canadianidol

Does anyone know if I make a reservation for hotels in Argentina, can I pay with ARS$ pesos on check out rather than charging it to my credit card? I'm looking to take advantage of the blu dollar rate. Also for the status match purpose for Diamond, do the 12 stays have be booked directly with Hilton? Or can i use travel agency ?

BlondeBomber

I have settled in cash at Hilton Buenos Aires in the past but with the current situation and rampant inflation a more up to date answer might be good. The bills are made up in Argentine pesos so the payment is straightforward without any foreign exchange hassles even though the rates can be quoted in US Dollars.

Beware of some blue market counterfeit currency though--everyone seems to check out the bills.

craigthemif

For status challenges, you must book direcrtly with Hilton. The same applies for earning status credit, points, benefits, etc.

In Argentina, you can either:

1. Pay on your credit card and avoid paying VAT
2. Pay in cash, but 20-something % VAT is added to your bill

Your US$ room rate will be converted to pesos at the official rate. (there are so many official and unofficial rates these days I'm not sure which exact rate will be used...)

As with all black markets, be wary of being ripped off - especially as a non Spanish speaking foreigner. (although the highest denomination bill is so worthless it is hardly worth counterfeiting any more...) If your hotel bill is going to run into the thousands of USD, you are going to need wheelbarrow for all of the peso notes.

In general, you come out ahead by doing the blue markets, but it isn't a no-brainer...

IAN-UK

As pointed out above, paying in pesos obtained through blue exchange rates will invariably be advantageous, but not to the extent often quoted.

For a start you'll lose the hefty benefit gained through VAT-free payments on your (foreign) credit card.

Then there's going to be a level of hassle involved in engineering the blue exchange, and some measure of insecurity in handling and transporting the cash.

Using Westetn Union or other established and reputable exchange houses should remove concerns over cheating.

For WU you can arrange a payment from your bank and pick up your haul in pesos from a WU office in Buenos Aires.

There's an exchange shop across the road from the Hilton: they will handle exhanges and are aware of all the rates 😉

As for paying the bill, you're not doing anything wrong: the bill is in pesos and you're paying in pesos. The cashiers' desks sre equipped with note-counting machines to handle the considerable amount of paper required to cover a stay of only a few days.

At the end of the day the smarter hotels in the city are expensive. You can take the edge off that expense by acceppting the awkwardness of the blue route, but you'll still face a substantial bill.

canadianidol

I thought you just have to show that you are a non-Argentinian resident ie foreign passport holder to get exempt for the 21% VAT regardless of the payment method

craigthemif

Your information is way out of date.

Baze

This is not true. I have booked many trips with our corporate travel agent and have always received credit, points, benefits, etc. You should review the rules again.

craigthemif

Good grief. I am perfectly aware of the rules.

It is well known that some corporate travel agents book hotel stays in a way that is considered by Hilton to be a direct booking, and many others don't. It is totally incorrect to say that "corporate travel agents" also get you credit, points, etc. - just YOUR corporate travel agent.

zkzkz

Is it fair to say if the travel agent booking earns you Hilton points then it would also count towards a status match?

Baze

LOL. Was just pointing out your blanket statement was not correct that using a travel agent won't get you anything. And a lot more than just MY travel agent gets you credit.