Dilution of Diamond Force (with points)
 

I just tried to book a reward stay at an Italian hotel over the summer and was told there were no standard rooms available for points.

Usually I'd then have called the Diamond Desk to see if they could do a special diamond force (even stated per their T and Cs now), however was told by the DD that this is no longer possible as there are Executive rooms available that can be fully paid for with points (for 130,000 points a night!!!). Until ALL rooms that can be booked with points are sold out, Diamonds cannot force a room using points (including if there is a suite available).

And most hotels, the US-based DD told me, should be over to the new system by the end of the summer.

This was one of the best benefits of using points ... and the Diamond Force...

This does not affect cash bookings as you can 'force' a standard room even if there is an executive room available.

Another significant dilution of the benefits.....

Sorry, but one observation from one property, alleged by one phone rep, does not confirm a policy change. I will hold off on my 'sky is falling' declaration.

Diamonds can "force" a room purchase if made over 48 hours out, and if there is no "extraordinary demand" (e.g. NBA game, convention, etc.) Diamonds can get a "force" for a standard award room, with the same caveat about extraordinary demand periods, but I do not believe there is anything in writing that follows the rep's line. From Hilton HHonors <link>:

Diamond Reservations Guarantee:

The Diamond Reservations Guarantee allows Diamond members to place a guaranteed reservation at a sold out hotel when made 48 hours prior to arrival, except during Extraordinary Demand Date periods, when the hotel becomes overbooked on inventory by more than 10%, and for some hotels when the hotel becomes overbooked on inventory by more than 2%.

48 hour guaranteed room reservations can be made by Diamond members online at HHonors.com by clicking "Reward Stays" or over the phone by calling the Diamond Member desk or the Hilton Reservations and Customer Care office nearest you. These reservations are only applicable to paid stay reservations for all room types and reward stay reservations for standard rooms. For complete details, click here.

The FT guideline is to call again. I'd wait to start a new thread until after I received some confirmation this is a current and applicable rule. ;)

The same thing has happened to me. I tried booking a room through the diamond desk with points in Malta and was told it would be 98,000 points per night. I even tried using my Q3FN certs and told they were no good.

I tried Faro, Cyprus, and some Italian hotels. With all of them I was told there are no standard reward stays available. Only the premium stays. So now I'm going to Kos.

This better not be true. Otherwise goodbye me to Diamond, as Diamond just lost it's value if you can force me to book high rate rooms (pts wise).

Only 130k points a night though. For a bargain like that how can you turn it down

Is Hilton becoming to hotel chains what Delta is to airlines?

This is just ridiculous!!! I am glad I am still maintaining my SPG platinum status.

It's appearing this way with things like this, giving away gold status for just having a signature visa card (even though their cobranded card is Am Ex), NOR-1 (similar to Deltas FCM), etc.

This has me reconsidering as well. That was one of the best benefits along with lounge access, and last week I was told as a dimaond I couldn't have lounge access in Chicago unless I was on the exec floor even though the HH T&C's state differently.

Well, drats! It seems I have once again arrived late to the party....Just obtained the Surpass Card YESTERDAY with the goal of being Diamond on next summer's Europe vacation and being able to get award rooms at a reasonable rate.......

+1. I'll try to burn some points in the near future as i can easily envision recategorization of rooms and proliferation of premium "not dumpster view" with a hefty point price tag. :td:

Please don't mention Delta and Hilton together like that, you're scaring me. I'm already wiped clean due to inflation of DL pts...

Congratulation for your 6500th post!!!

I remember at the beginning of the last year one ot the Delta IT top manager moved to Hilton... (I don't remember exactly the details but this guy was very active here on FT on the Delta forum). Probably these are the results of his job.... :D

They also have a cobranded VISA. Which does have just about the same benefits as the AMEX.

I just looked at my Hilton Visa and never noticed it was a signature visa (not realy even sure in all honesty what added benefits the "signature" gives).

The Hilton Am Ex has better benefits than the citi hilton visa. You get 3 points instead of 2 on general purchases, and for grocery stores and a cell service and a few other merchants you get 6 points per $ as opposed to 2 on the visa and 9 poitns on the surpass or 6 on the regular am ex at hilton as opposed to 4 on the Visa. Those points can really add up if you charge a lot in a month.

You also get the gold status after spending $20K and diamond after $40K if you have a surpass, so that benefit can be nice for people that don't have enough hotel stays in a year. Not to mention all the added benefits Am Ex gives you over visa such as car rental protection (which was used by me in the past) and the extended waranty protection, etc.