Priority club questions

[from Canada]

We are Priority Club members, but have not used this Club yet. We are staying at HIFS in Feb. I have a few questions....
Ive seen other posts about an upgraded room for PC members....is this something we would ask for at checkin? We are staying in a kids suite, so I dont know what kind of upgrade we could get...they say poolview costs more...would this be an upgrade? How do I go about asking for it?
Other posts mention free breakfast and newspaper...HiFS already has free breakfast, so would that perk be of no use?
What other perks can we get? I looked at the PC website, and couldn't get much out of it. I was hoping some people who have first hand knowledge could give me some tips.
Thanks for your help!

 

[yoopermom]

The perks are rather minimal and are at each individual hotel's discretion. I've never gotten the upgrade, but maybe just have never been that lucky, never hurts to ask. When you check in, I would show your card and just ask what perks that specific HI provides for it's PC members. Good luck!
Terri the Yoopermom

 

[hercamore]

At the HI we stayed in Titusville, we were given a free newspaper and were offered a riverview upgrade (which normally costs $20 more). We ended up not taking the upgrade because we needed two connecting rooms and there weren't any connecting rooms on the river side.

As the previous poster said, take the card with you and ask what benefits are offered. You have othing to lose.








Hercamore

 

[horseshowmom]

I've almost always gotten a free upgrade of some kind (HI Sunspree - we were upgraded from a standard room to a kidsuite - about 5 years ago). I've gotten my husband upgrades to suites when he traveled on business. Sometimes I've gotten free breakfast at hotels that didn't provide the free buffet. Some hotels give out coupons for different things. You generally get late check-out. You also accumulate points for each dollar spent that can be used for free merchandise or free hotel nights (that's what we use them for). However, the Orlando area nights are very expensive (in points), so we only use them for trips to other places (dd's horse shows, etc.).

I've enjoyed PC over the years. You do have to ask if they provide the free upgrade (most of the time they don't just offer it). Also, ask what other benefits they offer for PC. You can call ahead of time to know what to expect.

 

[Robinrs]

I got an upgrade with the PC at the Holiday Inn Intl Drive back in 1999. I got a room with a view of Universal. The best perk, IMHO, is the late check out. We used that several times with no problem.

 

[preb]

We just returned yesterday from the HIFS and I am a PC member. They did not upgrade us to a poolview room. We did receive a US Today each weekday. They also offered late check out, but we didn't need it. Someone from the "Priority Desk" called after we checked in to make sure everything was ok with our room. HIFS just won the award for best hotel by Priority Club members, so they seem to take our opinions pretty seriously! Enjoy your stay!

 

[Lily7903]

As a former Holiday Inn employee I can tell you Priority Club perks vary from hotel to hotel. It depends on what the hotel already offers. Generally the perks can include:
Free upgrade (and yes a poolview would be considered an upgrade) based on availability
Free breakfast (HIFS already gives free breakfast)
Free local phone calls (unless the hotel does not charge for them)
Free newspaper
Late check out or early check in
Free drink coupons for the lounge
Some hotels have concierge levels a PC member can get upgraded to. This might include a happy hour w/snacks in a concierge lounge.

My suggestion to you would be call the hotel direct and ask what they offer priority club members. The late check out is the best perk. No rushing to get packed and out by 11am.