hilton

Tag Archives for hilton.

To Everyone Leaving Marriott for Hilton: You’re Nuts

by Gary Leff on December 24, 2018

Dec 24 2018

I’m as disappointed as anyone with the way Marriott has delivered on their new loyalty program. The technical side of combining Starwood and Marriott accounts has been frustrating — my account still isn’t right. Customer service has been poor — I’m waiting for a reply to an email from September. And most of all the delivery of benefits and redemptions hasn’t matched what was promised.

However that doesn’t mean you should abandon Marriott. In fact you shouldn’t. Here’s why.

Hilton’s New Promotion is Great for Short Stays

by Gary Leff on December 18, 2018

Dec 18 2018

The road map for where Hilton has gone with their program was laid out by Jeff Diskin, now Hilton Executive Vice President, back in 2010.

He said the Honors program was giving too much basic value to members and it wasn’t generating enough value. They hadn’t been active with promotions. And that needed to flip. That’s exactly what’s happened.

Woman Suing Hilton for $100 Million: Says Hotel Employee Videotaped Her in Shower, Blackmailed Her

by Gary Leff on December 5, 2018

Dec 05 2018

A woman is suing Hilton for $100 million after she says an employee videotaped her in the shower at an Albany, New York Hampton Inn and uploaded the video along with her name to a porn site, and used to footage to blackmail her.

Does a Puerto Rico Hotel Owe You Anything When Their Usual Amenities Aren’t Available?

by Gary Leff on October 30, 2018

Oct 30 2018

My own view is that I’m glad they’re reaching out to guests in advance and don’t mind lack of compensation, wish they’d also post online so people know what to consider when making plans, but also suggest they’ve got some good rates right now that are actually worth considering for peak season.

Indeed December weekend rates start under $200 a night and there’s oceanfront availability for the Christmas and New Year’s period for under $350.

Hilton Honors is Moving to a New Database, Be Prepared for Outage

by Gary Leff on October 26, 2018

Oct 26 2018

Earlier today Hilton shared that they are updating the CRM platform they use to run the Honors loyalty program. They’re going to take systems offline October 30 and into October 31 (“depending on your time zone”). This surprises me, loyalty programs almost always make these transitions over a weekend.

Hilton assures that “existing reservations will not be impacted.” Let’s hope everything goes as quickly as Honors expects. But get all of your Hilton business done before October 30 and assume it could take longer than a day before you have access to your account back.

Hilton Enlists “Up in the Air” Star and Makes Big Improvement to Best Rate Guarantee

by Gary Leff on September 30, 2018

Sep 30 2018

George Clooney was loyal to Hilton in Up in the Air and really underscored the benefits of the Honors program.

Hilton has now enlisted Clooney’s co-star Anna Kendrick to do the convincing going forward. Will she convince you to book direct?

Trick to Save 50% on Disney Lodging and New Entertainment System Coming for American 787-8s

by Gary Leff on September 27, 2018

Sep 27 2018

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Saved By the Bell Packing Tips and Hilton Devaluation

by Gary Leff on September 17, 2018

Sep 17 2018

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Marriott Launches First Promotion of New Program, Register Now

by Gary Leff on September 12, 2018

Sep 12 2018

Marriott’s fall and early winter promotion is out: .

The idea is that this is the first promotion that is run across all of Marriott’s participating 29 brands. Of course prior to combining programs August 18th they had largely aligned their efforts already, but this is one promotion for the new program.

No Notice: Marriott Stops Giving Elite Benefits For Online Travel Agency Reservations

by Gary Leff on September 7, 2018

Sep 07 2018

Back in April I talked with Marriott’s Senior Vice President of Loyalty David Flueck and he assured me that the new Marriott program would continue to honor elite benefits when guests booked their stays through online travel agencies.

Marriott’s new terms and conditions were consistent with this, as well. It was a real improvement over how Starwood treated elites whose rooms were booked through these sites. And it lasted for all of two weeks.