ILTE:

I feel the passion in your argument, but I still have to say I get a beter value with HHonors. I have always had excellent customer service with Hilton (as well as Starwood). And Adam Burke in the Hilton forum is a great help. While not as active a poster as the Starwwod Lurker, he nevertheless can get things done when you need it.

As far as blackout dates and capacity controls, I have always found that you can usually get a Hilton room when you need it. And because they have FAR more properties than Starwood, you have FAR more options.

If the HHonors Service Center will not book a reward room for you, you can usually call the hotel directly and the (reservations or general) manager will be happy to give you an unused room.

It's somewhat of a hassle, but for the ultra point savings with HHonors, I will gladly make the extra call.

I keep a stash of Starpoints just in case there is ever a time when HHonors absolutely, positively can't get me a room, but I have never had to use it!

So I would say keep Starwood as a backup if you need a definite positive reservation. But get into Hilton's wonderful world of points and get more bang for your buck the vast majority of the time.


Mac

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¡Viaja con Dios!