I’m going to Cancun for a few days and chose the Canopy by Hilton hotel as my first stop. I booked it via Amex’s The Hotel Collection, and the reservation appeared on my Hilton app immediately. There is the Request Upgrade page which you are probably familiar with:
Basically these are standby options that offer room upgrade, meals or credit at a discounted price. When you arrive at the hotel they will inform you whether the standby has cleared, and you don’t pay anything until then.
There are very good deals occasionally but I very rarely pay for an upgrade. One thing I really like about Hilton’s app though, is that you can view floor plan of the hotel and even pick your room accordingly at online check-in. However this time I noticed something rather unusual:
It is advertising paid upgrade to some enhanced rooms, including a suite.
Quite confusingly, they are paid but the price is confidential. How can people pay for something when they don’t even know the price?
I sent an inquiry using the app’s Chat feature. A friendly member of staff came back to me saying that they’d upgraded me to the premium room, however for the suite I’d need to pay more than 500 dollars. It is awkward as the confidential price ended up being higher than what eStandby offered!
There was some news October last year about a new upgrade feature offered to elite members and I guess it’s related, although I’m not sure how prevalent Hilton hotels are selling it right now. Personally I think it adds little value as eStandby is already well integrated, especially as the price is not disclosed.
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