Sunday last week, I wrote about a new public Friends & Family Thank You Offer from Hilton HHonors that is open for all and is eligible for both the stay/night credit & for points. This rate is valid for stays between December 14 and January 7, 2013.
This rate returns some truly exceptional rates at many Hilton properties like 2400 THB for Millennium Hilton, 2900 THB Conrad, and 1900 for Conrad Residences all these in Bangkok. The savings are similar at many other Hilton family of hotels that have availability.
Once I posted this piece, it spread to quite a few other blogs and internet forums as well. There has been lot of skepticism, whether rate this low would earn points and/or stay credit? I would have posted a warning had I thought that there is a chance the rate would not earn points or hadn’t been a public one.
There was couple of messages left about this rate for the comments section of my previous piece that I would like to clarify:
The problem calling a customer service regarding a rate like this is that when the person answering the phone just sees a “Friends & Family”, they immediately think that the rate is an internal one. The REAL Friends & Family rate does earn a stay credit but won’t earn any points.
You can call and ask about a promotion like this and likely you will receive 5 different answers over 4 phone calls. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to call and trying to clarify things. The telephone customer service isn’t Hilton’s strongest point.
Of course, something like this is incorrect as well. Everyone can easily read the rate requirements. This was and still is a public rate.
Completed stay over the weekend with points & nights/stay credit
Friend of mine just had a two night stay, over the weekend, booked under this rate at the Conrad property in Bangkok. The stay posted just fine within 24 hours after checkout with correct points/miles & stay/night credit. It does say pending, but the points have been added to the balance and the stay/night credit added to the yearly total as well.
Why hotels are offering such a low prices over the holidays?
This is absolutely the slowest time of the year for business travel that obviously drops off completely just before Christmas and week after the New Year. You can often find the lowest price of the year during this time period for business hotels. The rate is blocked on the New Year ’s Eve.
I think that it is a smart strategy for Hilton trying to rack up at much business during this time period by having an unannounced Friends & Family sale at mostly empty hotels.
Conclusion
You can always drop me an email (john@loyaltylobby.com) or leave a comment, if you think that the information that I have posted on LoyaltyLobby is incorrect.
I won’t post information that I think may not be right or, if it is iffy, I post it with big disclaimers. There was no doubt in my mind at any point that this rate 1. Wouldn’t be public and 2. Wouldn’t qualify for points and stay credit.
Happy bookings using this Thank You Family & Friends Thank You-offer and enjoy great savings at Hilton properties over the next couple of weeks.
