Diamond upgrade/Loung access
Sep 9, 2005 | 6:49 am
#31
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Originally Posted by JDiver
Nonetheless, what a hotel will do for me (understanding such variables as property occupancy rate, special events, etc. do affect what the hotel can offer as a courtesy,) will determine on whether I give it any repeat business; and if it becomes the norm that HH Diamonds get what Golds have received in the past (and maybe Golds get less?) I will again begin looking very seriously at other hotel programs to affiliate with.
Sep 9, 2005 | 6:57 am
#32
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It's rather amusing how the cutbacks (in practice if not in policy) come about when room rates are amongst the highest they have been. Apparently, cost-cutting is also on the table as is a growing belief that status-related benefits (per general practice in the past) are not needed for the higher occupancy at the higer prices.
That said: when the next downturn comes, such hotels may get their due return. And acquiring customers then will not be any cheaper.
That said: when the next downturn comes, such hotels may get their due return. And acquiring customers then will not be any cheaper.
Sep 9, 2005 | 8:51 am
#33
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Posts: 108
For what it's worth, the Munich Park did offer me breakfast at their downstairs restaurant. However I am very disappointed by this new "policy" of theirs. I've always enjoyed staying at Hiltons in Europe because they've always treated me very well as a diamond member. This last stay was a harsh reality check that I may need to rethink my loyalties.
I also called the Diamond Desk about this and they hadn't heard of this policy. They seemed very surprised by it, but said they couldn't control what Hilton International does. They said that at any US-based Hilton property (or Conrads, which they said are run by the US group) diamonds get lounge access.
Perhaps there should be a master list of Hiltons that deny lounge access.
I also called the Diamond Desk about this and they hadn't heard of this policy. They seemed very surprised by it, but said they couldn't control what Hilton International does. They said that at any US-based Hilton property (or Conrads, which they said are run by the US group) diamonds get lounge access.
Perhaps there should be a master list of Hiltons that deny lounge access.
Sep 9, 2005 | 9:21 am
#34
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Reno, Nevada
Posts: 7,368
Originally Posted by bruin
I also called the Diamond Desk about this and they hadn't heard of this policy. They seemed very surprised by it, but said they couldn't control what Hilton International does. They said that at any US-based Hilton property (or Conrads, which they said are run by the US group) diamonds get lounge access.
At U.S. and Canadian Hilton hotels, and at Conrad and Doubletree hotels with Towers or Executive Levels, Diamond VIPs will be provided with a guest room on the Towers or Executive Level floor, whenever possible. In cases when Towers or Executive Level accommodations have been fully booked, Diamond VIP members will be offered the use of the Towers or Executive Level lounge, including complimentary continental breakfast each morning for the member and one additional person or (2) personalized certificates for each day of the stay for the member and one additional person valid for complimentary continental breakfast in the hotel coffee shop or all-purpose restaurant. At hotels without a Towers or Executive Level, Diamond VIP members will be offered complimentary continental breakfast each morning for the member and one additional person. And when in hotels or when paying a rate where a complimentary breakfast is a benefit for all guests, Diamond VIPs will be offered a special amenity as an expression of our appreciation.
Mike
Sep 10, 2005 | 12:31 am
#35
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Originally Posted by nako
Again, this is posted HHonors policy, where lounge access or breakfast is a published benefit for Diamonds at Hiltons within the United States.
Personally, I'm surprised that the Diamond Desk is surprised, because it implies that they don't know that breakfast/lounge access is not a published benefit for Diamonds at international Hiltons, either.
Mike
Personally, I'm surprised that the Diamond Desk is surprised, because it implies that they don't know that breakfast/lounge access is not a published benefit for Diamonds at international Hiltons, either.
Mike
Policy or not, the trend appears to be that, in practice, there is a decline in benefits -- especially at some properties. Too many areas of decline in service/benefits received does a trend make?
Sep 10, 2005 | 10:34 am
#36
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern California
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
I am not surprised. The Diamond Desk (in the US) is increasingly staffed by incompetents by measure of responses I've received from many of its CSRs. Furthermore, "Hilton International" and "Hilton US" have a rather weird relationship so what one does and what the other does is not always in perfect alignment. (That may be a partial explanation on why the stated benefits are different "overseas" than "domestically". Regardless, in practice, the benefits seemed to have been better "overseas" than in the US these past few years.)
Policy or not, the trend appears to be that, in practice, there is a decline in benefits -- especially at some properties. Too many areas of decline in service/benefits received does a trend make?
Policy or not, the trend appears to be that, in practice, there is a decline in benefits -- especially at some properties. Too many areas of decline in service/benefits received does a trend make?
Any idea how this affects the Mexican/Carribean properties? Or the Asia and Pacific properties? I do use them (not as frequently as others) and always enjoyed great benefits!... ^
Sep 12, 2005 | 6:59 am
#38
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Response from Glasgow regarding Executive loung access
After reading that arrogant letter posted by bruin as having received from Lee Scott of HH, I e-mailed HH told the we were members of Flyertalk the world largest frequent flyer community pasted bruin post including the letter and asked them assuming the contents of the response was as shown whether that is the sort of customer service one could expect.
Got this e-mail this AM.
Not sure they read it fully because they apperently thought I was the stayer
[FONT=Book Antiqua]Dear Mr. SXXXXXX,
Thank you for your e-mail concerning your recent visit to the Munich Park Hilton.
At Hilton International, our aim is to provide outstanding customer service and it is never our intention for anybody to be less then satisfied with our services. Please accept my sincere apologies for the e-mail response sent to your previously. The wording was totally inappropriate and by no means a reflection of our usual standard. Please be assured that the staff member responsible for this communication, is no longer part of the Hilton team.
[B]Please see below our policies for Executive Lounge access for your reference:
1. If the hotel has an Executive Floor with room availability at the time of allocation (normally in the early hours of the arrival day), then all Diamond VIPs should be upgraded to Executive Rooms.
2. If the Diamond member has booked an Executive Room, the hotel should offer the guest an alternative amenity.
3. For hotels that do not have an Executive Floor, Diamond members should be upgraded to the next best available room type from the one they have booked.
4. If a hotel's Executive Floor is fully occupied, Diamond members should be upgraded to the next best available room type from the one they have booked. In this instance, the member SHOULD NOT be granted access to the Executive Lounge. Only those guests staying on the Executive Floor should have access to the Lounge.
5. If there are no rooms to upgrade Diamond member to, Executive or otherwise, they should be offered complimentary Hilton breakfast each morning of their stay. This includes the members choice of room service breakfast (Continental Breakfast) or in the restaurant.
6. If there are no rooms to upgrade the Diamond member to, Executive or otherwise, and they are already on a breakfast inclusive rate, the member should be given an alternative amenity.
Mr. Sxxxxx, although apologies "after the fact" do little to make amends, I do sincerely regret the incidents which caused your overall impression of Hilton to be less favourable.
Furthermore, thank you for taking the time to document your concerns. It is through such communication that we are given an opportunity to evaluate our performance and ensure that we deliver the standard of service expected of Hilton.
If I can assist you further with this or any other HHonors related issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to help you personally.
For now, my best regards,
Gaynor Creran
Guest Relations Manager
Hilton HHonors
UK&IR/EUR/M.EAST/AFR [/FONT] [/B]
NOTE THE TERMS FOR LOUNGE ACCESS, WHICH IS EXPANDED ON IN THIS RESPONSE.
As a result two things ( I have always thought) appears more clearly to me
a) One is likely to get a better room/upgrade if checking early in the checkin period.
b) Some property front desk personnel most likely are to lazy to go through the sequence of the lounge access/breakfast/upgrade process.
I intend to print out a copy of the above response so I am able to show it to check in personnel if needed and I presume the above is only relevant to Intertnational HH.
mike
Got this e-mail this AM.
Not sure they read it fully because they apperently thought I was the stayer
[FONT=Book Antiqua]Dear Mr. SXXXXXX,
Thank you for your e-mail concerning your recent visit to the Munich Park Hilton.
At Hilton International, our aim is to provide outstanding customer service and it is never our intention for anybody to be less then satisfied with our services. Please accept my sincere apologies for the e-mail response sent to your previously. The wording was totally inappropriate and by no means a reflection of our usual standard. Please be assured that the staff member responsible for this communication, is no longer part of the Hilton team.
[B]Please see below our policies for Executive Lounge access for your reference:
1. If the hotel has an Executive Floor with room availability at the time of allocation (normally in the early hours of the arrival day), then all Diamond VIPs should be upgraded to Executive Rooms.
2. If the Diamond member has booked an Executive Room, the hotel should offer the guest an alternative amenity.
3. For hotels that do not have an Executive Floor, Diamond members should be upgraded to the next best available room type from the one they have booked.
4. If a hotel's Executive Floor is fully occupied, Diamond members should be upgraded to the next best available room type from the one they have booked. In this instance, the member SHOULD NOT be granted access to the Executive Lounge. Only those guests staying on the Executive Floor should have access to the Lounge.
5. If there are no rooms to upgrade Diamond member to, Executive or otherwise, they should be offered complimentary Hilton breakfast each morning of their stay. This includes the members choice of room service breakfast (Continental Breakfast) or in the restaurant.
6. If there are no rooms to upgrade the Diamond member to, Executive or otherwise, and they are already on a breakfast inclusive rate, the member should be given an alternative amenity.
Mr. Sxxxxx, although apologies "after the fact" do little to make amends, I do sincerely regret the incidents which caused your overall impression of Hilton to be less favourable.
Furthermore, thank you for taking the time to document your concerns. It is through such communication that we are given an opportunity to evaluate our performance and ensure that we deliver the standard of service expected of Hilton.
If I can assist you further with this or any other HHonors related issue, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to help you personally.
For now, my best regards,
Gaynor Creran
Guest Relations Manager
Hilton HHonors
UK&IR/EUR/M.EAST/AFR [/FONT] [/B]
NOTE THE TERMS FOR LOUNGE ACCESS, WHICH IS EXPANDED ON IN THIS RESPONSE.
As a result two things ( I have always thought) appears more clearly to me
a) One is likely to get a better room/upgrade if checking early in the checkin period.
b) Some property front desk personnel most likely are to lazy to go through the sequence of the lounge access/breakfast/upgrade process.
I intend to print out a copy of the above response so I am able to show it to check in personnel if needed and I presume the above is only relevant to Intertnational HH.
mike
Last edited by MIKESILV; Sep 12, 2005 at 7:01 am
Sep 12, 2005 | 7:21 am
#39
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"Next best available room type from the one they have booked"? It sounds like a devaluation in practice yet again. It sounds more like a one category upgrade. Did I get that right?
Sep 12, 2005 | 1:53 pm
#40
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 19
I am glad to see that it was not isolated to the Berlin Hilton and that there does seem to be some sort of writen directive. Application of this new directive does seem spotty, but what must be understood is that while they maybe never had to do anything nice to Diamonds, they did and now they won't. As this Club benefit only really had its fullest advantage in Ex-US sites, I am getting quite reluctant to continue to do business there and if anyone in Hilton had any sense they would 'restore' the benefits to the situatuion prior to this past sumer
Sep 12, 2005 | 3:39 pm
#41
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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Most of my stays are at non-US/Canada places, and the upgrade and lounge access is a factor for me in choosing hilton family over other cheaper alternatives. Is it worth compiling a list of hotels that have stopped providing this benefit?
Sep 12, 2005 | 11:36 pm
#42
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Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
Most of my stays are at non-US/Canada places, and the upgrade and lounge access is a factor for me in choosing hilton family over other cheaper alternatives. Is it worth compiling a list of hotels that have stopped providing this benefit?
Sep 23, 2005 | 11:15 am
#44
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Newcastle, UK
Posts: 108
Originally Posted by perkythedog
It is certain there is a new directive (at least sent to the Berlin Hilton), that starting June 1 this year, the standard treatment obtained on all previous visits of upgrade to Ex Floor and Lounge access was a given for Diamonds has ceased for all European and African Hiltons. I am (perhaps was) a very active doamond (on rolling tier I am good till December before I fall below threshhold) so it has nothing to do with activity but again some change in policy. I am just trying to find out what the directive actually says, couldn't quite get the scoop from the front desk in the short time I had.
I did get the free breakfast but I seriously doubt that aspect could ever change. If this becomes an option that what is the benefit of Diamond vs Gold?
I did get the free breakfast but I seriously doubt that aspect could ever change. If this becomes an option that what is the benefit of Diamond vs Gold?
Heathrow did not give me an upgrade to thier Executive floor, (they never did anyway(, but gave me access to the exec lounge. They were good enough to place 4 apples in my room though. (must have thought a horse was stopping in the room(
Zurich Airport was great, Exec room and lounge access plus water and goodies in the room.
Strange how things differ though from hotel to hotel / there appears to be no consistency. Spoke to a junior manager, though, who was having a drink after his shift at Heathrow and he stated quite a few GM-s were concerned about the exec lounges and the fact that people were using them solely to eat free and drink free / big time, and the fact that it was having an impact on revenue.
The last paragraph of this posting does not reflect the opinions of the writer / by the way
Sep 23, 2005 | 8:52 pm
#45
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Sydney
Posts: 5,775
Originally Posted by GUWonder
"Next best available room type from the one they have booked"? It sounds like a devaluation in practice yet again. It sounds more like a one category upgrade. Did I get that right?
I had booked a standard and they upgraded me to a deluxe.just one category up-when they were clearly not full.
After a big fuss I was given a castle view-with aircon.
I do hope the cavalieri and the ADT paris do not adopt this strategy
