AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Update: AwardWallet has not heard back from Hilton regarding the Conrad Bora Bora or its policies for elite members. However, since this article originally published, the resort has walked back its elimination of the breakfast benefit. It has also adjusted the cash price of its standard rooms.
The Conrad Bora Bora is one of my favorite properties, which is why I recently returned for the third year in a row. This time, I even brought my family, and our group of five arrived with high expectations. Among those were the hopes of an upgrade and recognition for the elite status we all had.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I was handed a paper detailing the benefits offered to Hilton Honors elite members and they didn't match much of what Hilton promises its elites. Let's talk about what's going on.
Page Contents
Hilton Elite Status Benefits at Conrad Bora Bora
Everyone in my group had either Hilton Diamond or Hilton Gold elite status, entitling us to a variety of benefits. This includes late checkout, room upgrades, and complimentary breakfast (for most resorts outside the U.S.).
I knew that the hotel was sold out during the first two nights of our stay, so I wasn't bothered by the fact that we didn't receive a complimentary upgrade. However, I was astonished to find the Conrad Bora Bora has made some new moves when it comes to interpreting Hilton's terms and conditions.
While the hotel can choose to only offer one-category upgrades (even though I've been upgraded to an overwater villa here in the past), what management can't do is disregard Hilton's breakfast benefit.
Related: How To Get Free Breakfast at Hilton Hotels
Conrad Bora Bora Is Self-Eliminating From Hilton Honors Benefits
Savvy-eyed readers have likely spotted what I mean by saying the Conrad Bora Bora is self-eliminating. Over the last few years, Hilton has revamped the way it offers breakfast benefits to eligible customers, with those in the United States (and Motto properties overseas) entitled to a daily food and beverage credit, rather than a daily breakfast.
This is what the Conrad Bora Bora is attempting to do, and it's wrong.
At first, I thought maybe there had been a sudden expansion of these food and beverage credits, but that's not the case on Hilton's website.
Not wanting to rely on Hilton's website, I checked my reservation confirmation to see what it had to say. As expected, it noted that a complimentary breakfast was offered, not a food and beverage credit.
I also contacted a Hilton representative, who confirmed that breakfast should be included for Gold and Diamond members at the Conrad Bora Bora.
Conrad Bora Bora Is Refusing To Honor Benefits
Armed with all this information, I tried to speak directly to the hotel staff about elite offerings. It went about as well as you'd expect.
That means that at first staff insisted I was wrong about the breakfast benefit and that they'd made changes. After asking for a supervisor, I waited more than an hour for a response. In the end, staff attempted to make a “peace offering” by giving my family complimentary breakfast. When I pressed more on the benefits for other members, I was rebuffed. A lot. I really tried for you all. Instead, I was told that my comments would be relayed to management. I heard nothing else from the staff during my five-night stay.
Why is this so important? Because the buffet breakfast at the hotel (which is the only offering) costs roughly $45 per person, per day. The credit you'll receive is just $63 per day. This means your party of two is now paying $27 per day out of pocket when breakfast should be free. That's more than just wrong. It's stealing from the loyalists who go out of their way to stay at a Hilton property because of the benefits promised.
Service at the Conrad Bora Bora Is Declining Also
To me, this looks a lot like management has shifted, and the newest person in charge is looking to cut costs. I can see this in the way staff really pressed to sell upgrades. For example, I paid $600 per night for an upgrade to a Deluxe Overwater Villa, which was free the first time I visited.
Staff refused to upgrade elite members beyond a one-category room upgrade. This is their prerogative — I guess — but it leaves a sour taste in the mouth of Hilton elites who are used to many-level upgrades.
Aside from this, the recognition of elite members and overall quality of service at the property has declined significantly since my last visit. Whether it was the luggage that wasn't delivered until we requested it six times, the questions to our concierge (which now consists of rotating staff, instead of a single person) that were never answered, or the air conditioning that broke in the middle of the stay, there were more mishaps than you'd expect from a high-end resort like the Conrad Bora Bora.
Related: How To Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
Cash Rates Look Suspicious
Finally — and this last note is more speculative than confirmable — I find it odd that the cash cost of a King Lagoon View Suite room at the Conrad Bora Bora (the base level room bookable for 120,000 Hilton points per night) is more than nearly all other room types at the resort.
In fact, in this example, a one-night stay in the King Lagoon View Suite will run you $2,737. Meanwhile, the upgraded King Tropical Beach View Villa costs just $1,553.
Perhaps it's the skeptic in me, but from over here it looks an awful lot like the cash rate of the base room is hyper-inflated. Why? Maybe it's so those using points and cash have to fork over extra. Maybe it's so those who only have enough points for a one- or two-night stay are forced to overpay for nights three and four during their stay. Maybe it's so the hotel can claim the room is worth more, forcing the Hilton Honors program to fork over more money to the on-site team when people book an award. Who knows, but it's very suspicious that the cash rate on the “base room” most people book with points is consistently priced higher than upgraded rooms.
Updated pricing as of May 29, 2024
While Hilton never replied to our original inquiries, it looks like there was some action behind the scenes. Cash prices (from cheapest to most expensive) now mirror the order of pricing you'll see when using points. The cheapest room is now the cheapest room.
The Bottom Line
Like I said in the beginning, I love the Conrad Bora Bora. In fact, I've already booked another stay here — mere minutes after decrying the property's outlandish defiance of Hilton elite benefits. That's because those operating under the Hilton name have to hold to certain standards, and it looks like corporate is forcing the on-site management team to get in line. That being said, without ongoing compliance with Hilton Honors policies, this bucket-list property might continue to slide from “tropical resort paradise” to “penny-pinching laggards.” We'll see what comes next.
Editor's note: We emailed Hilton a summary of this article and asked for a comment, as well as what they recommend guests should do when faced with similar issues. As of the time of publication, Hilton has not responded.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
