Bits: Hilton cutting UK Diamond benefits, cheap InterContinental London 02 nights

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• Guy Andrews says:

  26 May26 May 05:18

  I believe an UK Hilton (as reported on Flyertalk ) left a letter in a room detailing this but has since been dismissed by HHonors Flyertalk rep …but hey given the variance in Diamond treatment by some hotels …

• Vistaro says:

  26 May26 May 05:56

  HHonors needs a new “top” level, Diamond has become far too easy to get so the benefits are disappearing, I thought Diamond for Life may offer more but it seems not.

  • World Traveller says:

    26 May26 May 07:19

    The benefit of Lifetime Diamond Status is not having to do 30 stays, stay 60 nights or earn 120,000 base points every year. Based on 30 £150 one-night stays, that’s a saving of £4,500 a year if you wanted Diamond status and didn’t travel for work. I’d be well chuffed if I was a Lifetime Diamond member.

• Dirtyneedebluesky says:

  26 May26 May 06:05

  Stayed at the Hilton Brighton last weekend..

  All I received, for a three night stay, was one drinks voucher and two bottles of water (only received water after complaining that the sofa bed still hadn’t been made up after asking on 3 previous occasions) & a supposedly upgraded room which made a Travelodge look cutting edge!

  Also two full breakfasts but they said the room included breakfast on-check-in so not sure if this was via status or the corp rate utilised.

  • Leo says:

    26 May26 May 06:21

    Stay at this hotel a lot as I work in Brighton a fair bit. Always get upgraded to a refurbished room – they tend to ask me at check in if I want sea-view or larger room etc. and the free breakfast is great, full run of the buffet and cooked items. Free drink voucher for use in the bar. Tend to only stay one night at a time however. I think this hotel is exceptional value.

    • Dan says:

      30 May30 May 23:06

      As a gold member have stayed here on business a few times. Last time (around March) they had a mock up exec lounge in the bar area which was cordoned off for access for gold and diamond only. I have since seen this at other hiltons without exec lounges such as Edinburgh Grosvenor. It’s a nice to have but lots of stares from other guests as you sip your wine.

  • Neil says:

    26 May26 May 18:52

    I also stay here regularly – and I despise the hotel
    However, I must add that if you want water, just phone down and ask. I get two bottles per day and its never a problem.
    Not sure what you were expecting from the sofa bed being left down. Its a minor inconvenience that I would imagine was sorted relatively quickly.

    • Leo says:

      26 May26 May 19:25

      I think he means the sofa being made up as a bed….

• James67 says:

  26 May26 May 06:37

  I stayed in DT Westminster last week. No drinks voucher or snacks were provided but I did receive room upgrade, lounge access and full breakfast. I was rather impressedby the hotel too.

  • Brian says:

    26 May26 May 08:30

    That’s good to know I’m staying there in July. Any other info you cab provide about the hotel? What is the lounge like? Thanks

    • James67 says:

      26 May26 May 10:28

      Hi Brian, I liked this hotel better than any chain hotel I’ve stayed in London. South/river facing rooms are bright and airy with their light decor and furnishings, and large windows. Highest standards of housekeeping I have seen in any hotel outside Asia. Rooms a decent size but bathroom cramped but funcytional, shower only in my exec floor room. Empty bar but store in reception, water replaced daily. An iMac in room but it doubles as TV so small for TV these days. Code provided for complimentary premium internet which worked well in our room. Lounge is a windowless conference room but just big enough to meet demand during our stay. A fair selection of wines and beer 2 hrs each night, four hit snacks, tgree sandwuches, candy, crisps, crackers, nuts and biscuits. A decent hot drinks machine with cups to go. Very friendly and efficient staff. Decent breakfast in nice breakfast room. Pimlico, Victoria and Westminster tubes all 10 mins walk away at most. Bus 88 from Lambeth Bridge stop just behind hotel has you in Trafalgar Square in 5 minutes. At OLCI was offered suite upgrade fir just £32. Will definitely stay here again.

      • CV3V says:

        26 May26 May 15:54

        If there is an iMac in the room then it may be an old Mint Hotel which Hilton bought out. The Mint Hotel in Manchester is now a Doubletree and was a great little hotel.

        • James67 says:

          26 May26 May 16:10

          Now that you mention it, I think I heard that someplace else so I guess you’re right. Btw, LL had a post that MAS again offering cheap region J fares out of both Thailand and Malaysia.

        • CV3V says:

          26 May26 May 21:10

          Thanks for tip, I’ve been testing it out, but next asia trip isn’t until December when it will be KL, then either Phuket (as the in laws like it there), Bali (which is where i want to go, and also a friend will be backpacking there) or somewhere in Vietnam (somewhere, as it depends on where a friend will be on their bike trip)!

          A lot of the Mint Hotels became Hilton Garden Inn, but the clue seems to be if the room still has the iMac in it. Hilton seem to be expanding, new hotels in Glasgow and Edi and they taking over Carlton on North Bridge. All makes Diamond status more useful.

    • Dan says:

      30 May30 May 23:09

      I’m staying this week I will update on the DTWestminster and my findings.

• Neil says:

  26 May26 May 07:00

  Seems very short sighted if true. Aside from the service cost of putting the water in the room, the actual water must cost them a few pence on a hundred quid room…

• Chris says:

  26 May26 May 07:06

  Given the rates at the IC O2 im surprised they are being obstructive, I would have thought any type of positive advertisement would have been most welcome as having to sell nights in a five star hotel cheaper than an HIX has to be hurting someone’s pocket – probably my pension fund knowing my luck.

  We have three nights planned for early July and we intending to use a mix of AMB BOGOF and visa free night but at £112 a night we just went with the cash option and will use the vouchers later in the year.

  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it Rob.

  • Wilson says:

    26 May26 May 18:47

    Use the 20% mastercard rate if you can as it includes free breakfast. Stayed at the IC O2 last weekend and the breakfast buffet has a great spread. I also thought the pool facilities were excellent.

• Craig Paolozzi says:

  26 May26 May 07:09

  Diamond changes have been dismissed by Hilton rep on FT

  • Simon Schus says:

    26 May26 May 07:20

    Stayed at Blackpool Hilton this week for a work thing- the reception told me that they are phasing the drinks vouchers out as a UK chain and so wouldn’t be able to provide me with one. I then got to my (refurbished, excellent) room to find a full bottle of red wine with their compliments! It was an excellent stay at only £41! I got about 3000 points out of it and a free bottle of wine for a stay I needed anyway so I was happy!

    Simon

    • Rob says:

      26 May26 May 09:26

      These comments come from two different HFP readers who were told – by the reception desks at two different UK hotels – that these changes were coming from next week.

  • Ian says:

    26 May26 May 16:46

    No she has not.

    She has not denied the removal of these benefits as mentioned in this article.

• Alan says:

  26 May26 May 07:22

  Agree diamond is easy to obtain I matched my spire elite. However I’ve stayed in 4 Hilton properties since my match.

  If the match wasn’t available I’d have stayed at IHG properties.

  I’ve been really impressed with the hotels I’ve stayed at WA in Edinburg being the highlight. The new Hilton in Bournemouth was very good also.

  • Brian says:

    26 May26 May 08:33

    I really enjoyed the first time I stayed at WA Edinburgh. Second time not so much with a pretty small room and a few things weren’t up to even basic standard in it. Galvin was nice for food but I felt the more expensive Pompadour wasn’t worth the extra.

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