As a Diamond Member of Hilton’s Honors scheme I am used to getting an upgrade when I stay at one of their properties. I am also used to checking in online using the Hilton Honors app. The app is comforting when you do this, about the upgrade you will receive – stating that they will endeavour to upgrade you until the time you arrive.
Indeed, this is my exact experience at every hotel I have stayed in, until I came across the Hilton at Dublin Airport.
Let me say that I have been a great supporter of this property with almost all of my stays at Dublin Airport being spent there over the past few years.
Last Friday I arrived at the front desk and there was no upgrade, despite them still selling better rooms. They had a big event on so I didn’t query this until check-out. The agent checking me out apologised and could not understand how I had not been offered an upgrade when I checked in around 6pm the previous day.
My arrival today was fairly early, around 1pm and the room as not ready. Asked to wait in the bar, I did until 3pm – the normal check-in time. The room became available around 2.45 – and when I asked about the upgrade was told -‘If you do online check-in we assume that’s the room you want and so don’t move you for an upgrade’.
Say what?
The Hilton app specifically says that even if you do check-in online you are still able to obtain an upgrade if one becomes available. It should say, that this applies except at the Hilton Dublin Airport. I mentioned this to the front desk, but they could not get past their rule – check-in online = room that you want.
The General Manager spoke to me about this policy and seems to have a very different view – ‘If that’s the room you’ve picked it must be the one that you want’.
My view has always been that it’s a backstop, the room I will end up with if no upgrade is available, and not some sort of preferred room that I want come hell or high water. When they used to upgrade the room type in advance, and you could search for rooms in the upgraded room type it was OK using the app as you picked rooms which included the upgrade.
So, if you’re a Diamond member, DON’T check in at the Hilton Dublin Airport on the app – it will score you no upgrade!
I had a bad experience at that hotel about a year ago as a diamond. Spoke to different staff members about it, but they were indifferent at best.
works this way at plenty of Hilton Hotels. at the Hilton Times square, i was told that using online check-in took me out of the Manager’s list of “diamonds to upgrade”, and that if I want to use OLCI in the future, i should also call to explicitly state that I DO want an upgrade. so…that conversation lead me to not use OLCI anywhere.
I’ve had to fight for upgrades as a hilton diamond at Hilton Millennium Bangkok and the Conrad Bangkok recently. I will revert back to not using the app as well. I’ve actually never had a complimentary upgrade as a diamond now that I think about it. I’ve always had to inquire. Thanks for the info!
So, using the hotel’s logic, elite flyers shouldn’t reserve a seat, because if they do, that’s the seat they want, and they choose to forego an upgrade. These elites should instead just hope that luck of the draw will work out for them.
I work for Hilton, and once you eckin, the policy is to NOT change the room # for any reason— ask any front desk clerk to show you how it comes up in the comments field on the rez. And yup yup, when we run the best guest arrivals report and you are ALREADY an eckin, unless you ask at check in for an upgrade, policy states NO RM CHNGS FOR ECKIN.
@Colin – then the wording of the app needs to be changed!
Interesting. I booked three rooms there- just for one night as my team were travelling on next day to an international conference. When they arrived at reception, they were told no rooms had been booked. They called me – bear in mind this is a Saturday afternoon – and I luckily had the booking reference numbers with me. I was put on the ‘phone to the receptionist, who denied there was any record of those ref numbers in her system. And the hotel was fully booked! After a few minutes, I got a senior manager brought to the phone, had a sharp exchange, and eventually two rooms were found in a fully booked hotel. Needless to say, my team were a bit upset and two of them had to share but it worked out. Yet it was all so unnecessary.
Should the final paragraph read “DON’T check in – online – at the Hilton Dublin Airport”?
@Steve – yes for clarity I have changed it.
@Freddie – seems the new GM is making lots of changes. I understand that they are outsourcing the shuttle buses, making the long standing staff redundant. The change to upgrades/check-in also seems to be his idea.