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Curious to know if anyone had any luck with room upgrades as Hilton Gold recently? We have had 2 stays recently, the first end of August at Conrad St. James (2 night stay) & no luck, told fully booked & the second at Conrad Dublin (3 nights) just over a week ago which was booked via Amex Plat. too so a potential upgrade was also included as part of that along with F & B credit & 3 nights for 2. Again no luck & told fully booked. At both there were a lot of American guests & I’m wondering if they are given preference for upgrades over everyone else?! When I looked in the Hilton app. various room categories did appear to be still available to book in Dublin but they insisted nothing was available to upgrade to, they didn’t charge for parking which was a 60 euro bonus but nothing else forthcoming.
On the basis that HH Gold status is now being sold for just £150 (ILO 40 nights ?!) I can’t think the prospect of upgrades has exactly improved. I’m sure someone can give you some more technical information!
On the basis that HH Gold status is now being sold for just £150 (ILO 40 nights ?!) I can’t think the prospect of upgrades has exactly improved. I’m sure someone can give you some more technical information!
Yes I appreciate Gold is easy to get nowadays & the whole concept of status is being constantly diluted, I just wondered how other people have fared. I do find, IME anyway, IHG are more inclined to upgrade than Hilton and they must have just as many status holders.
Had an upgrade at Hilton Angel a couple of weeks ago as a gold, standard room to executive room. They even gave me executive lounge access which I think was a mistake, but I’ll take it!
You’ll probably get one category upgrade in Asia, elsewhere very limited at the higher end of Hilton group. Also at hotels with more rooms you have a better chance.
But really none of the loyalty programmes guarantee anything even when it’s supposedly ‘guaranteed’ on paper. If it really matters, you need to schmooze with the hotel in advance leveraging your status. First immediately after booking then a follow up a week or two before the stay.
At Hiltons, regular guests and people who pay high rates are more likely to be upgraded than one-time guests who pay peanuts.
I had an email asking if we needed anything from reservations at the beautiful Conrad Singapore Orchard. I asked specifically for a room about 3 categories above ours with lounge access, and it was granted without quibble as Hilton Gold. We combined that with 50 off 200 spend Amex offer and felt we got a very good deal. YMMV
Conrad Singapore Orchard
So that was a good stay? Have yet to try it, although visited
many times in its previous life as the Regent.Fwiw, we’ve had a couple of great stays at the Hilton Orchard: room
upgraded as Gold the first time (they contacted us beforehand by WhatsApp),
then the second time I said the room’s fine, but could we have lounge
access instead, and that was also approved immediately.Yes, the rooms were fabulous and it felt truly luxurious. That’s where it ends, but we were perfectly happy with it. The lounge “cocktail hour” actually meant “alcohol is only available at this hour”, which really grated… I arrived at 5 minutes after the hour with everyone drinking to be told in no uncertain terms that no, I couldn’t have a glass of wine. Miffed. Basilico restaurant (via Amex Plat) gave us a “free” dinner, but it was bloody awful with all the charm of the break room of a supermarket. So a mixed bag 😂
I’ve been lucky, I guess. So far I managed to score decent enough upgrades at all my Conrad stays, including Dublin. Sometimes I was Diamond, sometimes Gold. Last summer I was Gold and got lounge access as well in high season. Can’t complain.
The last 24 months I have stayed at Conrads in The Maldives , Algarve , Singapore , Nashville and Las Vegas. Was Diamond for some and Gold latterly. No free upgrades offered.
I did get an upgrade to an executive room at the Hilton Gatwick recently but as I arrived about 11pm the lounge was of little use.
I have always wondered if there is some sort of internal Hilton score that differentiates between people in the same tier based on their spend or stay profile
I get my Diamond status through stays, over 80 nights this year (before the double night bonus) and have had a few expensive weekend breaks for cash, arguably a more valuable customer than someone with diamond status through a CC but no actual spend
From my perspective, stays in London, Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok x2 and Hong Kong over the last 18 months, always a 1 level upgrade (london) usually 2-3 (3 in Tokyo & Dubai)
On a separate note – I seem to be getting more upgrades at Hamptons these days despite it not being a listed benefit, usually nothing more than a sofa bed or room with a view but still appreciated
When i had gold i never got an upgrade at Conrad or Waldorf even told me they only provide for diamond members . this was few years back. Managed a few at other properties not high end brands ok . as diamond i have generally managed upgrades at all locations just not always good ones to say suite level some locations better than others . conrad recently been to dublin & istanbul both got upgraded ok, both offered better upgrade if i paid , not so good . both upgrades were fine . i will always push as diamond didn’t feel so comfortable as Gold. as i am from UK my status is real on actual stays as you cant buy it here.
I have always wondered if there is some sort of internal Hilton score that differentiates between people in the same tier based on their spend or stay profile
I get my Diamond status through stays, over 80 nights this year (before the double night bonus) and have had a few expensive weekend breaks for cash, arguably a more valuable customer than someone with diamond status through a CC but no actual spend
From my perspective, stays in London, Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok x2 and Hong Kong over the last 18 months, always a 1 level upgrade (london) usually 2-3 (3 in Tokyo & Dubai)
On a separate note – I seem to be getting more upgrades at Hamptons these days despite it not being a listed benefit, usually nothing more than a sofa bed or room with a view but still appreciated
For the past 7 years I have maintained diamond with the minimum number of stays (30 except during covid) at the cheapest possible rates, almost always one night, never spending anything in the hotel
Basically always got some sort of upgrade unless the hotel was completely full. Although I didn’t get a suite very often, it still happened more than I would have expected. But with Hilton pricing (for cash and for points) becoming unattractive and IHG introducing a more meaningful status I’ve reduced my stays at Hilton and will have no status next year
I will buy gold for £150 not expecting anything beyond published benefits and see how it goes in 2 years
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