Middle_Seat

I don't know if you get HHonors Points, but you can get nice rooms! Last Saturday I stayed (one night) at the Las Vegas Hilton...most Las Vegas hotels won't permit single-night weekend stays, but Expedia had one of their special Travelscape.com deals.

I used my Gold VIP card (see earlier postings on how to get these things free, even if you've never set foot in a Hilton...I had not) to get in the VIP check-in line. For $65 the room was large, at the very end of one of the wings of the hotel so it has a bit more than 180-degree view of the Strip. The closet seemed as large as a lot of motel bedrooms.

A downside is that you have to pre-pay in full, and cancellations less than 72 hr in advance cost you the first night's room fee.



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Middle_Seat

200 ngts/ 200 legs/year

I know that there are other threads on this. (as I have posted there as well) including one recently here in Hilton--

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/002385.html

Here is my real world experience with Expedia Special Rates and hotel frequency programs. All of the below assumes you get at least some charge on the hotel folio (use that phone or minibar)

Most of the programs (HHonors included) do not give you points for the room rate (as this is some sort of private rate).

Most of the programs (HHonors included) do give you points for anything on your folio on check out.

Most of the programs (HHonors included) do give you nights towards elite levels.

Most of the programs (HHonors included) do give any Elite benefits you are eligible for.

Remember this is just my personal experience and results do vary depending on training and program.

Hope this helps.



[This message has been edited by 200 ngts/ 200 legs/year (edited 08-12-2001).]

vandykes44

My husband and I just stayed at the Airport Hilton in GR last night for my last stay towards the latest 50,000 mile promotion. I booked their 'great escape rate' for 89.00, which included breakfast for 2. However, when we arrived I was told that the $89 rate did not qualify for Honors points. They would, however, give me the $89 rate without breakfast, but with Honors points. I agreed to the rate without breakfast because I need credit for the stay. Another desk agent, however, quietly slipped me a voucher for breakfast for 2, without the original agent seeing him do so, and so I earned points and we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast as well.

The point of my story is that you shouldn't be surprised if the GR Hilton staff refuses to give you points with a discounted rate.

TravelManKen

A little investigative reporting from Jane Costello for FT'ers...


August 14, 2001
Business Fare
Travelocity Customers Take Issue With Canceled Hotel Reservations
By JANE COSTELLO
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE


When Jim Brownell logged on to Travelocity.com to cancel a hotel reservation, he found someone else had beaten him to it.

Last March, Mr. Brownell, a retired teacher from Philadelphia, says he booked a reservation through Travelocity for a stay at the Mexico City Airport Hilton. He was one of approximately 50 travelers who took advantage of the fact that the hotel had inadvertently loaded a "zero" rate into the computer system, offering free stays for travelers.

Travelocity.com2

As reported, when Hilton learned of the error, the hotel chain agreed to honor the $0 rate for the first night, as long as guests agreed to pay a competitive rate for the remainder of their stay.

Mr. Brownell kept his reservation active on the chance that Hilton would change its mind and allow guests to stay more than one night for free. When that didn't happen, he decided to log on to Travelocity in June and cancel his reservation.

To his surprise, the reservation had already been canceled. When Mr. Brownell called Travelocity's customer-service center for an explanation, he was told that someone identifying himself as Mr. Brownell had called the day before to cancel.

"I hadn't planned to go, but at the time I thought, 'why not?' " says Mr. Brownell. "Now, I'm not going anywhere."

As it turns out, Mr. Brownell wasn't the only person whose reservation was canceled that day. Steve Kilian, who also took advantage of the free-room deal, booked a stay for three nights. When he logged on to Travelocity, he too found that his reservation also had been canceled without his knowledge.

Both travelers were suspicious and thought that someone from Hilton might have bypassed Travelocity's system and canceled the reservation in order to free up the "free" room for a paying customer.

Hilton spokeswoman Jeanne Datz says that isn't the case. She points out that both guests agreed to stay for subsequent nights at a rate of more than $100 a night.

Adding to the confusion, the two sets of reservations were canceled through Travelocity, not Hilton, within minutes of each other. In both cases, records indicate that the cancellation was done via telephone.

Officials at Travelocity can offer no explanation as to how the cancellations happened and say they will continue to research the issue.

"The whole thing is absurd," says Mr. Kilian. "What if I'd wanted to go? I'd be stuck."

Write to Jane Costello at [email protected]


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URL for this Article:
http://interactive.wsj.com/archive/r...4913000857.djm

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Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Printing, distribution, and use of this material is governed by your Subscription Agreement and copyright laws.

For information about subscribing, go to http://wsj.com

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Ken in Sacramento

afang

I found this option from both of these websites...asking for Reward code...has anyone done it this way before?



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Albert

runningshoes

Just stayed at a Doubletree by O'Hare and when I checked in and asked if the HH# was in the reservation was told that no credit was given for reservations made thru Travelocity and other discount web sites. This is the first time I have heard that, and I'm almost completely positive that other Hilton stays have been booked thru Travelocity and credited with points/nights. What is the deal here? Thanks in advance for any help.

Eugene

runningshoes -- Regular (non-prepaid) reservations, even those made through Travelocity, do earn both points and miles.

At the same time, "Travelocity GoodBuy Rates" are not supposed to earn points/miles, as they are in fact booked through the consolidator, Hotel Reservations Network.

Also, see this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/001610.html

runningshoes

Eugene - thanks for the help and the link. Must say I was not aware of the distinction between the pre-paids and regular Travelocity reservations. Still, for $40 I'm glad I got the lower rate.

Markieg

It says on both the UK & USA web sites that HHons points are not awarded for expedia stays. Is this correct?
Expedia has lost my business, how many other travel agents impose this restriction? How do I know if I will or wont get points?

cordelli

You have to ask. It's not at all uncommon for dicsounted rates not to offer points, but usually will offer a stay credit. I believe it's addressed in the terms and considions from Hilton as follows:


6. Qualifying stays are those at all rates except Wholesale/tour operator packages, contracted airline crew rates, or as otherwise specified in item 11, below.

11. Point credit is awarded only if the HHonors membership number is given during the stay. No point or stay credit will be awarded for complimentary or barter rooms, contracted airline crew rooms, wholesale/tour operator packages or for Stays on NET Group, Series Group or IT Group rates. HHonors Members may earn stay credit toward VIP status when staying at an Entertainment or Encore rate. However, no point credit will be awarded for Entertainment or Encore rate stays. In addition, individual hotels may from time to time offer a deeply discounted promotional rate, available for a limited time. These rates will not be eligible for point or stay credit and will be advertised as such.



Since the last time I looked they have added bold and colors to several of the terms and conditions, must be the ones everybody has been asking about.

orangejjr

What is an encore rate?

mch710

Points can't be earned for the pre-paid Expedia special rates. Non-prepaid stays booked via Expedia should earn points. Same goes for Priceline, Hotwire, Travelocity Goodbuy Rates.

[This message has been edited by mch710 (edited 01-15-2002).]

Markieg

How does one book a none prepaid expedia stay?

rjh

In reviewing my 2001 activity, I see that I got points and partner miles for the only Expedia pre-paid ES stay I had.

I don't know if this is a mistake on HHonors part or something else. Just another data point.
Rich

mch710

Any of the non-special rates stays are not pre-paid. You have to wade through the special rates first to find the normal bookings. Special rates are colored Orange and regular bookings blue.