Need advice: Will this mattress run work?
 

Going to Vegas later this week. Planning a four-night mattress run to quality for the "A Night on Us" first quarter 2010 promo Hilton is running. I'd appreciate advice on whether my planned mattress run will work in terms of qualifying me for that promo's free night.

My key question involves the following: My first night will be at the Hampton Inn Tropicana, which I've booked for 2/24 but will actually arrive at the morning of 2/25, at about 8 a.m. I've noted in my reservation that I'll arrive at that time and, unless folks think it's unnecessary, call the Diamond desk and the hotel itself to make sure that's understood. I'll then stay at another Hilton property (likely the Grand Vacation Club on the Strip, due to the low rate offered) the night of the 25th, and again switch hotels for the nights of the 26th and 27th.

Does my actually checking in to the Hampton on the morning of the 25th rather than the night of the 24th somehow mess up the plan? That is, I guess it's conceivable that Hilton could consider this two separate stays on the same day and somehow not consider this qualifying for the promo. I assume it won't be a problem, since it would seem that the key factor is four stays, not four (literal) nights. But I would welcome any thoughts regarding this.

The last night will be at the Airport Doubletree Club, which I assume qualifies as part of this promotion.

FWIW, while checking in and out to different places each night is not my usual cup of tea, it also makes a bit of sense in terms of my needing a place to stay and work when I first arrive on 2/25, before my brother and friends arrive and check into their suite at the Mirage that afternoon. (I've requested a late check-out at the Hampton, but at the very least I can stay until noon which is OK.) Plus, I'll be spending time with them at that suite, so if I get stuck between check-in and check-out times at Hilton properties that's not a problem.

Thanks for any advice.

The only problem you will encounter is that often one of the first stays might not post automatically, since the actual stay dates of the two will be the very same ie 25th.

However if you later call the HH desk and give them a story like...
" I intended to arrive late 24th but my car broke down or my flight was delayed so I didnt get in till 600AM " I am pretty sure you will get them to post the missing one manually.

mike

I wouldn't bother calling the Diamond desk, they won't be able to do anything for you. I would call the hotel the night before and explain you will be arriving at 8 am and ask if they could check you in ahead of time.

It just makes it all easier in getting the points and the rest credited correctly.

Check in online for the first night. It should work.

Great suggestion!

Sometimes, if the hotel is anticipated to be rather full and I want an early check-in, they recommend I reserve a room for the preceding night to guarantee the room will be available when I arrive. You can use the argument that you needed a guaranteed-ready room for early check-in.

Thanks to all for the useful feedback and to zaf for this specific suggestion. I hadn't even known that an online check-in was possible.

This was my experience on back to back stays in OC, CA in January. I had not planned on it, but I ended up checking in after midnight on Friday at the DT Club in Costa Mesa. The next night, I checked in to the Hilton Suites in Orange. My HHonors account showed that both stays checked in on the same day, so I didn't get any credit for the Fri night stay. A simple call to HHonors got me the stay credit, points and worked towards the "Free Night" promo.

Online check-in does not actually register you as a guest, it merely assigns you a room and expedites the check-in process. By all means, use OLCI but CALL THE HOTEL and tell them to check you in on the 24th so the room is already registered to you for the morning of the 25th. This way the room is processed during the 24th's night audit and is transmitted to HHonors for credit.

Do OLCI, and call to confirm.

OLCI and calling the hotel is all fine and good.
They will know he checked-in and they will know he does plan to stay BUT if he arrives on the 25th, the stay will post on the 25th the date when his credit card is swiped.

Once thats done (and presumeably he makes the other hotel checkin later) the required posting of the missing stay (and there is no way one can predict which of the two stays) can only be corrected by calling the HH desk.

mike

Calling the hotel and asking them to check him in on the 24th should work. Arriving on the 25th and swiping the card then won't make a difference, it will still show as arriving on the 24th if the hotel played ball and did a check-in. Like HHonor Gguard said, e-check in does nothing really.

With all that happening, there is a good chance the stay won't count (2 on the same day). So at the end of the day, after you check out of the 2nd hotel check your stays, if they are not two I think you would have a decent argument to present to HHonors phone "supervisor" that you had to ensure some resting time and since the hotel was booked for the previous time you so no-reason why it should not count.

As for myself, I already have two stays so far in this quarter. I have a visit to montreal next week, if I go through with it I will split my stays between the Garden Inn and Bonaventure to get the remaining two stays as I don't think I will stay in hilton from then till the end of march.

just ask the hotel to give you a day rate for the 25th at the hampton inn....that is a qualifying stay....then you can move on to your next hotel on the evening of the 25th....that will be your second stay....this way you won't have a problem & will actually get a better rate at the hampton inn as well, since day rates are often cheaper than an overnight stay....

I think you completely missed the point here. The scenario as the OP outlined will be two valid stays.... the question being discussed here is whether those or any two stays on ANY given date will post without some unusual intervention on the hotel or the HH desk's part and the answer to that is a resounding NO.

BTW not all properties load day rates and in some instances the day rate can be higher than other hilton.com rates like AA or AARP.

mike

There is good advice here, but i thought that HGVC did NOT participate in HH. I could be wrong...?