Hilton just too much $$$ these days...
 

I don't travel for business, so I am cost-conscious when I am booking hotels. There was a time when some Hilton properties, mostly Hampton and HGI, were fairly competitive. I was (still am) willing to pay slightly more (~$10) for a Hampton or HGI than for a comparable Choice hotel because of the benefits for getting Gold status and the ability to use Hhonors points for point stretcher awards.

But it looks like my association with Hhonors is ending. For example, I will be in Goodlettsville and White House, Tennessee (just north of Nashville) next week and was looking for lodging. The Hampton rate is $93, while Quality Inn is $59 and Comfort Inn is $63. Sure, Hampton is a little nicer and they have a slightly better breakfast, but nowhere near $30 better! Hey, if they can get that much more and keep their occupancy rate up then good for them.

Because of trips just like this one, it has been almost a year since I last set foot in a Hilton property on a paid stay. And at this rate I don't see that changing any time soon. I guess I will look at spending my remaining points and just move on. :(

I am not really complaining, just making an observation that Hilton seems to be moving away from even trying to attract the casual leisure traveller. Like me.

I think after a couple of weeks at a Quality Inn, I think you may begin to understand why $30 more isn't that much ... seriously, Hampton's do vary from the low-quality to the very nice, but Quality Inns ... well, they are what they are.

I don't know how Hampton decides on it's pricing. I see it all over the board. I just reserved a Hampton in Paducah, KY for $114/nite. I guess they figure, if people are willing to pay it, they are willing to charge it.

Perhaps check to see what kind of availability the hotel has a couple of days before, call them directly, say something to the effect 'I see you still have a lot of unsold rooms, what kind of rate can you offer me'.

Couldn't hurt and you may slide into some Hhonors points.

Welcome to Tennessee!!!!

They are charging what the market will bear. Premium brands can command premium pricing. Whether you are using JD Power, Consumer Reports, or whatever as your source of comparison Hampton Inn is always near the top as far as mid-priced hotel brands go.

Like them or not, Hampton Inn has added a ton of new amenities lately also. You don't think that they are going to do all of that without their prices shooting straight up, do you?

The HI and HGI rates are definately up over the past few years.........typically 20%-30% for similar days. I see favorite HI at $130 and HGI at $149. I too am doing more Best Western and Day Inn stays too. Most have free breakfast and free high speed internet.

MisterNice

I'm still getting my HGI at $60, while the more convenient Hampton is $71 and gives me fewer amenities/miles.

I'm going to ride this pony until it keels over. :)

Feel your pain....
 

Trust me, I feel your pain. We all do around here. I work for the State of California and in Los Angeles county are per diem rate is $110, and in Orange County, a ridiuculously low rate of $84! Try finding a Hilton property in Orange County for $84. We thought for sure that the per diem rates would go up with the new contract but they did not.

My coworkers are all Hilton folks, but we are all singing the same tune. Most of the Hiltons gov't rate (if they even have one) is so far away from our per diem we can't even consider staying. We are thinking that this next fiscal year we may have to start trying other chains. None of us want to, but if you start paying out of your pocket on business travel, you'll be in the red so fast you're head will spin.

Even in Redding and Bakersfield the Hiltons are out of reach for us (again, $84 for these areas). It is getting more and more difficult for a lot of us. San Diego is only $110 also and that is laughable too.

Probably have to start looking at some of the other chains this year....I guess business is really pretty much back to status quo and they don't need to offer those lower rates for government rates. Oh well...it was great while we could do it!

Dawn

Its not ONLY Hilton, Starwoods A/K/A Sheraton is the same as are most of the Majors. Its the samething here in the NE.

It's not just Hilton...
 

I've added emphasis relevant to this discussion:
http://tinyurl.com/gr532

Hilton just too much $$$ these days...

Have you tried flying lately?
Article in USAToday this morning about it. So it's definitely not just Hiltons and definitely not just hotels.

Dawn:

Do you and your cohorts often travel to the same areas? If so, it is definitely worth your while to call or e-mail the manager, and negotiate a rate for your employer. My experience has been that they will always offer a good rate for regular guests, which is always lower than what you will see on their site. It may be non-commisionable (you'll have to call the hotel yourself, or have the rate entered on an eAdvantage site), but the benefits will out weight the costs. Your mileage may vary, of course -- my travel is generally confined to the midwest and south.

Hi Dawn... What was the gov rate at the Cavalieri? :)

I wish I knew....
 

Thanks to the work I do, I get to enjoy places like the Cavalieri Hilton! That is probably the best perk of the job...that and not having to work 40 hours a week in an office!

I've only been granted gov't rate once out of California. I had all the emails ahead of time to prove that I had correspondence that stated that I was NOT a gov't employee of that state and was NOT on state business and could I still qualify and they said YES! You can bet I kept those emails with me when I checked in.

Good question though...I wonder what the government rate is for that place.

Dawn

Not really....
 

No, we really don't. We are complaint investigators and we just go where we have to investigate the complaints that are filed and that is all over California. I might go to a place once every three months, and then show up twice in one month....we don't have districts or counties per se.

Dawn

Just to satisfy my curiosity I checked. The current US Government lodging per diem in Rome is $327. I found a "Worldwide Govt Rate" for a few scattered dates at the Cav of 260 Euros which is about $330 at the current exchange rate of about 1.27 $/Euro. Personally I'd fork over the extra $3!