Older stairwells were apparently not designed to handle the massive boxsprings that come with today’s double beds. When Sarah ordered a mattress set from Hampton Inn, she didn’t realize this, and ran up against a no-return policy and an inexplicable $500 markup for a split boxspring. [More]
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Embassy Suites Wants To Sell You Bedding And Alarm Clocks
By 4.19.10
Embassy Suites plans to launch a site next month that will let people buy sheets, comforters, pillows, coffee pots, and alarm clocks just like the ones in their hotel rooms, reports national hotel paper USA Today. A Hilton executive in charge of the Embassy brand says the company doesn’t plan to make much money off of it and that the items will be priced below retail, but I’m not sure that means you’ll find any bargains. [More]
The Hilton Parking Deck Guy Trapped Our Car
By 3.22.10
Buddy says a Hilton parking structure security guard wouldn’t allow him to drive his car away because he didn’t have a ticket. Buddy didn’t have one because the ticket machine was broken and couldn’t provide it to him. It took a 911 call to get to freedom. [More]
Hilton's Points-For-Haiti Offer Isn't A Good Value
By 1.20.10
If you’ve got Hilton Honors points, the hotel chain will let you redeem them as cash donations for Haiti relief efforts. That’s a pretty nice offer, but Oyster Hotel Reviews points out that the hotel chain is only offering $25 in donations for every 10,000 points–an exchange rate that puts the points at a fourth of what they’re usually worth. [More]
Is It Poor Taste To Solicit Hotel Rewards Points Donations?
By 1.16.10
Jeremy received a solicitation from Hilton to donate his points from the chain’s loyalty program, HHonors, to the Red Cross in order to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. He thinks that this e-mail blast was in poor taste. Do you? [More]
Hilton Complimentary Internet Access In Lobby Costs $10 A Day
By 11.2.09
At Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel, everything is complimentary! That’s because to them “complimentary” actually means “for a price.” Last week, a linguistics professor tried to take advantage of their “Complimentary High-speed Internet access on the lobby level,” which is how they describe the service on their website. He quickly discovered that he’d have to agree to a $9.99 charge in order to get the free service.
Reader Gets 162,000 Vaporized Hilton Points Reinstated
By 10.7.09
Rikki is happy to report that her 162,000 Hilton points that disappeared without notice or warning are reinstated!
Hilton Tells Loyal Customer He's Not Important Enough To Get Reservation Changed
By 11.4.08
When Mr. Glassman tried to change his reservation date at a DC Hilton, a hotel clerk told him he couldn’t do that because a large group was checking in and, “There won’t be anyone on the desk to accommodate you.” When he asked for clarification, that no matter what time he checked in during that day, no one would be able to help him, the answer was in the affirmative. So Glassman, a frequent Hilton customer, canceled his reservation, all his future reservations, and all those of the rest of his 21-member law firm. When Hilton corporate caught word, “gaskets were blown” and they took it as a “training opportunity,” but by that time, they lost Glassman’s business for good.
Thanks, Doubletree Hotel, For Not Even Apologizing After Messing Up My Wedding Reservations
By 7.24.08
Readers Brandon and Eleanor made reservations back in November for their wedding this June, but in May found out that the Doubletree Hotel had only reserved a small fraction of the rooms they requested. This started off a chain of bad service that included weddings guests not able to book their rooms at the quoted rate, unauthorized charges to Eleanor’s credit card, and unexpected fees for handing out gift bags. What a headache.
Don't Get Charged An Occupancy Tax For A Hotel Room You Never Occupied
By 6.4.08
Michael canceled his Hilton Hotel reservation with less than 24 hour notice and got charged the full-room rate of $189. This post is not about that. Michael knows and accepts that this is the policy. Rather, this is about $25. The $25 “occupancy tax” the Hilton tacked on. Michael wasn’t about to be charged an occupancy tax for a room he never occupied. After talking to three different people for two days, he finally got Hilton refund the charge. “I thought other readers may like to know about this story and to be on the look out for stupid taxes that aren’t valid when you cancel a hotel room,” Michael writes.
A Double Dose Of Bed Bug Related Hotel Complaints
By 5.11.07
We’d been hearing that the bed bug epidemic has hit hotels, but we didn’t really believe it. Then we got 2 hotel bed bug complaints in 48 hours. The first concerns the Hilton on Kearny Street in San Francisco. Oddly enough, the second also concerns the great state of California, but a different hotel. The Best Western Ocean View in Santa Monica. But first things first.
