They still haven't updated the PDF files on this. I emailed them back in June asking when it would be done and received an Auto Reply that someone would get back to me.
I sent another email on this a few days ago and this time got the following reply that just arrived:
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Date: 7/16/2003 9:52:42 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: xxxxxxxxxxx@hilton.com
To: PremEx@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Dear Sir,
Our web administrator informed me that we are working to get pdf files for July-Dec Point Stretcher dates onto our web site on 7/22. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Brandy: So where on the Hilton website can you find this pdf file for the Jul-Dec 2003 point strechers?
Tried a search and got back nothing.
Thanks in advance!!!</font>
logon to hiltonhhonors.com and follow the instructions in the initial post.
Par for the course. The listed date ranges do not guarantee availability, nor are these published lists updated as a hotel sells out or removes PointStretcher inventory.
They are just the date ranges when PointStretchers may be available.
Also, just in case you didn't know, PointStretcher is it's own inventory. It can sell out or be removed, yet there may sometimes be regular award inventory remaining. And if you don't specifically ask for a PointStretcher stay, they may even book you out of regular award inventory even though PointStretcher inventory is available!
A good agent may spot the PointStrecher as also being available and steer you there. But not always. You gotta specifically ask for them sometimes.
[This message has been edited by PremEx (edited 08-05-2003).]
Programs: HHonors Gold since '02, Hertz President's Circle since '07
Posts: 2,393
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by sosafan: A hotel lists some point stretcher dates, but I call, and am told there is no
availability....
The hotel in question is HGI, Bloomington Minnesota, September 1-7</font>
Call back and speak with a manager. The low occupancy for those dates that got the PS listed in the first place is likely to still exist. Be polite, but persistent.
If they say "I would, but I have no way of doing it," it's often because they don't realize that we can print certs ourselves. Many think that only the cust srvc center can print certs, but you can do it over the internet in 5 minutes.
Essentially, any hotel can choose to accept almost any non-expired certificate at any time. They simply turn it into HH and the hotel gets cash for it. So sometimes it pays to call at the very last minute and make a certificate offer.
[This message has been edited by Rut Dog (edited 08-06-2003).]
having always sort to optimise my points, ive been zealous in the extreme about checking out who has pointstretchers, and when. Consequently ive stated in the hilton conrads in hkg and sin on a number of occasions on pointstretcher. When the pointstretchers for the 2nd half of the year were downloaded i rang straight away to book the Conrad Casino Punte del Este. The csr told me it wasnt pointstretcher, but a standard award. I assumed there was some time lag somehow between their systems in sydney and the main brain...the site clearly identifies the dates as pointstretcher...anyway she told me to ring closer to the date and check again. I rang yesterday and was told there were no point stretcher awards, only standard awards. I was amazed. As the conversation progressed the csr (a different one) told me there have always been 2 types of awards offered at the same time and if you miss out on pointstretcher (of which there are only a few) you have to pay standard points. How come ive never heard of this? I started to feel like an idiot.
[This message has been edited by franjelley (edited 08-14-2003).]
If you are asking whether there is a rule prohibiting Point Stretchers at the UK Category 6 properties, then the answer is no. But it's pretty much impossible to predict when and where those Point Stretchers will be offered.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by franjelley: the csr (a different one) told me there have always been 2 types of awards offered at the same time and if you miss out on pointstretcher (of which there are only a few) you have to pay standard points.</font>
Unfortunately, that CSR was correct. That's yet another unpleasant face of capacity controls in action. Only a certain number of rooms is allocated to awards to begin with, and only a sub-set of that is allocated to Point Stretchers (during the dates listed).
There is always a possibility for HH to override those capacity controls (better chances if you're a Diamond), but it's not a given, of course.
Thanks, Rut Dog and Eugene, for your speedy replies..i can live with that, what i cant live with is the thought that my brain rotted away without me ever noticing ..i must have been dead lucky each time i asked for a p/s
