Why I Love the Hilton Choose Your Room Perk
There is a great feature that comes with Hilton Honors status that doesn’t get a lot of fan fare. This is a perk that I find simple, yet useful. The Hilton choose your room perk is something that seems so easy but for some reason some hotel chains decide not to offer it. Hilton allows you to choose whatever room you want as long as it is available and it falls into your room category. The Hilton choose your room perk has come in handy during a few different occasions for me.
Examples
If you are crashing at a Hampton Inn for one night or some other smaller chain in the Hilton portfolio this probably won’t mean much to you.
That is unless you need two rooms at the same hotel. By choosing your own rooms you can make sure that you get them near each other. You can even ensure adjoining rooms if available. That is a big deal for larger families.
I recently did this on my trip to NYC with my sister. We were staying in the Millennium Hilton downtown and I was able to choose rooms near each other. I also moved us up to the 28th floor and chose rooms with views of the Freedom Tower and 9/11 Memorial (pictured above). We were originally booked into rooms on different floors with lackluster views. This simple perk allowed me to make my sister’s birthday present all the more special.
The final example I will share with you was when I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near Times Square. I had read that the elevators where terribly slow so I booked a room on the 2nd floor. That allowed us to easily bypass the elevator wait times by taking the stairs. Some of the rooms on the second floor of this hotel have an outdoor balcony. I was able to snag one of those as well when picking my room the day before checking in.
Conclusion
The Hilton choose your room perk is a simple feature that is added to all status levels. I wish all hotel chains would institute this feature as well. It doesn’t really cost them anything after the initial setup but it adds to the customer’s experience.
Whether you want to ensure that you get 2 rooms by each other, a great view on a high floor or a room with an awesome patio this perk helps you achieve that. There is no need to beg the agent at the check in for a different room or to call ahead. This perk takes the hassle of human interaction out of the equation.
For some reason I only get the email prompting me to do it when I am a Diamond member, which I have from my Aspire card, but it is doable via their app and/or website.
Do you value Hilton’s pick your room feature perk like I do? What have you used it for?
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How do you use this option, pick your room?
You can check in online or through the app the day before you check in. I think it opens at 6AM the day before.
How did you know what rooms had what views?
They show streets etc. so I picked a room facing the proper way.
Marriott has been investigating this for a few years but it clearly has been on the back burner, especially with the SPG merger going on the last couple years.
It wouldn’t seem like it should be that hard but they have been very busy
Choose your room perk is good too if you want a first floor room (most hotels only have several, if at all). I like using it at Hampton and Garden Inn where I know the elevators are slooooow, so a 2nd floor room next the stairwell, which also conveniently opens to a parking space within 10 feet. Thats money!
Good point Steve – middle of nowhere two story hotel 1st floor is the best option.
I use this all the time but it’s not guaranteed. Most of the time at resort properties I get assigned a room different from what I chose. They won’t even provide an upgrade after you choose your room. complaining to Hilton has gotten me 5-25k points tho.
+1 I dont chose a room since when I did I found out it meant no Upgrade unless I paid for it. Yet Im batting 95% getting an Upgrade when I didnt chose a room. Unless I wanted a particular room or view locked in, no way do I chose a room before checking in in person
+1 NEVER
I actually got upgraded once to the presidential suite because the room I selected needed to be repainted because of smoking in the room. That worked out nicely :). I find most hotels in the US the upgrades are to a higher floor or a better view for me so I might as well pick it first anyway.
If you will call the day before & even the morning of your stay & ask for an upgrade (since you have Plat status especially!), your odds of suites are very much improved from your previous history. I think if you know a hotel well & know the room you want, great with selecting in advance. But going in blind is best left to a front desk employee, a cheerful attitude, & your elevated status.
Yes, I think it’s usually a bad idea. However, if the hotel seems full, and an upgrade unlikely, I do chose then.