UPDATE - as you will read later in this thread, we are now getting members signed up for a special deal of ~$A200 a person - not the $A248 as per original thread title. Willyroo our highly paid (!) and hard working Moderator kindly amended the heading to reflect this. If you see "$A248" mentioned in the earlier posts on thread, please disregard that figure.
Thanks! Glen
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This appears to be a deal that is Asia/Pacific local in origin, and Americans seem never to have heard of it. Which is good.
Just phoned the Hilton Diamond Club Admin Manager to sign someone up using me as a referral. I get a freebie bottle of bubbly in my room when I stay, for each person that signs up via me, so this project is
VERY close to my heart.
The deal covers the Hiltons in ADL, BNE, CNS, MEL (city and airport) PER, SYD and often AKL. There a a ton of vouchers in each pack. All good for a year from when you join up. Just one stay will generally cover your annual cost if booking mid week.
She pointed out the
STANDARD sign-up deal for anyone they cold-canvass themselves
does NOT include the $A55 night or $A110 guaranteed Junior Suite deal. They use the $A120 a night deal vouchers (of which you get 2) for any OZ Hilton property as the big selling attraction to normal cold-call prospects. (I just checked Hilton On The Park MEL for late Jan and best rate is $A325 plus 10% GST =
$357.50,
The SYD Hilton will be somewhat higher I imagine when it first opens. $A400 a night in there will be the very
lowest rate at many times, I am quite certain. It wil be the
"only" place in SYD to stay for at least a year for bizoids with a choice when it opens May 2005. So using just that one voucher for SYD Hilton, more than covers annual membership, and leaves a great deal of change left over, on just a single stay.)
These $A55 nights ($US41 inc all taxes!) were supposedly a special offer for all "charter" members who renewed, of which I appear to be one.
HOWEVER when I pressed her as to whether anyone referred by me would get the same voucher in their kit, she noted my file to say they
would do that for them.
So it seems if I refer anyone to join you get the $A55 a night voucher, plus the 2 x $A120 vouchers (all INCLUDE GST and the $120s are fully transferrable) and all the other in-room and restaurant dining vouchers, and from
$US30 a room Asian Hilton ones etc, (which are also FULLY transferrable) and health club passes etc.
I can't see why if you were in 1 property for 3 nights like the
OzFest weekend in Late May:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...hreadid=336631
You could not use the Suite upgrade voucher for night #1 and the $A120 vouchers for other 2 nights? Would save $700-$800 off cheapest rates I imagine on a 3 day stay and be assured of a great room?
The ~$A200 a person annual membership (tax included) then readily pays for itself.
(And for those NOT yet signed up as a 'Definite' or 'Maybe' for OzFest in the past week please add to thread seeing we FINALLY have selected a firm weekend - May 27/9, and are now counting firm looking numbers.) ^
There are also a couple of
"upgrade to Junior Suite for $A99" vouchers fully transferable, good for any Oz based Hilton. There are also "Weekend Indulgence" vouchers for a Hilton room, 2 dinners, and 2 breakfasts. Also fully transferrable. Also a pile of "50% off vouchers" are not so exciting - being around $A200 a night fixed $$$ rate - but that rate
INCLUDES GST, and each is good for 4 night stays if needed. So is still
way lower than lowest Hilton web rate you'll generally find.
There are also 2 x cards you can give to friends that are staying Hilton that give them the 20% off
ANY Hilton published or promotional accom. rates on OZ/NZ (even
specifically taken off best Hilton rate offered via discounters like
www.wotif.com.au) 20% off all room charges, 50% off 2 guests dining, or 25% off 1 person dining, 33% off 3 persons dining etc, 25% off 4 people dining etc. I have found these in the past can save $75-$100 on a table of 4 VERY readily at Hilton dining prices. (Diamond Club members get all these dining % off bennies anyway by showing their card.)
There is also a 35% off Avis rate code etc which is very useful at busy times. And to ensure a viable tie-in with QF and ensure tis is on-topic (!) see my post from Feb 8 - there appears to be an impending bennie tie-up with
Qantas and/or Qantas Club in the wings for all Diamond Club members.
As an humorous aside I handed over my very swish looking platinum coloured 'Diamond Club' card when checking into a Hilton property in the USA last month, as I'd left my normal Gold HH card at home in the rush to pack. It says valid to November 2005, and member since 2002 on it. Clerk said:
"Wow I have never seen this one before". I said:
"It is an Australia/Asia thing I think" and he very cheerfully upgraded me to something VERY nice out of the goodness of his heart. And this was on a Priceline $34 a night booking.
Card has a bold Hilton logo right on it. He
assumed it was a HH Diamond Card from OZ, I imagine.
Many of the offers say 'no Hilton points will be earned on this rate', but from previous year experience when I stayed, that was not an issue, and normal points accrued for me at least. Other posters here like
NM have confirmed this indeed seems not to be an issue for 2005 Diamond Club voucher stays. Checking out, and THEN having them enter HH # into booking at
that point usually is the way around that.
Anyway, contact me if interested, and I'll pass on the info, and try and pair you up with another member to both thus get the ~$A200 rate.
Use only this address please - ozstamps at ozemail.com.au - and
not the FT email system, as that is a bit clunky.