I had booked a room at the Hilton on St. Charles in New Orleans this past Sunday as a place for my traveling party to put our suitcases while we were visiting the city before changing clothes to fly back to Hartford after a cruise. When I went to book, Hilton offered me a Day Rate.

Upon arrival at the hotel, I was told that it was sold out the night before and that there was no room to give me. I could store luggage and they'd call me when the room was ready but check-in was at 3 PM (it was about 10:30 AM at the time). I told the desk agent as that was unacceptable as I booked the room as a day room (if I wanted a day room, why would I wait until 3 PM to check in??) and if they couldn't provide one to me at that moment, I wanted the reservation canceled on the spot. Quick check with the manager and it was done.

Did I misunderstand what the day rate should have provided? If you have a customer who has booked a day room the next day, shouldn't you set aside a room for them? I didn't even care how many beds were in the room, we just wanted a secure place to dump our luggage then change before we left for the airport.

We wound up going straight to the airport after doing some repacking in the lobby and stood by for flights that got us home two hours earlier than planned so it wasn't bad in the long run. However, between this and a few other things I've decided not to do mattress runs to retain Diamond status for the 10th year running.

Opinions?

I often book day rooms at Hilton properties. Usually it means the room can be used 6-8 hours between 8am and 6pm. Really depends on the property. So yes the room should have been ready for you at 10.30am for sure.

A day use rate at the property doesn't specify check in nor check out times. Sloppy.

Rate details DAY USE
DAY USE


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Rules & Restrictions
Guarantee Policy
There is a credit card required for this reservation.

Cancellation Policy
If you wish to cancel, please do so 3 days prior to arrival to avoid cancellation penalties.

At check in, the front desk will verify your check-out date. Rates quoted are based on check-in date and length of stay. Should you choose to depart early, price is subject to change.

We reserve the right to cancel or modify reservations where it appears that a customer has engaged in fraudulent or inappropriate activity or under other circumstances where it appears that the reservations contain or resulted from a mistake or error.

Totals listed here are estimated based on current taxes and exchange rates (if applicable) and do not include additional fees/charges that may be incurred during your stay.

Services provided for an additional charge
Parking charges: Valet parking - $32.48
In-room wireless internet: $12.95, Complimentary for HHonors Gold & Diamond
In-room wired internet: $12.95, Complimentary for HHonors Gold & Diamond
Public wireless internet: $12.95
Pets allowed, $75.00 non-refundable fee, 75 lbs maximum

it seems to differ between properties...

Hiton Bangkok Millenium

DAY USE RATES DAY USE - NO OVERNIGHT STAY DAY ROOMS AVAILABLE FROM 9AM TO 6PM ONLY

+1 - Day rates are unique to location + property. I would think that 10:30 AM fits the definition of "day" but you never know unless it's specified. As a gesture of CS, I would hope that Hilton would do something for OP because he was effectively "walked" from his room even though this is not likely an actual "walk."

I think 10.30am should be check-in time for day rate under most circumstances but surely 3pm is way too late and not acceptable under any definition...

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't think that I was too far off expecting a room to be ready at 1030. Between this, a number of hotels whose shuttles stop running to the airport before the final flight arrives and not noting it on their pages, and the devaluation of the program I'm considering giving my business elsewhere.

That may be a violation of Hilton brand standards (if the property is a designated Airport Hilton):

4.1 AIRPORT PRODUCT LINE
4.1.1. Airport product line designation must be approved by the Brand.
4.1.2. The hotel must be located within a three-mile / 4.8 kilometer radius of the entrance to a commercial airport to have the airport product line designation.
4.1.3. If the hotel is designated as an �Airport Hotel�, and unless the hotel is directly adjacent to and within walking distance of the airport, it must provide a complimentary airport van/transport service so long as local transport regulations permit such a service.
4.1.4. If the hotel is designated as an �Airport Hotel�, guests must not wait longer than 15 minutes for transportation to and from the airport or hotel between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and no longer than 20 minutes at any other time.

if i book a room for day use, thru hilton.com, is it going to count as stay and earn points?

thanks!

Hi musikdude,

Yes - as long as this reservation is booked through a Hilton family website, you will receive Points and stay credit.

Cheers,
Erin

Will you also receive a night credit?

Erin already said you get stay credit.

But didn't mention night credit as well. I do believe for SPG, a "day room" will only give you a stay credit with no night credits.

My guess is Hilton would be the same as you wouldn't have stayed over night.

Yes, HH counts nights and stays separately. I do believe recall reading day rates do not bump the night counter. So those qualifying by nights will not benefit from a day rate. However, if you are using stays, then you would. Personally I prefer longer, single stays over hotel hopping.

I've always received 1 stay and 1 night credit for my day rate stays.

This actually can be slightly problematic if you arrive early and want a day room at, say, an airport location after a red-eye flight, then move to a different hotel for the overnight stay. You'd only receive credit for the 1 stay/night if both hotels happened to be HHonors hotels...