Some companies understand the importance of social media outreach from customers, and some don’t (I’m looking at you, @TopGuest). Hilton is one of the former and has now impressed me twice in a row by responding to my simple Tweet, and they did so nearly instantaneously this time.

My first issue this past October was directed at the HHonors Twitter address for a failed promotion issue I was having. Within 15 minutes, a representative responded with an offer to help and my issue was very well resolved the following day.

This past Saturday, I was staying at a Hilton Garden Inn, my first stay ever at this brand, and experienced children running up and down the halls on my floor playing and having fun. It was totally fine for five minutes, but it continued and continued. After about 30 minutes, it stopped, so I thought that was the end of it. Minor annoyance… kids will be kids, but I wish the parents had intervened earlier.

During my stay, though, I noticed the abundance of kids everywhere and also acting out without much parental control, so reached out to Twitter particularly interested to know if Garden Inns are predominantly family-oriented. And yes, it was a Saturday, so business-travel light, but this was my first time with such an abundance of kids that I asked:

Within minutes, probably 10 at most, Hilton Online responded and asked for more detail via a direct message. After sending my mini-complaint and curiosity about the Garden Inn brand, they replied:

Shortly thereafter, I received a call from the front desk manager. She was very apologetic and explained that there was a junior hockey team staying at the property that night and confirmed Garden Inns do see more families compared to the flagship Hilton properties, especially on weekends. She mentioned they’d send someone up to monitor the halls and offered to move my room.

By that time, all had quieted down, so I was pleased with the outreach and thanked her for the information. All was good and I will now take this into consideration for future reservations with Hilton.

Even more impressive, however, was the follow-up email I received on Tuesday from Hilton Worldwide:

Little, simple touches like this email cost nothing, but do more in my mind for brand loyalty than any promotional bonus point campaign. I’m a happy Hilton HHonors member and experiences like this reinforce my decision to remain a Hilton customer.

Finally, I was happy to read that second to last paragraph in the email mentioning the importance my feedback on Twitter had after the issue was resolved. I tweeted:

The acknowledgement in the quoted email above reinforces my desire to always respond when things go right, not just wrong.

From noon tomorrow EST through 11:59am Wednesday, if you book a weekend night with a Hilton brand property for a stay anytime this year, you can receive 2,500 bonus HHonors points upon completion of each stay up to a maximum 10,000 points for four stays.

This 24-hour event highlights the loyalty program’s “Any Weekend, Anywhere Sale,” where participating properties are offering up to 33% off weekend stays, which comprise at least one night on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Thursdays also qualify, but require a minimum two-night stay.

To get the bonus points, there’s a little more action required than many recent HHonors promotions. Here are the steps:

1. You have to book a stay either via their Facebook page, or through this web link.
2. Assuming you’ve done this between the 1/17/12 – 1/18/12, noon to noon EST parameters…
3. Return to the event’s Facebook page and enter your confirmation number along with your HHonors information.
4. Once you’ve successfully completed that stay by 12/30/12, expect to see 2,500 bonus points in your account in 4-6 weeks.

View the other terms and conditions for full details, but in a nutshell, you’re maxed out to earn this bonus four times for a total of 10,000 HHonors points. Also, the biggest “catch” is that the reservations you make under this promotion are totally nonrefundable. A 7-day advance purchase is additionally required.

It’s still a nice bonus if you already have expected, but not-yet-reserved stays, and even if you don’t book during the allocated 24-hour window for the bonus, the “Any Weekend, Anywhere” sale continues through January 31, 2012 via this web link.

I have oodles of upcoming weekend stays already booked at advance purchase rates, so unfortunately can’t change those for inclusion with this promotion. Alas, I planned too far in advance. Hope you can take advantage.

These have already been widely covered in other blogs, but I have yet to directly address them. First up is the Hilton HHonors first quarter promotion offering 1,000 bonus points per night and 5,000 additional bonus points if you spend a minimum 2-nights from Thursday to Sunday. Registration is required and there is a list of non-participating properties, but it doesn’t seem as exclusive as their fourth quarter promo. The other good news is that advance purchase rates qualify.

The other promo I might take advantage of is their offer to receive 30% of your points back if you book either a Premium Room Reward or Points & Money Reward. HHonors received a bit of backlash from these new award options as some members noticed certain high-end and resort properties changed their room types to be all premium, thereby increasing the required points for redemption. While that is a devaluation, I’m happy Hilton now offers awards for room types other than standard.

Back to the promo, it, too, requires registration and reservations must be made by January 31, 2012 for stays beginning no later than June 30, 2012. The full points required will initially be pulled for such bookings with the 30% points back being credited to your account six to eight weeks after completing the stay.

In other hotel industry news this week…

• After 40 years as CEO and a total of 60 years with the chain, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. is handing over the top spot to current President and Chief Operating Officer Arne Sorenson. This handoff takes effect March 31, 2012 and marks the first time Marriott will be led by a non-family member. Mr. Marriott will become Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board.
• Two conflicting reports came out this week with regard to the ratio of growth in budget vs. high-end hotels. One article states travelers are spending more on flights, but downgrading themselves when staying at hotels. It quoted that “first- and business-class airline tickets increased by 9.1% and 5.4% respectively,” but hotel spending on budget and luxury accommodations grew 10.5% and 2.2% respectively, pointing at slowing growth for high-end properties. Another source is forecasting that high-end hotels will excel in 2012 driven mostly by rate increases with nearly flat growth in occupancy. They see a 6.1% increase in revenue per available room particularly due to “higher demand from business and corporate travelers.” Forecasting is an art, though, not a science.
• Travel Weekly bestowed honors to the best of the travel industry during their ninth annual Readers’ Choice Awardsthis week. On the hotel side, here were the results:
  • Domestic: Marriott International
  • Asia: InterContinental Hotels Group
  • Caribbean: Sandals Resorts
  • Europe: InterContinental Hotels Group
  • Mexico: Secrets Resorts & Spas
  • Hawaii/South Pacific: Starwood Hotels & Resorts
  • All-Inclusive: Sandals Resorts
  • Luxury: Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts
  • Upscale: Westin Hotels & Resorts
  • Mid-Priced: Hampton Inn
  • Boutique: Karisma Hotels & Resorts
  • Sales & Service: Marriott International
• Google began placing its own Hotel Finder service above every other sponsored ad when a user enters something like “Las Vegas hotels” in the search box. This is drawing anger from other highlighted companies like Kayak, Expedia and Vegas.com who will undoubtedly receive fewer click- throughs with their weaker page placement. Some are calling it “reckless and evil,” but I think Google has every right to promote itself first.
• The Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Center has opened for business this week. It represents the chain’s 18^th and largest property in the city and houses 720-rooms, 20,000 square feet of meeting space and five restaurants and lounges.
• Hyatt opened its first Hyatt Place hotel in Waikiki by converting the former Ocean Resort Hotel Waikiki at the Diamond Head end of the beach. The Pali Tower opened last week with 190-rooms and the 236-room Diamond Tower is planned to open sometime in the spring.
• Staying with the Hawaiian theme for a moment, the ever-popular Hilton Hawaiian Village received approval for a $760 million expansion that will add 550 timeshare units and additional swimming pools, parking and retail space.
• Finally a personal note of achievement: I’m officially a Hilton Diamond member now, my first time ever being a top-tier elite with a hotel chain. Now I need to decide who to focus my spend with in 2012. I’m considering status matching/challenging to Starwood or Hyatt for suite upgrades as Hilton currently doesn’t offer this as a perk. What to do, what to do.

I’ll openly admit I’m a sucker for status matches and challenges, and I received a targeted offer yesterday from Hilton HHonors to fast track to Diamond Status. What to do, what to do? First, here’s the offer:

I’m already Gold through March of 2013 and this offer would require I complete six stays by the end of the year. I already have two reservations booked that will qualify, so I’m “only” four away from Hilton’s top tier.

My first stop was Flyertalk, where two knowledgeable threads have been battling out the same question – “Is Diamond status any better than Gold?” – for more than a decade. My three-minute review of each thread basically tells me… “Not so much.”

Hilton lacks in their top-tier status compared to others by not offering Diamonds upgrades to suites based on availability at check-in or otherwise, among other perks. If suite upgrades were a published benefit, I do it in a heartbeat. Few, very few, reports from Diamonds on those threads said they’d occasionally get a suite now and then.

Otherwise, the benefits from Gold to Diamond are marginal. Diamonds get an extra 25% bonus points per stay (50% of base), guaranteed lounge access if not upgraded to an Executive Floor – I’m 90% getting Executive Floor as a Gold – and apparent incredible support from the “Diamond Desk.”

So then I start thinking about next year. What are my travel plans? Where am I flying? Am I going to redeem points next year? Internationally, Diamond status seems to be the level where things happen according to the threads. Hmm… I have several trips planned next year already that Diamond would come in handy overseas, both award and revenue travel.

No one can really answer the question “Is Diamond better than Gold?” other than yourself since it’s relative to what’s most important to you. Will the benefits exceed the cost of obtaining them? Could I just pay for a better room/experience next year for less? And then the gnawing “status” thing gets in my way. “Top tier! Top tier! Top tier!” my subconscious calls out.

Ugh. I actually have a very limited travel schedule for the remainder of the year. I just locked in 1K status with United Airlines and was satisfied with Gold in HHonors next year. Now this. If I don’t travel any more, it’ll cost me roughly $400 for those four mattress runs given I’m certain I can find $79 – $89 rates to qualify for the offer.

Then, the Million Miler program with United creeps into my head. I’m sooo close. If I’m crazy next year, I can hit it. I’d have to do Ben-style flying, but it’s certainly plausible. Plus, I already have multiple international trips booked next year for which Diamond “might” pay off. $400 out-of-pocket now for top-tier in HHonors? I’m doing it and here’s why:

• Diamond status seems to be essential internationally for the best rooms and perks.
• I have a nice balance in HHonors right now, the 25% extra bonus points for Diamond will booster that for a possible incredible redemption.
• Since I’m close to million-miler status with United, a few more mileage runs this year might be worthwhile to ease my “pain” next year. Sometimes the one-nighters with a mattress run offer the best value per EQM.
• I already have $2,000+ in travel credits with United I can use next year. I spent less than that this year for 1K.
• A suite now and then? Might be nice, especially at the properties I frequent who know me so well already. I think they’d be more prone to give an “off-the-book” upgrade.
• I have to stick it in here somewhere… “Top Tier Status!” Yes, I get satisfaction out of it. Shallow, insecure, elitist… take your pick.
• Status match opportunities in 2012. Maybe Hyatt, Priority Club or Starwood is better for me. Now is the time to have top-tier status when I can change my plans next year without consequence should I be able to match in another program.

Am I missing anything? I’d love to hear from current Hilton Diamonds, but if anyone has read this far… what do you think? If you were me, would you do it or not?  Humor me and vote below:

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A couple of weeks ago I attended the United Airlines Family Day event at San Francisco Airport. Instead of flying up just for the day, I spent the weekend there and booked a room at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront. I’ve stayed at a huge amount of airport hotels and this is the first near-airport property to exceptionally impress me.

I checked-in with Ashlin and she was by far the most real, yet professional, Hilton employee I’ve ever come across. She acknowledged my status and reviewed the benefits at the property as is normal during most of my Hilton check-in experiences, but she had a way of doing it that added a touch of un-robotic reality and personalization. I don’t know how to better describe it than that – Hilton needs to clone her.

I requested an airport view at check-in and Ashlin was quick to accommodate my request and apologized for having to move me one floor lower than what was pre-reserved. The apology was really unnecessary, but I thought it was a nice touch.

The lobby and surroundings were impressive and spotless. Near the elevator bank, there was a row of computers with a printer and a table setup with refreshing water options.

I took the elevator up to floor nine and made my way to room 914.

I believe this property was recently refreshed as the room was exceptionally appointed and comfortable. I like that they added a touch of locality with the mural of San Francisco appearing above the bed. All the plug-ins you could need were next to the desk and as usual, an in-closet safe was present large enough to fit a laptop.

The bathroom was just “okay” as the showerhead was a bit antiquated and the grouting on the floor was splotchy. Still, it was well appointed and carried the standard bathroom amenities.

As a Gold HHonors member, I had access to the Executive Lounge that is open daily from 6:00am to 10:00pm at this property. The day I checked in, I went up prior to the 5pm to 7pm Hors D’oeuvres time and was able to snap a ton of pictures without being “weird” had other people been present.

It, too, was well appointed and comfortable. It features several seating areas, televisions, a business center and complimentary newspapers. Once 5pm rolled around, the “buffet” section was ready and I enjoyed an array of vegetables, cheeses and crackers, bruschetta-esque delicacies and buffalo wings. Not pictured is a refrigerator of self-serve soft-drinks and bottled water (though you can see it in the mirror reflection).

Unlike many Hilton properties I’ve stayed at, the wait staff in this lounge was incredibly responsive to your every need. They quickly cleared empty plates, asked politely if you needed anything else and were genuine in their service. I was very impressed. In the mornings, they had eggs and sausage one day and eggs and bacon the next, along with fruit, pastries and yoghurt.

I generally never use the pool or fitness room when staying at a hotel, but took a tour specifically to include for this review. Both areas are quite small, but given it’s an airport property they seemed adequate. Signs were posted in the lobby and on the door of the fitness room that a renovation is near.

My interactions with the staff throughout my stay were impressive. Everyone was courteous, polite, not overbearing and sincere in their approach. I appreciate when people act “real,” and all of the employees at this property did just that.

I sort of regret not having dined at the property’s restaurant to include in this review, but will definitely stay there again when the need arises. Having stayed at many airport hotels near SFO, this by far was the best experience I’ve had. Well done, Hilton!

[Please note that I was not paid for this review, nor did I inform Hilton in advance that I am a travel blogger.]

I received a new Hilton HHonors promotion in my email tonight:

It does not appear targeted, though you do have to select United Airlines as your Double Dip partner. Basically, for every two-night or more stay from October 1 to December 11, 2011, you earn 1,000 bonus award miles in Mileage Plus up to a maximum of five stays and 5,000 miles. It appears these are in addition to the normal bonus miles the program offers if you select United as your Double Dip partner.

Registration is required prior to a qualifying stay, unlike my post from earlier today. Why they sent this out today with a start date of October 1^st is pretty ridiculous in my mind (as if it were USPS Standard email). The full terms & conditions mention the stays must be at “a participating hotel or resort in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio,” but there is no link for excluded properties.

Let’s see how successful I am with this promotion as I already have a multi-night stay booked during the stated timeframe (and did just register).

Back in August I posted about a targeted offer I received in the mail offering instant Hilton HHonors Gold status and the opportunity to earn bonus points and airline miles after completing five stays. The mailer included a new Gold card and account number with additional verbiage, “If you’re already a HHonors member, please contact Hilton Reservations and Customer Care so your account can be updated to qualify for this offer.”

As a Gold already, that’s exactly what I did. It took two phone calls as the first agent seemed overwhelmed in trying to find the offer code and after more than 30 minutes, the line “mysteriously” disconnected. The second agent was far more proficient, merged the accounts and assured me this promotion was active on my existing account. Here’s the promotion info:

• Instant Gold through March 2013
• Complete five stays between July 1 and October 31, 2011 to earn 25,000 HHonors points and 5,000 airline miles
• Activate by October 31, 2011

Additional information necessary for this promo failure turned success:

• The letter was dated June 27, 2011 and mailed USPS Standard mail (the cheapest bulk method).
• I received it on July 29, 2011
• I called that night and merged the accounts as mentioned above
• The letter did not state registration was required before a qualifying stay (and believe me, I read the fine print thoroughly)

I completed my fifth stay October 10^th and expected the bonus points to hit immediately as Hilton’s system seems to do in my experience. Nothing, so Wednesday night I called and spoke with agent April who after researching and speaking with “upper management” (a call center supervisor), came back to say, “you didn’t register until July 29^th, so your earlier July stays don’t qualify.”

I explained the USPS Standard mail delay and the fact the letter nowhere mentions registration was required before the first stay. She responded, “Sir, we’re not responsible for the mail and you don’t qualify. We can’t override the system.” It’s pointless to try to rebut with the rationality of the situation, so I thanked her and hung up.

Instead of doing the “call back and try another agent” frequent flyer tried & true method, I decided to test social media outreach. Here, then, was my tweet after that failed phone call:

Surprisingly that late at night, a mere 15 minutes later Hilton responded:

I had gone to bed by then, so Thursday morning I DM’d my account number and brief explanation and within moments:

Not 20 minutes later my phone rang and I spoke with representative Jonathan. I never supplied my phone number on Twitter, but he was swift enough to get it from my account. After a brief conversation bringing him up to speed on the above, I emailed him the promotion letter in question.

After about an hour, Jonathan called me back, apologized, mentioned the 25,000 points have been added to my account and the 5,000 airline miles will be processed. He further asked if there was anything else he could do for me. Now THAT is excellent customer service. I thanked him for the expeditiousness of the outreach and quick resolution and wished him a pleasant day. I later tweeted:

I am highly impressed with Hilton’s social media responsiveness and my issue was resolved with incredible ease via that medium. Call center agents are always hit or miss no matter the industry and I always cringe when needing to call one. Their necessity will likely never go away, but I’m happy technology has advanced to the point we can sometimes bypass the irritatingly inconsistent call center experience.

Well done Hilton HHonors!

(Hmm… did my blog have anything to do with it?)

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week…

• All Nippon Airways (ANA) took delivery of its first Boeing 787 this week and it flew to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Wednesday. Regularly scheduled service doesn’t begin until November 1^st, but the carrier plans to fly a charter flight from Narita to Hong Kong on October 26^th. The Dreamliner will be seen initially flying regionally with long-haul service from Tokyo to Frankfurt beginning in January 2012.
• Lufthansa has ordered two additional Airbus A380s and 10 other aircraft in a deal that carries a list price of about $1.3 billion. The carrier says the increased capacity is necessary for “short-term requirements.” The other additions are one A330-300, four A320s for regional intra-Europe flying and five Embraer 195 regional jets. Once delivered, Lufty will have a fleet of 17 A380s.
• The Air Line Pilots Association at United Airlines sued the carrier claiming pilots weren’t given enough time to learn, train and implement a new procedure when a jet is caught in a strong wind gust. The procedure in question is currently used at Continental Airlines and requires pilots to let the autopilot make the necessary adjustments vs. pilots taking control in those instances. Courts ruled with the airline allowing the changes to go ahead. Something tells me, though, that pilots against the change might disobey procedure and take over control of the airplane. Just a hunch as it’s something I might do.
• Courts also sided with US Airways this week forcing pilots to quit engaging in work slowdowns that have caused delays and cancellations impacting the carrier’s ability to handle reaccommodation of passengers. When the suit was filed, the US Airline Pilots Association claimed the carrier’s allegations were “categorically false” and instead said they were performing a “safety campaign.” The judge disagreed after reviewing the evidence and issued an injunction against the union.
• Many hotels require you to cancel a reservation by 6pm the day of arrival, or some even 24- to 48-hours out. It’s nothing new, but one hotel in Packwood, WA has a vague policy stating, “If Manager is able to re-sell Guest’s dates at net rates of at least equal to those charged to Guest, Manager will refund Guest’s Use Fee less a Re-Booking fee as specified by Manager.” Chris Elliott thinks hotels might adopt airline-like rebooking fees on some rates in addition to the already existing non-refundable ones. It’s an interesting concept where hotels could create a new revenue stream, but I don’t think it will catch on.
• Hilton HHonors revealed its fourth quarter promotion offering either double points or a free night certificate after four qualifying stays or 10 nights. Registration is required for stays between October 1^st and December 31^st this year. The list of non-qualifying properties is lengthy and includes two I have bookings at in October. As such, I signed up for the double miles since it wouldn’t pay off to do a couple of mattress runs just to get a free night.
• Even with the current economic downturn, it’s being reported business travelers are returning to booking premium cabins on airlines. Corporate travel managers saw a five percent increase this year in North American companies that allow premium-class travel. 56% of companies here have such a policy, with 46% of European firms, up from 34% last year. I always feel fortunate to get a complimentary upgrade on United’s A319 fleet with only 8 seats in First Class, but my luck might change should these figures continue to rise.
• Finally, Virgin Atlantic was fined $25,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation for violating the rules for advertising taxes and fees clearly. They found the carrier, “displayed internet ads that did not provide direct access to information on taxes and fees that were in addition to the base fare.” If you clicked on the ad, the fees were there, but fairly well hidden in the fine print. This will all change come January next year, though, as all advertised prices will be required to include the fees.

Last Friday I received a letter co-branded with the Hilton HHonors and United Airlines Mileage Plus logos stating, “We’ve opened the doors to Gold status just for you.” Thanks, Hilton, I’m already a Gold and you’ve just opened up a brand new account and sent me a new card. Reading on, though, it’s a targeted offer due to my elite status with United that grants the status through March 2013 plus extends 25,000 HHonors bonus points (enough for the free night in a category 3 property) and 5,000 Mileage Plus miles after completing five stays between July 1 and October 31, 2011. Naturally I called HHonors and (after two calls) successfully added this offer to my existing account.

Hilton has been doling out elite status like candy this year with minimal or no effort required. I happily took a challenge earlier in the year that gave me instant Silver and then Gold after four stays, and just recently Visa Signature cardholders were granted instant Gold (or 5,000 bonus points if you were already Gold and had the Signature card). Anyway, it seems like numerous people holding even the lowest elite status with an airline received an offer similar to mine. The discussions on Flyertalk and MilePoint show that other United flyers, as well as US Airways and Delta elites, received some variation and a few included 50,000 HHonors points (I’m a bit jealous there).

What’s great for me is the fact I know I’ll have at least five stays under my belt regardless of this promotion by the end of October, so this is basically “free” bonus miles & points. What’s irritating, though, is Hilton didn’t do their due diligence and merge & purge lists between their database and the airline’s first. I suppose the effort required for that was too great and as it is, the letters were sent out Standard mail (mine dated June 27^th & arrived on July 29^th). I recognize the value in Standard mail, but marketers should budget in the delivery time as more folks might have jumped on this offer had it been timely. Perhaps the lost revenue in that case would have more than paid for First Class mail?

The letter contained the new account number with the pin, which is required when activating this promotion at http://HHonors.com/instantgolden, so success in registering for it if you didn’t get a letter is unlikely. If you’re an elite on a U.S. airline, it still might not hurt to call Customer Care to see if you can qualify. Gold status with Hilton bestows a 25% base points bonus, complimentary high-speed internet, continental breakfast and space-available room upgrades at Hilton, Conrad & DoubleTree properties (or additional bonus points if that’s your preference stored in your ‘My Way’ profile).

I’ve stayed at the Hilton LAX now several times in my quest to maintain Gold status in the HHonors program, so I think it’s about time I publish a review of the property here on my blog. I booked an advance purchase rate for a Towers King room on a previous return from a lengthy mileage run, so the photos appearing below are for room 1717.

I have to say LAX is pretty efficient when it comes to contracted shuttle bus service and pickup for all hotels is found underneath the red hotel & car rental signs outside of every terminal. Service operates every 10-15 minutes. The Hilton is the first stop on the shared bus with another hotel and the ride takes approximately 5 minutes once the last stop at Terminal 7 has been completed.

You’re typically dropped off at the main entrance and the lobby when entering is impressive with abundant seating, high ceilings, restaurants flanking both sides and a spacious lounge. There has always been a lot of activity in this Hilton and it’s frequented by a diverse group of guests & convention goers, and you’ll often hear several different foreign languages spoken by the people you pass. Check-in is opposite the entry doors by about 50 yards or so.

Hilton does their best in roping off a designated place to queue for check-in, but many end up lingering trying to figure it out. There is a dedicated HHonors elite line, though I find both lines are equally as fast. My interactions here have always been friendly, uber efficient and lacking excessive small talk which I appreciate. My status has always been acknowledged and I quickly have my room key and make my way to the elevator bank.

The carpet in the lobby area and hallway corridors do show their age and wear, but I’ve grown accustomed to that for high traffic airport hotels. For this visit, I entered room 1717 on the top floor and was greeted to a Southern view aimed directly at the threshold of runway 25R.

The room was clean, smelled fresh and I put my bags down to take some pictures and preview my amenities. As you’ll see it’s a pretty standard king bed room with a dresser, desk with executive chair and lounge chair & side table. I like the glass tops found on each piece of furniture which negates the need to “worry” about water sweat stains from cold drinks (call me crazy… I’m always cognizant of that). One thing I love about the Tower rooms here is that they supply real coffee mugs!

The desk is large and includes a wired connection to the internet, something I always like since wireless can be slow at the majority of large hotels.

After taking a quick look at the cozy sitting area, I made my way to the bathroom.

The bathroom is small but acceptable and contained a tray of upgraded Crabtree & Evelyn products with beauty container (Q-tips, cotton balls, etc) on one side and soft tissues and soap tray on the other. The shower is unremarkable and I wish they’d change the antiquated adjustable “super nozzle” with a more modern multi-selection unit capable of different streams. Sorry, no picture of that but the video appearing at the bottom briefly shows the nozzle I’m referring to.

The bed is comfortable, midrange in firmness, and the sheets were surprisingly soft though I didn’t check the thread count (yes, I’m also an elitist when it comes to wanting only the highest quality bed linens). I like that Hilton eliminated bedspreads as those always gross me out.

As a guest in a Towers room, I had access to the Executive Lounge on the 16^th floor. It’s open seven days a week and offers a continental breakfast, evening h’orderves and separate dessert timeframe, though I’ve never really found anything besides cookies at that time.

I’ve been invited to the lounge as a Gold HHonors member even when not staying on the Towers level and it always seems to be busy. So much so that taking pictures has pretty much always been out of the question. The food selection is just okay and when I’ve been there at their peak times it can be scarce or nonexistent. For breakfast there’s fruit, sliced meat, cereal and pastries. In the evening there are hot egg rolls and other basic wonton hors d’œuvrs along with mixed nuts. There’s a pay bar available for the taking and several seating areas with tables, lounge areas and a couple of separate open “cutout” rooms with seating. I’ll give this lounge a fail given the lack of comfort, but the view for airport geeks like me is a major plus!

Overall I’d give this Hilton a 3.5 on a 5 point scale, and it’s definitely better than the other hotels around LAX I’ve stayed at, namely the Crown Plaza, Embassy Suites North and Radisson. Hmm, I might have to create a “Darren” scale for hotel reviews in the future as I do my amenity kits. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here’s a short video recap of Towers room 1717. Oh, and I’ll try to remember to take pictures of the lobby and other areas to update this review in the future.