MilesBuzz! - When you stay at a hotel on an Award Stay, do you charge things to your room?

On hotel award stays, do you ever feel obliged to put something onto your room folio, i.e. charge a meal or drinks or other services from the hotel? Or have you checked out with one of those "$0" folios?

I usually use such opportunities to charge a small amount and 'reset' one of my dormant FF accounts which require activity once every 3 years http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

100% of the time i will charge something to the room hoping that because of the revenue implication that the room night activity will then count toward requalifying for elite again - hey, this sometimes does work.

Not obliged, we just can't seem to avoid room service, a phonecall, spa/salon, or the mini bar.

I don't feel any obligation, but how could I even think of paying for something with cash when I could charge it to my room and get points (and then miles when it gets charged to my credit card)?

d

ditto Randy. Hilton counts an award stay toward elite qualification as long as there is folio activity. Lots of 69 cents candy purchases on my folio!

Always try to put something on the folio...it frequently triggers a stay credit. I always try to charge something for incidentals when the room is on a master bill, about 50% of the time I get credit for both charges.

Now I charge something to the room 100% of the time since it triggers a stay credit at Hyatt.

I use to avoid putting anything on my award stay rooms, but along with Randy & beaubo and others, I've now found that more than likely with some charges added, this 'free' stay suddendly counts as an additional night/stay towards status. I'll usually charge breakfast or room service--something between US$10-25.

I always charge something also in the hopes of triggering a stay credit. However, I have twice been foiled by this recently. If I haven't charged anything else, I usually make one or two local calls which should amount to a couple of dollars. Both a Hilton and a Westin insisted they not charge me for such a small amount, and lacking the time or the energy to persist in insisting that they not be so nice and charge me the $1 or $2, I have had to leave with a $0 folio.

Both ways actually, but I usually do charge to the room. Sometimes I'm just in a huge hurry and sometimes other matters arise, such as someone else, another FlyerTalker for example, might offer to or even insist upon paying the bill! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

I don't ever feel obligated to charge to the room and have had many Zero balances.

But if it is chargeable, I do it.

I don't feel OBLIGATED to do so, but I usually do to get the points & hopefully stay credit, *especially* when the earning of a pair of Starwood Free Fridays is on the line! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

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Flyertalk.com ...because miles & points don't grow on trees!

dup

[This message has been edited by Brendan (edited 06-13-2002).]

I guess I am the only one that feels obligated to charge something to my room on award stays...but...obligated to MYSELF. Why would a pizza fullfill both my tummie and my stay counts.

With Hyatt it is a stay and X nights to count on either qualifier. It also consolidates my bills onto one statement. Wine in the club, dinner in the dining room, etc.

This is also a way to get points on my Hyatt account and points on my cc.

This is part of what we are all here for, isn't?????????

But what was the point to this thread... to receive the obvious answers Randy and Beaubo gave? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif Just curious.

Always, in the hope of triggering a stay credit. Its happened before, so by charging a couple of bucks to my rooms (candy, newspaper etc.), I'm always hoping it will happen again. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

I never feel obligated although I do feel a bit sheepish when I am checking out and my folio is for a couple of bucks, if that. Sometimes I can't bring myself to pay $25/day for parking on a free stay, so I will park on the street if that option is available. It is always kind of weird explainging to the front desk clerk that I didn't stay in their parking garage.

at Hilton charging something on award stays will trigger a stay credit and 50% of the times Airlines Double Dip miles.

AndrewM

The idea of making small charges to 'reset' a seldom used FF account is brilliant!


Most sincere thanks!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by beaubo:
ditto Randy. Hilton counts an award stay toward elite qualification as long as there is folio activity. Lots of 69 cents candy purchases on my folio!</font>
I tried to do this on an award stay last week by charging a couple of phone calls to my folio but the stay was never credited to my account. Should I ask Hilton about it?

I goofed this up at Hilton. I had my wedding there and was comped a suite. I ordered room service and paid with a credit card. No points. What I should have done is just had them bill the food to the room, and paid by card at check out.

Always, on both award and paid stay...did not do anything different on award stay.

I can only recall two times in my life that I stayed in a hotel and had a $0 bill. I believe my wedding night and one time I was comped a room in college (free room for organizing a group stay/banquet). I cannot avoid room service, movie charges, mini-bar, phone calls, etc.

Even so, I don't ever seem to get stay credit on award/priceline stays from these charges.

We agree with Randy. Since we always end up with a charge of sum kind (coffee, drinks, etc) we feel obligated to ourselves to make sure our number is on the folio when we check in and that the charges are posted to the account. This nearly always seem to work on all of our programs. $=points it seems. It's even proven true when staying at an employee rate! They're definately NOT supposed to qualify, but they do! It's always important to try.

I don't feel obligated, but if there are expenses that are chargable and I can get points by doing so even on a comp stay, then I do it. For instance on our stay at the Conrad in Singapore I had phone charges, spa charges, room service, and a pediatrician's house call all charged to the room. Got the full points posted to my HHonors account too.

I've done it for Priceline stays at a Hyatt. Upon check in Hyatt will indicate that no hotel or airline points are available for a PL stay. So I charge something to my room and submit a stay request on Hyatt's website a few days after I check out and get 500 miles credited to my United account. I've also done it for Hilton stays paid by an airline and get credit for a stay.

Empress

Sometimes parking does not count (not hotels, but buildings), eateries do not count( in building but not part of Hyatt), phone.

Room service food, IF from Hyatt, "always" counts and then generates all the stuff talked about here. A sandwitch when by yourself, or a pizza when traveling with another is the "best deal" to trigger the rewards. We bring our own wine to go with the Pizza, or ask for REGULAR tap water with ice.

Greetings all,
Interesting topic
I too always charge something if it is helpful to the triggering of possible stay credit.
What is most important to me
Is how the hotel is treating me during my stay.Regardless if on award or revenue.
Has the hotel has gone out of their way and done some of the following
Upgrade me and pre block my room/suite in advance.
Leave a nice welcome ammenity like a turndown /ice upon or during arrival without asking, high quality bottled water ,quality chocolates and or fresh fruit.
Offer me kindness and assistance,show that they value my being there and my business.....
If all is going well............
My rule is to then charge as much as possible on as many services all from within the hotel such as dry cleaning/laundry mini bar,food and beverage,
phone ,movies,business services and so on.
As long as I want them or need them and have some reasonable cost /value relationship.
I don't do the 3 ounce Perrier at 7 dollars!!
If on the other hand the hotel has been lazy,non compliant with the program I do everything in my power to not spend a dime within the hotel.So I am a hot guest spending or Ice cold and cheap.I leave this up to the hotel to see if they can make the right choice as a top elite in their respective programs and have me spend or be a tightwad.
I follow this rule of thumb the world over.
So I've shared/revealed my most private spending habits in front of the Flyer Talk world!!
Cheers and happy safe exceptional travels all

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

[This message has been edited by 777 global mile hound (edited 06-18-2002).]

Just got back from my free 7 night stay at the Renn Chancery Court in London and we charged to the tune of approx. 870 GBPs!!

Of course, most of that was due to wife's business phone and fax charges, and some room service,but I don't complain as that is at least 13,000 MR points into my account since she gets reimbursed for those charges. Last year I had a like charge for our 7 day stay at the Paris Marriott and elected to take the charges as AA miles.

I recently had an award stay at an Embassy Suites. My folio had 30-something dollars on it, which I presume was some kind of tax since I did not charge anything to the room. However, I was never charged anything on my bill. Anyway, I got the stay credit.

Has anyone figured out a way to charge doorman, valet and concierge tips to the room? It's so unfair of them to make $$$ without us getting miles for it.

On a recent AA vacation stay at the Le Meridian Picadilly in London my checkout bill was something like 15 pence (one local phone call). Just a suggestion if anyone is looking for a "cheap charge".

Chris

"Has anyone figured out a way to charge doorman, valet and concierge tips to the room? It's so unfair of them to make $$$ without us getting miles for it."

Starwood used to give me cash advances off of my room, but they don't it anymore.

15p at a London 5-star hotel for a phone call! That is unbelieveable, even if it was back in the 70s... I just got charged L1.50 for each call at a 3-star Hilton there the other night!

But thanks for your comments, all. I guess "obligated" was a bit too strong a term. I have checked out of some places with a zero folio, but do generally end up with phone calls and a meal or drink or two. [Those $25+ breakfasts are a little easier to stomach on the pocketbook when there isn't a $250 room charge to go with them.]

I know Starwood has closed the glitch that got many of us [as herein admitted] stay credits on free nights when we've put charges onto the folio... Haven't expereinced this with Hilton though, since in the past one couldn't even get HHonors points or credits for miscellaneous stays or those 50% off stays.

Several times I have stayed at Hiltons on "free" awards, charged one bar tab to the room, and received both stay credit and 12.5 Hilton points (Gold level) per dollar spent.

Spent close to a Grand in the lobby on addmission tickets while in Orlando on points, Universal through concierge, DIsney through there store neither were eligible for charge through the room - Didn't have much $ left to spend at the bar and restaurant.



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