Compensation Clinic: New York Hilton Midtown Cannot Honor Reservations Due to Closure

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a case about a Hilton-affiliated hotel in New York that is staying closed for the time being and unable to honors their reservations.

Remember that you can always email us, send a message via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and include photos. We’ll try to cover a Compensation Clinic case here regularly.

You can access New York Hilton Midtown website here.

Cancellation Email from Hilton:

Email that the reader sent to Hilton:

I received your e-mail that my reservation with confirmation number REMOVED has a problem. The New York Hilton Midtown will not be open at the time that I booked. I also understand you need to relocate my stay and you suggested a few hotels.

The reservation with confirmation number REMOVED is a stay from august 21th for 7 nights, 3 rooms, CITY Room 1 King Bed 1487,73 dollar per room or the total of my stay was 4463,13 dollars for the 3 rooms.

I would like to be relocated at the first hotel that you suggest Conrad New York Midtown since it is the nearest one available. I understand it is a relocation of the booking, so at the same rate and price.

Can you please relocate me to the Conrad New York Midtown.

Email from reader to us:

See last mail frist please. Hilton just cancelled my reservation just without helping me…..

I send a mail, but did not get any reaction yet…

If they sent an answer, I will let you know.

My advice what the reader could do:

You need to send the email to Hilton’s Guest Assistance that deals with issues such as this.

You can use gold@hilton.com or diamond@hilton.com. Put a note that you would like to escalate the case to Guest Assistance.

If the stay was prepaid, you should have an option to convert it to Be My Guest certificates per our earlier piece about this issue.

Hilton Travel Flexibility COVID-19 Update (Now Free Night Certs?)

Let us know how it goes.

Statement from the Hilton spokesperson:

In the infrequent instance where a member’s reservation requires relocation, our properties are empowered to provide a resolution with the unique details of the reservation in mind.

This includes notifying the guest prior to arrival and offering alternative accommodations at an equivalent property while taking into consideration the honoring of guest rates, transportation provisions and other offerings as appropriate.

Here’s the response that the reader received (finally) from the operations manager at the New York Hilton Midtown:

Thank you for your patience; my apologies for the delay, I had mistakenly thought I had replied to your message below earlier this week. I did review your request with the Conrad New York Midtown and the best available rate they can offer is $450 per night plus tax.

I understand that is not the rate you had at our property, therefore I have also reached out to the Millennium One UN in midtown and the Millennium Downtown and they have both informed me that they are happy to match your current rates.

We certainly understand the inconvenience this has caused and are more than happy to provide you 100,000 Hilton Honors points for the inconvenience. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate these difficult times.

And the reader was happy with the outcome:

To be honest I have stayed at the Millennium Downtown before and the hotel is not really nice and totally out of location. The Millennium UN in midtown has so many bad reviews that I am not willing to try that one. Conrad was a dream and since you suggested it yourself I was really eager to get that one. Too bad that it is not available for the rate we had. And 450 dollar plus tax is too much for 3 rooms for me.

I only see a solution in rebooking myself to another one of the Hilton family. I am happy with the compensation of 100,000 points for the inconvenience.

Let me assure you …. New York Hilton Midtown is really a good hotel for me. Nice City rooms, quite hotel and very good location…. That is why I am so sad that you are not open yet.

Conclusion

Unless the hotels, like Conrad, are at 100% occupancy, what is the downside of taking over the reservation from another Hilton-affiliated hotel that is staying closed event at a lower price?

For me, this would make sense and strengthen the brand and trust among its members.

I am glad, however, that the reader received adequate compensation and will make alternate plans and bookings by themselves.