Hilton HHonors - Hilton HHonors Diamond Desk Questions: The Definitive Thread

Can anyone tell me what the phone number for the US Diamond desk is? I can't see it on the web site. I know that facility is not available within the UK but I'm willing to call the US. Hoping someone can help.

replied via email

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by ryker:
Can anyone tell me what the phone number for the US Diamond desk is? I can't see it on the web site. I know that facility is not available within the UK but I'm willing to call the US. Hoping someone can help.</font>1-877-444-9847 for all who might not have it.

Romeo,

Is it a sound decision to post the diamond number in a public forum? I have posted to FT for a bit over two years (under BR and B Bird), and I have only rarely seen this done. As in maybe three or four times in two years.

the first thing the diamond desk does is ask for your number, so if you are not diamond, they probably will not help you.

Why didn't all diamond members receive this information from Hilton? It would figure that this could be an advertised benefits for Diamond members.

Maybe this is a new policy, but i just got my Diamond card a few days ago, and the number was right on the back.

Hmmm.... Received my diamond card a few months ago...and there is no 877 number (or any number for "Diamond Desk") on the back of the card.

I also have no diamond number on my card. Found Hilton to do virtually NOTHING for me as a diamond.

Thanks to all. I called the number above and 'dubsbased' is correct. The first thing they do is ask for your Diamond Number before helping you. It was certainly worth the call from the UK. Within four minutes I had an award stay confirmed at The Langham in London in August. Also, the number does seem to be printed on new cards as mentioned by 'I'mNeverHome'.

I just got my Diamond card (after joining HH back in March) and the Reservations number posted above is on card (but hard to read as it is indented with the punching used to raise the name and numbers on front).

What is the etiqutte for calling the Diamond Desk? Only for problems? To book award stays? To book regular stays?

I have, so far, used the Diamond number for problems and to book award stays I have not used them for booking regular stays so I can’t tell you if they would or if they just transfer you to reservations. For award stays I have almost always gotten what I needed for the dates wanted.

Also if you call the Diamond Desk for a non-posted stay be sure to ask them for the special Diamond Fax number, this goes directly to them and they are FAST in posting stays not credited by motels.

Is there any real advantage to using the Diamond desk versus the 1-800-HHONORS number for making reservations? The few times I have thought of trying were at odd hours when it was closed and I am wondering if I am missing anything. (I make most reservations using the Web or calling a hotel directly anyway.)

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Robby Robson, mailto:rrobson@eduworks.comrrobson@eduworks.com</A>
UA 1K
Hilton Diamond

Last week my wife and I snapped up two bargain tickets on Concorde allowing us to spend New Year in New York. I tried to make a reward redemption with Central Reservations but was told nothing was available, understandable given that it was New Year. I telephoned the Diamond desk in Dallas as the UK desk was closed and asked them to "see what they could do." The following morning the UK Diamond desk called to say that they had booked us a 3 night reward stay at the New York Hilton.

This was the first time I had used the Diamond Desk and I was very impressed with the service I received.

Greetings !
The significant advantage to making reservations at the Diamond Desk is experience.A handful of these folks are long term loyal Hilton pros.Some have been involved in the customer service experience for a very long time.When you build and develop your business relationship with them they share their expertise with you.
This includes but not limited to locating special rates,knowing the Hilton Honors rules more fully.The regular line has made countless mistakes or invented there own terms and conditions.Diamond desk can advise you to the inside word on some properties with regard to upgrades.Special VIP priority to book award reservation with less confusion and hold time.Assist with special requests (conceige like service and services.
They also can help post missing stays without any nightmare hassles like the regular line.
My experience there has been mostly positive.
If you have any specific questions fire away
Happy safe travels


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AA & Starwood,Marriott Platinum
Diamond Hyatt, Hilton Diamond
U/A 1 K

[This message has been edited by 777 global mile hound (edited 12-23-2001).]

So now that I am Diamond, I should use this number all the time?

I was under the impression that the number was for special circumstances.

I make it a point to ask to speak with a "Diamond Agent" - and if that individual is not available (they only have about 14 on staff currently) - I try to call back at a later time.

Dealing with a run of the mill HHonors agent just isn't enough when you are looking for something very speicific. I would liken it to buying a new Mercedes-Benz from an Oldsmobile salesman who just left his job at Pizza Hut to try his hand at the sales game.
More often than not - they don't know how to take care of your special needs.

I think that HHonors DOES deserve kudos for recognizing that their top-tier clients (Diamonds) deserve to be treated by an entirely SEPERATE group of customer service professionals (who are better trained and hopefully much better paid) and not just some transient customer service people who could really care less.

I just wish that they had at least 1 or 2 Diamond agents on staff 24 hours per day. I don't know about you all - but when I am out on the road 150 nights a year - many times I don't know where I am going to be spending the night until 5 or 6 pm the day of arrival - and that is PACIFIC TIME. Unfortunately - I am often in a position where I have to make other arrangeements.

I think the best aspect of calling the Diamond desk is that they usually give you the best rate right of the bat - you don't have to work them hard for discounts. It really frustrates me when I call HHonors and identify myself as a Diamond with 150 nights year to date and some clown on the other end of the phone tries to nail me to the bedpost with a rack rate. That alone has made me vow that I would never again call HHonors and talk to a non-Diamond representative.

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"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been,and there you will forever long to return." Leonardo da Vinci

Actually, I think we are talking about two differnt desks. There is one desk you call for revenue reservations, and it sounds that this has gotten alot better in the last year. I believe this is the number published in the Diamond Welcome Guide.

There is another desk you call (or get transferred to) when they can't get you an award reservation. Then they call you back in 1-2 days and tell you they got you your award reservation, and remind you to ask for your upgrade. Chances are though, that they have already talked to the staff at the hotel, arranged your upgrade, and arranged a little welcome amenity. As you can probably tell, I've had great luck with this little feature.

I am trying to secure a GLONP award with no luck.
I called from Australia today to the res line and asked to be put through to the Diamond desk.
A man came on and said there was no availability and that he worked backup for the Diamond Desk and new nothing about the no blackout award guarantee. He said to keep calling back.
I have spoken to the Diamopnd desk before and the service was fantastic. How to I get on to them.

You've got mail!

I'm just looking out for the Diamond members and protect any bit that differenciates the Diamonds from the Golds, so you can call me a snob or whatever, but do we really want to spread the Diamond Desk number freely to anyone everyone who asks?

If so, wouldn't the Diamond Desk be as busy as the regular line and thus becomes less responsive to the needs of the real Diamond members?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mitquack:
do we really want to spread the Diamond Desk number freely to anyone everyone who asks? </font>

I believe that tinkybelle is a Diamond member.

Thanks Eugene!I am a diamond member-
My card does not have the number on it!!
I do remember a thread some time ago with a couple of numbers but I searched and couldnt find it.
I usually dont have the need to talk to them.
Once again thanks.

Tinkybelle should post that if TB is looking for the Diamond number, otherwise why don't we all just post all the top tier elite numbers for all of us to use

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eugene:
I believe that tinkybelle is a Diamond member.</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TrojanHorse:
Tinkybelle should post that if TB is looking for the Diamond number</font>

First, she just did. Second, I happen to know that she is a Diamond member.

Hope that covers the issue.

Trojanhorse!
Have you had a bad friday?
I didnt know you were the Hilton moderator-sorry!
After my post I called the res number and asked the girl for the diamond number-she didnt ask my status and read the number out to me so it is there for anyone who wants it.
It was just that I wrote the number down incorrectly or didnt get all the numbers as I was calling from Australia.
When I rang the number it wouldnt connect so I thought I might just get some HELP here.
If I wasnt Diamond I wouldnt be calling the Diamond line as they wouldnt help me -now would they!!
Lighten up. anyone would think I killed someone.
Unlike you I dont post all my statuses-should I do so for U?

[This message has been edited by tinkybelle (edited 07-12-2002).]

Just a simple question. I'm an HH Gold. If I were to acquire and use the Diamond desk phone number, wouldn't they redirect my call once they reviewed my account?

dave99, I think that you are correct (I wouldn't know since I'm not a Diamond). But, if a bunch of Golds (or Silvers or Blues) called, then the Diamond desk agents would have to spend more time redirecting the calls to the regular line. Then, all the people who are supposed to be assisted would have to wait in a queue (and have less time dedicated to them).

Obviously, the company doesn't want that to happen to their best customers, so they keep the number "private".

It's just like United and their elite phone lines. They don't want their elites to wait to be helped (and they don't want non-status or lesser status members calling the "exclusive" lines). The announcement on the Prem Ex line says, "this private number is for the exclusive use of our Premier Executive customers or their travel professionals. Please be prepared to provide your Mileage Plus number...." or something to that effect.

[This message has been edited by Tennen (edited 07-15-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">She also gave me permission to post her contact information for any Diamonds that have challenges at Diamond Special Services.

Ms. Stacy Strickland, Assistant Manager
Diamond Special Services, 972-770-6076
mailto:Stacy_Strickland@hilton.comStacy_Strickland @hilton.com</A></font>
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/004581.html

Well i did have a happy ending to this thread.
My 6 nights came through for Paris!!
Thanks Diamond desk!!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by tinkybelle:
My 6 nights came through for Paris!! </font>

Told ya! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

First off, I'm HH Gold so I couldn't help Tinkybelle. But if I'd have had the number, I would have emailed it to her.

Tinkybelle is a long-time, very established Flyertalker and not some random poster asking for the Diamond number on their first post.

IMHO, things like that can and should be taken into account in situations like these.

Does anyone have an email address for the diamond desk please ?

Thanks in advance

John P.

Just one of the general bits of advice that float around the Board: don't post it here, but email it directly to Jap if you have it.
Koala

It's nothing secret, it's been posted 2-3x's in the past 90 days. When I spoke with Ms. Strickland she ASKED that I make her information available so that she could address the needs of any Diamond members. If you're not a diamond, don't use it because your e-mail/messages will be ignored - simple as that.

Ms. Stacy Strickland, Assistant Manager
Diamond Special Services, 972-770-6076
mailto:Stacy_Strickland@hilton.comStacy_Strickland @hilton.com</A>

I sent her a mail directly because mails I have sent via the web page go unanswered and unresolved (missing point credit)

Thank you for posting this, it will hopefully come in handy when I need it.

Yeah, she is great. She really takes her job seriously.

Jap - You have mail. If anyone would like the EMEA HHonors email address let me know. I don't want to post it here.

To revisit this one -

I sent Ms. Strickland an email on 9/7/02. Today, 10/22/02, I received a reply from an associate of hers. I had missing credit issues that I had eventually resolved by just calling the Diamond Desk.

Yeah, she is great. She really takes her job seriously.

I'm not feeling the love......

[This message has been edited by PHL (edited 10-22-2002).]

I seems that a phone call works better than an email.


[This message has been edited by tinkybelle (edited 10-23-2002).]

Ive been able to increase my batting average with upgrades at Starwood properties by contacting my Platinum Concierge ahead of time. Mind you, I use this tactic sparringly, since I know that they cannot guarantee anything and I assume there is some persuasion in the entire process.

Now, I have a stay coming up at the Scandic Palace in TLL, and would really like to score an upgrade to a kick-butt suite. Will I increase my chances if I contact the Diamond Desk and ask them to help me out with the upgrade?



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Gaucho100K

If you're Diamond, then your chances should be spread out equally amongst other Diamonds. I mean, what makes you so special that the hotel should secure an upgrade prior to your check-in time. You should just hope that you will get a nicer room of sorts when you present your Diamond card at check-in.

If you must ask, Hilton comped me to Diamond Status. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

That's obvious.

why did they comp you? i am not real experienced at this, but i never heard of it..we just got to be diamond the old fashioned way...28 stays

i am jealous..tell me how that happened

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">why did they comp you? i am not real experienced at this, but i never heard of it..we just got to be diamond the old fashioned way...28 stays
i am jealous..tell me how that happened </font>
Hilton, Hyatt and Starwood (as most airlines) will comp the competitions top level members as a 1 time only opportunity.

See this thread as an example: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum74/HTML/004678.html

So if you think you might actually stay at a Starwood property enough times in the next year, you can get comped to the Platinum level because you are a Hilton Diamond.

Similarly, you can get comped to the next-to-top level at competing airlines (not within their own alliances).

Some people get excited about this because they feel it devalues their own status but the point is that you have to have top level status somewhere to begin. And it's a one time only grant, so use it wisely.

But, some programs are not good at keeping track of comped status... I know this for a fact in another hotel loyalty program.

My goodness, why are so many of you jumping on the guy, he simply asked a question. I know where he is coming from because I'm a Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Plat as well. In those programs the elite desk is more pro-active when it comes to securing upgrades for its members. Relax and calm down with the "you're not special" rhetoric.

To answer your question - not really. If you can find the e-mail of the general manager, then send a note the night before your arrival and make a personal request. Also try to arrive at the property around the standard check in time (3:00pm). it always seems as if they have more of a selection of suites at that time because they have already been cleaned. It does not work for properties that pre-assign rooms to diamond members in the morning.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TravelManKen:
My goodness, why are so many of you jumping on the guy, he simply asked a question. I know where he is coming from because I'm a Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Plat as well. In those programs the elite desk is more pro-active when it comes to securing upgrades for its members. Relax and calm down with the "you're not special" rhetoric.

To answer your question - not really. If you can find the e-mail of the general manager, then send a note the night before your arrival and make a personal request. Also try to arrive at the property around the standard check in time (3:00pm). it always seems as if they have more of a selection of suites at that time because they have already been cleaned. It does not work for properties that pre-assign rooms to diamond members in the morning.</font>

Thanks for the heads-up, Ken.

Howdy,

Call the Diamond Desk ahead of time - but also call the hotel and ask for the pre-arrival coordinator. Get your request in to them.

That's how I do it - and I almost always get a suite. At small hotels without a pre-arrival coordinator, ask for the Hhonors manager.

I always do this. I do not carry my diamond card - the hotel has it in their computer and can call the Hhonors people to verify if their computers are down.

--on a side note: comped or earned makes no difference. These programs are designed to bribe the a traveler (not the payer of the bill, but the traveler themself) into a particular chain. The point of the program is to capture the expense account customer for home money is not the concern (not the concern of the travler). Hilton and everyone else is well aware that the traveler has a fair amount of control over where they stay, therefore they design programs to encourage business from us. Comped or not - if they want our business they will do what they must to capture it. They will not and should not do anything more than what is required to get our business, that would be foolish.

Keep the faith,

Pakse

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Pakse:
Howdy,

Call the Diamond Desk ahead of time - but also call the hotel and ask for the pre-arrival coordinator. Get your request in to them.

That's how I do it - and I almost always get a suite. At small hotels without a pre-arrival coordinator, ask for the Hhonors manager.

I always do this. I do not carry my diamond card - the hotel has it in their computer and can call the Hhonors people to verify if their computers are down.

--on a side note: comped or earned makes no difference. These programs are designed to bribe the a traveler (not the payer of the bill, but the traveler themself) into a particular chain. The point of the program is to capture the expense account customer for home money is not the concern (not the concern of the travler). Hilton and everyone else is well aware that the traveler has a fair amount of control over where they stay, therefore they design programs to encourage business from us. Comped or not - if they want our business they will do what they must to capture it. They will not and should not do anything more than what is required to get our business, that would be foolish.

Keep the faith,

Pakse</font>

Thanks very much, Pakse.

slightly off-topic . . . but not totally. I'm staying in the DoubleTree Suites on Broadway next week. Does anyone know if there are different levels of suites to which I may get upgraded. I know it's unlikely, considering the holiday season in Manhattan, but worth trying this little idea.


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AA EXP, 1MM, Hyatt Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Starwood Platinum

Just got off the phone with "Diamond Special Services" - Of course, I was trying to redeem some of my nearly 1 Million points - and of course, there was no availability - even in the Diamond allotment. Pleasant enough agent told me that they have been
"inundated" with calls to redeem points and there is very little availability for popular destinations such as Hawaii -
HHonestly, this program gets worse by the day

Call the hotel directly, let them know you plan of spending some money their eating etc. They can open rooms for you. I have done this many times, they say we are full I say well since it's a free stay I plan to spend money and usually it will work for you.
As for their getting inunidated good. One lady told me well sir it's inflation everything goes up. I said well if you want to use that excuse well fine then raise the awards three thousand points for 3% percent not 75%. Answer Well, well etc

Definitely call the hotel. Ask for Stephanie in reservations at the HHV. She is an angel. I think she comes on after 2 PST. Even if she doesn't have something right then, she will put you on the waiting list, complete with res number. I wanted 6 rooms for a reunion during blackout dates and she called me back within a week.

Aren't Diamond awards "last room" availability? This should mean that if there are any rooms to be had at the hotel you are interested in, you should be able to book one using points as a Diamond. In this case, if the hotel is full, it is unlikely that calling the property directly will open up another room.

it angers me that a diamond member calls the diamond desk and gets told no rooms...yet there are rooms...what the heck is the diamond desk for

50% more of nothing is still nothing

lets go starwood

Has anyone else has major trouble getting through to the Diamond Desk this morning? I have sat on hold for almost an hour and when I called back to the regular Hhonors number and they said they know of no problems but couldn't get through either. Anyone else running into this problem?

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HHonors Diamond, Starwood Platinum

Yes, but not too bad, it was about 15 mins. Still, pretty sad for thier highest elite line.

Diamond desk was useless today - they have "no way of putting together" a list of Hilton resports that have Vacation Stations available. Does anyone have a list of US and Carribean Hilton resorts that have Vacation Stations/Camps for 5-12 year olds?

Or - if you would please email me if you know of any other properties besides Caribe, Fountainbleau (FL), Hawaiian Village (HI), Singer Island (FL), Squaw Peak (AZ), Tobago.

Thanks in advance!!

andynj -- It's a shame that this Diamond Desk agent chose to blow you off.

Al the information you are interested in can be easily found here (http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotions/promotion_category.jhtml?channel=leisure&id=HVS02).

Eugene ... while I appreciate the post/response, there are, I believe, more than the four hotels/resorts posted on the page you linked to in the earlier message.

So ... I am still seeking additional info if anyone has it.

Thanks again ....

The Hilton San Diego Resort has a Vacation Station with a variety of activities throughout the day and evening led by college-age employees. However, it's not a drop off camp where you can pay for close supervision of your kids like the Hilton Waikola.

Pointe Hilton Phoenix Squaw Peak had one when we were there in August. They had lots of games and toys for free rental, as well as trinkets for my kids. I was told that the other Pointe Hilton in Phoenix (I forgot the name) also had one.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by andynj:
Eugene ... while I appreciate the post/response, there are, I believe, more than the four hotels/resorts posted on the page you linked to in the earlier message.</font>

That's right. And if you go to the link I provided above, you'll see "Find Participating Hotels" right at the top of the page. Select your country (Canada, Puerto Rico, Trinidad/Tobago, or the United States), or make your selection by State (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, New York, Ohio). You'll undoubtedly find all the participating properties... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Well...this is it....after almost 3 years as a Diamond VIP member, the fun ends today. I've ended the day making the last minute reservations and award bookings through the Diamond Desk and said my goodbyes to the few people I've gotten to know there.

I was just wondering - there were a few people there who were really helpful throughout the years and I was just wondering if there was a place I could put in a goo dword for them? Is there any number or e-mail from where I can do that? Thanks!

Called last night to redeem GLON before the deadline. The nice lady that answered the phone asked how she could help me. Being always paranoid, I asked if I could book a glon for 100k for future travel. She put me on hold. Several minutes later, she came back and said yes. I then told her I just wanted the cert and would choose the dates later. On hold for a couple minutes again. Then she asked me which hotel. I told her the Grand Hilton Seoul in South Korea. She said that Hilton does not have any hotels in South Korea. Hilton has 3 and I was just at one 3 weeks ago. I was starting to lose my patience just a little at this point. I asked her to kindly double check because I was just there recently. She insisted that there were none. I then overheard someone telling her to put South Korea into the country field. I told her to have nice day and hung up. I was not rude in any way. I called right back and got a veteran I guess because the call took all of 3 minutes and I had my cert in my inbox in a couple of hours. I always try to give new employees as much leeway as possible but I draw the line at some point, usually at the 10 minute mark with no progress. I just thought that possible trainees would be better supervised.

You're heading indicates you called the Diamond Desk. I'm wondering why they would have a person that doesn't even know the names of the countries working the Diamond Desk. Seems like you would work your way up to being on the Diamond Desk not start as a trainee.


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"A day without Points/Miles is like a day without SUNSHINE"

[This message has been edited by Superd1 (edited 05-14-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Superd1:
You're heading indicates you called the Diamond Desk. I'm wondering why they would have a person that doesn't even know the names of the countries working the Diamond Desk. Seems like you would work your way up to being on the Diamond Desk not start as a trainee.

</font>

I did call the diamond desk first. Maybe that was the reason that I had more patience than normal. I was in a good mood anyway. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Something like this never happened before with calls to the diamond desk.

This happened to me yesterday.
Two people were on the line at the same time.
And, from time to time, I could hear whispering.
The trainee verified EVRYTHING in my account... name, address, PIN (ugh!), blood type, show size, etc etc etc.
I could not believe this was happpening on the Diamond desk.
It took about 10 minutes to compress a reservation from 10 days to 5.
Frustrating. But, I guess it's the only way to learn.
I think the most disappointing part was a lack of english language skills on the part of the trainee.

Just a quick note to let everyone know that JoAnn at the Diamond Desk is wonderful.

She has gone above and beyond any of my expectations to help my wife and me come up with a special birthday present for my Mother-in-law.

Thanks,

Mike

Mike,

Thanks for sharing the great feedback. We'll make sure this gets passed along!

And thank you for your continued business!

Best regards,

Adam

Adam
It's good to see that you are still lurking.

Any good executive would be.

More kudos to the Diamond desk.

Hi....

I am on the road and dont have the Diamond desk number with me....

Could someone please email me....

Thanks In advance

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Ferrari:
Hi....

I am on the road and dont have the Diamond desk number with me....

Could someone please email me....

Thanks In advance</font>

It's listed right on Hilton.com:

http://www.hilton.com/en/hhonors/benefits/levels.jhtml


or 1-877-4HHW-VIP

Or call any HH number or 800-hiltons and ask they put you through or give you the number (it may be different in different countries).

MisterNice

Apologies if this has been posted before, but I just found out that the Diamond Desk is now 24 hours 7 days a week.

However, if you call after hours you will get their "offshore" call center and the quality in my experience has been rough. I spend twice the time trying to get things done, pretty frustrating at times, but still, better than nothing.

Apologies if this has been posted before, but I just found out that the Diamond Desk is now 24 hours 7 days a week.

However, if you call after hours you will get their "offshore" call center and the quality in my experience has been rough. I spend twice the time trying to get things done, pretty frustrating at times, but still, better than nothing.

tide, this is useful information . Thanks for posting it.

I recently put in a request to merge my account with an old orphan account I got somewhere that had a few miles sitting in it. I was very clear on which account I wanted to keep, but they went and screwed it up and deleted my account that I've been using for years and kept the other one.

I emailed the diamond desk and asked them to switch me back to the account # that I've been using for years and which is linked to my credit cards etc. I got an email back saying sorry its not possible. So I called the diamond desk and asked for the same thing and again was told sorry it can't be done. Now I'm not a computer expert, but I can't believe that the system that they use makes it impossible to reactivate an incorrectly closed account.

So does anyone know a good person to call or email at hhonors who can fix for me what they screwed up?

I recently put in a request to merge my account with an old orphan account I got somewhere that had a few miles sitting in it. I was very clear on which account I wanted to keep, but they went and screwed it up and deleted my account that I've been using for years and kept the other one.

I emailed the diamond desk and asked them to switch me back to the account # that I've been using for years and which is linked to my credit cards etc. I got an email back saying sorry its not possible. So I called the diamond desk and asked for the same thing and again was told sorry it can't be done. Now I'm not a computer expert, but I can't believe that the system that they use makes it impossible to reactivate an incorrectly closed account.

So does anyone know a good person to call or email at hhonors who can fix for me what they screwed up?


Believe it :( - I ended up on the 4th account number

Believe it :( - I ended up on the 4th account number

Back when mutual accounts were still valid, I merged my account with my husband's. I wanted my account to be the exisiting one, but HH deleted mine and kept my husband's. It was impossible to reverse the situation.

I just made Diamond this week, and I recall hearing talk about the HHonors Diamond Desk. Will someone explain how this works? I thought upgrades were never guaranteed until check-in.

Thanks in advance.

I just made Diamond this week, and I recall hearing talk about the HHonors Diamond Desk. Will someone explain how this works? I thought upgrades were never guaranteed until check-in.

Thanks in advance.

Diamond Desk is just a dedicated number you can call. They are very helpful and can get you award stays even when nothing is officially available. They can't guarantee an upgrade in advance.

Diamond is awsome. - The Diamond desk booked me at the Hilton Riverside for the Final Four two years ago - upgraded room, awsome treatment. Congrats

This used to be a special number you called when you could not get an Hhonors stay using the regular number. It seems to have evolved into a general service desk that can help in lots of ways. You just call the number on the back of your card. If you are trying for an Hhonors stay and can't get it confirmed, they can now submit a request, and you hear back within a day how they made arrangements for you. I've used this feature many times and they have always confirmed for me.

If you are trying for an Hhonors stay and can't get it confirmed, they can now submit a request, and you hear back within a day how they made arrangements for you.

Diamond desk got me six nights at the Cavalieri when there was no award availability. FYI, when I was checking in I noticed a letter from Hilton Corporate to the hotel indicating that the hotel should bill Hilton directly for the cost of the room. It also had the total. Hilton paid a nice chunk of change for our lovely stay. :D

Will someone please post the Diamond desk E-mail address.
I imagine the golds and silvers may want theirs also.


THANKS

diamond@hilton.com

If you aren't Diamond, you can write to flyertalk@hilton.com.

If you aren't Diamond, you can write to flyertalk@hilton.com.
Although now diamond I still use this email for problems such as points not posting or a double charge.Really good service.

I did a search and found limited information, so I'm trying a post to see if I can get a better idea from all of the informed FT'ers!

I called the Diamond Desk today to book a reward stay at the Homewood Suites in Anchorage. The desk told me there's no availability at any of their properties there, but that she would email their "liason", and see if he/she could get me a room. She gave me a case number, and said that I would receive an email within 7 business days of the outcome.

How likely is it that I'll get my reward stay? I've never gone through this process before. Has anyone ever not gotten a reward due to capacity controls?

I would really like to use points for this stay, since the rooms are running in the $230's for the days I need.

Thanks for your comments!

I have used around 1.5 million points, using them mostly in hard to get European properties and I have never been turned on an award stay as a Diamond.
I have had them not call me back when the award came through in situations when they had to call the hotel. I would suggest calling back every few days to check on the progress.

How likely is it that I'll get my reward stay? I've never gone through this process before. Quite good Has anyone ever not gotten a reward due to capacity controls? Yes, but my batting average in these cases is .750!


Craig6z

I have used the " Diamond force" less than five times but the Diamond desk has come through every time, including at the Cavalieri where the rate listed for the no show penalty was a whopping 845 euro :D

mike

Thanks for the comments, and I'll definitely check in a few business days to see if they have made any progress.

My follow-up question: The Diamond rep expressed concern that I currently only have 20k points in my account (I'm in the process of transferring 200k of so-far useless AA miles into my account). She said that they would go ahead and pull the reward cert when they made the booking. When did it change to pulling the points immediately upon a phone booking? (I know that it's done immediately if you book online..but she sounded pretty adamant that I couldn't pull the cert myself online when I got a little closer to the stay..).

Anyway, just curious if I missed some change that I should be aware of.

Thanks again!

A "diamond force" is a totally different "animal". Hilton actually pays the hotel for the room in cash. You get an email that you take with you - there is no cert involved and the points are immediately deducted from your account on booking. The few times I have done this - the point deduction is how I have found out that it cleared. I dont usually call back - within 48 hours or so I get the email and see the points gone

HTH

A "diamond force" is a totally different "animal". Hilton actually pays the hotel for the room in cash. You get an email that you take with you - there is no cert involved and the points are immediately deducted from your account on booking. The few times I have done this - the point deduction is how I have found out that it cleared. I dont usually call back - within 48 hours or so I get the email and see the points gone

HTH

That helps tremendously. Hopefully my AA points will come through pretty quickly! Thanks!

Last Thursday I called the Diamond desk to try to get a reward stay in New York in a hotel with no awards listed as available but still plenty of rooms. I received an email confirmation on Wed. (6 days later) that the hotel would honor the award certificate.

Many thanks to the Diamond desk

Have been trying to book a week in Sorrento in the summer on awards but there's never any availability. So, I called the Diamond helpdesk and she checked and said there was no availability however she would contact the hotel directly and should not see a problem and will contact me within 48 hours.

I received an email after 2 hours of my phone call with the booking for 7 nights on awards.

Superb service.

Does anyone know how much Hilton actually pays the hotel for award stays?

I have never been turned down by such requests - about 10 of them in total - to the Diamond desk. They get the job done.

Does anyone know how much Hilton actually pays the hotel for award stays?
According to this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=432608), Hilton pays anywhere from about $15 to $45-50 for the room, per night.

That's probably similar to the marginal cost of transporting you on a plane: about $15-25. Has no relation to what they charge for the room.

Once again, this is why I go out of my way to maintain my Diamond status. The luxury of never having to worry about award availability is well worth it to me.

I few years ago (before you got points for reward stays) I did a "diamond force" in Vegas. They had nothing in the Hilton so they bought me a room at the embassy suites. I ended up getting points for the stay and when I asked why they told me that since Embbassy got paid for the stay they credited me the points. any way it appeared that in this case hilton paid full wack rack (around $350) for the room.

A "diamond force" is a totally different "animal". Hilton actually pays the hotel for the room in cash. You get an email that you take with you - there is no cert involved and the points are immediately deducted from your account on booking. The few times I have done this - the point deduction is how I have found out that it cleared. I dont usually call back - within 48 hours or so I get the email and see the points gone

HTH


That has been my experience, also. I have always been able to get an award when I wanted it. This is the one reason I stay Diamond with Hilton (The other, my wife would kill me if she didn't get the beanies for me being Diamond when we travel together). :D

According to this thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=432608), Hilton pays anywhere from about $15 to $45-50 for the room, per night.

That's probably similar to the marginal cost of transporting you on a plane: about $15-25. Has no relation to what they charge for the room.

Once again, this is why I go out of my way to maintain my Diamond status. The luxury of never having to worry about award availability is well worth it to me.

Thanks for this. Interesting to know. Do you know if it depends on the Category of hotel as to how much Hilton pays for the room?

Thanks for this. Interesting to know. Do you know if it depends on the Category of hotel as to how much Hilton pays for the room?


Interesting it may be, but based on my experience, not entirely correct :D

Two fairly recent examples of points posting to my account being awarded on reward stays.

a) London Hilton 5600 base points for 3 night stay so based on that a the exchange rate at the time HH must have paid the hotel about 125 pounds per night.
b) Cavalieri 3/17/05 ONE NIGHT ONLY 9000 base points, again it would appear if the assumptions posted in other threads are correct, HH paid 700 euro for my room.
Far cry from $10- $45 isnt it?
All in all for the 4 or 5 five times I have received these points the amount seemed to match some sort of prevailing rate whether rack or otherwise ( and therefore category related) and all have been much more than $100 per night.
mike

That has been my experience, also. I have always been able to get an award when I wanted it. This is the one reason I stay Diamond with Hilton (The other, my wife would kill me if she didn't get the beanies for me being Diamond when we travel together). :D

I am only a HHonors Gold (But earned it :rolleyes: ). Anyway, I have a 4 night reservation at the Sorrento from 8/28/05 - 9/01/05. However, I need to shift it up 1 day to stay 8/27/05 - 8/31/05. The Hhonors desk show no availability for the 27th and a purchase rate of $280 but said I can try calling the hotel to see if they will open up the day before. I don't speak Itallian so I don't know how well the call would work. I remember when I stayed at the Cavilari they had an email and was wondering if anyone here had an email for the Sorrento. HHonors said they did not. Any help would be appreciated!

I am only a HHonors Gold (But earned it :rolleyes: ). Anyway, I have a 4 night reservation at the Sorrento from 8/28/05 - 9/01/05. However, I need to shift it up 1 day to stay 8/27/05 - 8/31/05. The Hhonors desk show no availability for the 27th and a purchase rate of $280 but said I can try calling the hotel to see if they will open up the day before. I don't speak Itallian so I don't know how well the call would work. I remember when I stayed at the Cavilari they had an email and was wondering if anyone here had an email for the Sorrento. HHonors said they did not. Any help would be appreciated!

Call the hotel and say "English?" If that doesn't get you an English-speaking person, send a fax.

Good luck!

I pulled out my folio for my March stay and at the bottom the follwing is listed
www.hilton.com-info.sorrento@hilton.com

I would however call the hotel EVERYBODY at the hotel speaks English.
Before our stay there I received a few welcoming e-mails for a very nice female front desk CSR ( whose name I cannot for the life of me recall exactly, but I almost certain was Daniella ) and she was the one who welcomed at checkin and escorted us up to our room.

Telephone 39-081 8784141

mike

Interesting it may be, but based on my experience, not entirely correct :D

Two fairly recent examples of points posting to my account being awarded on reward stays.

a) London Hilton 5600 base points for 3 night stay so based on that a the exchange rate at the time HH must have paid the hotel about 125 pounds per night.
b) Cavalieri 3/17/05 ONE NIGHT ONLY 9000 base points, again it would appear if the assumptions posted in other threads are correct, HH paid 700 euro for my room.
Far cry from $10- $45 isnt it?
All in all for the 4 or 5 five times I have received these points the amount seemed to match some sort of prevailing rate whether rack or otherwise ( and therefore category related) and all have been much more than $100 per night.
mikeI don't think those kind of rates can be realistic for HHonors to buy you a room.

When I had an award stay in Paris, the (imputed) rate was about 600 euros, but as the documentation wended it's way to me, it got down to about 160 or so.

I'm sure Hilton has negotiated a rate with these hotels for those times when it has to "buy" a room, and I'm also sure it's a lot less than the rack rate.

I don't know of any way to find out the exact numbers, but basing it on points awarded seems a little dodgy.

It would be nice if someone from a Hilton property could enlighten us, at least for that particular property, and we could speculate from there.

enjoy your trip to Anchorage. I stayed at the Homewood Suites there last summer. the previous year, we stayed at the Hampton Inn. Were not able to get into the Hilton either time. The Hilton is a much better location but the Homewood Suites really helps to strech your dollars - having the full kitchen is great when trying to feed a family of 4 in Alaska during the summer tourist season.

OK, color me stupid, but I can't find this and saw it mentioned here. I log in as Diamond but don't see anywhere to chat - someone pull the blinders off! Thanks!

The chat button is there..it just NEVER works. :(

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=490606&page=1&pp=15&highlight=chat

I sometimes find when you click the chat button, it says "unavailable" for the first five seconds or so, then the link connects and works fine

OK, color me stupid, but I can't find this and saw it mentioned here. I log in as Diamond but don't see anywhere to chat - someone pull the blinders off! Thanks!

I can't find it either. I am a Firefox user and I also tried via IE....with cookies permitted and hilton.com added to my Trusted Sites....and still no chat button.

I called the Diamond Desk and they told me that there is no chat function anywhere on hilton.com web sites. I said, "I beg to differ," based upon FT postings by others.....but the rep was unmoved.

I guess I'll just wait until the planets come into alignment for me.... :(

Go to your HHonors Activity page and look right next to the "Sign Out" button. That is where the cHHat button is on my page. Good luck.

Last time I logged in it wasnt there for me (but was previously and have used it - a good feature).

I have still never seen the chat button even with all the advice given in these forums.However I also have never had a promotion offer in my time as diamond.Possibly one of the downsides of being quaranteed gold status for another 27 years so no need to try and woo me.

I just used the chat now feature. Mine is located on the top right had side of the page where you view your "honors activity". I had to question why my last stay posted but not the points. A very attentive CSR said they were doing an end of the month update and they would post in 5 business days, but instead of waiting he did it manually. Very nice service on the website if you ask me. One of the better moves Hilton made this year.

Just looked at it again...Mine is located on the HHonors page right under my profile/activity summary box on the left side of the page...

I looked at the FAQs for the cHHat button and it says that only "select" diamond members have access to the function. So maybe some of the other diamonds that could not get the button just don't have access at this time?!?!?!

Seems a little strange to be diamond and not have the application.

Mine is upper to mid left side under points summary as well. It is not really a button per se, but a grey square that says "CHAT NOW>"

I have used the cHHat to talk to the Diamond desk and they are very helpful. I was missing points and they saw the error and fix it by next day.
:)

It is available, according to HHonors, to "select" Diamond members. In other words, not everyone has it.

Mike

This is a bad idea in terms of loyalty marketing - if being a Diamond isn't enough, makes you wonder...

It is available, according to HHonors, to "select" Diamond members. In other words, not everyone has it.

Mike

I earned 3 nights last spring during one of those targeted "stay 5 nights, get 1 free" promos. My certificates came a variety of ways ...1 was faxed, 1 was emailed, and 1 was mailed.

I had all of my certificates at work, and had to box everything up for a move. In the move, 1 of my boxes was misplaced by my company's office services department.

I might get that box by Friday .. I had booked an award stay using 2 of those certs for Saturday (this was prior to my office move).

I called the Diamond Desk yesterday and was told that the certs could be emailed to me. I just called and the rep I talked to said that they couldn't, they had to come through the U.S. Mail.

Has anyone else needed duplicates and had to wait for them to be mailed to you?

Thanks!

I earned 3 nights last spring during one of those targeted "stay 5 nights, get 1 free" promos. My certificates came a variety of ways ...1 was faxed, 1 was emailed, and 1 was mailed.

I had all of my certificates at work, and had to box everything up for a move. In the move, 1 of my boxes was misplaced by my company's office services department.

I might get that box by Friday .. I had booked an award stay using 2 of those certs for Saturday (this was prior to my office move).

I called the Diamond Desk yesterday and was told that the certs could be emailed to me. I just called and the rep I talked to said that they couldn't, they had to come through the U.S. Mail.

Has anyone else needed duplicates and had to wait for them to be mailed to you?

Thanks! check your acct award history the cert numbers may be in there. DD can void them and send you new ones via email. Never take a bullsh*t answer from them with one call.

I was in San Juan twice and did not have my certificates with me and they emailed both times. Don't accept the first answer you got. With every company trying to cut costs, email is one of the cheapest methods of distribution of certs.

Good luck!

I'm glad I haven't been the only one recently to lose an award cert. ;)

Yes, I lost one and called the DD, I too was told that they can only mail them. I had thought about pushing for email, but considering my trip wasn't for another two weeks I will wait a few days to see if the cert arrives.

If not then I'll call back and ask for it to be emailed. They can also fax it to the hotel for you... which if I accepted their offer I would call the hotel to confirm that they recieved the fax and put it in a safe place.

It would be nice if they would be consistent as well as opt for the cheaper and quicker delivery method. I too received certs through different methods of delivery. Two emailed, two snail mailed.

The first of my 3 "Stay x Nights Get 3 Stays Free" was purportedly mailed to me. I did not get it after 2 weeks. This was in mid December 05.

So I called the DD, and asked them to reissue. No problems, they voided the old one (I provided the cert number off my online transactions) and told me to call back in 2 days for the new cert. 2 days later, I had a new "electronic" cert that I exchanged for a C601.

I have a problem that hopefully someone can offer some advice on.

A few months back I was planning a stay at ES NYC. I was going to be there for 4 nights. Due to the high cost of the room, I called the Diamond Desk to use my points for the stay, and requested the AXON 4 nights for 125k points.

I was told I was all set and would receive an email confirmation. I did, and it was for a normal award of 4 nights in a category 6 hotel, which was 35k more points.

Once I noticed this I called the Diamond Desk and talked with someone about this, who told me they would put it through with the new information and I should be sent a new confirmation/certificate. I didn’t receive anything more.

A few days later I checked into the hotel and they wanted the certificate. I told them that there was a mix up and that Hilton had sent me the wrong certificate and that the Diamond Desk said they would fix it. The guy at the front desk says that he will call and get it fixed.

I checked out after my 4 days, no problem. A couple weeks later all of a sudden out of my account comes 160k points for the ES NYC stay.

I called the Diamond Desk again and went through the details of what happened. I was told there was not mention on the account from either person I spoke with about the AXON promo and therefore they would not be able to honor it. I then asked to speak with a supervisor who took the information and told me I would hear back within a week about what they were going to do about it. I have not heard another word.

I was going to be calling again to follow up on this, but thought I would first see if anyone has any ideas of what I should be doing.

When I last spoke with the Diamond Desk they gave the impression that they thought I was full of it and had perhaps learned of the promo after the stay.

This is not the case. Both times before the stay I specifically said I wanted the AXON promo and 4 nights at 125k. The only reason for the second call into the Diamond Desk before my stay was because I received the wrong certificate and called to get it fixed.

I have heard such good things about the Diamond Desk and have had a few good experiences in the past few years with them. I was so shocked after the last call on how they treated me; I want to be better prepared this time.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Jennifer

I know its probably a little late now, but it seems you should have sorted ot the AXON problem before checking-in.

a) Do you have a HH Amex? the award is for holders of that CC only.
b) It only takes a few minutes for them to e-mail a cert to you.
The first time I requested an AXON the confirmation showed the wrong amount of points, a similar situation to yours but I did get an e-mail specifically listing the award to be a AXON.
So you should have called and made sure it was e-mailed.

Just keep following up, but you must be faulted for not insisting and getting the AXON before checking in.
And even then at checkout how you not get the name of the hotel CSR who checked you out, insisted that time in your presense that they called the Diamond Desk immediately and you get names to confirm the story.
Had you done so, it would be much easier to resolve this.
Good luck.

mike

I was trying to book a room using points that was not available for points in that particular hotel (I wanted a king bed and they offered only two queens for points). Usually it is a diamond privilege and I used it in the past. However this time when I called I was never greeted by a “Diamond Special Services” agent and was always told that the room is not available, sometimes that “I can request it but t is not going to come through”. Finally tonight I called prepared to agree to two queen beds but fortunately was routed by telephone system to an agent who hardly understood English. After being frustrated trying to explain him what I want (it have not even come to room types just booking with points was too much for him) I already was prepared to hang up and call again when he sighed and said: “OK, I will transfer you to diamond desk”. Of course everything went smoothly afterwards, but it was my fourth attempt to call! Is it common nowadays, or am I just being unlucky?

What should I do to get a diamond desk outright?

Calling the DD number on the back of your Diamond card will get you straight to it, at least during most times (unless I'm mistaken, it's no longer 24 hrs), and you will be greeted by "Welcome to special Diamond Services". You need to type a valid Diamond HH number to be connected to the Diamond agent.

That said, you chose one of the least efficient ways in getting your type of room. Getting King vs. 2 Queens is not a Diamond privilege. All you needed to do was to book that double queens room and follow up with the hotel directly. FWIW, I've never been denied such a change when asked either in advance (preferably), or even at check-in, be it on a paid stay or an award.

I believe the overflow calls to the DD transfer to the regular CS agents. If the person you connect to is non-understandable, drunk, a trainee, brain challenged or just plain stupid hang up and call back in a few minutes. If possible I try to call between 1000 AM and 300 PM.

MisterNice

I believe the overflow calls to the DD transfer to the regular CS agents. If the person you connect to is non-understandable, drunk, a trainee, brain challenged or just plain stupid hang up and call back in a few minutes. If possible I try to call between 1000 AM and 300 PM.

MisterNice

This occasionally happens, but you do not have to hang up just ask to be transferred to a diamond desk agent.

Sent an e-mail and got back an error. Is it more like on of the forwards failed or they didin't get it all?

<non-human name>@WAN.HILTONRES.COM on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:18:05 -0600
The recipient name is not recognized
The MTS-ID of the original message is: c=us;a= ;p=hiltonres;l=DALRSMAIL090712280918XN1871SD
MSEXCH:IMS:HILTONRES:DALRS:DALRSMAIL09 0 (000C05A6) Unknown Recipient

It's not clear to me what email address you used.

Addresses which should work:

diamond@hilton.com
flyertalk@hilton.com

I got the similar error so I forwarded the email to both diamond@hilton.com and flyertalk@hilton.com. I did not get the same error on the forward. However,
I have not heard from hhonors yet [ it has been more than a week (including the holidays)].

Yesterday I sent an email to diamond@hilton.com, but it came back as Undeliverable.

Then yesterday at 4 PM EST I sent the same email to hhonors@hilton.com with a complex missing points matter. Today at 12 PM EST, about 20 hours later I got my issue solved. The reply came from hhonors@hiltonres.com.

Grrrreeeattt Diamond service!!! Actually, everything I write to the Diamond Desk, I get answers/solutions within 48 hours. Most email are answered within 24 hours like the one I sent yesterday.

I *heart* DD

Just achieved Diamond status last month. It is confirmed on the website and email thanking me for recent stay. I have not yet received new card in the mail and have not seen any email acknowledging my new status. I need to make an award reservation and want to use the "Diamond Desk." Is there a special phone number?

To make reservations for your reward stays, please contact the Diamond VIP desk at 1-800-HHONORS (1-800-446-6677).

Not supposed to list numbers.You should delete it..can always reach Diamond Desk by calling other line and asking.

Thanks Chisox!

Just achieved Diamond status last month. It is confirmed on the website and email thanking me for recent stay. I have not yet received new card in the mail and have not seen any email acknowledging my new status. I need to make an award reservation and want to use the "Diamond Desk." Is there a special phone number?

You can also email diamond@hilton.com and flyertalk@hilton.com since you don't have the number. You probably wont get a new card until March/April as you earned status late in the year and IIRC, historically, after October, no new elite cards are sent out until around March.

Since you appear to be new to flyertalk and Diamond status I would take some time to review some diamond desk threads here to become acquainted with the program/published benefits.:)

To make reservations for your reward stays, please contact the Diamond VIP desk at xxx-xxx-xxx).

Please remove that number. Listing employee names and unpublished phone numbers isn't allowed :td: