timfountain

Hilton, if you are listening then you need to give your top tier members a break here. If you really valued Diamonds, you could make a specific exception for us, or at the very least say, give Diamonds 5 exceptions per year. This one-way loyalty is getting to be pretty tiring, especially on top of the devaluations and dynamic awards earlier this year. All take and no give make you really seem like you don't give a damn about your most valuable customers. PS I am north of $30k in Hilton spend for this year alone. Do you really want to piss off people like me? Come on, get a grip and start thinking about your customers as more than just walking ATM's.

Signed a very PO'd Diamond.

Stripe

If true, the new policy would stink. However, I have been a Diamond for many years and had never thought to work through the Diamond desk to cancel a reservation past the deadline. It doesn't happen often that I need to do so, but when I do I always just call the front desk of the property and have never been denied.

I consider the Diamond desk to be worthless for most things and it never would have occurred to me to cancel through them.

storewanderer

I have already been enticed to use opaque booking channels for the first night of my trips, figuring if I don't make it, at least I will be out less money...

Now with this, will I be using opaque booking channels for nights 1 and 2 of my trips?

The cost savings of using the opaque channels is often pretty significant vs. using Hilton.com especailly since the MVP has been fading away more than it used to. The cost savings of using the opaque channels more than makes up for missing the free Gold breakfast with Hilton which also this year seems to be more often than not a Continental only with fewer and fewer properties in the US offering the "above standard" hot option.

retiredfromhilton

It has been rolled out to properties. I wouldn't expect Hilton to shout this from the rooftops for members. Just watch the cancelation policies on reservations made after 31 July.

retiredfromhilton

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...lation-policy/

AlwaysFlyStar

I was given an offer to have 2017 and 2018 as a diamond with Hilton, and while quite beneficial when I travel to the states, if this change is real, I will be quite happy to remain with Accor. At least for now, Accor's flexible rates allow you to cancel until 18:00 on day of arrival. *Touch wood*

yurtripper

This is a great point and something that I'd practically forgotten about. Accor is usually close to the bottom of my list but with the cancellation changes at MR and HH it's starting to look a lot more attractive for stays where I'm not 100% about being able to make it.

Update: IHG also have 6pm same day cancellation.

zachary

I am seeing this at some, but not all properties. Some are still at 24 hours; others at 48 hours.

I have had to do last minute cancellations a number of times due to flight cancellations and changes in plans. Like Stripe, I have always called the property and, even if I've never stayed there before, they've always waived the fee. And I reward those properties by staying there on subsequent stays in the area.

As a result, I'm not going to stress over this change too much. But it is anti-consumer.

kirkwoodj

Thanks. Of course July 31 is not July 12. Will keep an eye out.

storewanderer

So many of us have had experiences with getting cancelation fees waived when we cancel on short notice due to flight issues. So that sort of begs the point, what is the point of having these fees, if they don't enforce them when you call up and ask them not to?

I assume maybe they can look at a customer's history and maybe there is an unwritten rule allowing cancel a few times a year and maybe then they will charge?

What concerns me with this is, the policy says, you will be charged one night if you cancel with less than 48 hours before arrival. Eventually I think this policy will be enforced. You cannot count on it being waived...

I also question the legality of advertising "flexible" rates in this manner. This is not really very "flexible."

I will be taking more of my stays to opaque channels due to this policy. At least that way if you lose the money, you lose less...

jeffandnicole

Because the majority of people won't call to have them waived. And it also serves as a way to get people to commit to their reservation.

If there's a business that is 100% inflexible about their rules, then they generally don't survive too long. And there's almost always the 'rules' as published to the consumer, and internal rules as to what they are permitted to do when a customer has an issue.

MASTERNC

According to Doctor of Credit, this has been confirmed to take effect July 31.

http://www.doctorofcredit.com/hilton...ours-24-hours/

Simon Schus

This is an excellent benefit when staying at Accor properties. I've had to use this a couple of times.

jamesteroh

My issue with this is when my flight has an irops situation. The only times I have asked for an exception (and have always had good luck calling the diamond desk if the property won't budge when calling them) is when my flight cancels and it's never been a problem. A couple times the property will ask my flight info and when they see it cancelled will cancel the reservation with no problem of its more than one night change the arrival date to the next day.

retiredfromhilton

As it stands now, my former colleagues on the Diamond Desk have been told they can't call hotels after July 31 to ask them waive late cancel fees for members.