This past January I took a mileage run on United to Tokyo and stayed at the Hilton Tokyo Narita Airport for one night. The online rate I booked was shockingly low at only 8,000 yen (about $85) for a fully cancelable standard Hilton Queen room. The non-refundable advance purchase rate was only 1,000 yen less, for what it’s worth.

The hotel offers free shuttle service from the airport at various times throughout the day, typically in 20- or 30-minute intervals (except mid-day when it’s hourly). I had just missed one shuttle and out of laziness and a desire to take a nap as soon as possible, I grabbed a cab for the short ride (about $17).

As a Diamond HHonors member, I was upgraded to a Deluxe Plus room, which the only difference I can ascertain from the website description is 108 additional square feet of space.

The bed was very comfortable and a bit softer than what’s found in many U.S. locations. And there was plenty of desk space and drawers.

Deluxe Plus Queen Room

My welcome amenity included two bottles of water and a couple of hazelnut biscuit crackers. Also included with my status came complimentary health club admission and “American Breakfast,” which turned out to be access to the full buffet.

Welcome Amenities

The nightstand next to the bed controlled the room lights and temperature, and also included a digital alarm clock. Inside the closet a safe large enough for my 15” MacBook Pro was present along with robes and slippers.

I was expecting a super-small bathroom, but was pleasantly surprised by an average sized one similar to what you’d find at say a La Quinta or Holiday Inn – not necessarily a U.S. Hilton. And yes, the toilet featured all the bells and whistles that the Japanese love. The Peter Thomas Roth amenities, standard for Hilton, were slightly larger than what you’d find in the U.S., but still TSA friendly.

Service was excellent at the hotel and everyone spoke English quite well, which you’d expect for a worldwide brand at an airport location. I didn’t snap photos of the breakfast buffet the next morning, but it was fantastic. Everything from typical Western dishes to Japanese and other fare was available.

While the hotel is rather isolated for walking to much of anything, it’s ideal for a quick night before catching a flight the next day. Oh, and if you’re coming in from the city on the train, the hotel also offers free shuttle service to/from Narita Station.

Related posts:

Flight Review: United Airlines Global First Class, San Francisco to Tokyo

Lounge Review: United Global First, Tokyo Narita Airport

Lounge Review: ANA Suite Lounge, Tokyo Narita Airport

In case you haven’t already read about it, Hilton HHonors has unveiled its second quarter 2013 bonus point promotion.

Hilton HHonors 2013Q2 Promotion

The “Daily Grand” promotion runs from April 1 to June 30, 2013 and provides 1,000 bonus points for every weeknight of a stay, and 2,000 points for every weekend night. A weekend night is defined as Friday, Saturday, or Sunday for all regions except for hotels within the Middle East and Africa where a weekend night is defined as Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

Registration is required (only once) and must be done prior to checkout of the first stay during the promotion period. As other bloggers have noted, it appears all properties are participating since there’s no mention of excluded locations in the FAQs.

It’s a no brainer to take the few seconds it takes to register, but this promo does little to excite me given the upcoming devaluation to the HHonors program.

• Hilton has upset a lot of loyal HHonors members today (self included) with their announcement of 2013 Hilton HHonors Program Changes. They’re increasing hotel categories from eight to ten, adding seasonal pricing (read: higher redemption rates) and trying to soften the blow by adding a 5th Night Free for elites staying 5-nights or more. I’m dropping from Diamond to Gold this year regardless, and won’t even accrue enough stays for 2014 status. The devaluation is sort of rightly timed for me, but painful to swallow. The changes take effect March 28, 2013.
• A diamond heist was pulled off at Brussels Airport Monday night. $50 million in precious stones were taken from the cargo hold of a SWISS Fokker F-100 flight from Brussels to Zurich.
• I’m not a huge fan of the Asiana Business Class lounge at Seoul’s Incheon Airport and now there’s a new Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge that Star Alliance Gold elites can enjoy. It opened today and I’ll be keen to review it on my next trip through ICN.
• A new coach airline seat architecture design has debuted sporting overhead fixtures with drop-down tray tables, screens and other gadgets. I doubt we’ll ever see it in actual use as FAA safety certification seems unlikely given the minimal overhead clearance in the event of an evacuation, not to mention the additional floor space (16 percent) it would occupy. Airlines want more seats in coach… not less.
• Finally, if you haven’t read fellow blogger Matthew’s account of being kicked off a United Airlines flight for taking a picture, please do. It sounds like the flight attendant was hyper-sensitive, as seems to be the case with U.S. airlines and onboard photos. Will my future United trip reports be in jeopardy?

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 18, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 15, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 14, 2013

The unadvertised promotional United Global First fare to Tokyo I flew on last week had limited domestic origins, Boston being one of them. And since I’m getting “old” and can no longer handle nonstop flying over several days, I flew into Boston the day before my BOS-SFO-NRT segments and booked into the Hilton attached to the airport.

Hilton Boston Logan Airport

I flew in on a red-eye from San Francisco, so I initially hung out in the United Club as it was far too early to check-in. By about 11:00 a.m., though, I was getting antsy and decided to take the long walk from Terminal C, through Terminal E, to the skybridges connecting the hotel to the terminals. Shuttle service from each terminal is also available, but I was keen on the exercise.

Gladly, a room was available and I received an Executive Level King room on the 10^th floor.

Hilton Boston Logan Airport Executive King Room

The room was very clean and offered the standard amenities for executive level accommodations, including complimentary bottled water, bathrobes and slippers. I dug the leaning mirror along the wall near the window, as well as the lap tray for use on the lounger.

Hilton Boston Logan Airport Room

I had a pretty decent #avgeek view overlooking the parking garage to the tower at one angle, and a view of the runways and terminals at another. A grounded Japan Airlines Boeing 787 sat nearby its replacement 777-200 parked at the gate.

View of Boston Logan's Control Tower

View of a JAL 787 and 777-200

I enjoyed complimentary Wi-Fi as a Diamond HHonors elite and booted up my laptop on the average-sized desk. A safe is housed in an adjacent compartment that appears to have been where a minibar was once located.

Work Station

In-Room Safe

The bathroom was nothing special and included Peter Thomas Roth bath amenities commonly found at most Hiltons, including shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. My only complaint about the bathroom was the rather aged showerhead that could use replacing.

Hilton Boston Logan Airport Bathroom

Bathroom Amenities

As a Diamond and having received a room upgrade, I had access to the Executive Lounge (also on the 10^th floor), which opens at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. You should be aware it’s closed on Saturdays.

Evening hors d’oeuvres consisted of veggie egg rolls and rather chewy beef tips on a skewer with roasted peppers. A selection of cold veggies and fruit was also available, along with soft drinks, coffee, tea and bottled water. Sadly, I forgot my iPhone in the room and didn’t get any pics. I would’ve felt a little weird going back a second time just to snap photos.

It’s a decent property, though I have to say the nearby Hyatt affords even better views of both the airport and Boston’s skyline. In the morning, I ended up taking the shuttle back to Terminal C for my 6:00 a.m. flight to San Francisco.

Related posts:

I’m Off on a Weeklong Mileage Run

Hotel Review: Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront

Hotel Review: Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong

Hilton announced its first quarter 2013 promotion, going once again with the “Double Your HHonors” deal where you earn either double points or double miles.

Registration is required prior to checkout at a participating property for stays from January 7 to March 31, 2013. And once you select double points or double miles, you’re locked into that decision for the entire promotion period – there’s no changing from one to another after registration.

Note the list of non-participating properties is rather extensive in the United States. There are only 14 properties outside of the U.S. not participating.

Click here to register.

(HT: The Points Guy)

While in Australia, I flew to Perth and stayed at the Hilton Parmelia for one night before returning the next day back to Sydney. I had been to Perth previously and this trip was primarily to review Virgin Australia’s service (post forthcoming), so the one-nighter was just fine with me. Not to mention hotel rates in Perth are astronomical compared to most of the rest of Australia. My rate: AU$360 for a Queen Deluxe Guestroom.

While some question their authenticity, I do check out the reviews on TripAdvisor to get an idea of what to expect when staying in a hotel for the first time. Reviews ranged from stellar to terrible (aren’t they all?), but I did note a consistent theme of “great staff,” “dated property needing renovations,” and many noting they received an upgrade.

With an arrival at the hotel at around midnight, the lobby was empty and front desk agent Alex greeted me immediately. I didn’t ask about an upgrade and decided just to see what type of room I got out of sheer exhaustion not having enough energy to muster up a friendly chat about my Diamond benefits. Alex did, however, hand me a personal note from the front desk manager detailing my benefits, as well as a drink voucher.

I was, in fact, upgraded and assigned to room 419, a King Deluxe Plus Suite of the 10-story hotel. The hotel does indeed show its age, but the carpeting seemed new in the hallway leading up to my room.

The room opens into a foyer with separate doors leading to the bedroom, bathroom and living/dining room. My two complimentary bottles of water were awaiting my arrival on the glass-top table.

The suite was huge and I was impressed by the size of the living/dining room. Its furniture, as you can see, is quite dated and shows some wear and tear. A minibar was located underneath the TV, as well as the coffee service tray and dishware.

The bathroom was the most modern part of the suite with marble floors and a granite countertop similar to what you find at many Hiltons. I always like a separate shower from the bathtub, as was present here. Peter Thomas Roth amenities were on the countertop, though in a larger size than any other Hilton I’ve stayed at (50ml bottles of shampoo and lotion instead of the normal 30ml size).

The bedroom was also impressive in size and included a walk-in closet that housed a safe and a pair of bathrobes and slippers.

The next morning, I woke to discover my room had a walk-around L-shaped balcony and I enjoyed some crisp, fresh air before heading down to breakfast. The hotel is right in the heart of the city, so the views looked directly across into office buildings.

View up from the balcony

Buffet breakfast is served in the Globe Restaurant on the lobby level and it was an impressive affair. Everything imaginable that would appeal to just about any culture was available and being “Western,” I went for a mostly American-style breakfast.

My visit was very short – 12 hours in fact – so I didn’t get to explore the property as much as I would have liked. Its location is pretty much ideal to everything Perth has to offer and I definitely would stay there again, though I do hope they consider updating the rooms.

Now as far as getting a suite upgrade… while the HHonors website was recently changed to mention Diamonds are eligible for suites, this is the first time I’ve been upgraded to one. It was, actually, the next category up from what I had booked and given there is no executive floor (or lounge) at this property, I suppose it’s the least they can do.

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.