Dec 11, 2017, 1:13 am
Last edit by: MaldivesFreak
Here is a link to Hilton T & C on pooling:
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/p...money/faq.html
1. What is Points Pooling?
Points Pooling will allow Hilton Honors Members to combine their Points with family and friends to book a stay. With this perk, a Member (and up to 10 others) will now be able to combine their Points. For example, if a group of friends are taking a trip together and individually don’t have enough Points to cover their entire stay, they will now be able to combine their Points, free of charge, into one account to unlock new redemption opportunities.
2. Is there a fee to participate in the Points Pooling program?
No, there is no fee to participate in Points Pooling.
3. How many people can contribute to Points Pooling?
A total of 11 Hilton Honors Members can pool their Points together. One Member initiates the pooling and up to 10 other Members can contribute.
4. Do I need to create a new "pooled" account?
No. Members can use their existing account.
5. How many Points Pools can I be in?
There is no limit on the number of pools a member can be in at a given time.
6. Can you use Pooled Points for just room rates or can it be used for non-room rewards including shopping and experiences?
Yes, once Points are pooled, they can be used for any room or non-room reward product, including the experiences available on the Hilton Honors auction platform, Hilton Honors Shopping Mall and any other non-room reward products.
7. Can you combine Pooled Points with money?
Once Points are pooled they can be used for any room reward product, including a Points & Money Rewards™ reward reservation.
8. What is the minimum/maximum number of Points that can be pooled?
A Member can transfer a minimum of 1,000 Points and a maximum of 500,000 Points into a pool in a calendar year. A Member can receive up to 2 million Points in a calendar year.
9. Are there particular qualifications you must meet to be able to pool Points?
To use Points Pooling, you must be an active Member, be in the program for 30 days, and have a minimum Points balance of 1,000 Points.
10. When will Points Pooling be available?
Points Pooling is now available. Start pooling your Hilton Honors Points here.
11. When will the Points be shown in the other Member’s account and be ready for use?
The transferred or pooled Points will be available for use at the time of transfer, but please allow up to 24 hours for pooled Points to show up when you log in to your account.
12. Where and how do I Points Pool once I have a group of Members that want to combine Points?
All Points Pooling activities will be transacted online via HiltonHonors.com.
13. Where do I go to transfer my Points to the Points Pool initiator?
The Points contributor must access the transfer page through the Points Pool invitation email sent on behalf ot the Points Pool initiator.
14. What’s the difference between Points Pooling and Points Transfer?
Points Transfer is a 1:1 transaction, while Points Pooling allows for combining Hilton Honors Points with up to 10 other people (11 including yourself).
15. After I send Points to a friend for Pooling, what happens if he/she cancels the trip? How can I get my Points back?
If your friend has to cancel his/her trip, he/she can simply transfer the Points back to your account for free.
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/p...money/faq.html
1. What is Points Pooling?
Points Pooling will allow Hilton Honors Members to combine their Points with family and friends to book a stay. With this perk, a Member (and up to 10 others) will now be able to combine their Points. For example, if a group of friends are taking a trip together and individually don’t have enough Points to cover their entire stay, they will now be able to combine their Points, free of charge, into one account to unlock new redemption opportunities.
2. Is there a fee to participate in the Points Pooling program?
No, there is no fee to participate in Points Pooling.
3. How many people can contribute to Points Pooling?
A total of 11 Hilton Honors Members can pool their Points together. One Member initiates the pooling and up to 10 other Members can contribute.
4. Do I need to create a new "pooled" account?
No. Members can use their existing account.
5. How many Points Pools can I be in?
There is no limit on the number of pools a member can be in at a given time.
6. Can you use Pooled Points for just room rates or can it be used for non-room rewards including shopping and experiences?
Yes, once Points are pooled, they can be used for any room or non-room reward product, including the experiences available on the Hilton Honors auction platform, Hilton Honors Shopping Mall and any other non-room reward products.
7. Can you combine Pooled Points with money?
Once Points are pooled they can be used for any room reward product, including a Points & Money Rewards™ reward reservation.
8. What is the minimum/maximum number of Points that can be pooled?
A Member can transfer a minimum of 1,000 Points and a maximum of 500,000 Points into a pool in a calendar year. A Member can receive up to 2 million Points in a calendar year.
9. Are there particular qualifications you must meet to be able to pool Points?
To use Points Pooling, you must be an active Member, be in the program for 30 days, and have a minimum Points balance of 1,000 Points.
10. When will Points Pooling be available?
Points Pooling is now available. Start pooling your Hilton Honors Points here.
11. When will the Points be shown in the other Member’s account and be ready for use?
The transferred or pooled Points will be available for use at the time of transfer, but please allow up to 24 hours for pooled Points to show up when you log in to your account.
12. Where and how do I Points Pool once I have a group of Members that want to combine Points?
All Points Pooling activities will be transacted online via HiltonHonors.com.
13. Where do I go to transfer my Points to the Points Pool initiator?
The Points contributor must access the transfer page through the Points Pool invitation email sent on behalf ot the Points Pool initiator.
14. What’s the difference between Points Pooling and Points Transfer?
Points Transfer is a 1:1 transaction, while Points Pooling allows for combining Hilton Honors Points with up to 10 other people (11 including yourself).
15. After I send Points to a friend for Pooling, what happens if he/she cancels the trip? How can I get my Points back?
If your friend has to cancel his/her trip, he/she can simply transfer the Points back to your account for free.
Hilton Points Pooling - Account Closed. Beware !!
Sep 17, 2017, 11:12 am
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,395
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/terms/index.html
Accrued Points and Reward Certificates and Confirmations do not constitute property of the Members.
And before you start saying "contract of adhesion"... you are not required to be part of a loyalty program to stay at a hotel. In fact, I'm at one now where I get zero loyalty program benefits (got a $500 gift certificate to hotels.com as a gift). SPG is giving me bupkis for this stay. So why does a loyalty program have to give you property rights in something? Why can't they say in a contract "sorry, anything we give you if you CHOOSE to join this completely optional program isn't your property"?
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Sep 17, 2017 at 11:17 am
Sep 17, 2017, 11:13 am
#62
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,481
The best way in that case for a company is to close the account and to pay compensation, at least for the points which were bought for money.
The most interesting point in that kind of lawsuit is to determine the value of a point. Usually loyalty programs try to avoid that.
Sep 17, 2017, 11:39 am
#63
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,481
It says right in the terms for Hilton Honors "points aren't property".
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/terms/index.html
This is pretty much the case for every loyalty program under the sun. But hey, if you'd like to tilt at this particular windmill, I look forward to hearing the case of Don Quixote vs. Hilton (and every loyalty program on the planet).
http://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/terms/index.html
This is pretty much the case for every loyalty program under the sun. But hey, if you'd like to tilt at this particular windmill, I look forward to hearing the case of Don Quixote vs. Hilton (and every loyalty program on the planet).
I'm not an expert about courts in HKG, but in an EU court with t&c like that Hilton Honors would be the Don Quixote.
Anyway, I don't have sympathy for the OP. If I experience things like the OP told us and feel bad with them, I talk to the hotel staff or maybe the hotel's management. At Hilton hotels I've always experienced them as very willing to help me.
But I'm not perfect and that's why iI don't expect everyone and everything else to be perfect.
Sep 17, 2017, 12:13 pm
#64
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Posts: 10,909
Op says closed without reason. Obviously Hilton had a reason, they don't just randomly close accounts.
OP does not say how many points, at least not clear to me, were in the accounts when got closed.
For the complaints they write in their post I put 90% of the person walking in while sleeping nude on the OP. Lock the friggin door. And for the room the door didn't lock go to the front desk and tell them. Don't just take a picture and post on public media without giving hotel chance to rectify.
I have 0, none, zilch sympathy for the OP and their boyfriend. Sound like scammers to me.
OP does not say how many points, at least not clear to me, were in the accounts when got closed.
For the complaints they write in their post I put 90% of the person walking in while sleeping nude on the OP. Lock the friggin door. And for the room the door didn't lock go to the front desk and tell them. Don't just take a picture and post on public media without giving hotel chance to rectify.
I have 0, none, zilch sympathy for the OP and their boyfriend. Sound like scammers to me.
Sep 17, 2017, 3:02 pm
#66
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: San Francisco/Sydney
Programs: UA 1K/MM, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Something, IHG Gold, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 8,162
Did he pick the lock? Ignore a DND sign?
Or did he knock (which you didn't hear due to being asleep), and then enter the room as you'd expect him to do when nobody answered?
If it's the former, that's worth of complaint. If it's the latter, then you've just had an important learning opportunity about locks and DND signs...
Sep 17, 2017, 3:20 pm
#67
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
You think, that Hilton Honors can sell points for money and give points as compensation and give points as a rebate to customers, but can insist in front of a court, that points aren't property?
I'm not an expert about courts in HKG, but in an EU court with t&c like that Hilton Honors would be the Don Quixote.
Anyway, I don't have sympathy for the OP. If I experience things like the OP told us and feel bad with them, I talk to the hotel staff or maybe the hotel's management. At Hilton hotels I've always experienced them as very willing to help me.
But I'm not perfect and that's why iI don't expect everyone and everything else to be perfect.
I'm not an expert about courts in HKG, but in an EU court with t&c like that Hilton Honors would be the Don Quixote.
Anyway, I don't have sympathy for the OP. If I experience things like the OP told us and feel bad with them, I talk to the hotel staff or maybe the hotel's management. At Hilton hotels I've always experienced them as very willing to help me.
But I'm not perfect and that's why iI don't expect everyone and everything else to be perfect.
In particular, be careful what you wish for. In the US, Canada, and most of the EU, those points/miles would be income to the traveler if the ticket had been paid for by a third party such as an employer. There is a reason for the contract provision.
More to the point, the contract provision is clear and concise and the customer agrees before the account is opened that he has read it, understands it and agrees to abide by it.
Not sure what more could be done short of having the customer appear before a board of listeners and read the provisions back.
Sep 17, 2017, 3:26 pm
#68
Join Date: Feb 2013
Programs: Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,259
... and??
Did he pick the lock? Ignore a DND sign?
Or did he knock (which you didn't hear due to being asleep), and then enter the room as you'd expect him to do when nobody answered?
If it's the former, that's worth of complaint. If it's the latter, then you've just had an important learning opportunity about locks and DND signs...
Did he pick the lock? Ignore a DND sign?
Or did he knock (which you didn't hear due to being asleep), and then enter the room as you'd expect him to do when nobody answered?
If it's the former, that's worth of complaint. If it's the latter, then you've just had an important learning opportunity about locks and DND signs...
Sep 17, 2017, 3:57 pm
#69
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: トロント
Programs: IHG Gold
Posts: 4,820
Never heard of anyone declaring Hilton points, or Airline points as income despite employer paying for it . Certainly not in Canada. I will defer to US or EU based posters for those locales.
Sep 17, 2017, 4:00 pm
#70
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: PHL/EWR
Programs: AA, US, WN, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 1,528
I would be curious to know if the OP ever redeemed points and if so were the redemptions for themselves. If Hilton has a valid cause to forfeit the points the OP purchaed it would be because they were selling the points. The whole story of accumulating points for stays, collecting compensation points, buying points and pooling points could be something as simple as looking to book a stay at an aspirational property but depending on how they are being redeemed could set off red flags for Hilton.
Sep 17, 2017, 4:33 pm
#71
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
40 stays in 5 months should be the type of customer HH wants to retain.
80k points as compensation due to complaints from a 5-month period sounds excessive.
If there are serious complaints about every one of your 40 stays that suggests:
(1) you are staying at substandard properties (this could be verified by benchmarking your complaints against Tripadvisor reviews)
(2) your standards are not realistic or
(3) you are trying to milk the feedback program for comp like bonus points, etc.
In addition if you transferred points in violation of the T&Cs and got caught then you suffer the consequences.
Usually I side with consumer on most disputes but in this case it sounds like Hilton is not the best match for you. Maybe try Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental
80k points as compensation due to complaints from a 5-month period sounds excessive.
If there are serious complaints about every one of your 40 stays that suggests:
(1) you are staying at substandard properties (this could be verified by benchmarking your complaints against Tripadvisor reviews)
(2) your standards are not realistic or
(3) you are trying to milk the feedback program for comp like bonus points, etc.
In addition if you transferred points in violation of the T&Cs and got caught then you suffer the consequences.
Usually I side with consumer on most disputes but in this case it sounds like Hilton is not the best match for you. Maybe try Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental
Sep 17, 2017, 5:02 pm
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
Not if that customer generates a high volume of social media complaints about those stays. That is the kind of customer Hilton wants to steer to Marriott. 
Making a real service lapse right for a high-value customer, on a private basis, is one thing for Hilton. Chasing a long succession of public attacks on Hilton brands over comparatively trivial things (washroom door didn't close smoothly? Problems with "decoration"?) is another.
Anyhow the things OP is complaining about seem to me to be par for the course at China properties.
Making a real service lapse right for a high-value customer, on a private basis, is one thing for Hilton. Chasing a long succession of public attacks on Hilton brands over comparatively trivial things (washroom door didn't close smoothly? Problems with "decoration"?) is another.
Anyhow the things OP is complaining about seem to me to be par for the course at China properties.
Sep 17, 2017, 5:10 pm
#73
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EUG
Programs: AS MVP, AA MM, HH Diamond, MR Gold
Posts: 8,220
Not if that customer generates a high volume of social media complaints about those stays. That is the kind of customer Hilton wants to steer to Marriott.
Making a real service lapse right for a high-value customer, on a private basis, is one thing for Hilton. Chasing a long succession of public attacks on Hilton brands over comparatively trivial things (washroom door didn't close smoothly? Problems with "decoration"?) is another.
Anyhow the things OP is complaining about seem to me to be par for the course at China properties.
Making a real service lapse right for a high-value customer, on a private basis, is one thing for Hilton. Chasing a long succession of public attacks on Hilton brands over comparatively trivial things (washroom door didn't close smoothly? Problems with "decoration"?) is another.
Anyhow the things OP is complaining about seem to me to be par for the course at China properties.
We've complained 3 times in the last umpteen years...our tv was broken (got 20,000 UNASKED for points out of the blue, we were called no-shows when we were there (their admitted error, had to jump through hoops to get the points, and most recently were pre-put into an accessible room (no upgrade, same category) that we did not need or want.
Now I'm afraid WE'RE on "the list"...
Sep 17, 2017, 6:12 pm
#74
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: AS 75K, DL Silver, UA Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Platinum + LT Gold
Posts: 10,515
Zoe Tse, why continue to stay at Hilton properties? Clearly they are not up your standards. There are plenty of other places to choose from.
You and your boyfriend "live together over 80% out of 40 stays in Hilton group in last 5 months." - I am not sure why that matters. You are allowed to have more than 1 person in a room.
Also, some boy walked into the room and watching you? How did the boy walk into the room? Was he a hotel personnel, or another guest? Did you lock your door?
There are a lot of missing information, but at the end of the day, they are still only one side of the story.
You and your boyfriend "live together over 80% out of 40 stays in Hilton group in last 5 months." - I am not sure why that matters. You are allowed to have more than 1 person in a room.
Also, some boy walked into the room and watching you? How did the boy walk into the room? Was he a hotel personnel, or another guest? Did you lock your door?
There are a lot of missing information, but at the end of the day, they are still only one side of the story.
Sep 17, 2017, 8:36 pm
#75
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: LAX
Posts: 10,911
However I would very much like to see valid complaints and pics in the review forums including FT. I'd rather avoid questionable properties than look for compensation afterwards.
Remember "https://www.slideshare.net/politicsjunkie/yours-is-a-very-bad-hotel"?
"yours is a very bad hotel" link is not posting for some reason - hilton must have censored this board..
I wonder if hilton banned the complainer and wiped out his point balance..
Last edited by azepine00; Sep 17, 2017 at 9:36 pm