How do Hilton treat you as an Elite?

[Berlin]

The Hilton Sydney also does the NOR1 paid upgrades to the suites

This ^^^. Yes, there will be the occasional last minute booking on weekends. But I suspect that even more so, the property caught onto new-ish and highly annoying Hilton way of peddling paid upgrades instead of upgrading their loyalists.

 

[Spacetravel]

Did they tell you no charge for full brekky or they just didn't charge you?

At check in front desk said breakfast is included as diamond benefit (no mention of charge), at breakfast they marked my room off and said nothing about the paid upgrade for hot food. We ate the hot food and there was no charge to the room after.

 

[kyle]

At check in front desk said breakfast is included as diamond benefit (no mention of charge), at breakfast they marked my room off and said nothing about the paid upgrade for hot food. We ate the hot food and there was no charge to the room after.

That must be new. Stayed many times for mattress run towards end of last year and it's always $10 upgrade to hot

 

[kyle]

Just checked in at Hilton Sydney. Front desk doesn't feel very warm. Confirmed breakfast is continental so no more full buffet. No other special diamond amenities in room.

 

[lovestotravel]

Property: Hilton Garden Inn Albany
Room booked: King Deluxe Panoramic Ocean View and connecting Twin Guest Room Ocean View
Rate: Honors Advance Purchase Breakfast Included
Received: Room as booked - No higher room available in this hotel - Welcome letter advising of FULL breakfast in the hotel restaurant - Bottle of reasonable wine in BOTH rooms and heaps of bottled water.

Should have booked the cheaper rate without breakfast as they seemed to give Gold a full breakfast and not continental.

A great stay and my first in a Garden Inn

 

[http_x92]

At check in front desk said breakfast is included as diamond benefit (no mention of charge), at breakfast they marked my room off and said nothing about the paid upgrade for hot food. We ate the hot food and there was no charge to the room after.

Interesting, I was at the DT Melbourne during the Grand Prix weekend and the $10 full breakfast charge was applied for me. Did get 25% off at the Platform 270 bar and restaurant if I spent $35 before the discount though as an added benefit

 

[Princess Fiona]

Property: Hilton Garden Inn Albury
Room booked: King Deluxe Panoramic Ocean View and connecting Twin Guest Room Ocean View
Rate: Honors Advance Purchase Breakfast Included
Received: Room as booked - No higher room available in this hotel - Welcome letter advising of FULL breakfast in the hotel restaurant - Bottle of reasonable wine in BOTH rooms and heaps of bottled water.

Should have booked the cheaper rate without breakfast as they seemed to give Gold a full breakfast and not continental.

A great stay and my first in a Garden Inn

HGI does not upgrade HHonors elites
“The following brands do not offer complimentary upgrades: Embassy Suites™, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hampton by Hilton™, Tru by Hilton™, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Home2 Suites by Hilton®, Hilton Grand Vacations®, and Motto by Hilton®.”

You might get one and judging by the outrage on the HH Facebook groups many people feel entitled to it. But it’s not a part of the program.

 

[Fifa]

Property: Hilton Garden Inn Albury
Room booked: King Deluxe Panoramic Ocean View and connecting Twin Guest Room Ocean View

I think you mean HGI Albany?

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

HGI does not upgrade HHonors elites
“The following brands do not offer complimentary upgrades: Embassy Suites™, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hampton by Hilton™, Tru by Hilton™, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Home2 Suites by Hilton®, Hilton Grand Vacations®, and Motto by Hilton®.”

You might get one and judging by the outrage on the HH Facebook groups many people feel entitled to it. But it’s not a part of the program.

Any good Hilton Facebook groups you can recommend?

 

[lovestotravel]

I think you mean HGI Albany?

Yes fixed

 

[justinbrett]

Didn't think that Hilton is that popular that's all on a weekend.

Crazy busy on weekends.

Basic room rate for a weekend night can exceed $500 even 6 months out.

 

[Pele]

Property: Hilton Kuala Lumpur
Nights: 6
Status: Diamond
Booked: King Deluxe Plus
Received: King Junior suite. (Originally they told me I had been upgraded to the Deluxe Plus room then i told her that was what i had booked. She said would a Junior Suite do, i said i will take it thanks)
Rate: RM458 ++
Comments: First stay here and in all honesty it seems like it was built in time for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and is well and truly due for a renovation. It is getting shabby and showing its age. Having said that i can see why the reviews are so good- the service is very good. Way above normal Malaysian service levels. They have loads of staff everywhere throughout the hotel and they all appeared well trained and capable. Breakfast is great, the pool with a little waterslide is also tops for the kids, and the hotel has hands down the best gym of any hotel i have ever stayed in. The executive lounge was nice and busy but never overflowing. The food spread tempted some people to take their dinner there but that is a crime considering the tasty food all over this country. The other winning feature is the location. Connected by indoor walkway to Sentral and every major rail network in town. And if you just want to walk out for some top shelf local food then you can walk to Brickfields.

I would definitely consider staying here again if i needed a hotel in KL.

 

[Flashback]

Property: DoubleTree by Hilton Aqaba, Jordan
Nights: 1
Status: Diamond
Booked: King Standard
Received: King Junior Suite Sea View
Rate: 20,000 HH points (great use of points, the cash rate was comparably high)
Comments: Originally upgraded to a Deluxe room only, but we arrived an hour or two early so they said they'd see if they had any other rooms. Waited about 15 minutes and then given a suite. Drinks voucher given, told soft drinks.... when we went up to the roof top bar later and asked what it entitled us to (as it just said house drinks etc.) we were shown the coughtails page and told anything on that, only. Odd - but hey, we'll take it! Breakfast was given as Diamond and all pretty standard. All in all a good stay and would happily stay there again if in town.

 

[desafinado74]

Just checked in at Hilton Sydney. Front desk doesn't feel very warm. Confirmed breakfast is continental so no more full buffet. No other special diamond amenities in room.

How much do you have to pay to upgrade to the full buffet ? (I am Diamond myself)

 

[Flashback]

How much do you have to pay to upgrade to the full buffet ? (I am Diamond myself)

$10

 

[desafinado74]

$10

Thanks, Not ideal but not as bad as i thought.

 

[sudoer]

Property: The Biltmore Mayfair LXR
Status: Diamond
Room booked: King Deluxe
Received: King Grand Deluxe (+ 2 categories)
Rate: Amex FHR $840 AUD before promos

All I can say is "wow" - an incredible property. Before arriving I was a little worried the vibe would be too posh and pompous for my tastes, but the staff were warm, welcoming, and genuine at every interaction. The hotel was renovated just prior to covid, so the common areas and allocated room looked nearly brand new.



There was a fruit & chocolate plate welcome amenity waiting for us, however I'm not sure if that was due to Diamond recognition or the FHR rate, as the FHR page mentions an amenity..



The location was also quite convenient being just a 7 min walk to Bond St for the Elizabeth line direct to Heathrow, and about 10-15 minutes walk to Soho & Buckingham Palace.

The complimentary breakfast allowed for the choice of a main dish and up to three sides from the a la carte menu, plus access to a buffet which included breads, pastries, cereals, yoghurts, fruit, salads, cold cuts, a variety of cheese, and arabic dips. My wife opted for the omelette and I went for the arabic breakfast. They were both done well, we couldn't really fault the breakfast in any way - everything tasted very fresh and the service was top notch. Barista coffee was excellent and unlimited.



The $100 FHR credit equated to 80.49 GBP - within 1% of the Google rate on the day. My wife and I had plans for dinner & drinks, and received breakfast via both FHR & Diamond, so not really sure what to do with the FHR credit we ordered some obscenely expensive room service. I present you 81 GBP (A$150) worth of in-room dining - chicken tikka masala, truffle fries, streamed greens and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was delivered within 15 minutes and pretty tasty but obviously not great value for $150



This was a prepaid FHR stay (there was an Amex Travel spend $500 get $150 deal on when I booked) but there was no issue attaching my Hilton # and earning HH points

 

[desafinado74]

Property: The Biltmore Mayfair LXR
Status: Diamond
Room booked: King Deluxe
Received: King Grand Deluxe (+ 2 categories)
Rate: Amex FHR $840 AUD before promos

All I can say is "wow" - an incredible property. Before arriving I was a little worried the vibe would be too posh and pompous for my tastes, but the staff were warm, welcoming, and genuine at every interaction. The hotel was renovated just prior to covid, so the common areas and allocated room looked nearly brand new.

View attachment 324274 View attachment 324275View attachment 324281

There was a fruit & chocolate plate welcome amenity waiting for us, however I'm not sure if that was due to Diamond recognition or the FHR rate, as the FHR page mentions an amenity..

View attachment 324276 View attachment 324272

The location was also quite convenient being just a 7 min walk to Bond St for the Elizabeth line direct to Heathrow, and about 10-15 minutes walk to Soho & Buckingham Palace.

The complimentary breakfast allowed for the choice of a main dish and up to three sides from the a la carte menu, plus access to a buffet which included breads, pastries, cereals, yoghurts, fruit, salads, cold cuts, a variety of cheese, and arabic dips. My wife opted for the omelette and I went for the arabic breakfast. They were both done well, we couldn't really fault the breakfast in any way - everything tasted very fresh and the service was top notch. Barista coffee was excellent and unlimited.

View attachment 324278 View attachment 324273 View attachment 324279 View attachment 324280

The $100 FHR credit equated to 80.49 GBP - within 1% of the Google rate on the day. My wife and I had plans for dinner & drinks, and received breakfast via both FHR & Diamond, so not really sure what to do with the FHR credit we ordered some obscenely expensive room service. I present you 81 GBP (A$150) worth of in-room dining - chicken tikka masala, truffle fries, streamed greens and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was delivered within 15 minutes and pretty tasty but obviously not great value for $150

View attachment 324277

This was a prepaid FHR stay (there was an Amex Travel spend $500 get $150 deal on when I booked) but there was no issue attaching my Hilton # and earning HH points

Hi Sudoer,

Did you use your Aspire card in Japan and England ?
If so, did you have to use a PIN ? (I have the Aspire card myself and still wondering if a PIN is ever needed for the card)

 

[sudoer]

Hi Sudoer,

Did you use your Aspire card in Japan and England ?
If so, did you have to use a PIN ? (I have the Aspire card myself and still wondering if a PIN is ever needed for the card)

Used it extensively in Japan with no issues anywhere that took Amex (virtually anywhere that takes card). Always had to sign. At one Uniqlo they made me sign the back of the card too

Used it a few times in England, also no issues but I tapped more frequently than inserted/swiped so neither PIN or signature needed.

 

[desafinado74]

Used it extensively in Japan with no issues anywhere that took Amex (virtually anywhere that takes card). Always had to sign. At one Uniqlo they made me sign the back of the card too

Used it a few times in England, also no issues but I tapped more frequently than inserted/swiped so neither PIN or signature needed.

Haha, yeah, i had to sign my Aussie cards when i was in Japan too.
Actually, how do you set the pin on Aspire ? I could not find anything about it on the AMEX site.