Hilton Up to 50% Off Sale 12/14 - 1/07

thanx for the report, always good to know everything - more people should be reporting details like this...

But isn't there a FW rule not to call?

tajar96 said:   So, I had two made reservations prior to this sale coming out. 1 was done with points that has since been cancelled and rebooked with the above sale. The second was a non refundable advance purchase for 2 nights, coming to about $340 total incl. tax. With this sale, it is coming to $198. In the spirit of saving more money, I called customer service to see if I could negotiate a price difference or something. After getting transferred with from level to another, the rep was adamant that this was an employee only rate and I would be asked for an id at check in. I was put on hold while they checked something and I waited for about 10 mins before I hung up. Now, I am concerned. I am going to a resort for my anniversary on the first portion and I got a great rate ($465) for an awesome room. Or maybe I should I bite the bullet for $140 odd and let sleeping dogs lie.

Directly from T&C's:
Help us spread the light and warmth of hospitality this holiday season by sharing this special offer with your friends and family.
Hardly sounds like an employee only rate, requiring ID at check in.

It is HIGHLY unlikely that ANY airline or hotel would refund a nonrefundable rate to allow someone to book a better one; best chance is to call the local property to negotiate something better, rather than central reservations.

tajar96 said:   So, I had two made reservations prior to this sale coming out. 1 was done with points that has since been cancelled and rebooked with the above sale. The second was a non refundable advance purchase for 2 nights, coming to about $340 total incl. tax. With this sale, it is coming to $198. In the spirit of saving more money, I called customer service to see if I could negotiate a price difference or something. After getting transferred with from level to another, the rep was adamant that this was an employee only rate and I would be asked for an id at check in. I was put on hold while they checked something and I waited for about 10 mins before I hung up. Now, I am concerned. I am going to a resort for my anniversary on the first portion and I got a great rate ($465) for an awesome room. Or maybe I should I bite the bullet for $140 odd and let sleeping dogs lie.

This is one of the primary reasons I avoid prepaid hotel and car rentals. For most properties, the MVP / AAA rate is typically only 10% more than prepaid, off peak, low demand properties will often drop rates as date approaches. Perfect example: we stayed 3 nights at the Elara in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. I was checking the Hilton website to see if the doubletree was taking reservations, noted that the rate for the Elara dropped $20 for Thursday and Friday night - less than the original non-refundable rate, was able to make a new reservation, cancel the old one.

shank - How do you avoid prepaid car rentals ? for hotels, it is a gamble because I was concerned whether rates would go up. They ticked up a bit on the one I was looking at so I booked it to avoid losing more money. Little did I know that the rates would be halved with this sale.

On the Virgin Atlantic promo, do 2 nights in the same reservation count as 1 stay or two stays ?

tajar96 said:   On the Virgin Atlantic promo, do 2 nights in the same reservation count as 1 stay or two stays ?

Read the T&Cs; I am on my way out the door, don't have time now, but believe it clearly states that the miles are per stay, regardless of the number of nights. This has worked well for me, as I take short business trips, typically stay 1-2 nights in each location. Important that your earning profile is set up for points and miles, with the Virgin account number in the profile BEFORE making a reservation. If you already made the reservation, cancel it and make a new one.

Wow...Keep these deals coming....Booked tonight at Hilton San Diego overlooking Coronado Bridge for 55 bucks..Kids are loving this deal!!!

Thanks for this link. Unfortunately, I didn't read it until the day of my stay. Originally had a room booked for 20K points + $80. Rate via the link was about $90 (no points). Called Hilton generic number to try to cancel and re-book. No dice. Called the desk of the Hilton I was planning to stay at -- and they were nice enough to cancel without penalty. Then re-booked over the web. Saved me 20K points!

I don't see anything on their website mentioning that this is only for Friends and Family and it looks like the promotion has been advertised on a lot of websites.
Has anyone else called the Customer Service to check this? I reserved non-refundable nights and I am a little concerned now....

Rule #1 "DO NOT CALL"

tajar96 said:   So, I had two made reservations prior to this sale coming out. 1 was done with points that has since been cancelled and rebooked with the above sale. The second was a non refundable advance purchase for 2 nights, coming to about $340 total incl. tax. With this sale, it is coming to $198. In the spirit of saving more money, I called customer service to see if I could negotiate a price difference or something. After getting transferred with from level to another, the rep was adamant that this was an employee only rate and I would be asked for an id at check in. I was put on hold while they checked something and I waited for about 10 mins before I hung up. Now, I am concerned. I am going to a resort for my anniversary on the first portion and I got a great rate ($465) for an awesome room. Or maybe I should I bite the bullet for $140 odd and let sleeping dogs lie.

Terrific deal. Got a last minute room in NYC for under $250 -- next best I could find at a comparable hotel was $350.

EDIT: this deal just got better for me -- rate dropped to $139.00 to stay in a King bed in Manhattan on a Saturday night. That's insanely cheap. If I could give OP and even greener rating I would.

Any idea how to book if I need 12/30 to 1/2? I was thinking of making 3 separate reservations - with the 12/31 being at regular price (with whatever discounts I can otherwise find). Anybody see issues with this at time of checkin? Thanks for the help.

tajar96 said:   So, I had two made reservations prior to this sale coming out. 1 was done with points that has since been cancelled and rebooked with the above sale. The second was a non refundable advance purchase for 2 nights, coming to about $340 total incl. tax. With this sale, it is coming to $198. In the spirit of saving more money, I called customer service to see if I could negotiate a price difference or something. After getting transferred with from level to another, the rep was adamant that this was an employee only rate and I would be asked for an id at check in. I was put on hold while they checked something and I waited for about 10 mins before I hung up. Now, I am concerned. I am going to a resort for my anniversary on the first portion and I got a great rate ($465) for an awesome room. Or maybe I should I bite the bullet for $140 odd and let sleeping dogs lie.

The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club

homosapien said:   Any idea how to book if I need 12/30 to 1/2? I was thinking of making 3 separate reservations - with the 12/31 being at regular price (with whatever discounts I can otherwise find). Anybody see issues with this at time of checkin? Thanks for the help.

Biggest risk is that they ask you to move once or twice; I would call the property, tell them you made multiple reservations, would like to stay in the same room throughout.

Thanks OP for the great post. I set up my dad while he was visiting us in town over the holiday for half what he would have paid at the hampton inn, and my mom is right now enjoying her Christmas present at the embassy suites in Destin (which was a mere $57/night). No one asked either for ID, and I witnessed my mom's check-in,so I know it went perfectly smoothly.

Booked two nights in MA with free breakfast buffet. Thanks OP.

Thanks got double tree Hilton head in PA.....hah.. $49

Using it right now in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. It came very handy. No questions asked about the discount. TY OP!

For anyone that has got a pending stay till 7 Jan - 1 Q 2013 Promo

The link says up to 50% off. embassy suites, Conrad were 50 off. I believe Hampton and Hilton garden were only 30 off.

tajar96 said:   cpabster said:   Deals seem meh to me, $86/night at hampton inn nowhere near 50% off regular rates.

To each his own. Personally, this deal saved me close to $500 on my resort stay in Puerto Rico right before Christmas.

Yep. This deal saved me a legit 50% off at an upcoming Hilton stay.