RDUpax

+1 Yum...

CEB

Not sure about all the details, but in the past it has been my experience that most reservations through groups contain a disclaimer regarding elite benefits. IME the hotels, notably SPG and Hyatt, still honor the benefits. However I have often found that Hilton hotels do not honor such benefits. I regularly attend a conference in Fukuoka where I have never received any points for my stays during a conference, but the points show up promptly when I stay there on regular business.

So while we may not like it, I do think that most of the chains do have this sort of clause in their groups contracts. Since I also organize 2-3 events per year I will always try to negotiate this out of the contract, but not at the expense of the conference!

Podcat

More like snotty and obnoxious.

Some clerks who hate their job and their customers secretly decide that the best defense is a good offense, and this sounds like one. By picking that phrase -- very deliberately -- she's saying, "It's our hotel, we do what we want. Some days we offer benefits, sometimes we don't. Don't like it? Go elsewhere." She well knows she's being snotty, trying to train you as her submissive.

If I were GM I would hand her an envelope and a sincere recommendation that she find another line of work.

bchandler02

I know I'm becoming more and more fed up with Hilton lately. They seem to just not care about their customers.

Stayed at a Starwood property last week - which I haven't done since ~2011 - mostly due to locations where I was and they aren't. I booked through hotwire, and when I checked in they asked if I was SPG. I said yes and gave my number - they said I wouldn't get any points for the room due to Hotwire booking which I knew, but I was welcome to other benefits and points on any additional charges. Total 180 from Hilton and they made me feel valued as a customer instead of whatever this crap Hilton does.

cfischer

Nope. There are guaranteed benis which each and every hotel must provide. In the case of the OP this was NOT the case. Additional benis may be available (such as upgrades) but they are not guaranteed. I'd never expect something which is not guaranteed but if I stayed at a Hilton and they told me 'sorry, no free BF today' I'd for sure make a fuss.

Princess Cruiser

Happened to me at the Marriott East Wichita. Convention booked the concierge level (or so we were told by the front desk) so full paying Gold and Platinum award people were not allowed to access the Marriott lounge.

sethb

Booked all the rooms on the concierge level, or booked the lounge itself for convention use? (I've seen the latter a few times, and consider it an entirely different issue.)

Hilton Honors Ambassador

Hi there, I’d be happy to help clarify. All HHonors benefits are listed in the official HHonors terms and conditions here: HHonors.com/Terms

Our promotions are added incentives on top of these benefits to encourage travel in key destinations. In many cases, guests must be HHonors members to register for our promotions, but these offers are not considered benefits in the HHonors program.

We hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions.

garethmorgan

I sent in a missing points query yesterday after a 5 night stay at the Hilton South Wharf in Melbourne. I was booked through the conference organisers but the rate was still about AS$250 a night. They passed my Diamond number across and I got the benefits during the stay. The stay has posted 0 points or nights however.

I had emails from both the hotel and conference confirming that they had my number but no mention that the stay wouldn't post.

arlflyer

Very fair explanation ^. Plenty of travel industry companies do this for the low seasons, etc. I think that these promos have been so prevalent, though, that people have come to think of these as brand-wide loyalty rewards rather than efforts to drive customers to specific properties that might be slow. And they also factor these promos into their calculus of how they value a reward program, because frankly Hilton would be much less competitive without them. So I think the distinction you make above has been lost, and then when properties opt out it rubs people the wrong way.

onobond

Having a company representative present on the Hilton Forum will clear these mishaps up considerably faster than if not.

Should not all airlines/hotels/car rentals etc be encouraged to have a rep present on FT?

arlflyer

Idk. On one hand they can handle customer service stuff really well like Anthony does. On the other hand they would catch all the deals and good fares and such and kill them.

Sez_Who

The airlines have tried to have reps on FT and more often than not, they are skewered. Right now things are pretty calm on HH but come January when we get yet another devaluation to benefits, the screaming will begin anew.

Anthony has been very good but it is important to remember he is only a messenger. Don’t mean this in a negative way, only that he does not make policy and he cannot change policy. All he can do is relay our thoughts and respond (and probably not always as quickly as we would like).

Sometimes it is not about what we are saying as much as how we say it. If Anthony is attacked personally because of HH policy, he will disappear just like the others.

Hilton Honors Ambassador

Regardless of the future of the program, we're dedicated to being present on FlyerTalk. When I am informed of announcements, I am preparing answers to questions I know I will be asked so I am able to jump in and assist quickly.


True, and that's a good point. But the whole point of this is so that your feedback and comments can inform the future of the program. So while I act as a messenger, our entire team is actively listening to what you have to say.

We understand this community represents some of our most frequent guests and experts of the HHonors program. Thanks for your comments!

In an effort to keep this forum productive, I'll only be able to assist users who follow official FlyerTalk Rules. So you're correct that I'm unable to help users
who don't follow these rules of conduct. I do want to reassure you that we are fully committed to keeping an HHonors Representative on this forum.

Cheers,
Anthony

onobond

And you are most welcome!