xinerevelle

Stayed at the brand new Tampa East Hampton Inn a few weeks ago (great experience!) and when I checked out I was handed a bill for $30 plus tax for 2 nights. This was a reward stay, so I shouldn't have gotten anything billed to me.

The bill noted that it was charged to my Amex card. I questioned this charge to the front desk clerk (who I think was an asst. manager) and she said that mistakenly I was given the bill that should've gone to Hilton for my reward nights ($15/night). She went into the computer and switched it to the direct bill to Hilton, but apparently that didn't work since my Amex bill showed the charge this weekend.

I had to call the hotel and get them to reverse the charge and then send me confirmation of it, which they said they do as soon as the night auditor came on duty since that was the only person that could do that type of transaction.

What if I hadn't actually checked out?? (Why would I? I had no room charges and the room inself was "paid" for on a reward certificate.)

So, be cautious when you have reward stays... I've never had this happen before (and I tend to trade in my points for 1 night here and 1 night there...)

big4consultant

I bet you feel great that your hard earned points were only worth $15.

I've been complaining about HHonors point devaluation, but that takes the cake!

threedjmay

I would have paid the bill and kept the reward points

LAX1K to AmWest

$15 is not what the stay is worth, but the charge from HHonors for the room.. not a retail rate nor close to it.

But that is crazy, I have seen this once, but was not charged to me.... Was some low amount and was weird.

MIKESILV

Your complaints not withstanding the $15 is what is paid to Hilton is the rate the property charges. You certainly do not expect them to pay the full rack rate do you?
In any event use of points for rewards at Hamptions or any NA Hilton propery is not the best use of points.

mike

xinerevelle

While it may not be the best use of points value-wise, anytime that I can take a vacation for FREE is fine by me!

I needed two nights in the Orlando-Tampa corridor and wasn't finding much available since it was during spring break. Whatever I can get was fine.

Interestingly enough, I just checked the HHonors site: I received the 250 bonus points for the stay, but it said my folio was $0. So I guess it really was just a mistake on the hotel staff's part.

MacKenzieIII

See and I think that use of point to stay at catagory 6's are not the best use of points. Sure the dollar per point may be higher if you were to pay cash. But the odds of me ever choosing to stay at such a place is pretty low. And I take few enough vacations that anytime I can use Hilton points vs paying is a good use of points.

JerryFF

This has happened to me at least three times on reward stays - just last week at the Doubletree in Santa Barbara, last year at the Hilton Torrey Pines, and once at the Hampton Inn in Newtown, PA.

I am beginning to think it is not an accidental mistake and that the hotel is trying to recoup what they have to pay Hilton.

MIKESILV

Great theory but you got it backwards
The $15 or whatever is piad by HH TO THE PROPERTY

Give it another try

mike

holtju2

Last week I had to use Diamond Force for two nights at the Hilton PSP (where I will NOT return after second horrendous stay). The property got paid $155 per night from Hilton. I found it out when they had only zeroed the first night charge from my folio that I was handed when checking out.

BayouTraveler

The first time I tried to book a reward stay neither I nor the desk clerk who took my reservation over the phone knew what we were doing. As a result, Hilton refused the stay and the manager offered to settle my room charge for the amount they would have received from Hilton for their expenses ($15-$20?). I thought it very gracious of her under the circumstances.

I can only recall one time when charges appeared on my award stays and it was not my first award stay at that hotel. I make a practice of checking my room rate on the TV after the first night for all of my stays. That helps me avoid wasted time haggling over the bill at checkout.

ericgartner

I just stayed on a reward stay and was charged 20.00. This is the second time this has happened.

patrickATX

I had a reward stay at the doubletree Club San Diego. Afterwards I saw that they charged me $0.20 on my Amex for the stay. It didn't seem worth the effort to call and get the 20 cents taken off the bill.

chocolate2346

I was charged for part of a reward stay at the new Hilton Garden Inn Times Square, in NYC on Christmas Day, no less.

They kept my reward vouchers for 2 nights and charged me for 1 of the 2 nights (along with locking me out of my room between the 2 nights). Even though they charged me, I didn't earn any points I should have, for the part of the stay they charged me for, nor did I see a refund of points for the night relating to the charge. I didn't realize I was charged until later (looking at on line folio and after seeing charge going to my bank card statement).

It was a brand new property. I notified Hhonors (via email link on their website) who sent the complaint to the General Manager. Hhonors only notified the property there was complaint and didn't pass on the details of the complaint.

Once I copied and pasted the details from initial email to the GM of the property, he immediately refunded the charge to my bankcard. I chalked it up to just being a new property and general confusion about how the reward vouchers work.

michaelr

An ALON2 stay at the HWV was worth about $265ish to the hotel if I remember correctly. I wasn't actually charged for the amount but did receive points for it. This was a couple of years ago and has been fixed for the most part I believe.