hilton

Tag Archives for hilton.

Hilton Confirms: New Top 120,000 Points Redemption Level For Only One Hotel So Far

by Gary Leff on February 12, 2019

Feb 12 2019

Earlier I wrote about Hilton’s new highest priced award. Up until this week no hotel cost more than 95,000 points per night. That’s been the maximum since Hilton increased some of their most expensive hotels like the Conrad Koh Samui in Thailand (all stand-alone villas) from 50,000 to 95,000 during high season in 2013.

When they eliminated award charts 2 years ago we were told that hotels wouldn’t get more expensive, that the top rates in place would apply but pricing might go down.

Now with the opening of the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives we’re seeing standard awards there pricing at 120,000 points per night.

When Hilton Eliminated Award Charts They Promised Top Prices Remained 95,000 Points. Why is One Hotel Charging 120,000?

by Gary Leff on February 12, 2019

Feb 12 2019

The new Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi is open and bookable on points. And it prices at 120,000 points per night for a standard room.

We don’t yet see hotels like the Conrad Maldives, Conrad Bora Bora, or Conrad Koh Samui pricing at over 95,000 points per night. But Hilton is no longer anchored to a 95,000 point maximum. At least that is how it appears at first blush. I’ve reached out to Hilton, hoping to learn that this is some sort of mistake.

100,000 Free Hilton Points for Military and an In-Seat Trick to Avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis

by Gary Leff on February 10, 2019

Feb 10 2019

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.

Hilton’s New Tool Tells You How Many Points Hotel Rewards Should Cost

by Gary Leff on February 6, 2019

Feb 06 2019

Hilton’s basic program is the least rewarding for spending at hotels and elite benefits are weak. They do not promise Diamonds upgrades to suites even if they’re empty, and they do not promise late check-out requests will be honored. Where Hilton Honors is useful is for the occasional guest who can get status just by having a credit card. There’s some chance this could change since they’re testing a confirmed suite upgrade benefit with some Diamonds, my hunch is if they launch it that holding a credit card alone won’t be enough to have this benefit. One of the most irritating things about Hilton Honors is its lack of transparency. They eliminated their award charts. Here’s what they published just a couple of years ago: Five years ago they effectively killed charts when they introduced…

Hilton Testing Confirmed Suite Upgrade Benefit for Top Elites

by Gary Leff on January 25, 2019

Jan 25 2019

Hilton has been talking for years about improving its elite benefits. Now they are running a test with confirmed suite upgrades for a small group of top elites, and using that test to model a potential new program benefit.

One Hilton I Definitely Won’t Eat At and an Airline CEO’s Awesome Phone Number

by Gary Leff on January 1, 2019

Jan 01 2019

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.

One Mile at a Time and Frequent Miler Miss the Point on Marriott v. Hilton

by Gary Leff on December 25, 2018

Dec 25 2018

With all of the problems that Marriott has had launching their new program and integrating 3 loyalty programs into one, many customers are frustrated. Starwood members in particular have been disappointed by the customer service standard over the phone with Marriott, and with the way many Marriott properties are implementing the benefits that have been promised. In short, Marriott has failed to deliver.

Two high profile blogs take issue with my argument that as much of a hash as Marriott has made at things, the grass isn’t greener at Hilton Honors. They’re wrong.

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.