Hilton HHonors Gold versus Hilton HHonors Diamond: What Are the Differences?

apex:

Good, but again, I must point out that if they don't have an Exec. Level, they could claim that a Queen bed is an alt amenity, esp. if you had booked, as I assume, a double.

[UA_Eagle]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by pdhenry:
For what it's worth, as a Gold (just shy of Diamond) I was denied lounge access at the Conrad Hong Kong on an award stay. But I was given complimentary continental breakfasts (the good, Continental kind) which is consistent with the written policy.</font>

This doesn't sound good--when did you stay there? I'll be staying at the HK Conrad in a couple of weeks and I've heard they treat Golds & Diamonds extremely well. I'm really looking forward to the hotel!

[Radiocycle]

I've stayed at the Conrad HKG.

Try and get on the conceige floors. They have a terrific breakfast and hors doevres every day. The pastries (in the evening) are classical european and delicious.

you will not be disappointed.

Good luck!

[pdhenry]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by UA_Eagle:
This doesn't sound good--when did you stay there? </font>

Sept 30-Oct5, 2002, award stay. Note that Chinese National Day is Oct 1 and I suspect there were very good views of the harbor fireworks from the concierge floor rooms (I was specifically told that the concierge floor rooms were sold out due to the holidays - but I had checked reservations a couple of days earlier and it had seemed likely that we might get into one). But we had a good view of the fireworks from our 41st floor room as it was - we were just far enough east to see around the office tower that's attached to the shopping mall.

I guess there would have been ways to determine whether the desk clerk was blowing smoke, or to push for a transfer upstairs later in the week - but the 41st floor room and the restaurant breakfasts were nothing to sneeze at. We did get a daily fruit basket as well as a little steamer basket with 4 or 5 gourmet chocolates daily - they were selling the chocolates for $1 apiece just outside of the restaurant.

I can't complain about our stay in HK.

[UA_Eagle]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Radiocycle:
I've stayed at the Conrad HKG.

Try and get on the conceige floors. They have a terrific breakfast and hors doevres every day. The pastries (in the evening) are classical european and delicious.

you will not be disappointed.

Good luck!</font>

Is the "conceige floors" the same thing as "Executive Level" floors? Or are they different? Thanks!

[goldcap]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by UA_Eagle:
Is the "conceige floors" the same thing as "Executive Level" floors? Or are they different? Thanks!</font>

If my memory serves well, floor 56-61 are all Executive Floors, while the conceige floor refers to floor 59 where the executive lounge is.

[UKTony]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by apex:
I spent a night each at the Corby & Northampton UK Hilton in September. Being Diamond, I asked about breakfast. Was told breakfast was an addtional charge...

Bottom line... it shouldn't take an argument. Always carry a copy of Hilton's rules, diamond or gold, especially if your going to the UK!</font>

Well this year I've stayed in:

York, Coventry, Swindon, Newbury, LHR

and consistently my Diamond status has (a) not be known by the check in staff (b) worth next to nothing except for the 50% bonus points.

I now expect nothing special and if the rate is not breakfast inclusive don't bother getting involved and just skip it (@ 17GBP for a full english breakfast Hilton are taking the **** considering motorway service stations are offering better).

[beergut]

Stayed at the Hilton Dubai Creek in December and was upgraded to executive floor room with access to the lounge but was also allowed to order a full breakfast through room service fo myself and girlfriend foc.

Went back a few months later and was given a cracker of a room albeit not on the executive floor and again had free breakfasts through room service. Didn't even bother with the lounge that time.

Oh , that was on a Gold HHonors card.

Nigel

[Wudy15]

RE Tonysymons. I got a great tip from the staff at the EDI Airport Hilton. If there is nothing special in the room call down and ask for the room to be "Clubbed up" with some water etc. Within half an hour there is always Water,Robes,Pringles and more often than not a bottle of house wine in the room.

Hotels that have done this when not already in the room are Edinburgh(Airport,Grosvenor and Caledonian)Aberdeen,LHR,Coylumbridge,Aviemore and Dunkeld. Glasgow and Kensington always on the Exec so not really bothered about anything else.

Cheers

Alan

[Dave Noble]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by DOC 2 BE:
By the way, a way around the rules, should you wish to be contentious, is to say well, the rules say that I will be offered either 1 or 2 and I CHOOSE LOUNGE ACCESS, Thank you very much.

It is worth a try if you wish to be legalisitic. </font>

Not really. They will offer you one or the other. They do not have to offer you both nor do they have to offer you the other should you decline the 1st

Dave

Dave Noble:


Sorry to disagree with you but....

Although it is true that your reading of the terms that follow can be read in the way in which you say, and I will agree that it was also the probable intent of the folks at Hilton for them to be interpreted in that manner, an alternative interpretation, can indeed, be given to that paragraph:

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Gold VIP members will be offered either (1) the use of the Towers or Executive Level lounge, including complimentary continental breakfast each morning or (2) personalized certificates for each day of the stay for all occupants of the members room valid for complimentary continental breakfast in the hotel coffee shop or all-purpose restaurant

</font>

Although it says that a member will be offered either the use of the Lounge or a Cont'l Breakfast elsewhere, nowhere does it explicitly say that these offers are to be considered to be mutually exclusive from one another, or that it is the innkeeper who makes the decision as to what to offer. It merely says that the guest will be offered either 1 or 2, and this can be taken to merely mean that the guest is to be given 2 alternatives from which to make his/her decision.

Indeed, one could easily argue that this paragraph was drafted in order to improve upon earlier statements that were not clear or explicit concerning the comp. breakfast so as to insure that Elite members would receive their comp. breakfasts, no matter what.

In the past, many seem to have encountered the situation where a hotelier told a guest that he/she had no room on the conceirge floor (whether this was true or not) and that since the guest would not be staying on that floor, they were not entitled to the comp. breakfast. Too bad, case closed.

Now, however, what is crystal clear is that the hotelier MUST provide a comp. breakfast and that this paragraph merely inform US, that we will be offered these 2 alternative, nothing more, and that the intent of Hilton was for the guest be the decision maker as to their choice for the where the comp. breakfast is to be provided.

Therefore, far from being a limiting factor on what a guest can expect, one can read this as Hilton's effort to close the loophole whereby guests were denied their due under the rules by the claim of the Concierge Floor being filled to capacity (and by extension, to those properties that had no lounge at all) so as to insure that they received the breakfast promised them under the rules of HHonors.

Again, I do not contest that they may have meant for the hotelier to have the discretion to offer 2 mutaully exclusive benefits, but this statement does not explicitly say this. The best one can say is that one can infer that this may have been their intention, but I have put forth above an alternative interpretation as to Hilton's wishes.

What it really comes down to is whether you wish to argue for lounge access, or not. On that issue, for whatever the reason, we each have our own internal compass.

[mikey1003]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by DOC 2 BE:
My take on this is as VENK said above, Golds could be denied Lounge access but get a Cont'l breakfast in the coffee shop, whereas Diamonds will NEVER be denied Louonge access.
.</font>

Never is a long time.... I have been denied Lounge access.. Sorry we are full!

Worse case was Fountainblau Hilton

[Explore]

I've checked other threads at the Hilton board, and don't yet have a full answer to my question - why move up to Diamond? After all, Golds may get upgrades, Exec Lounge access, breakfast etc. Diamonds don't seem to enjoy consistently greater upgrade opportunities except maybe in London - or do they? Is the special Diamond phone line worth a lot? Is it true that Hilton Diamonds don't enjoy an in-room amenity and remote phone check-in like Hyatt Diamonds? Why, why, why go for Diamond over Gold?

[BlondeBomber]

Some people have reported better luck in getting reward stays as Diamond (no blackouts). I had good luck (100% success for dates I wanted, even during high season) as gold but others have been shut out.

[Canarsie]

The Diamond Desk has been awesome whenever I needed their assistance.

50% bonus HHonors points is a great benefit.

These two reasons alone are worth the move from Gold to Diamond.

I have been Diamond for years and never looked back.