kaiman

Stayed there 3 times last year. I have never taken the shuttle. It is easier to walk ...plus after being stuck in the plane it was nice to get some fresh air. I agree that the breakfast is good and with some deals included in the room cost. The walk is less than 5 minutes from the main terminal. You can take the overhead bridge towards the sheraton and then cut down through the parking lot if the weather is bad. Overall a good experience.

Sweet Willie

That's the way to do it kaiman! Seems every time I'm there, it is raining and the route you mention is the one I took the last time I was there. The other 4 times, I have never had a problem w/the shuttle.

As a gold, I have been upgraded everytime (5) I've stayed here.

The food offerings in the evening have been my dinner a few times. Very good and Very generous IMO.

Canista

As a new HH Diamond member I was expecting a visible difference from Gold (whatever this may have meant).

Yet, the Amsterdam Schiphol Hilton, where I stayed two weeks ago as a Gold and stayed earlier this week as a Diamond doesn’t seem to provide any different a service for the two tiers.

I had emailed the hotel a week before arrival and was told that an upgrade would be no problem, offering me a similar room as on my previous visit. I then sent an email requesting clarification on the way they treat Diamond vs. Gold and received no response.

Upon arrival, I was told that the main difference was upgraded amenities in the room. Alcove rooms are off-limit, so no room upgrade over Gold as such. The room was exactly the same as before, only two differences: 5 small chocolates in lieu of 2 fruits and a used tissue on the night table, which I assumed is part of the Platinum welcome package (in case you feel like doing a DNA test on the previous occupant to kill time). Joke apart, no noticeable difference.

This is quite puzzling. Shouldn’t the hotel make a clearer differentiation between Gold and Diamond in terms of the service provided (for the sake of both groups)? IMO it’s a major lost opportunity... considering the choice at AMS, it seems foolish not to offer a better differentiation. My next trip is in two/three weeks – I’ll be staying at the Sheraton.

For a Gold HH member, it’s quite good if you know you’ll never progress to Diamond, but when you do, no difference at all. For a Diamond member, no benefits over Gold... what does that say about how this property values the HH program? It’s clearly not the same in all hotels but it would be interesting to see if others have had a similar experience.

Gaza

Canista

A "better" upgrade is not a stated benefit of Diamond. There are other benefits over Gold such as Diamond Desk and no blackout dates that make it worthwhile.

Dave Noble

"For a Gold HH member, it’s quite good if you know you’ll never progress to Diamond, but when you do, no difference at all. For a Diamond member, no benefits over Gold... what does that say about how this property values the HH program? It’s clearly not the same in all hotels but it would be interesting to see if others have had a similar experience."

The hotel gave you an upgrade which is what you are entitled to if it is available. The benefits of diamond will be seen when you start trying to make bookings for hotels that are otherwise full or wanting to make reward stays when there is no allocation left. I wanted to make a booking for a hotel and found it was sold out. Since it was 48 hours before arrival I was able to get it booked by the diamond desk regardless. You wouldn't get that as gold. When staying at a hotel I don't find , Im glad to see, that there is anything worse with being gold over being diamond ( or even being silver or blue other than the room upgrades ), the service is good regardless.

Dave

Worldtraveler36

Cheers Dave, small world.

It has been a few years since I have been to the Hilton at Schiphol, but I saw it at a distance this last January. It is old and small. The rooms were too small, so much so that we had to take an extra room for the "extra person." Sorry to do this and probably tacky, but stay at the AMS Airport Sheraton. One of the nicest hotels I have ever enjoyed. The Sheraton is very modern and comfortable, with pleasant staff.

Note to AMS Hilton, time to upgrade and expand.

------------------
Michael
AA PLT,1 MLN Miles+
HH GLD, SCI GLD, MM SIL
LE PRESIDENT ETERNEL DE CAMAIR-CAMEROUN AIRLINES

Dave Noble

I havent stayed at the Hilton there meself, but have stayed at the Sheraton and was most impressed with it. Very pleasant property

Dave
--

QF Platinum, HH Diamond, Hertz PC
Supreme Ruler of the Universe ( pending credit of oustanding points)

NJDavid

As advice for potential members of HHonors:

If this is the only property you will ever stay at - you would do well to follow the advice in this thread.

If however, you plan on staying at other Hilton branded properties world wide and in the US, please know that Diamond represents a level of service that I and thousands of others are very satisfied with, and the differences between Diamond and Gold are plentiful.

lhiltz

I am planning a trip to Amsterdam this summer - is there a better Hilton - say the one downtown - location at the airport is not essential to me, just close proximity to train or bus lines. I am Gold.

Canista

My point... couldn't agree more.


Again, I very much agree - the AMS experience isn't at all typical... for me Diamond isn't only about the no blackout dates... it's also about the service and recognition.

To answer another poster's question, the Hilton in central Amsterdam is very nice - good rooms and great location.

[This message has been edited by Canista (edited 03-17-2002).]

satoni

Has anyone stayed there as Gold?
I'm there in a few weeks ans was wondering
what to expect. Also, train info from the hotel to central station would help..

Thanks All!!

Satoni

davistev

The clubroom is a regular smoke house. I couldn't stand it for more than 5 seconds. It is a smallish room with a small spread of snacks and drinks.

The rooms on the exec floor are nice and clean but certainly this is not exactly a flagship property. The bathrooms are small - Motel 6 style jobs. The hallway heating and ventilation system in this hotel needs work. Cranking hot and no ventilation.

To walk there from the terminal just follow the signs which will lead you to a stair case, through a car park and outside past a consruction zone.

The restaurant is fine for Breakfast. The Airport has a small supermarket where you can buy some cheese, salami, and wine or whatever. There is of course some fine American Cuisine (Burger King) at the airport.

The Train station runs under the Airport and is excellent. Beats anything State side or ukside.

Hope this helps.

If you have a choice - stay at the Sheraton.


Dave - London, UK

gottigotti

If you are not ultraloyal to Hilton the Sheraton at AMS is much nicer.

LemonThrower

I concur that the train from the airport to central station is excellent. However, it is double decker which makes it inconvenient if you have a lot of luggage--there are stairs on the train whether you sit on the bottom or top. Had I known this, I would have splurged for a taxi.

Sweet Willie

There are fold down seats in the boarding area of the trains. While not as comfortable as the chairs on the "levels", they do the trick and it is not a long trip (15-20 minutes) to Centraal Station from AMS.