Hilton HHonors - Help-Gold VIP Re-Qualification: Seven stays needed, ideas?

I need to accumulate seven (7) stays to retain my Gold VIP status, prior to 31 Dec 2002, on one trip. So I’d like to go one city/locale where there are multiple HHonors properties, and I’d like to do this with just seven nights.

I can accumulate these stays anywhere in the World, even shuttling between two or three (or more) properties in the same locale.

I’d like to minimize my out-of-pocket expense to $1,000 USD, for these paid seven stays/nights.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

Move around in LAS - Ballys, Paris, Flamingo and the Hilton. If you are smart picking the dates, you'll end up paying less than 500 USD.

Try to signup for the CNTU promotion, even though enrollment is officially closed on 8/31, some FTers were able to sign up in September, you will get 50K points, and instant Gold. Call 1(800)HHONORS to sign up. Also search the board for CNTU, you will find many threads.

Depending on where you are, Orlando may be a good choice.

1. Hampton Inn Disney East gate has plenty of rooms for $44, very new hotel.

2. Hampton Inn Sandlake Road is a little old, still very acceptable, $35.10.

3. Even the Hilton Grand Vacation club at Orlando is affordable at $79.

If you are outside of the US, sign up for the INTU promotion instead. This is a similiar promotion to CNTU, but for members with international address. A friend from the UK just signed up on 10/2 with no problem.

It would be helpful to know where you are either based or where you travel.

I would think that you could shuttle from one Hilton Garden Inn or another to one Hampton Inn or another in the Portland, OR (PDX) area and meet your cost goals. I believe that there are 3 HGIs and a number of Hamptons nearby that are less than $100/night. Additionally there are 5 Doubletrees and one Hilton. Car will be essential. Rent one in Washington county and save the 10% rental tax in Multnomah County. Just take the MAX to either Beaverton or Hillsboro and get a rental car. Enterprise even delivers to your hotel

Edit: Just did a check on HHonors.com for all properties in Portland area for Oct. 29 (Weeknight)(remember 21 days in advance often nets one a 30% discount) and you can stay at a different property each night and not exceed $109.00 per night. Swap back and forth between a couple of less expensive properties and you can do it for less than $79 per night. Slightly more than 1/2 your budget.

Flight should not be much more than $300 from most of U.S. and seven $.99 Mickyd specials with $.99 drink yields a meal cost of $13.86 for lunch for the week, remember no sales tax in Oregon and breakfast at the Hilton properties. Add a $.99 fries at dinner and the dinner cost totals $20.79. Most of our Mickyds give you free refills for eat in drinks. Thus even with a car rental, you should be able to do it for less than $1K total.



[This message has been edited by opushomes (edited 10-03-2002).]

Thanks, I'm based in Boston, MA, although I can travel anywhere; I've already taken advantage of the CNTU promo, and got comped to Gold VIP through 4/03. I am looking to extend that Gold VIP status for another year. I currently have 9 stays and 21 nights, YTD.

LAS is interesting but I'm not sure I could handle seven nights in Las Vegas.

As I understand it. It's too late to sign up for CNTU. But AAGU is available.

Did you see goingnow's post regarding dual rooms on the same night? At the same hotel I would doubt it, but...

I'd be interested to know if this would work if you checked into more than one hotel for the same night? Why not?

Miami airport has a Hilton, Hampton and Homewood suites all within walking distance of one another on the south side of the airport. Last I checked ~$100 per night at the Hilton and HS. An Embassy Suites about 5 miles away. Total of 20 or so properties within 15 mile radius.

You could always book rooms in multiple inexpensive hotels the same night. That might be a way to do it in LV w/o having to be there a week ;-)

If you follow Opushomes' advice you will have some of our country's most stunning scenery as a bonus for your hotel run. Might as well enjoy the sites while you achieve your goal with Hilton.

transpac, you qualified using this year's CNTU ? If yes, please double-check the expiration date with the Hilton service center ..... I qualified (I think it was under INTU as I live overseas), but I just confirmed my status expires April 2004 .....

Otherwise, consider SFO, with 5 ? properties in the general area including a Doubletree, a couple of HGIs and a couple of ESs ..... good luck !

Since you already have a Conrad stay history in S'pore, I'd consider shuttling between the Conrad SIN and Hilton. (Conrad rates as low as S$162 lately. Hilton higher, but probably within your budget.)

An advantage of Singapore is that, with these additional stays, you reinforce your stay history. They're a known, high quality product; you won't need a car; the food's great (and mostly free, as a Gold); and the weather's decent.
Rich

Search locally and enjoy a few October weekends with the spouse or GF in New England and bounce between properties on Fri and Sat

Beginning August 30 – October 26, 2002 you can stay at any participating Hampton hotel from around $65* a night! To book online, simply enter promotional code "HTR" or when calling 1-800-Hampton please make sure and mention you want the "Hit the Road Rate".

*The HTR promotional rate is valid for stays on Friday and Saturday nights only. Rate not available at all locations. Rates vary by location, may be higher and are subject to availability. Advance booking required. Rate offer valid August 30, 2002 through October 26, 2002.

John

Thanks all.

I spoke with HHonors CS and was told my gold VIP status expires 30 April 2003.

I'm contemplating the Orlando area (thanks Jet2K) and/or JerseyJohn's 'local' recommendation (although I did check into that I couldn't find any reasonable rates).

transpac, I just came back from Orlando, which is why I suggested S'pore. Orlando was hot and rainy, but not nearly as interesting as S'pore.

Edited to add: no need to go to McDonald's in S'pore, of course, with laksa at S$3 across the street from the Conrad.

Rich

[This message has been edited by rjh (edited 10-04-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by opushomes:
It would be helpful to know where you are either based or where you travel.

I would think that you could shuttle from one Hilton Garden Inn or another to one Hampton Inn or another in the Portland, OR (PDX) area and meet your cost goals. I believe that there are 3 HGIs and a number of Hamptons nearby that are less than $100/night. Additionally there are 5 Doubletrees and one Hilton. Car will be essential. Rent one in Washington county and save the 10% rental tax in Multnomah County. Just take the MAX to either Beaverton or Hillsboro and get a rental car. Enterprise even delivers to your hotel

Edit: Just did a check on HHonors.com for all properties in Portland area for Oct. 29 (Weeknight)(remember 21 days in advance often nets one a 30% discount) and you can stay at a different property each night and not exceed $109.00 per night. Swap back and forth between a couple of less expensive properties and you can do it for less than $79 per night. Slightly more than 1/2 your budget.

Flight should not be much more than $300 from most of U.S. and seven $.99 Mickyd specials with $.99 drink yields a meal cost of $13.86 for lunch for the week, remember no sales tax in Oregon and breakfast at the Hilton properties. Add a $.99 fries at dinner and the dinner cost totals $20.79. Most of our Mickyds give you free refills for eat in drinks. Thus even with a car rental, you should be able to do it for less than $1K total.
[This message has been edited by opushomes (edited 10-03-2002).]</font>

Not sure you'd need a car. By the airport there is a Hampton, HGI, and Embassy. All have shuttles.

Then the Doubletrees used to have a shuttle to/from the Jantzen Beach and Columbia River properties to the airport. Do they still?

The Doubletree by Lloyd Center is on the MAX rail line, which runs to the airport.

Then you have a Hilton, Doubletree, and Embassy Suites downtown, which is accessible from MAX. So after you check out of Lloyd Center hop on MAX and then ride downtown.

So this is 9 properties which you won't need a car for.

But if did this in 7 days I'd be confused as heck.

Or Better Yet, you could just rotate among the three properties downtown to get your 7 says. Do all three and then repeat the cycle.

[This message has been edited by WebTraveler (edited 10-04-2002).]