As a Hilton traveler, you have likely noticed the significant role Hilton Honors Points play in enhancing your travel experiences. These points make our travels more affordable and luxurious. Understanding how to maximize your Hilton Honors Points is key to making the most of this loyalty program. By earning and redeeming points strategically, you can enjoy enhanced travel experiences without breaking the bank. Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway or a dream vacation, Hilton Honors Points are your ticket to a richer, more rewarding journey.
Check with us on how to redeem your Hilton Honors points to maximize their value. To get started, our video can be helpful for you.
Hilton Honors Points Value
Understanding the value of each point is crucial when redeeming them for a stay. Think of points as a currency with an exchange rate – you aim to buy low and sell high. With Hilton Honors points, it’s the same situation. During Hilton promotions, you can buy points for 0.5 cents each. To maximize the value of your points, aim to redeem them for more than 0.5 cents per point. Considering some additional factors, 0.6 cents per point is the value you actually shouldn’t undercut.
To determine the value, compare the cash price of the room (including fees and taxes) to the number of Hilton Honors points required for booking. Divide the cash price by the points needed. For example, if a room costs $250 per night or 40,000 Hilton Honors points:
$250 / 40,000 = $0.00625
This means each point is worth 0.625 cents, making it a good opportunity for redeeming your points.
Hilton Honors Points Calculator
To simplify your decision-making process, we’ve created a Hilton Honors points calculator. You simply input the full cash price per night and the points required per night for the same room type.
Booking with the Hilton Honors Points
When booking with Hilton Honors points, always look for standard room rewards, keeping in mind that some properties may offer multiple room types under this designation. Premium rooms cost significantly more points and rarely provide the same value as standard room rewards. If you want a premium room, consider booking it directly with cash. Alternatively, you can book a standard room with points and then either hope for a complimentary upgrade or secure a paid upgrade through the app or by contacting the hotel directly.
Booking with points is especially advantageous during high seasons, like Christmas or New Year’s Eve, when room prices can triple or quadruple. During these times, the point rate for a standard room typically increases only slightly, providing excellent value for your points.
Another advantage of booking with Hilton Honors points is the “fifth night free” benefit. When you book a five-night stay with points only, the fifth night is free of charge, meaning you only pay for four nights. Hilton provides a fifth night free benefit on award stays for members with Silver status or higher and it applies to stays of up to 20 nights, allowing for a maximum of four free nights on a 20-night stay. This is a significant benefit, especially at very expensive properties, where you can save a substantial amount of money by booking with points. Additionally, you save the cost of one night, providing even greater savings.
Top Hilton Hotels for Redeeming Hilton Honors Points
The easiest way to know the award price for a particular hotel is to search in the Hilton Honors app. As mentioned earlier, you get excellent value by booking with points at very expensive properties. However, you can also find great deals at Hamptons, Hilton Garden Inns, or DoubleTrees with redemption rates over 1 cent per point. The Hilton Honors Points Explorer can help you find the best deals.
Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
We have to start with the only Hilton property with a standard room reward for 150,000 points per night. For this remote, ultra-luxurious resort, staying at least five nights is ideal, and using points to pay for only four nights sounds like a great option. However, finding five consecutive nights with available standard room rewards is virtually impossible. You have to be flexible with your timing and patient, regularly checking if any standard room rewards have been released. The only possibility is to book non-consecutive nights with standard room rewards close to each other and hope that more connected nights become available. And even then you would have to cancel them all, hoping they get released again and book them all in once to get the fifth night free. We’ve found that the hotel typically releases more standard room rewards on short notice, usually only for the following two months.
Booking with points is truly worth it at this destination. The current price for a standard room starts at $2,200 in low season and around $2,800 in high season, giving you a value of approximately 2 cents per point.
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
We continue with another Hilton property on the paradise islands of the Maldives. The Conrad Maldives also offers high redemption value compared to cash rates, making it an excellent use of points. Booking a 5-night stay here is relatively easy. The standard room reward is 120,000 points per night, and you can choose between a beach villa or a sunrise overwater villa. With prices for these villas starting at $800 per night in low season and reaching $1,200 in high season, you achieve a value of around 1 cent per point when you book 5 nights with points.
Conrad Bora Bora Nui
Another Hilton luxury resort with overwater bungalows and breathtaking lagoon views that offers exceptional value for your points is Conrad Bora Bora Nui. Finding 5 consecutive nights with available standard room rewards can be challenging, so it’s better to plan well ahead, around six months in advance. However, the effort is worth it.
The standard room reward is 120,000 points per night. With prices for the same room starting at $1,270 per night in low season and around $1,550 in high season, you achieve an amazing value of 1.3 to 1.6 cents per point when booking 5 nights with points.
We are excited to spend 8 nights at Conrad Bora Bora Nui this July. Of course, we will provide you with a detailed review of our stay.
Conrad Koh Samui
Conrad Koh Samui is another ideal choice for a luxurious tropical escape, offering excellent value for points redemption.
The standard room reward is 95,000 points per night, and there is no problem securing a 5-night booking for points throughout the year. With prices for the same room starting at $500 per night in low season and around $700 in high season, you achieve a value of 0.65 to 0.92 cents per point when booking 5 nights with points. As you can see, this is very attractive during the peak season, which is the dry season from December to February.
We spent 5 nights here during Christmas last year, and it was a great investment of 380,000 points.
Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal
This is one of the best hotels where we have stayed so far, and we hope to stay there again. This exclusive resort, carved into the cliffs of Pedregal Mountain offers an unparalleled blend of luxury and natural beauty.
Four years ago, we also booked with points, and you still need 120,000 points for one night in a standard room in 2024. With prices for the same room starting at $1,100 per night in low season and going up to $2,400 in high season, you achieve a value of 1.1 to 2.5 cents per point when booking 5 nights with points. The value of points in high season is amazing!
Conrad Punta de Mita
At Conrad Punta de Mita, it is especially worthwhile to redeem points during high season, such as Christmas and the peak period from December to March. Despite the hotel requiring 95,000 points per night, the price for a standard room can rise significantly, up to $1,500 per night. In this case, paying with points and staying 5 nights is a great deal.
In low season, the hotel offers a package called Everyday Escape, which includes a daily credit of $100. This package can be booked for as few as 3 nights, and it might be worth it. For example, in August 2024, you can get this offer for $446 per night inclusive of taxes. In this scenario, the value of booking with points would be only 0.45 cents per point, making it less worthwhile to pay with points.
Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya
At Conrad Tulum, the situation is similar to that at Conrad Punta de Mita. High season is a great time to use points, especially for a 5-night stay. You can book a standard reward room for 100,000 points per night throughout the year, including during Christmas and New Year’s Eve. At these times, the cash price would be around $1,140 per night, giving you a value of 1.4 cents per point, which is a very good deal.
In low season, check the hotel’s package offers, such as the Everyday Escape with a $100 daily credit. This could be a great option. The credit cannot be used for the room rate, taxes, or gratuity, but it can be used for dining or wellness services. And with the average restaurant prices being rather high, $100 for 2 is what you can expect daily anyway.
