booking, and points for the $ spend at the end of the deal.

Free barista coffee each day for HH members. No free happy hour drinks/canapes at this property though.

On a side note: I would not go there again. Food was below par. Massive quantity with terrible quality.

 

[mel-world]

Property: West Curio Hilton Sydney
Status: Gold
Room Booked: King Guest Room
Rate: Average $240pn
Received: Low Floor King Guest Room

Just average. No welcome on arrival, 2 bottles of water in Minibar. Only offered low floor - small room with some ridiculous design elements and furniture. I wonder if management ever stay in the rooms they offer. Did have view of expressway - rather than atrium. Sound proofing and location okay though - walk to Wynyard Station and Barangaroo restaurants and ferries. Complimentary continental breakfast okay - did not order special cooked meals or barista coffee at the extra cost. Would only return for the location.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m back on the horse

March
Property: Hilton Sydney
Room booked: Junior Suite
Rate: Govt
Received: Junior Suite. What can I say ? Stockholm Syndrome. Only ever get the room I book.


Property: Hilton London Paddington
Room booked: Double Deluxe
Rate: Govt
Received: GWR Tower Room top floor.
Love these rooms, fab bathroom, huge WIR.


Property: Hilton Bournemouth
Room booked: King Junior Suite
Rate: Govt
Received: King One Bedroom Suite with Sea View.
Gambled on this upgrade from a higher category room and it paid off. Huge lounge and wrap around balcony.

April

Property: Conrad London St James
Room booked: King Deluxe
Rate: Govt
Received: One Bedroom Suite. Fab upgrade, love this hotel. Breakfast has been downgraded though and a bit sad, Exec Lounge is lovely, nice service.

Property: Biltmore Mayfair LXR
Room booked : Standard King Superior
Rate: Award 95K
Received : King Grand Deluxe. Absolutely outstanding property, couldn’t rave enough about it. I’ll do a stand alone review with pics soon.

Property: Hilton London Paddington
Room booked: Double Deluxe
Rate: Govt
Received: GWR Tower. Solid stay. Take my advice and don’t go near the Exec lounge, it’s always been horrid and post Covid is even worse. coughpy wines, terrible deep fried food, ghastly.

 

[sudoer]

Property: Conrad Centennial Singapore
Status: Diamond
Room booked: Premium King
Rate: Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (rate was SGD$50 more than booking direct, but included USD$100/SGD$128 property credit)
Received: Centennial Suite

Good Friday was my first time staying at the Conrad Singapore and also my first stay at a Hilton property since becoming Diamond after several years as Gold. The one-night stay was booked via Amex FHR's US portal so my HH number could be attached during booking, rather than needing to involve the Platinum Travel team. The booking showed up in my Hilton app within minutes of booking.

Two days before arrival, the front desk contacted me through the app asking whether they "could do anything to make [my] stay amazing". I half-jokingly (..ok maybe 1% jokingly) responded that a suite upgrade would make the stay amazing, this was met with a response that all suites were booked but they would happily upgrade me if one becomes available. I also confirmed through chat that spa treatments could be charged to the room and the FHR property credit used to offset the charges, then made a spa booking.

The night prior I noticed that a Centennial Suite had opened up for booking, so I sent a message referencing the previous discussion and asked politely whether an upgrade would be possible. The answer was yes (!) however the suite was on a lower floor and would not be ready until 3-4pm. This wasn't an issue as I'd already arranged 4pm check-out from the SO/.

At this point I also used the Hilton app to swap the payment method from my pre-filled Platinum Charge across to the Hilton Aspire Amex in the hopes of earning 14X HH points on the transaction and avoiding a 3% forex surcharge.

I arrived at about 3:15pm and there was no queue at the front desk. Reception confirmed the upgrade and mentioned some of my included benefits through FHR. They didn't request to see/swipe the Plat card and I gave my Aspire for the security deposit with no issues. I was given two pages explaining benefits, one for FHR and the other Exec/Suite entitlements. There was no mention of my status I wasn't entirely sure whether the upgrade was due to booking through FHR, but I was more concerned about whether the stay would earn points as there are mixed reports online about this.



Exec & suites receiving 20% off spa treatments was a nice bonus I wasn't expecting.

At 63sqm the Centennial Suite is not gigantic but still a decent step up from a guest room and has a functional layout. The bedding was very comfortable and the suite had two discrete air conditioning zones in the bedroom & living room with separate thermostats and fan levels. The aircon was strong at the highest fan level (important in Singapore!) and quiet at the lowest level.

The living room TV was about 70" and the bedroom TV about 55". There was an abundance of international power sockets throughout the suite in useful locations such as both bedside tables, multiple at the work desk, etc. The bathroom (not pictured) was quite large with a separate toilet connected off the bathroom, double basins, and separate shower & bath. Bathroom amenities were Shanghai Tang, the shampoo, conditioner, body gel and lotion were in fixed refillable bottles. Body soap and face soap bars, a comb, toothbrushes, and various other amenities were in a drawer under the basins.



I was also relieved to see a Diamond welcome card and gifts of fruit, chilli crab tempura crackers, cookies, dried fruit, and two soft drinks - the first absolute indicator of status recognition and eligibility to earn points!



When checking in the front desk asked if I'd like to join the 3:30pm afternoon tea session. While I'm not usually that keen on afternoon/high tea, the timing worked well and I was keen to check out the exec lounge. So I agreed and headed up with my laptop in hand to fire off a couple of emails. The selection was fine, exactly what I'd expect at an exec lounge afternoon tea. (side note - the EL afternoon tea & evening canapes menu can be found here)



There was some free entertainment in the form of a gentleman (dining with an older couple who appeared to be his parents) having an obnoxiously loud work phone call for a good 20 minutes. Another couple seated between us continually whinged to each other in Japanese about how loud he was, how terrible a son he was, whether they should say something to the staff, etc. They never did raise it with the staff, but it was bad enough that I was surprised the wait staff didn't tell him to STFU.

The following morning I went down to Oscars shortly after 9am to find a 30+ person queue snaking out of the restaurant and into the reception area. The below photo was taken about 10 minutes after I queued up with another 10-15 people behind me.



The queue hadn't moved at all in the ~10 minutes I waited, so I approached the front desk (a few metres to my left) to ask if there was any chance of using my breakfast benefit as takeaway or in-room dining - the answer was a big fat NO with zero apology or empathy shown. I double checked the exec lounge was also not open for breakfast - NOPE. I'm told the queue is because the hotel has high occupancy due to the public holiday... so why not open the exec lounge

So I missed breakfast and went straight to my spa booking at 11am. Given the 20% off spa suite benefit and the SGD$128 FHR credit, I opted for the $160SGD 60 min Yuan Qi massage. The spa facility was very nice, the massage table comfortable and slightly warmed, the massage itself was decent but not worth paying full price for IMO. (the going rate for a 60 min massage at a higher-end place less than 5 min away is $70-80)



I thought the $128 credit would perfectly cover the $160 minus 20%, but I neglected to consider GST so was about $9 out of pocket.



Checked out just before 4pm, no issues paying with the "card on file" (Aspire) and received the 14X meaning a total 16766 HH points earned - 3609 x 2 (base & diamond bonus) + 1000 (myway) + 2500 (2022 points unltd promo) + 6048 (aspire 14x)

I received an automated survey email yesterday and left feedback about the breakfast situation, received an email from the guest experience manager apologising and asking me to contact them directly for future bookings to be looked after.

If anyone's planning to stay over the next few months, Conrad has a standalone website clearly explaining what facilities are open, if bookings are needed, etc.