Interesting Award Search "Issue"
Mar 16, 2010, 1:18 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 148
Interesting Award Search "Issue"
This weekend, I was booking a hotel for my friends in Chicago with points on www.hilton.com . It was St.Patty's day weekend, so I understood why I could only find a hotel or two with room (two embassy suites). In performing the exact same search a minute later on www.EmbassySuites.com , I returned a far different result! Many more hotels open, and some hotels which were open before were closed (hiltons open, suites closed)! I went back to www.hilton.com to see the results were identical to my first search attempt. My next embassy suites search looked like my second. It appears as if Hilton screens the brand you may be searching for in an attempt to have you pay cash for customers who are inclined to stay at a particular hotel.
So -if you search and your award stay is unavb, try searching another brand's site!
Jon
So -if you search and your award stay is unavb, try searching another brand's site!
Jon
Mar 16, 2010, 2:43 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: SkyMiles
Posts: 150
Thanks
This weekend, I was booking a hotel for my friends in Chicago with points on www.hilton.com . It was St.Patty's day weekend, so I understood why I could only find a hotel or two with room (two embassy suites). In performing the exact same search a minute later on www.EmbassySuites.com , I returned a far different result! Many more hotels open, and some hotels which were open before were closed (hiltons open, suites closed)! I went back to www.hilton.com to see the results were identical to my first search attempt. My next embassy suites search looked like my second. It appears as if Hilton screens the brand you may be searching for in an attempt to have you pay cash for customers who are inclined to stay at a particular hotel.
So -if you search and your award stay is unavb, try searching another brand's site!
Jon
So -if you search and your award stay is unavb, try searching another brand's site!
Jon
Mar 16, 2010, 3:04 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: US CP, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,007
What search criteria where you using? I used Chicago, March 19-March 21 (assuming that's what you meant by St Patrick's day weekend... St Patrick's day is a Wednesday this year so either last weekend or the coming weekend could easily be called St Patrick's day weekend and I didn't look up to see when Chicago has its parade) and I can't recreate what you are seeing. I see both hilton.com and embassysuites.com show the same award availability.
The one thing that I do see is that on embassysuites.com it sorts the Embassy Suites at the top of the list (as one would expect) and on hilton.com I see it sorted by Relevance. Personally, their idea of relevance never matches my idea of relevance so I always sort by distance and re-order the list. However, after taking into account that "relevance" is used to sort on hilton.com, I see the same hotels available between the two sites.
The one thing that I do see is that on embassysuites.com it sorts the Embassy Suites at the top of the list (as one would expect) and on hilton.com I see it sorted by Relevance. Personally, their idea of relevance never matches my idea of relevance so I always sort by distance and re-order the list. However, after taking into account that "relevance" is used to sort on hilton.com, I see the same hotels available between the two sites.
Mar 16, 2010, 3:16 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 148
What search criteria where you using? I used Chicago, March 19-March 21 (assuming that's what you meant by St Patrick's day weekend... St Patrick's day is a Wednesday this year so either last weekend or the coming weekend could easily be called St Patrick's day weekend and I didn't look up to see when Chicago has its parade) and I can't recreate what you are seeing. I see both hilton.com and embassysuites.com show the same award availability.
The one thing that I do see is that on embassysuites.com it sorts the Embassy Suites at the top of the list (as one would expect) and on hilton.com I see it sorted by Relevance. Personally, their idea of relevance never matches my idea of relevance so I always sort by distance and re-order the list. However, after taking into account that "relevance" is used to sort on hilton.com, I see the same hotels available between the two sites.
The one thing that I do see is that on embassysuites.com it sorts the Embassy Suites at the top of the list (as one would expect) and on hilton.com I see it sorted by Relevance. Personally, their idea of relevance never matches my idea of relevance so I always sort by distance and re-order the list. However, after taking into account that "relevance" is used to sort on hilton.com, I see the same hotels available between the two sites.
I searched last Thursday for a Saturday night room. Among others, the Palmer Hilton was noted as not avb on Hilton.com for an award stay, but the Embassy Suites (both) were. On the ES website, the situation was reversed. I was logged in both times to my account (I'm diamond).
I am aware of the sorting difference - I'm not a novice!
Mar 16, 2010, 7:50 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington DC
Programs: BA GLD, AA GLD 1MM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 1,698
I often find that when I search Hilton.com for award stays, many properties will show as Diamond Desk only. Then if I repeat the search a couple of minutes later, suddenly those same properties are all available for standard award stays. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I've just chalked it up to Hilton.com being a buggy website.
Mar 16, 2010, 8:39 pm
#9
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: US CP, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,007
I wouldn't trust any result set with the number of Diamond Forces on the hilton.com site... I'd assume that something was going on with the site and call (even though its a hassle). Good catch on noticing that availability shows up on other hilton websites though.
Mar 16, 2010, 8:47 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
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Some weird stuff going on at the hilton sites now. I did a search for rooms for tomorrow and all showed "Diamond Stay only" and did a search 3 min later and all showed available.
Mar 17, 2010, 1:29 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
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Mar 17, 2010, 9:08 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Indianapolis
Programs: HHonors Diamond, UA Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 117
Just because it shows up on the search page does not mean they have any available. Once you click on the link to check for your dates on the actual reservations page, most likely it will give you the errors in red saying to pick another location or date because nothing is available.
-Kevn
-Kevn
Mar 17, 2010, 9:55 am
#13
Original Member and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Kansas City, MO, USA
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Posts: 16,579
I have seen this behavior too, in fact usually if you can click to the next page then click back it "fixes" it and you'll see the correct availability that way.
Mar 17, 2010, 2:32 pm
#14
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i'm sure the folks at hilton are aware of this issue....wonder when it will get fixed....there seems to be a lot of problems with the hilton site & its been there for a while....
Mar 17, 2010, 10:14 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
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That's exactly what I did. When all hotels are sold out, something sounds fishy (unless it's like some big convention).