I recently stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis as a Hilton Diamond using a regular stay rate and American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts rate. The hotel is not fully open yet with a grand opening coming in the next month or so. The spa has yet to open and the Rosette Club just opened prior to my stay. I was initially upgraded from a base level room to a Rosette Club King and then to a Deluxe King 1 Bedroom Suite when availability opened up.

The hotel is "new" and as a result there are a few issues but I'll highlight some of the minor inconveniences first. Diamonds receive a complimentary breakfast at the restaurant with your choice of a la carte or buffet, however, the buffet is quite basic and the hostess didn't proactively offer me the menu based option giving the illusion that the buffet was the only choice. I also received a complimentary visit to the Peacock Alley as part of the hotel welcome offer I booked directly through Hilton but it was never mentioned to me and I had to seek out information on it. The bar manager and bartenders are fantastic but their liquor supply is very basic and limited at the moment. This will be addressed soon, however, and the manager assured me they will have a first rate collection. You can visit the Hilton next door meanwhile through a gate in the hotel lobby and their drinks are 50% cheaper.

Waldorf Astorias rarely have executive lounges but this one has a Rosette Club. It is a club that offers beverages and light refreshments to club level room guests. It is an executive lounge in all but name. I was upgraded to rooms that would normally have access to this club, let alone through my Diamond status, but the hotel refused to grant me access initially. It took me calling the Diamond desk, which wasn't very helpful, and finally an exception made by the duty manager before I was allowed access on my final day. It really is disappointing that this WA is taking this approach as the only people impacted by this policy are Golds upgraded to club access rooms and Diamonds in any room type. Naming your executive lounge a club to get out of offering elite access is quite bad. The guards at the Hilton/WA lobby gate are also less than friendly though it is nice being able to cross with the minor hassle to use the facilities at the Hilton and you can even charge to your room.

The rooms were acceptable for a WA with what I believe were locally sourced bath products instead of Aesop. The deluxe suite being a mirror of the club room besides the door to the living room. I will give it another shot in the future though there are far cheaper options so I really hope that these issues are ironed out sooner than later.