NobodyX

We will be staying at Hilton Paris Opera tomorrow during New Year's Eve.
I just checked the Hhonors Website and Online-Check-In is already available.

We booked a Deluxe room and as a Hhonors Diamond I am a bit surprised that there is no automatical upgrade to the Executive Rooms offered. It just says:
"Elite HHonors Member
Complete check-in now and we'll do our best to upgrade you when you arrive."

Should I be worried? Usually we get this kind of automatic online-check-in-upgrade in European Hilton properties.
In this thread I read several times that Hilton Paris Opera takes good care of Diamond members and that even Suite upgrades were possible. It also looks like that there are Exec. rooms free to book on their website.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

gav0106

I would not worry. Upgrades do not always come through early on online check in. Lots hotels will not allocate upgrades till morning of arrival. 75% of my online upgrades don't show till late morning of stay.

scubaccr

Unless hotel is sold out, ad you know you wont get an upgrade, so need to OLCI for a good room, I find OLCI pointless unless pre-upgraded.
Too many receptionists simply+always take the easy path of not reviewing time-of-checkin upgrades possible for Elites having used OLCI, and if challenged, fall back, on "I did not want to dissapoint you as you already chose your room"

Some of the tardy room type mods is down to intro of NOR1 2.5 years ago, where the hotel revenue manager has not to only upgrade HHGs/HHDs but also look at extracting nor1 revenue.

As an example one hotel pre-NOR1 modded me 2-3days out, and now it is only on morning of a stay, unless modded early due to hotel selling out for a hot date/event in the area.

Whilst some revenue managers do the NOR1 runs late afternoon/early evening the day before checkin, many do not , and leave until 5am. I am sure with hotels havinf 1400 checkin times, some hotels only process 1200-1300 on day of arrival.

Even pre NOR1 many hotels did their upgrade planning 5-7am once they had full picture of reservations, extended stays for the coming morning.

Personally I blame NOR1 to be reason for lack of early room upgrade mod in at least 50% of my HH stays. I quietly assume t other 50% never upped/modded early even in days before NOR1.
I also blame to some extent change by HH in cacel of fex bookings from 4pm on DOA to 4pm Day before, and believe hotels now wait to incorporate those late cancelations in their planning too

It is not just HH group, many hotels I know of in other chains, plan the days checkin/mods/upgrades and room allocations circa 6am each morning once hotel has complete picture of arrivals/extensions/checkouts.

Sisosig

Wow, that's lots of jargon. Whats the diff b/w a mod vs. an upgrade?

Matthew_22

I have been burnt by the online check-in thing too many times in the past to bother with it unless I have been pre-upgraded already. Despite that spiel about being first in line for an upgrade or whatever, the half dozen times I did use it, I ended up remaining in that exact room, despite potential upgrades being available when I arrived at the hotel, and in one instance when I questioned this, I was directly told "oh no, we can't change/upgrade your room now because you've already checked in online" This obviously completely contradicts the promise given to get you to check-in online, which has me feeling a little scammed. From what I've read on here, I'm not alone in this experience either.

NYScot

Exactly this. Unless I see a corner room I want to snag (knowing it's the best I can do in that property) then I leave online check in alone. I've heard "Oh, we thought you wanted that room" too many times.

NobodyX

Just checked in at Hilton Paris Opéra ! NO upgrade because of this stupid online/mobile-check-in !! The guy at the reception desk just said things like "no availabilty", "you blocked a deluxe room during online check-in, we can't upgrade"...When I check the website in front of him there was availability for Exec. rooms...he just answered "thats a mistake" and we should come back to the reception desk tomorrow to check for upgrades...what a sad diamond member treatment.

Matthew_22

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, but unfortunately that is the typical outcome. Whatever nonsense they say about "Complete check-in now and we'll do our best to upgrade you when you arrive" is a total sham, verging on a bait and switch. Once online check-in is completed and a room is selected, as far as the hotel is concerned that is where you want to be, and thats the end of the matter. Like you say, it's a really shabby way to treat elite members supposedly helping the hotel out. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'd say just about everybody on this forum has suffered the same fate at some point or another and at least you'll know for next time to give the app check-in a wide berth when trying to score an upgrade.

heggers03

Recently stayed on this property. As diamond no more upgrade was was offered at online checkin so abandoned and checked in at the property. Upgraded at front desk checkin from deluxe to junior suite.

whimsey21

I've got a stay in Paris coming up soon, and am thinking about staying at the Hilton. I recall that the first few years after this property was branded a Hilton, the reviews on flyertalk were terrible. As such, I've been staying in Marriott properties in Paris instead, and have been pretty happy with the Renn Vendome (especially the location). I do need a Hilton stay for status, however, so I'm definitely going to spend at least one night at the Hilton. I'm trying to decide if I should make it just one night, and spend the rest at the Renn, or just stay put for the whole trip and save myself the hassle of switching hotels. Several of the recent reviews have been much more positive-- for those of you who have stayed multiple times, has the property improved across the board, or is it hit or miss? Also, are they still offering breakfast to everyone? (doesn't matter for me, but one of my colleagues with no status will stay wherever I do on this trip). Thanks!

whimsey21

So I'll answer my own questions from the previous post...
I just got back from a 3 night stay at the property, and was very happy with the property. I had booked a deluxe room, and was a bit disappointed that the app didn't show any upgrades up 'til the time I arrived, despite rooms in all categories showing availability for booking. I checked in and the desk staffer pulled out my folio and keys, so I asked if they had any diamond upgrades. She looked a bit surprised (like this hadn't occurred to her), but then started typing away. After a few minutes she said that she was upgrading me to a suite, and asked if I'd prefer a view or a quiet inward facing room-- I asked for the latter. My suite (I assume it was the basic suite, as it was basically one very large room) was great. Lots and lots of space, very well appointed and comfortable, with excellent climate control. The bathroom was also quite large, with a heated floor and a walk in shower (great water pressure). I thought the public areas of the hotel were very "grand" - it definitely felt like being in a luxury property.
Also at check-in I was given a sheet listing the Diamond benefits, including exec lounge access and 2 bottles of water. They stuck to the latter quite literally- I had 2 bottles in the room, and they were not replaced once empty. The desk staffer told me there would be a points charge for using the restaurant instead of the lounge; later the restaurant staffer told me this was not the case. I found the lounge a bit small and not overly nice, so I stuck with the restaurant. Their breakfast was quite extensive; in addition to the standard items, they had liege waffles, excellent cheeses, a very large selection of "Bonne Maman" jams (about 20 varieties), and a self-service leg of Iberico ham. The only thing lacking were the pastries-- only 3 types (croissants, pain au chocolate, and an apple filled pastry), and not very good considering we were in Paris. Still, it was a great benefit, especially considering the walk-up charge (posted outside of the restaurant) was 30e pp.
As mentioned earlier, the lounge was a bit small. It is open from 6:30am-8pm, with breakfast from 6:30-10am and evening drinks from 6-8pm. I stopped in twice in the afternoon - both times they had soft drinks, water, candy, and apples available. The first time, there were some empty plates on the buffet suggesting they may have had some food; the second time there was a plate of brownies and an apple tart (quite good). I visited once in the evening, and they had some cheese, bread, two salads, a dessert item, and wine (red, white, and rose). The lounge was definitely better than nothing, but I didn't feel like the selection or quality were up to the standards of the rest of the property.
The last night I was there, the property also hosted a "wine tasting" in the bar for hhonors members. They had 3 types of Alsatian wines, as well as a few different hors d'oeuvres (much better than in the lounge). I thought this was a nice gesture, though the actual event did feel a little weird, as several hotel managers were going around greeting some guests very warmly with great fuss, while ignoring others (myself included) completely. I'd likely skip such an event in the future if one takes place during a stay.
The location isn't as central as I would have liked, but was quite reasonable. The property is practically on top of the Gare Lazare metro station, and is just over a 5 minute walk to the Galleries Lafayette. There is also a Pain Quotidian branch in the building, with an entrance directly into the lobby of the hotel.
Overall, I was very pleased-- the hotel was very comfortable, and treated me well as a Diamond. I'm going to be back in Paris in a few weeks, and have booked it for a return stay.

bimmerfreak0

June 18-19....check the rate...$900 euro a night and 360000 points. It used to at least CAP at 100k for a standard room. Am I missing something or do I just need to start collecting Chase points instead. I know the points+money thing kinda got rid of categories but I had no idea a hotel would charge this egregious of a rate.

Abidjan

Peak travel season, two weeks out. Not surprising.

Michael19887

Misleading post by OP. Standard rooms (and all guest rooms) are sold out for the dates mentioned. You should try booking a standard room in advance.

Kacee

Translation: There are no standard rooms available available in June in Paris two weeks out. And the Premium Awards are pricing at around .5 cpp.

Shocking.