azdude

Early check in is a nice bonus and should never be "expected" even if you note it on your reservation. Its all based on availability.

Also, don't expect to check in at 10am and also receive an upgraded room type, if the occupancy is low and you receive both the early check in and upgraded room great, I have been offered early check as an option with the understanding that the room will be inferior to my reservation or my profile preferences or an option to wait until an upgraded room has been vacated and cleaned, which makes since if all of your upgraded rooms are occupied on a nightly basis.

There is a reason why check in and check out is noted on your confirm number.

Charging for the early check-in is a bit of a stretch and just a poor practice, I do understand charging for late check out because depending on how late the hotel may not be able to have the room available by check in time and depending on staffing, a late check out may prevent the use of the room period for that night until in can be serviced the next day.

UTA_flyinghigh

I checked-in at 830 AM at the Hilton London Kensington and they gave us lounge access (hence also breakfast) until the room was ready at around 11. They also stored our luggage until then :-)

UTA

LongingForORD

I have to agree with this. If they have a no early check in policy or have no rooms available, then that's one thing, but I really see red when I know they are just trying to take advantage. I expect to get what I paid for and can only, nicely, hope for some actual service and hospitality in the service and hospitality industry.

That being said, for the most part, I think Hilton is pretty good at trying to get people into rooms early, or at least trying to be helpful if they can't.
I actually have very little early check in issues with oversea's hotels.

jamesteroh

I just booked a room for later this month for one night at the Palmer house in chicago. The discounted nor-1 options came up like they usually do for PH and there was one for an early check in for $25. It said normal check in time is 3 p.m. and had the NOR-1 option for $25 for an early check in between 8 and noon. I have never checked in at 8 a.m. before but there have been times I have arrived at 11 a.m. and been given a check in if the room was available with no problem at all.

I hope this won't be the norm. This isn't a guaranteed early check in either. It's like the other NOR-1 upgrades, charged if space is available. If the property already has the room available, why are they charging for an early check in? There is realy no additional work on the propertys part for this.

MisterNice

Nor-1 is a ripoff. If more and more people choose Nor-1 more and more pay items will offered and soon the non-pay items will disappear. I never chose a Nor-1 option and never will

MisterNice

jamesteroh

One other item they had was some "business communications package" wher eyou got unlimited local calls and internet for around $15.99 for Palmer House. Many of the cheaper chains offer free internet and local calls. So far Palmer house is the only one with the business communication and early check that came up for under NOR-1 options for my hilton reservations but wouldn't surprise me if all the other hiltons start offering it as well.

MisterNice

Nor-1 is trying to have guests pay more for rooms and services. Sometimes for the free HH stuff and sometimes for the newer pay stuff it offers. The only stuff I saw was useful was the paid upgrade for suites not usually given free to HH guests but sometimes it happens. As for early check-in I have gotten it over 90% of the time.......maybe 98% of the times and for all my check-ins in Europe and the US in the past 2 years. As for free telephone Most people have cellphones and many (myself included) use skype at about 2.5 cents/min worldwide if they have internet access. With HH free internet is at all HI, HGI and HS and increasingly given at more and more hotels worldwide.

Nor-1 is doing test marketing to see what sucker bites and at what cost. As long as people pay for it we will never see it made free to the public or more importantly the HH members.

MisterNice

jabez

I always (at least if available)received a suite upgrade at Hilton Hobby. Now I get a Nor-1 "offer" to pay for it. At check-in they have been told "no more free upgrades."
Nor-1 sucks.

jamesteroh

And like misternice said I always get an early check in for no charge if I ask on the occassions I need it, and I hope it isn't going to be like suite upgrades (even as a gold I got them on occassion if the hotel wasn't very booked) so I am hoping they aren't going to tell people from now on the same with early check ins, that if you didn't pay for the nor-1 option you are SOL.

Does anyone know if NOR-1 upgrades are cheaper for Gold and Diamonds or is the rate the same for all people with a reservation? The diamonds (who earn it through required stays) are Hiltons real bread and butter, not someone who makes a weekend get away vacation one or two times a year and shoudl be given priority for upgrades.

jamesteroh

Cellphone have to be serously cutting into their phone and internet revenues. The only times I have made calls on a hotel phone in the past 10+ years was if I was in Toronto (I don't have an international calling plan) to place a local call to another toronto number. I used to pay for internet if the hotel didn't have it for free (I remember when the times square hilton first introduced it they didn't charge, now they do) but now that I have a smartphone I just use that if the hotel has internet charges.

The next NOR-1 charge I am waitinhg for is one offering EL access for people who aren't diamonds.

pmaddock

Agreed - I've never done one and never will. If I really want to secure the upgrade I'll deal with the hotel directly. Yes, sometimes I end up paying some sort of fee but its better to pay them outside of NOR-1 because:
1. The upgrade is locked - NOR-1 is still at hotel discretion.
2. NOR-1 doesn't get its cut of that upgrade revenue. I'd really prefer that it wither and DIE.

ORDnHKG

There are many hotels guranteed gold would never get a suite upgrade even the hotel is not even half full unless you do the Nor-1, like Conrad Chicago and Hilton SF.

cordelli

In a study in 2008, people with any type of hotel status accounted for less then half the revenues and only 10% of all guests. Assuming there are less diamond members in Hiltons program then gold, silver and regular members, they would account for only a fraction of those numbers.

I believe one of the reasons Hilton has changed the value of having a diamond membership is it just doesn't matter as much to them as most Diamonds think it does. Given the choice, Hilton has made it very clear it would prefer to sell the upgrades to anybody who wants to pay for them then they want to give them away for free to people with status.

As one Doubletree used as a case study on the Nor1 website puts it:

“We’re so pleased with the level of revenue we’re getting – the revenue is really something to brag about,” she stated, chuckling over the numbers. “We’re not only getting more revenue, our guests are happier, too. Even with our internal staff, it helps to tell them how much eStandby UpgradeŽ is making for the hotel so they know that Nor1 is really producing great numbers for us.”

travelinfoo

It is already offered to those who aren't Diamonds. That's why Diamonds are getting less ER upgrades and the lounges are packed nowadays.
After not getting a ER upgrade on several trips at hotels I frequent, I asked a FD about this. She said NOR-1 paid upgrades are offered to everyone and lots of ppl paying for them. So less complementary ER upgrades even for Diamonds.

Football Fan

Nor-1 is like a disease.