Many travelers claim that Diamond status isn’t worth much in the US, saying they haven’t received upgrades in quite a while. We wanted to double-check that. 
To meet our #ConradChallenge and visit all the remaining Conrad hotels by the end of this year, we traveled across the US in February and experienced all 9 Conrad hotels in the country. Now only 8 are left, after the Conrad Midtown left Hilton for Marriott as The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown
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Out of the 9 Conrad hotels, we were upgraded 5 times and once offered an upgrade if we waited 2-3 more hours. 6 out of 9? That’s not too bad for the “worthless Diamond status.”
Nashville, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas even provided very valuable upgrades into large suites. We have to thank Conrad Nashville in particular for the awesome Corner Suite on the top floor on Valentine’s Day. Didn’t expect that at all.
The Conrad Indianapolis might be a bit older, but the suite was terrific, and the service was outstanding. As they ran out of stuffed toys, they sent one to our overseas location—free of charge, of course. A general lack of service in the US? Can’t confirm that either…
In Las Vegas, we stayed at Crockfords first and then at the Conrad. Both provided awesome suites—Crockfords wins, but Conrad is not far behind.
But other Conrads were also terrific. At Conrad Fort Lauderdale, we had the option to choose early check-in for our partial ocean view suite or wait for an upgraded ocean-front studio. Since we already booked the suite with a partial ocean view on points, we chose the check-in at 12 pm. We even received a bottle of sparkling wine, a cupcake, and a sea turtle—the new Conrad mascot.
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Talking about service: every single Conrad, except for the new Conrad Orlando, provided us with their signature mascot free of charge. We did have to request the stuffed toy at each location, as it was not automatically placed in the room. Meanwhile, Conrad Orlando has a signature rabbit that requires payment.
We booked our stays either with cash, points, or Impresario benefits. Regarding Hilton Honors points, our rule is to book with points if the value reaches 0.6 cents per point or more. Particularly in the US, Impresario often makes sense, as it brings back breakfast. As many properties don’t offer buffet breakfast, the free breakfast is provided as a $60 daily breakfast credit—on top of your $50 F&B credit for Diamond members per day and on top of your $100 Impresario hotel credit per stay. Particularly on short stays, these benefits are great. We definitely enjoyed it. 😀
However, double-check your folio! At some properties, particularly the Impresario credits were not applied. Never leave the hotel without checking what you pay, as it is much easier to sort things out on-site than later by email.
In conclusion, our US Conrad tour was very enriching. All US Conrad hotels maintain a very good luxury standard and quality. After visiting Conrad hotels in other countries, especially in Asia and the Middle East, we noticed differences more connected with regional markets, such as the availability of a full breakfast buffet versus à la carte breakfast and the presence of executive lounges for Diamond guests.
If you are interested in booking luxury Hilton properties through the Impresario program, register for free HERE to explore all the benefits and promotions.
