milesandpoints

Any comments on this hotel. What about Upgraded rooms for Gold VIP? Thanks!

PremEx

We stayed there last year on a HHonors award stay and when we checked-in we found we were pre-assigned an upgraded room on the Towers floor (I'm Gold VIP too). The Towers Lounge, amenities, and service up there was really great. Excellent breakfast and evening munchies. A great place for cocktails before heading out on your walk (or streetcar from the front door) to the French Quarter.

We loved it!

MartinElk

I've stayed there twice. The first time was a Towers floor room on the same floor as the Towers Lounge. As PremEx said, the Towers Lounge, with a great breakfast overlooking the river, and evening snacks are really nice. The experience got me hooked on Towers Lounges! Enjoy your stay.

(Formerly: Miles&Points)

UK Stages

i had the same experience as premex... as a diamond, i was pre-assigned a spacious towers level room. the towers lounge offered a fairly extensive selection of food and snacks throughout the day - and a very well-stocked, help-yourself fridge filled with soft drinks, water, etc. the entire staff was very pleasant and helpful. overall, it's one of the better run hiltons - with great towers lounge.

it is a busy convention hotel, however, and if there is a big one in town, your mileage may vary with regard to upgrade opportunities.

Tomphot

Make sure it is the French Quarter location which is as others have said.
There is also a Hilton at the airport which is 20 minutes from the FQ.

milesandpoints

Well, I waited too long. They are now sold out Thanks for the Comments. I have Resvs at The Courtyard location now. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks!

BeantownFlyer

I don't know where else you folks have been staying, but other than the location the Hilton is an awful hotel - typical large convention hotel, with "who cares" service. Yes, I'm Gold HHonors, and yes I was upgraded (only after I asked, of course, since that seems to be the Hilton way). But this is one of those hotels where the staff looks the other way when they pass you in the hall, instead of saying good morning, where room service arrives cold and late, and where everything is a special request. My suggestion - stay away from any of the large convention hotels in New Orleans, including the Hilton, unless you have a meeting in one of them!

doc

I see your point BeantownFlyer and I agree it is a large convention hotel and nearly essential to stay in the Towers!

As I'd said formally, "I think of the Hilton there at Riverwalk as a kind of large convention oriented hotel, but they do a pretty good job especially in the Towers."

Here's alink to PremEx's trip report!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/000184.html

Tomphot

I've stayed at the Courtyard on St. Charles 5 times this year. It's a great location, there is a great place for a cheap breakfast right across the street.
2 weeks ago, I stayed at the Doubletree which is across the street from the new Harrahs casino. They are a Hilton partner and the hotel was good. Parking was $18 though.

BeantownFlyer

By the way - its been a few years since I've been in New Orleans - do they still have a flat rate taxi fare from the airport? It was the ride of my life - with the cabby trying to see how fast he could get me to the Hitlon and dump me, so he could get back to the airport for another high speed run! (No advantage to taking me for a long ride - the fare would be the same!) I knew I wasn't getting ripped off, but it certainly added a few gray hairs!

milesandpoints

Well,
Im back agt the Hilton, at leats for the first 3 nights. I got a $94 rate and was able to get a confirmed upgrade to towers using a HT certificate. Hopefully the saturday will open up so I can stay there all 4 days. Well see. Thanks fore the notes.

kokonutz

I gotta agree with Beantown on this one. Just spent Saturday night there and it was my third time at that hotel in about 16 months. The Service is second rate, the place is always a very crowded mob scene in the too-small lobbies on both the lower and check-in levels. Good luck talking to a concierge on the lower level...the line is usually 3 or 4 deep.

I arrrived for the last night of a 1 week stay by my wife and I stopped by the desk to ask for keys that included hhonors lounge access since I am gold. I got every excuse in the book about why I shouldn't get it, but persisted and in the end was granted access (which, BTW, I never used ). This is very much in line with my previous experiences there where the service is very impersonal and only begrudgingly given...

With so many great hotels in that city (Royal or Comfort on Bourbon, Monteleon) I don't stay at the Hilton Riverside unless I have to...

FWIW!!!!

Oh, and yes...it's still a flat $24 between the Airport and downtown...

[This message has been edited by kokonutz (edited 06-26-2000).]

Beckles

Gee 'nutz, I would have been glad to give you a ride from the airport to downtown for nothing

Guess you didn't want to have any chance of me meeting your wife

kokonutz

Well I sent you an e-mail, doofus. And even followed it up with one from DEN saying my plane was much delayed so if you WERE going to meet me not to bother.

I told my wife that I had resisted the urge to meet up with some frequent flyer buddies after the formal and she did breath a sigh of relief

Beckles

Hey koko' ... I never got either of those messages ... you sure you weren't liquored up from your flights or something and only thought you sent them?

Too bad you couldn't go out ... but next time you should just invite the wife along too ... I'm sure she wouldn't mind ...