I got a partial ocean view with two double beds but can't seem to upgrade my room for less than an additional $300. Where is the best tower to stay? Any suggestions on getting a better room?

1- have only a 1 day stay. If rooms are available THAT ONE DAY you might get a chance at an upgrade. Not very possible if your stay as multiple days.

2- Ante up the dough, or at least sweetly ask "what can you do for $100 extra?"

3- Negotiate an illicate rendezvous with the clerk. But he might get fired and you reassigned a lousy room.

I don't understand this commonely asked question.

I like beef wellington. Does anyone know where I can order a hamburg and get a free upgrade? The waiter wants $40 more.

Well, it's a little different than the hamburg/beef wellington analogy.

Often times, especially in a big hotel like HHV, they have available (nicer) rooms available and if you're already spending a thousand dollars at their hotel, they might give you the room rather than have it go unused.

Unused isn't such a bad thing. Less wear and tear on those premium rooms means they will continue to be a nicer room and demand a higher dollar for a longer period of time without renovations.

As my #1 tip pointed out, hotels are MUCH more likely to upgrade when you are on a very short stay. That way they know the room is sold at sub-par revenue for only the one day, not 5. And if you're a "regular" they might upgrade IF they are sure they will not have a snowball's chance in hell of selling it at the regular price. One other thing that helps is being a member of a chain hotel's "Loyalty Club", preferably with a track record of having stayed at their hotels.

I realize that you're already spending a lot of money at the hotel. So are lots of other people too, and many of them are willing to pay for "something special". If the hotels gives that away at sub-par too often it becomes "nothing special". Ya gets what ya pays for.

"Will the taxi company send one of their unused stretch limosines if we need a cab to the club?" Maybe a more suitable analogy.

Fair enough and that analogy resonates more. Except that the percentage of profits at a Hilton hotel is significantly higher than a cab company. Maybe I am taking an issue with the difference in room categories that an average room is $225 but if I want something a "little nicer," I need to pay $550. Can something be special but fair?

(I thought others would join this; it's become a dialogue instead of discussion)

Anna, it seems there MUST be something in between the $225 and $550 room; maybe just not available. Perhaps those mid-range rooms are all booked up by others who wanted a "little nicer" but not the "Taj Mahal" of rooms?

I'm not sure you can say the price isn't fair. It would never rent if someone didn't think it fair, and they'd have to reconfigure it into more "sellable" room or rooms.

Don't overestimate hotel profits, especially in nicer properties that are well maintained with expensive services & amenities. The taxi company just may be doing better in terms of percentage. A quality hotel product costs a lot more than people think. BTW, I was in hotel management prior to getting into MIS and just started working a frontdesk job for the fun of it awhile ago. The hair on the back of my neck bristles each time I hear "free upgrade", so you understand my ire.

Let me chime in here. I'm with rb_travelerxATyahoo on this one. While I understand ana74's frustration, the simple truth is there's only a finite number of upgrade rooms available at a given hotel and there are usually plenty of people willing to pay the upscale price. It's therefore in the hotel's best interest to try and book them at the full-price whenever possible. To take the possition that the hotel should give the upgrade away for free or at a reduced cost rather than let it sit empty is faulty logic at best. The rates they charge are based on their operating costs and the going rate for the area (maybe a little of what the traffic will bear). If you want a better room and are willing to pay for it by all means book it. If you can't afford or are unwilling to pay the price, book the lower priced room and hope for an upgrade but don't be disappointed if you don't get one.

I'm no authority of upgrades, but we stayed in the Rainbow Tower in July. It was recommended to us by a resident of Hawaii.
Having stayed there, I'd say it was the best place to stay...looks all the way up the beach to Diamond Head. If you want to see a couple pics, look at worldisround.com ,olesouthernbelle, Oahu.

Belle

anna I would join the hilton honors program. I set my dad up with a hyatt passport number and then booked him a room in Chicago. They gave my parents free breakfast every day and an upgraded room. The hotel was not very full at the time so it was a nice deal for them.
If you sign up, you may just get an upgrade on arrival. Also, if you are not going at a peak vacation week, you may have an emptier hotel. It is frustrating because several nights can really add up at the high price of 550 per night. I agree. I wish you good luck.

girlonthego is right that joining whatever club you stay at is beneficial. When we arrived at the HHV, there were huge waiting lines to check in EXCEPT for club members, who were whisked right in!

Belle

HHV is having a record year and is almost always overbooked. In addition, their honors club has so many members (who all want an upgrade) that you will likely only get one if you are at the top level AND if you are a regular at HHV. Other than that, it's just luck.

All I know is it never works for me. I've joined every free hotel "club", mentioned anniversaries and birthdays, etc. I'm kind of shy and always ask sweetly - but no luck. So I've learned to just pay for what I want so as not to be disappointed. Wish I had some of that Jedi mind control!