I am a Marriott Hotels loyalist through and through. To the point, I constantly requalify annually for Platinum Elite and recently became a Lifetime Gold Elite member. I reassessed my loyalty recently and I decided to focus on some other brands, if they have better deals or travel options. I should implemented this policy a long time ago. In the coming year, my plan is to get Diamond Elite status from Hilton to pair with my Marriott Bonvoy status.
The stays at Hilton properties have begun and one thing I cannot deal with is the streamlined check-in process…it is f-ing amazing! I recently booked a weekend stay in Dallas for one of my son’s events. When I went to the Hilton app, 24 hours prior to check-in, I saw the following;
It appeared to be a standard check-in, much like the other hotel brands. I clicked “check in” and was taken to another screen where I could select the projected time of my arrival to the property. Again, this was fairly standard for the major hotel brands.
The next screen was for room selection. This was based on preferences set on my Hilton Honors profile. The hotel pre-assigned me to a high floor room. I appreciated knowing the room before arriving at hotel so this is something I could get used to.
I wanted a room on a lower floor because I am on crutches at the moment and my son has a ton of gear we needed to bring in. I selected the “pick another” option and was taken to a screen where I could select a new room.
The other available floors were the first and fifth. The first floor had three rooms, while the fifth had two rooms available. I selected the first floor and was able to review the floor plan to decide on the best option.
I selected room 113 because it shared one wall with a meeting room and the other with another vacant room. This allowed for the shortest route to the parking lot and, at least for the interim, a quiet stay.
On the next screen, I was able to finalize my check-in. I selected digital key because I had never used one. I am kinda old school and prefer a room card.
With the digital key, the room’s code is available in the app. The guest only needs to enable Bluetooth for the digital key to work.
Finally, I was checked into the property. The app confirmed that I was checked in and stated that the digital key would be available when the room was ready.
Final Word
I am in my Hilton Honors infancy so this will be a learning curve. The check-in option is something different from the other major brands and I freaking love it. There is way more to the program than the app check in, but this is a good start. I am really excited about trying a different program.
What do you think about Hilton’s check in process?
