Hilton HHonors - Still have 46,000 Points to burn

I just got back from a GLON stay in Budapest. Still have 46,000 points I would like to cash in today.
The choices are one night at a Premium Hotel or two nights on a Point Stretcher
My main destinations are NYC, LA and Chicago. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

I have been knocked down to a lowly Silver. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif



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AA PLat. (Gold for life)
UA Premier - HH Gold vip

Drake in Chicago? I stayed there once long ago, and it was a very special property. Not sure if it ever shows up as a Pointstretcher though.

From everything I've read, the NY Hiltons aren't head-and-shoulders above what you'd get from Priceline doing 4* bidding. The other Chicago Hiltons are nice and occasionally offer very good weekend rates. Don't know much about LA.

If you go back to Europe in the near future, you might want to consider the Scandic hotels, many of them are at Level 1 at 10,000 points per night.

A search on this board should return many threads.

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International airlines seat desirability map (http://www.seatexpert.com)

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by On The Road Again:
I just got back from a GLON stay in Budapest.

I have been knocked down to a lowly Silver. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
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Side request- I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on your Budapest stay- please post if you feel so inclined!

Definitely the Drake in Chicago is my #1 choice for old world elegance, large rooms and 2 bathrooms.

The Hilton Chicago is also elegant with lots of history, however, the rooms are small.

The Doubletree Suites downtown Chicago is right next to the Drake, and is not bad being that it's an all suites hotel.

The Palmer House Hilton is also next door, but I've never stayed there.

Let me know if you decided to stay at any of these properties.

Ghayas

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Thanks for the ideas..the Drake just might be the one!

My stay at the Hilton Budapest was fine.
I was a Gold at check-in. The men at the front desk were very condescending. It took 3 rooms before I settled in. When I arrived I asked about the Exec. Floor. I had read great things about it here. I was told it was not possible, but I would have a very nice room on the second floor with a river view. I would also have Exec Lounge access. The room turned out to be a smoking room. Called the desk and asked for non-smoking room. Was sent to a room on the fifth floor with a view of the river. Laid down to take a cat nap and started to hear lots of bottles crashing into the recycling bin below my room. Also re-read the previous reviews of the hotel on FT and realized the bathrooms are much nicer on the 3rd floor...Exec. floor.
Since I could not sleep, I went down to the Executive Lounge for a snack. The women in the Lounge are extremely nice and very helpful. I asked one of them if the floor was very booked and she said.."Oh no, not at all". Armed with that info I went down to thedesk and asked for the Exec floor one more time. I was holding out for the delux bath!! The guys at the front desk said the bathrooms are all the same. Not true...the exec. ones have a seperate shower which I prefer. With much hesitation the desk man said I could have a room on the third floor, "but it would be quite far from the elevator" Oh No!!! :
As I said above the women in the Lounge were very helpful. Just beware of the front desk.
The other complaint I have is the price for my first night. I was using a GLON but had to pay for my first night. I was quoted $139.00 US including all taxes at the Hilton desk in the US. Upon checkout the bill was about $40.00 higher. Not wanting to waste time arguing with the knuckleheads at the front desk, I waited until I got home and called Hilton. They of course could do NOTHING , but did e-mail the hotel upon my behalf. After a few e-mails back and forth to the manager of rooms at the Hilton Budapest I was refunded about $11.00. His explanation was too confusing to repeat here.

The town of Budapest is great. I do think it is worth the trip...had some fine food, wonderful Ballet at the Grand Opera House, music everywhere, and some wonderful architecture.
If you need more info, let me know. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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AA PLat. (Gold for life)
UA Premier - HH Gold vip

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by On The Road Again:

If you need more info, let me know. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

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On The Road Again:
How far this hotel from the public transportation? I hear that this hotel is not that conviniently located and lot's of
walking is required. What would be the closest transportation: bus, tram or subway?
Thanks

Hi palex..it depends on why you are going to Budapest. If you have to do biz everday downtown, this hotel might not work for you. If you are not on a tight schedule though, I highly recommend it's location.
There are 2 buses, one on either side of the hill that are only a few blocks away. Both buses take you down the hill to a major metro stop, one on the Buda side, the other on the Pest side. It would usually take 20 to 30 minutes for me to get almost anywhere I wanted to go. I found it a great walk down..and when I wanted to get back up the hill at night I could always take the little bus.

The other Hilton on the Pest side looks like a beautiful hotel, but I was not wild about the location, just next to a huge "American Style " Mall.

Hope this helps to answer your question.

On The Road Again:
Thanks for the report. We are not going to be on on a biz trip, so it looks like I'll go with this location. Thanks again