Hilton HHonors - What do hotels get when they turn in our awards?

I've asked this before and did not get a response...perhaps I wasn't very clear. I have also done searches, to no avail.

I'm trying to find out what the benefit or motivation is for a hotel to accept our awards. Do they turn in the awards to "headquarters" and get money for them? Say, a set amount perhaps?

There has to be some motivation. Otherwise, some wouldn't treat us so wonderfully to the fab upgrades, etc. Or, they would always say, "sorry, no rooms available." They have to be getting some sort of reward for our "free" stays.

Does anyone know?

Dawn

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kymbakitty:
Do they turn in the awards to "headquarters" and get money for them? Say, a set amount perhaps?</font>

Bingo! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

And that is why some hotels seem like an award bargain and others like a ripoff - its based upon what HHonors pays the hotel, not its rating or quality.

When I was at HHV a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a yellow piece of paper taped behind the reservation counter that said something like:

"Effective 1/1/04, the new HHonors rate is $117.59"

That's interesting because the government rate at HHV is still $112. So HHV makes more from a "free" HHonors stay than it does from a government employee on business travel.

I tend to think that there's some kind of "voodoo economics" that goes on w/ HH award stays.

Ever try splitting up the days of an award? I.e. take a 6 night GLON/ALON and ask for 3-on, X-off, 3-on? I think if were as simple as a flat rate per night they'd have no problem with it.

But, invariably they have a major issue with it... as if you asked them to solve pi. I did have one unsuspecting property ...'t manager say "yes" to my request. We did 3-on, 3-off, 3-on and by the 9th day they still had not figured out the billing side of things.

Maybe what I'm talking about is tangent to your question, but it seems to me that if it were as simple as charging HH $112/night, or whatever the rate is, that this would not be so much of an issue.

Dashark:

The lastest government rate I saw on the hilton website for HHV was $157....where did you see $112? That is a pretty cheap government rate.

Anyway, thanks for the replies.

Dawn

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

The lastest government rate I saw on the hilton website for HHV was $157....where did you see $112? That is a pretty cheap government rate.

Anyway, thanks for the replies.

Dawn</font>

Here is a link to the Government perdiem rates. (http://policyworks.gov/org/main/mt/homepage/mtt/perdiem/perd04d.html)

Biglar:

That doesn't mean that the hotel will honor that rate. Trust me, I'm a government employee and travel quite extensively and many of the hotels we stay have government rates that FAR exceed our per diem.

The LOWEST government rate that I have ever seen on HHV is $157. This may fluctuate, but I doubt it.

The hotels are not required to stay within the per diem rates....at least not State anyway.

Dawn

Hi kitty:

No, of course not. No hotel is obliged to offer any particular rate. But on browsing the Hilton website, for instance, I find many of their properties do offer a government rate, and it's usually at or below the gov't rate.

I've stayed in many hotels in the DC area, for example, and all of them know enough to offer the gov't rate if they want any business at all.

Hawaii is another story.

At any rate, that list is very useful for general reference.

kymbakitty: If you go to hilton.com and go through their regular on-line booking process for dates on February, you will find $112/night rate at HHV for "Village Garden View Government Rate." In fact, I will be there next month for a business using that rate. You will find that $157 will buy you a "Ocean View Government Rate" room.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by BigLar:
I've stayed in many hotels in the DC area, for example, and all of them know enough to offer the gov't rate if they want any business at all.</font>

Perhaps that's true for the properties you stay at in DC. But quite a few upscale DC hotels offer government rates that are way above the per diem maximum (e.g., St. Regis).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Eugene:
Perhaps that's true for the properties you stay at in DC. But quite a few upscale DC hotels offer government rates that are way above the per diem maximum (e.g., St. Regis).</font>

Good. Why in the world would government employees be staying in upscale hotels??? quite frankly they should be staying at budget hotels just like the MAJORITY of Americans do when they travel.

[This message has been edited by MacDaddie (edited Jan 28, 2004).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kymbakitty:
The lastest government rate I saw on the hilton website for HHV was $157....where did you see $112? That is a pretty cheap government rate.
</font>

As noted above, the standard government rate for a village view room at HHV is $112. However, the inventory is limited and is blacked out during many convention dates, so you might not be able to get that rate on a particular day.

BTW, I'm not a government employee, but I do travel with government employees on occasion.

I'm on a govt contract and stick with the govt rate, but some of my colleagues stay at more expensive hotels and pay the difference themselves. That's one way.

Now back to the topic... The hotels get a percentage of the daily rate based on how many empty rooms that they have for the nights in question.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by cranky:
Now back to the topic... The hotels get a percentage of the daily rate based on how many empty rooms that they have for the nights in question.</font>

... interesting. That would explain a lot and I thus have gleaned something interesting.

Do tell please how you know this?

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

The LOWEST government rate that I have ever seen on HHV is $157. This may fluctuate, but I doubt it.
</font>

I have stayed in the HHV 11 times last year at government rate, and each was $112 per night. I also stayed this year (Jan 5 - 15), also at $112, and have an upcoming stay (Feb 21 - 27), also at $112.

Government rates cannot be booked far in advance. The government rates usually show up about a month before, and will disappear if the hotel is booked. So it pays to plan a month in advance if you can to almost guarantee the $112 government rate, assuming you are a government employee.

Dear Rasalon:

I wanted to email you but you do not have one on file.

I have some questions that about gov't rate that have nothing to do with this topic.

Also, you should get 10k points for a bonus for your Feb trip!

Would you email me please? I don't want to clog up this tread w/nonrelevant topics.

Thanks.

Dawn

ddawnca@aol.com

I stayed at the HHV two different times this month at the federal government rate of $112.

BTW, the government rate can be used even when not on official travel. So the poster who thinks that government employees should not stay at resorts, you probably would really not like to know about the Hale Koa Hotel next to the HHV for military employees only.

Back to topic, I've stayed several times at Hiltons in Asia on GLONs and for six nights my account would show a total charge of about $120. When I would ask about the charge, they said don't worry about it, I would not be charged when I checked out; that was what they would bill Hilton HQ. I was not charged on check out, but sometimes points for that amount would show up in my HHonors account.