Syphanx

Hey guys,

I'm about to book a 3 night stay at the Hilton on Surfers Paradise using the "stay 3 and get 30% off" promo, which seems like really good value.

Has anyone had any good/bad experiences at this hotel?

What are they like for upgrading Gold HHonors members?

Is breakfast included?

What are the hotel facilities and staff like?

Also, a bit off topic, but if anyone has traveled there, what car service did they use to get to and from the airport? It's a fair distance from the hotel...


Cheers!

harryhv

here's a review
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...-property.html

Car service - take a cab, or get a rental-car they are quite cheap.

Gold Coast is in the midst of a tourism slump, lots of bargains about so shop around before committing to the Hilton.

shillard

Great property, excellent value - usually stay here for $180 - $220 per night.

Upgraded every time to Exec floor or suite, I suspect they don't get a lot of HH Elites - welcome gift usually a few bottles of decent beer in an ice bucket.

Brand new, good quality rooms. Excellent 40m outdoor pool and a 15m (approx) indoor heated pool, both salt rather than chlorine. Great food, and the room service is very good value (probably 20% less per dish than Sydney Hilton prices, despite having the same pedigree).

The only downside is the noise from outside. This hotel is RIGHT in the centre of the action and on any night of the week there will be considerable nightclub activity. Request a room on the Northern or Southern sides and on a high floor to minimise noise exposure.

Breakfast included for HH Gold (continental), and I've always had breakfast in the lounge. Probably the best exec lounge in the Hilton chain in Australia - although the new Adelaide offering is pretty good. Sydney is just hopeless when it comes to food. Always a good range of hot dishes for the evening drinks session.

Staff are a little green but fine - ensure plenty of time if you are checking out during a peak period because they are SLOW and don't put an express checkout slip under your door by default.

I usually have a rental car when in Qld, parking under the hotel is $15 a day and it's easy to find a spot.

For a single or couple stay, this place is probably the pick of them in the area. For a family I would recommend the Meriton Apartments @ Broadbeach - MUCH quieter and more spacious.

Syphanx

Thanks for the info shillard!

No full buffet breakfast included anywhere?

Unfortunately I have just realised that I have booked during "schoolies" week... which didn't bother me that much, as I was planning to spend a lot of the time in the hotel anyway. However it then occurred to me that the kids could be staying in the hotel. I called Hilton to confirm this and apparently this is the first year that the Hilton are trialing having "schoolies" stay in the residences part of the building.

The guest relations manager I spoke to seemed rather confident that they had done everything that they could possibly do to segregate the "schoolies" kids from the rest of the guests. This included a dedicated "schoolies" check-in at the other end of the hotel, exclusion of facilities such as all F&B venues, executive lounge and "the deck". There is increased security who will escort the kids from the "alternative dedicated schoolies hotel entrance" straight into the elevators. So essentially they are only sleeping there (and I don't think a lot of that happens).

Apparently during the dates that I have booked there will about 100 "schoolies" kids staying, opposed to the 200 the week before. I think Hilton have done the right thing here by segregating the kids from the rest of the guests and creating exclusion zones from the hotel facilities, however I just hope things don't get out of hand as it has the potential to ruin the Hilton Surfers Paradise's name and brand.

So I guess we'll just have to see how it goes, probably put a trip report up when I get back

shillard

I reckon the Tooly you keep deep inside is jumping for joy.

Syphanx

Haha, I'm quietly just a bit excited

shillard

Full buffet is offered in the main restaurant (like Sydney, a Luke Mangan affair), but I've never partaken of it as I only eat a continental.

Don't know if it's included as a Gold benefit - likely not as IME that's usually restricted to continental, though how effectively that is policed is another matter....

A bit like lounge entry. At the MEL Grand Hyatt I once wound up with around 6 guests in the lounge for evening drinks and didn't get charged a cent!

JerseySlime

Having not stayed in Surfer's Paradise, I cannot say anything good or bad about this Executive Lounge. However, of all the Hilton's in OZ in which I've stayed that have an EL, I have always preferred the small yet well run lounge in Cairns. Always an attentive staff. Also, a great place to watch the bats fly overhead at twilight. Very Hitchcockian.

Syphanx

Comparing the Hyatt lounge with the Hilton lounge is like comparing apples with oranges.



Hopefully not as I like to have myself a nice big buffet breakfast, especially when I'm on holidays



I agree. I think that because Cairns has a much lower occupancy and demand rate than other major Hiltons within Australia, the service is more personalized and attentive.

aussielori

As diamond upgraded to nice corner room with sea view and exec club and full buffet breaky downstairs .
the hotel is nice the Luke Mangan restaurant doesnt have the feel or class of Glass. the food was ok and the staff were very obliging.
the lounge staff are fantastic. you were lucky to get beers I got 4 bottle of water as my welcome gift.

Princess fiona

Breakfast is only in the Exec Lounge for Golds IME ( I was Gold when booked but became Diamond on day of check-in and only received Gold benefits)

Personally I would avoid this Hotel if its accepting Schoolies bookings at the time of my stay.
Can see lots of Diamond dads "booking" or pre-paying this hotel and having their 17 year olds check-in for them
The exec lounge is already a zoo in School Hols

Syphanx

Yeah I was thinking that and I'm hoping it doesn't happen, but I think that most parents will avoid it because the kids will want to stay in a group and book through the schoolies.com website. Also, if they do book through schoolies.com they get other various passes and ID's which lets them enter in "schoolies only" events (usually hosted on the beach or promenade) and I think it might get them discounted drinks and entry into various clubs etc.

This event could go either way for the Hilton and from what I've been told by staff it seems like they are thoroughly prepared for it (I hope).

jtatlanta

Wow interesting reading I and three co-workers are booked in for the week beginning the 1st December. We all paid between $230 and $300 per night. I am a diamond so hopefully will get some kind of upgrade.

The schoolies thing is worrying me a little but am surprised they would pay so much for a room.

Syphanx

They pay a discounted rate (I think it works out to be about $93AUD a night for a 7 night stay). Not bad.

But remember, unlike other hotel guests, they have a lot of restrictions on their booking (No lounge access, no entry to F&B facilities, restricted times when they can use certain facilities). I think the hotel will come down on them pretty hard is any trouble is made.

I wouldn't worry about the Hilton as much as outside the hotel. I think management at will keep everything under wraps inside, but it's anyone's guess as to what it'll be like on the beach and promenade...

jtatlanta I'll let you know how it is as I'm checking out a few days before you arrive.

jtatlanta

Thanks Syphanx.

We are all between 35 and 50 and over for work. Hopefully we can find some decent places to eat at night and have a few beers that are not too wild.

Main thing of course is to get a decent nights sleep.