Unusual Use of the Hilton Resort Credit
I’m always looking for ways to put my credit card benefits to good use. Usually, that doesn’t involve leaving an expensive piece of electronics in another country. But on a trip to Europe, an absentminded mistake led to what might be my most unusual use of the Hilton Aspire resort credit yet. I left my laptop at airport security. But in the end, I got my computer back, someone else handled the airport pickup, and a $200 statement credit helped pay for it. Here’s how it happened.
One Very Important Thing Missing
Let me set the scene. It was early in the morning at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, and security was chaotic. After getting through the metal detector and having my baggage scanned, I hastily gathered my belongings from the bins and put everything back in my bag. Well, almost everything.
My laptop stayed in the security bin. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it until I was already in Split, Croatia! Gulp.
Retracing my steps, I realized that I had to have left it in that security bin. There was no other explanation. And because it was in a secure area of the airport, I was hopeful that my computer would be safe. Apple FindMy was very useful in this situation as well, since I could see my laptop’s last location and I turned on Lost Mode. I contacted the Rome airport’s Lost and Found by email and described my computer. Fortunately, they confirmed that they had a laptop matching my description.
Unfortunately, I had to pick it up in person. I was already planning to return to Rome at the end of the week, so that initially sounded manageable. But there was another problem: I wouldn’t be at the airport during the hours the lost and found office was open.
My computer was safe. Getting it back required a bit more creativity.
Time to Call the Concierge
Then I remembered where I would be staying when I returned to Rome: the Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri. Surely this was something a concierge could help arrange?
I called the hotel, and the concierge desk explained that their in-house service could not go inside the airport to retrieve items. But they had a third-party service they use regularly to retrieve lost luggage and I could connect with them. I reached out to that service and provided the information they needed to collect my laptop.
They picked up the computer for me and met me at the airport when I arrived on my flight from Split. Instead of trying to work around the lost and found office’s hours, I had someone hand my laptop back to me upon arrival. The process couldn’t be smoother! That alone was a welcome solution. But there was one more piece to my plan: using the Hilton resort credit.
Putting My Hilton Aspire Resort Credit to Work
Waldorf Astoria properties are Hilton’s luxury flagship brand. This is an important detail because I had a $200 resort credit available on my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. And The Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri is listed among Hilton’s resort properties. If I could have the service charged to my room, I hoped to put that credit toward the cost of retrieving my computer.
The Aspire offers up to $200 in resort statement credits from January through June and another $200 from July through December. The benefit applies to eligible purchases made directly with participating Hilton resorts, with eligible incidental expenses charged to the room and paid with the Aspire.
I authorized the charge for the service to be added to my room at the Waldorf Astoria. At checkout, I paid with my Aspire. My plan worked flawlessly. The charge appeared on my hotel bill, and I subsequently received the $200 resort credit on my card statement.
An Unusual Use of the Hilton Resort Credit: ToP Thoughts
This might be my most creative, albeit rather absentminded, use of a credit to date.
There were two useful reminders here. First, a hotel concierge can help with more than dinner reservations. Calling the hotel solved a logistical problem I couldn’t easily handle from another country. Second, when an unexpected travel expense comes up, it’s worth considering whether a benefit you already have can help offset it. Of course, remembering to put my computer back in my bag would have been the better move. But given the circumstances, I was pretty pleased with the recovery.
What’s the most unusual expense you’ve covered with a credit card benefit? Come share your story in the ToP Facebook group.
