ILuvParis

I have used a GLONP award twice at the Paris Hilton. Since its a Premium hotel, it will cost more than 100,000 points. It is in an excellent neighborhood, virtually right next to the Eiffel Tower and with a Metro stop right around the corner. I have found the staff to be friendly and helpful and the concierge staff to be great - from acquiring the services of a massage therapist for a friend who ran in the Paris Marathon, to making excellent restaurant suggestions, including reservations at hard to get places by email request several weeks prior to arrival.

The recommendation you received for the Noga Hilton in Cannes is also a good one. It is also a Premium hotel, however. Been there, done that too. Fabulous location right across from the beach. Be very careful with incidental expenses though, because this is a very expensive hotel.

Have also stayed at the Barcelona HIlton on points. This is a business hotel, pretty distant from the main attractions - but doable.

Finally, the Strasbourg HIlton is a good choice for exploring Alsace but also not in the center of town - although good public transportation.

These last two options are not Premium hotelsm (executive, I believe), so they're a little cheaper.

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Jeff

[This message has been edited by ILuvParis (edited 04-03-2002).]

JJeffrey

Depending on where you want to go, the Frankfurt Hilton is the best Hilton I've ever stayed in terms of staff service, upgrades, and quality of Hotel. I wouldn't want to spend a week in Frankfurt alone, but from there you've got easy train connections to most anywhere in Germany. They also just opened a new Hilton up on Cologne so you might want to look into that also.

hotlancer

I have used the GLON award twice in the last six months. My first stay was in London at the Kensington Hilton and the second was in Zurich at the Zurich Airport Hilton.

I would say that I received significant value and benefit for these 100,000 point stays - as in both cases they would have cost me about $400 per night plus tax.

One thing to keep in mind is that a $400 room in Zurich or London is not akin to a $400 room in the U.S. (even in New York or Chicago you can get a good room at the Waldorf or Drake for $225). Don't be surprised if you find the rooms in Europe smaller than American standards.

Overall - its a great value and wise use of your points.



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"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been,and there you will forever long to return." Leonardo da Vinci

LemonThrower

Just to clarify, I am looking for European cities that have Hiltons in areas that are desirable for tourists. For example, I was aware that there was a Hilton in Paris at the airport, but that's no place to spend a vacation, even if the stay is free. I am aware of the Hilton Paris in the 7th Arondissement, but at 150,000 points valued at a penny a point that's like paying $250 per night. While its gotten rave reviews here, I might try to find a boutique hotel that is a better value.

Anyway, I was interested if there were other European cities with Hiltons that meet these criteria.

MIKESILV

Other European Hiltons that accept GLON are too many to list.
Ones have used or booked recently.
Hilton Luxemburg
Conrad Dublin
Noga Hilton Cannes
London Metropole
Would rcommend Strasburg Hilton, Hilton Lyon
Hilton Antwerp.
Incidentally the GLONP for the Paris Hilton is not very easy to get at times. I tried to get any of 1 to 4 days awards from late Sept to mid Oct 2002 and nothing available cheapest rate about 250EU.

Mike

edg1

I recommend the Barcelona Hilton. It is not in the tourist area, but is only a 5 - 10 minute subway ride to the touristy part. We stayed there on GLON and had no problems getting around. There are also buses that can take you if the subway is not running (late at night), and I remember a cab being less than $10. They also treat diamonds well.

[This message has been edited by edg1 (edited 04-05-2002).]

prncess674

I stayed at the Hilton Munich Park. I loved this hotel. The staff was extremely friendly. The lounge was well staffed, and the complimentary continental breakfast was also really good. I really liked that at the lounge you could also order traditional american breakfast. It was really cheap since you were only paying the extras.... pancakes and bacon. The juice, coffee, pastries, etc. were part of the complimentary breakfast. The Hilton Munich Park is right on a park (hence the name) that has a beer garden. The location was convenient, and very picturesque. They upgraded all three of my family's rooms. They were all paid for with my points. We went during Oktoberfest, so 3 upgrades I thought was amazing. They were not suites, but they were executive level rooms on the top floor with breathtaking views. The subway was near by, but we found cabs to be much more convenient and cheap. If you decide on Munich you definitely need to have a beer at the Hoffbrau Haus. The people of Germany were all extremely friendly, and all the Hilton staff spoke excellent English. If you have specific questions, please let me know.

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Rachel
CO - Platinum
Hilton - Diamond
SPG - Platinum

davistev

Are more rooms available for GLON awards than point stretcher awards?

dhacker

Except premium properties that are included in the ALON or TEEN (e.g. the Hilton Head resort) awards. These can still be had for 100k

kawoh

GLON award is a joke.

Being a tiered hhonors member (gold) I tried to book *ANY* GLON award in Australia this year (as that's where i'm based) and NOT ONE was available.

So much for GLON. As many have professed in here, at least with SPG you can redeem your points for hotel stays.

dhacker

kawoh, Did you try calling the hotel(s) directly? This seems to work much better than calling the Hilton reservation numbers.

srk123

Booked two GLONs in Melbourne and Sydney three months ago using 200,000 HH points. I booked them about 6 months in advance, but I had no problems booking them and the rooms were there for me when I arrived at each property. I was only charged for the usual non-room expenses. Saving up for my next 100,000 as it is probably the most efficient use of HH points if you want 6 nights in one city.

kawoh

Dhacker - can u book a hhonors award directly by calling the hotels? anyone had any luck with GLONs for the Brisbane, Cairns or Bangkok Hiltons?

satori

The best reason to go for Diamond status is the ability to get GLON awards when and where you want them. As soon as I went from Gold to Diamond I had no problems securing awards.

Eugene

AFAIK, they come from different inventories, and availability for GLON may be better than for PointStretchers.