Hilton HHonors - Buy one room get one free

Hello all,

I just found a special offer for selected properties in the San Fran. area: Pay for your room with a Visa card and get a second room for free, for the duration of your stay. I have two reservations booked at the San Francisco Hilton this coming week and the following week, so I called the Diamond VIP desk to see if my reservations were eligible for the promotion. They said it was not, but they were not sure why. The hotel is not sold out. They suggested asking the agent about it when I check in (by which time it will probably be too late to do anything useful with a free room!)

Has anyone else heard of - or more importantly, been able to take advantage of this promotion? It is supposedly running until the end of 2004.

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotions/promotion_detail.jhtml?ctyhocn=SFOFHHH&id=102680001

- Truly

Out of curiosity, I checked a weekend in November (13) and the booking was available for the San Francisco Hilton at a total rate of $149 for two rooms king bed and $199 total for two rooms on the Executive Floor. Very Nice! It does state that both bookings and payment must be made with a Visa so if you had already booked using something else then you would not be eligible. How about cancelling and rebooking online? I'd check online for availability first and if there is availability then simply cancel your current reservation and get the 2 for 1 rate online. Good Luck.

I am staying twice in SF using this... once in November and once in December. Going to charge food and parking to the free room which will be occupied by my parents using their HHonors card number, hopefully BOTH of us can get get stay credits towards our GOLD status!... who knows...

Anyway this is from the the Hilton Site at http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/promotions/promotion_detail.jhtml?ctyhocn=SFOFHHH&id=102680001


Pay for 1 room, get 2nd free

Pay for 1 room at a participating Hilton® hotel in the San Francisco area and receive a complimentary 2nd room when you pay with your Visa card.

Participating Hilton Hotels:
Hilton Newark/Fremont
Hilton Oakland Airport
Hilton San Francisco
Hilton San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf

For reservations click on the hotel name above and book your reservation online or call 1-800-HILTONS and request Plan Code "SB" at participating Hilton properties and be sure to pay with your Visa card.

Terms and Conditions:
Offer valid July 1 through December 30, 2004 at participating Hilton Hotels. Advance reservations required. Offer is exclusive of tax and gratuities, is based on availability of Plan Code "SB" at Hilton, does not apply to groups and is subject to change without notice. Limit of one complimentary room at Hilton for length of stay. ©2004 Hilton Hospitality, Inc. Reservations must be booked and paid for with a valid Visa card. All taxes are the responsibility of the purchaser. Offer void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Offer redemption and fulfillment is solely the responsibility of the merchant making the offer. Visa and Hilton Hotels reserve the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time and without notice.

valid dates
Jul. 01, 2004 - Dec. 30, 2004 USD

Just made another reservation for 2 rooms for the price of one for another date in December...

Had to call the hotel directly, as the website said no availability for the special and the main reservation line could not book that deal either!

Wow -- I sure wish I'd known about this over the summer...

Just be aware of the political hassles at the SF Hilton - the management of this and 13 other hotels have decided to continue the lockout of hotel employees, the mayor of San Francisco has rallied a boycott since the hotels do not want to end the lockout (begun by an employee strike,) and things could be, shall we say, a bit less than smooth during your stay.

You can check the status of the lockout / strike at www.sfgate.com.

My fingers are crossed that this is all settled by mid December when I am there...

If not and service is bad, etc... Does Hilton have a guarantee such as 100% satisfaction that Hampton Inns does?

Just be aware of the political hassles at the SF Hilton - the management of this and 13 other hotels have decided to continue the lockout of hotel employees, the mayor of San Francisco has rallied a boycott since the hotels do not want to end the lockout (begun by an employee strike,) and things could be, shall we say, a bit less than smooth during your stay.[/url].

Maybe the SF mayor can start performing Labor/Management marriages, and all these problems will go away...until the courts throw them out. :D

How about cancelling and rebooking online? I'd check online for availability first and if there is availability then simply cancel your current reservation and get the 2 for 1 rate online. Good Luck.

Rather than cancelling then rebooking, it is better to book a room at the new rate then cancel the old. A small point perhaps but saves your buns if the hotel were to sell out at the rate code you are looking for in the time you spend checking for availability, canceling, and then rebooking.

My fingers are crossed that this is all settled by mid December when I am there...

If not and service is bad, etc... Does Hilton have a guarantee such as 100% satisfaction that Hampton Inns does?I'm wondering the same thing. I'll be there mid Dec. too -- or at least that's what the plan is right now.

From what I understand, they came to an agreement on all points but one. The Union wants to have a 2yr contract that expires at the same time as some others so they can really squeeze management next time. Normally they do 5yr contracts -- but that;s the subject of another thread...

I am at the Hilton right now and it isn't that bad. The worst part is walking in and out with all the noisy protesters, and feeling like a bad person for crossing the picket line.

Maid service is a bit "off" and there is no minibar. Other than that you can't even tell the difference.

- Truly

I am at the Hilton right now and it isn't that bad. The worst part is walking in and out with all the noisy protesters, and feeling like a bad person for crossing the picket line.

Maid service is a bit "off" and there is no minibar. Other than that you can't even tell the difference.

- Truly

Thanks for the info...

my parents and friends of theirs are going to the city in a couple of weeks and staying at the Hilton. Any recomendations on the best places to enter and exit the Hotel to minimize their exposure to the strike. They will have a car an I assume valet park?

thanks again

I stayed at the SF Hilton this past Saturday night (11/13) on this "Pay for 1, Get 1 Free" promotion.

However #1: When I first tried to make the reservation, I couldn't get the web site to offer the promotion. Called the Diamond Desk, and they transfered me to another desk ... which (with difficulty) finally got the reservation.

However #2: In checking eFolios online this AM, it showed that I was charged for BOTH rooms. After another call to the Diamond Desk, the hotel called me back within a couple of hours to tell me the charge for the second room would be reversed.

Am now pondering if it was worth all the effort for a "free" room...

====

For the benefit of ucsbgrad86:

-- Both self park and valet park are available ($36 + $5.04 tax = $41.04 for self park; I think Valet park is the same price)
-- The locked out employees are still making a lot of noise (not audible on the 36th floor, fortunately), and they may hassle or annoy you a bit, but they certainly do NOT block you entering/leaving.

thanks for the info... will definitely check the folio at the front desk before I leave to make sure I don't get charged for both rooms!

Yes, it does work, BUT - I was charged twice for the same rate!! I had to cancel the charge on my credit card, then work with the hotel for two days to get the charge removed.

Now, since it's a VISA sponsored deal, does that mean that we should get credit for the room nights for the free room?