Sosiouxme

For what it's worth:

I'm a HHonors Diamond and two weeks ago, I stayed at the Mission Valley Hilton in San Diego. When I arrived at the hotel at close to 5:00 p.m., there was construction going on. No big deal -- I figured this would cease at 5:00.

I checked in and there was no mention of my status whatsoever. They did say "welcome back" as I had stayed at the hotel before and the computer screen undoubtably told the desk clerk this. Needless to say, I did not get an upgrade nor was my room "Diamond" appointed - no robe, water, whatnot. I did call the front desk and have these items brought up which housekeeping did on an expedited basis - this was appreciated.

The room was not on a high floor - but on one of the lower floors which came into play later. The construction continued until about 7:00 pm.

At around 8 a.m., the fire alarms started. This must be a common occurrence during the construction because the housekeepers who were in the hallways made no effort to evacuate. I, likewise, stayed in my room and continued to get dressed and ready for the day. There were 3-4 false alarms in total - each one lasting a minute or so.

Upon my return to my home, I responded to the e-mail that I always get after a stay - you know, the "Your recent Hhonors stay" e-mail and noted that there was no recognition of my status, no upgrade, the fire alarm, the room was not Diamond appointed, etc. I expected nothing but thought that the property could do better for its best customers and thought that Hilton should know this.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from the manager of the hotel. The e-mail explained that the hotel was doing construction (really? I hadn't noticed ) and was renovating the upper rooms and building an Executive Lounge. He said that the next time I stayed at the property, he would upgrade me to a suite and gave me his direct line to call for the next time I was in the area to take advantage of the upgrade.

I really appreciated this e-mail and the way this was handled. Just thought I'd share.

--Sioux

nova474

Make your next stay a priceline stay!

MisterNice

You got the SOP "stay with us again crap and we will......". Dont fall for it. They gave you a crappy stay, did not refund any part of what you paid and now want to get more of your money. The Mission Valley Doubletree is far superior and nearby (do a search of FT).

MisterNice

nako

Since when is this so-called "Diamond appointment" a published benefit?

Mike

Sosiouxme

This is actually where I stay when I can get a competitive rate - I much prefer it over the Mission Valley Hilton.

BamaVol

Well, I think the offer's a win-win type proposition. Giving you a refund, especially when you didn't ask for one, is less likely to secure a return stay than an offer of a free dinner or guaranteed suite upgrade. After a second disappointing stay, I would ask for my money back and never return.

Maybe with an executive lounge and renovated upper floors, the property will be sufficiently improved. Not the OP's first choice, but as pointed out, sometimes your first choice is not in the $ ballpark.

brittex

At least you got a response. I filled out a survey regarding a very lacklustre stay and the Embassy Suites Tahoe and have yet to get any reply

mazzer

The Hilton San Diego Resort at Mission Bay is only 5 minutes away and a great place to stay - one of my favorites. As a diamond they have always given me a beachside room... no longe but the free breakfast buffet is to die for!

driver8

I recently (Nov05) stayed at the Gatwick Hilton during an overnight layover. Not a great experience. I have stayed there before, but this time the hotel was crowded and loud. TV had no remote and the bath could use some cleaning. Well I was tired, got some sleep and left early the next day to catch my flight. A couple of weeks after I get home, I get the standard survey from Hilton, but this time I return it being honest about the state of the room. In about 5 days I get an very nice email from the Gatwick Hilton manager saying that hotel was/is currently being updated and to forgive the state of the room, and if I stay again I will be upgraded to one of the new deluxe rooms at no cost. I will be in Gatwick in a couple of weeks, so I took her up on the offer. If this is another bad experience, then I'll move to the Sofitel for my Gatwick stays.

schmeeper

Last February I stayed at the Doubletree Ocean Point Resort and Spa near Miami for some much needed rest and relaxation. It didn't take me too long to realize that major construction was taking place right next door to the resort -- and only a few feet away from the pool area. My stay was much less than acceptable. I sent an email to Hilton detailing my dissatisfaction including pictures of the construction equipment a few feet from the pool. All I got was the following email:

Quote:

Thank you for your email.

We are very sorry for the experience you had at the Doubletree Ocean Point Resort & Spa.

As an extremely valued member and customer, we want to ensure that each issue raised is addressed at the appropriate level. By copy of this message, I am forwarding your message to our Guest Assistance department to address directly with the hotel management for prompt resolution. Please allow for a response from that office should they need to contact you.

For your reference their address is

Hilton Hotels Corporation
Guest Assistance
755 Crossover Lane AW A2
Memphis, TN 38117
901-374-6476

We deeply regret that your stay was not indicative of the level of service you have come to expect, and more importantly, deserve when choosing the Hilton Family for your travels. Please let us know if you have any additional concerns and we sincerely appreciate your patience while we work to address these types of issues with our hotels.

AIRcop

There's the DT Mssion Valley and the DT on Hotel Cir. Both are close. Which is the DT that some of you are highly recommending over the Hilton MV..?

Sosiouxme

Hi all,

I just got home yesterday from traveling all week and in my mail was a snail mail copy of the e-mail from the hotel manager that offered me the upgrade, but what was also included with the letter floored me -- a certificate for a free night. ^ to the Hilton M.V.

And as the above poster's question, the Doubletree M.V. is on Hazard Center Dr and is much nicer that the DT Club Hotel on Hotel Circle.

--Sioux

PHLGovFlyer

I�ve stayed at the mission valley Hilton MANY times over the years and generally had decent stays. Nothing spectacular, but you can almost always get a decent rate there. No exec lounge, but I generally get a goody basket with water, fresh made cookies, and candy in my room. None of this happened the last time I stayed 2 weeks ago though, just a regular room. It was also on a lower floor and the desk clerk mentioned that they were renovating the upper floors. The construction was a bit of a pain since the lobby bar (Pitchers IIRC) was closed. Still got the free breakfast coupon.

I also had my first stay at the DT on Hazard Center and I�d definitely go back. Nice lounge on the top floor. Good room, with water and chocolates at the ready (I really need to cut down on my sweets � or my traveling � I think I�ll cut the sweets ). Overall a very nice Hotel. I�m also thinking about trying the Mission Bay property based on the previous posts.