Privileges of miles/points status
 

Is status and a very big point balance worth anything in negotiating non-stay favors?

We have meetings all day at McCormick in ORD on Friday, and then have to catch a 7:00 pm plane to SFO for a very important wedding on Saturday.

Seems to me like the best way to get to ORD from downtown during rush hour is the train. I know that there are courtesy shuttles from McCormick to all major downtown hotels for our conference and I think that The Palmer House is very close to the blue line (isn't it) that runs to ORD.

Do you think an extremely high Hilton point balance and Diamond status would be enough to prevail upon the Palmer House to check and hold our bags for us during the day, even if we are not guests?

Anybody have a more clever plan? I am always very much open to good/better/best ideas. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

LOL, its a joke, right?

I'm sorry, I thought that you were kidding, I am sincerely sorry.

[This message has been edited by dallasflyer (edited 04-18-2002).]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Which part did you think was funny?

If I inadvertently said something that was amazingly clever or hysterically funny, let me know and I'll surely take credit for intentional humor. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Originally, however, it was a straight question.

During a 10 hr layover in LAS last month, I dropped off my bags at the bellstand at one of the casinos so I could do a little gambling, etc. They bell captain was hesitent, but a $20 tip did the trick.

Status/miles/points weren't nearly as influential as a $20 bill.

(On a side note, In a stroke of luck, while waiting in line to claim my bags at the casino, I dropped a $1 into a nickel slot machine and won $40.00 More than enough to pay the bellman and pay for the ride to/from the airport)


The only other thing I could suggest would be to get a cheap hotel room for the day, using Priceline or Hotwire.

I see 2 1/2 star hotels near ORD available Friday for only $30.00 on Hotwire.

[This message has been edited by FloridaFlyers (edited 04-17-2002).]

McCormick coat checks will take your luggage. There is an airport shuttle that leaves from there, it is well under $20 / person.

Is it because of the traffic potential that you prefer the Blue Line?

Yes I think also that you could leave the baggage at a bell stand at a hotel regardless of whether you are staying, status, etc. If they do for whatever reason bring up "are you a guest today," etc., then you can just say that while you are not a guest today you are a very frequent guest i.e. your diamond status. I don't think you'll have a problem, but of course, get some kind of claim check that they do have your bags just in case when you arrive to pick them up nobody has heard of your luggage, you, etc.

For the appropriate tip they will do anything, you could be homeless and check your shopping cart

------------------
"A Southwest line never gets longer, It only gets wider"
Follow this link to find out how to earn UAL Miles:
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Just curious as to the difference between someones important wedding as opposed to a not important wedding????

I'm not familiar with the properties you've mentioned, but IMHO just do not mention that you are not guests there. I've done stuff like this where I have a meeting in a city for a day and then out later that evening. I usually find the airport hotel to check my bags at the bellstand and pick 'em up on the way back.

I'd just say something like, "I'm going to need to check these... I've got to run to a meeting." That coupled with some cash will get you all taken care of.

Slip the bell captain a few bucks and see what that does. I'll bet you'll get a lot further with that than by telling him you've got x status. He'll probably roll his eyes if you do that, and be like, oh, god, another one of those "do you know how important I am types."

But if you slip him a few bucks, I'm sure that will get you what you want.

" A smile will get you far. A smile & a gun will get you farther." Al Capone
A smile and a twenty will look after you in the world of travel! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I read the ever gracious Punki's line about "important wedding" to mean someone important to her, like a close friend or relative.

[This message has been edited by SAN man (edited 04-18-2002).]

The last time I was in Reno I took my bags to the bellstand at 11am and said truthfully that my room was not ready for me to check in. I did not pick them up until 11pm. It appearred to be an entirely normal occurrance for them. I never did anything to show that I was staying there.

I've actually done this at the Palmer House (it was a few years ago) withough any problems (or status). You could always say you're visiting somebody in the hotel (i've done that a few times). Mostly, I agree that the tip is the thing... :-)

and you're right, the train is the way to go -- it was nice looking out the window at all the cars backed up on the road to the airport (i was on a 6 pm flight out of ORD).

Dan

I've never had any trouble checking bags at a bell desk. They're all set up for it.

While not at the Palmer House Hilton, I tried this at the Park Lane Hilton and they refused to accept my bag. I had been a guest at the hotel only 2 months earlier and had a 12 hour layover at LHR. Rather than stay at the airport, a quick trip to Harvey Nichols for tea was necessary, however, with no bag check insight, I popped over to the Hilton to see if they would hold my bag for the day, actually, a backpack.

I was asked if I was a guest, I replied yes, though cringed at the thought of lying, they checked the hotel roster and seeing that I was not a guest, refused to take my bag.

I should have known better, it was an awful hotel stay and providing a favor was certainly going to be out of the question. In the end, I simply just brought my bag with me to tea, to the V&A and Chelsea.

I would ask "I'm a diamond with HH but for reasons XYZ I was unable to stay at your property this time. I was wondering if you could accomodate me in this manner.... and I'd be glad to pay a reasonable charge for this service...."

I bet they say "no prob" and have you come over, at no charge. UNLESS there may be some new security prohibition...

Actually, when I did this in LAS, they did ask to see inside the bag "for security reasons." Only things they found were some day old clothes, half a bag of Skittles, a Sony Discman, 2 books, some work related papers and two dozen old AA boarding pass stubs.

I often check-in bags at airport- or near-by train-stations hotels for the day (or even longer). I never mention that I am not a guest of the hotel.

I just tip the bellman normally (1$ a bag, 3-5 $ in total) when doing so.

At airport hotel locations (even as a non-staying guest, I can also profit from the free airport-hotel shuttle, often from faster getting a taxi (and without airport surcharge), and from better and faster rental-car rates (like at the Mariott SFO where Hertz doesn't add the airport and Rental-car-center-bus-surcharges ) and the rental-car just waits out-doors.

In case you are unaware, this forum is:

"MilesBuzz! Discussion of the latest frequent flyer program buzz..."

Maybe you would be better served if you posted according to the FlyerTalk guidelines ---

"Off topic posts take two general forms: .... Topic-starting posts that are placed in an inappropriate forum. When determining in which forum to place a topic-starting post, pay close attention to the forum description." http://www.flyertalk.com/rules.shtml --

at either the "Travel Buzz" forum at

http://flyertalk.com/travelfr_bc.shtml

Or the "Hilton" forum at

http://www.flyertalk.com/forumcgi/fo...lton&number=57

[This message has been edited by cblaisd (edited 04-18-2002).]

CAUTION: The Kennedy expressway (I 90) often backs up all the way from the loop to ORD on Friday afternoons. Take the CTA Blue line. $1.50 right into terminal 2. It runs in the subway in the loop. I can't remember if it's the State Street or Dearborn subway. They are a block apart and both very near the Palmer House. Good luck.

Thanks for all the input.

I actually called the Diamond Desk and they hooked me up with the Palmer House manager who was most happy to accommodate. He checked our account, entered our name and Diamond Number and advised the Bell Captain to take very good care of us. That is one of the things I like about having high status and a lot of points in the program. It really does encourage agents to better service. Of course, being as nice as one possibly can goes a very long way as well.

Yes, Opus17 I am very concerned about traffic out of town at 4:30-5:00 p.m. on a Friday night. Things I don't like in life are waiting in the baggage line at McCormick at the end of the day, waiting in the taxi que, and sitting in a taxi on the freeway watching that train whiz by on the way to O'Hare. I love the train, especially when it speeds by dead stopped traffic on the freeway. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

TrojanHorse, yes, it is a wedding that is important to me. Lovely young people looking forward to a long, happy life together--hopefully dotted with beautiful babies.

On a UA flight last week, the mustachioed schmuck sitting in front of me kept hitting on his female seatmate. He took care to tell her "I have Premier status on United" every thirty seconds or so, in addition to telling her about his boat and his motorcycle. Judging from my observation of him, the answer to your question is no. Maybe he should try again when he reaches 1K.

My questions wasn't whether it was an important wedding to you, but what is the difference between an important wedding and a not important wedding?

Important Wedding TO YOU: Your child is getting married.

Not a very important wedding to YOU: Your bosses brother-in-law is getting married for the second time, and your boss in a rare show of generosity is hosting the reception at his house and wants you to come to help fill the crowd.

Just my not so very humble thoughts on the matter... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Keep the faith.

Pakse

Punki,

I was touched by your comments on the wedding. It says a lot about you, as well as the couple, that you want to travel across the country to share their special event. I was a parish priest (Episcopal) prior to my present work, and I can assure you that the happiest and most blessed weddings are the ones where a loving and generous community gathers to support the couple.

Thanks for sharing your warmth with us.

The Blue Line is under Dearborn St.

Once you get on the train, it takes about 55-60 minutes to get from near the Palmer House to ORD.

Important: Bring exact change for your $1.50 fare on the CTA. Some turnstyles accept coins. All stations have farecard vending machines that are easy to use and accept bills and coins. Buy a farecard for each pax. Of course, try to get a foreward facing seat.

BTW, the rear of car #2 (enter at the train's 4th door) has a seat with 60" of legroom!

Enjoy!!!

Hotels are always trying to get me to 'check my bags with the Bellman! I hate that, since I travel with a rollon! I don't trust anyone other then myself with it!

And I don't think it is worth a $20 or a $5.

Just get my room ready!

My dearest cblaisd:

How right you are! But of course, should you have, by some amazing turn of chance, happened to see many of my dear Punki's earlier posts, you would then know she has made it a new focus of her carbon-based lifeform existence to become skilled in these "new rules of FlyerTalk" and has time after time (and then, after some more time) called for a detailed description of the new rules of correctness of this dwelling.

Alas, the answer that off topic posts are now moved from their forums is not satisfying to my dear Punki, and so lest you be surprised on continues the quest. In spite, this, of evidence to the effect that these answers sought, already been made available have.

Should you not however pause and provide proper credit where it is undeniably due? Although the thread deals with nohing more than her very specific problem of what to do with suitcases during a meeting in a given city, the thread was most wisely given a very general subject, so that it not draw the attention of those concerned with off topic threads. [A mistake which had been made with a certain cheap European airlines thread.]

So the learning curve is not totally flat out there!

FamilyPfP: Valid point, but if you believe in your opinion, why not post from your real username?

Topic please.

This is not the first time that a "pfp" handle has been created for the purpose of harassing a FTer. A very slippery slope if not nipped in the bud - the ball is clearly in your court Randy about what to do with such handles/posters.

[This message has been edited by PG (edited 04-21-2002).]

As it happened, we (Hunki and I) ended up leaving from the Westin to McCormick at different times and, having different schedules throughout the day, we decided that the smartest move was to check our bags at the hall, hook up at the show and just try leave for the airport before the rush.

There was no baggage check line when we left McCormick, but unfortunately we just narrowly missed the courtesy shuttle to The Palmer House.

When we checked out the taxi line we found that it was very, very long and we were about to give up and go back to find another courtesy shuttle, when we happened to notice that a good friend of ours from Minneapolis was number two at the front of the taxi que. Yes! He invited us to share a cab with him downtown and dropped us right at the entrance to the Blue Line. It was lovely to sit back and relax on the train while we watched the Friday 5:00 traffic stalled on the Freeway. Don't you just love it. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Guess there are times when having good karma (read, having lots of good traveling friends) is worth more than top status. Personally I think the best idea is to rely on all of the above. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Punki (edited 04-21-2002).]

On over two-dozen ocassions now, I have left bags at the bag desk of major hotel chain hotels (Marriott, Hiltons, Starwoods, Hyatts) nearest the location of my meeting while attending the meeting when I am not staying at that hotel. It's just too much trouble to try to bring carryons into state capital buildings. I usually tip $1 per bag on drop off and $1 per bag on pick up....never, ever had anyone say anything other then 'Thank you sir.'

QL: LOL http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Missed both of you by minutes. Was supposed to take the 4:15 Blue line to the airport for a 6:04 departure. Ended up being on the 4:45p run to O'Hare.

What would ya call it... a Blue line FT meet http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif