Since the Hilton devaluation, it’s difficult to justify using Hilton points for aspirational properties because the amount of points required is outrageous, and it might take a while to accumulate that many points.
Examples of some properties and points required
- Conrad Koh Samui (Category 10) – 70,000 – 95,000 points
- Conrad Tokyo (Category 10) – 70,000 – 95,000 points
- Conrad Hong Kong (Category 9) – 50,000 – 80,000 points
I didn’t cash out on my Hilton points before the devaluation and was looking now to burn them while still getting decent value out of them. I have an upcoming trip to Vienna, and after doing some research, I came across the Hilton Vienna Danube Waterfront, a #35 ranked hotel on Tripadvisor. It is a category 5 hotel.
It was going for $164 Euros ~ $213 per night. For a four night stay, that’s an $852 bill.
With regards to the rank on tripadvisor, the price compared to other hotels, this seemed like a fair value for what someone (not me) might pay for the hotel.
As you can see above, I could have also used 120,000 Hilton points for a 4 night stay.
The final option was a points and money option at 38 Euros (~ $50) plus 12,000 points per night. Thus, a 4 day stay would be $200 and 48,000 Hilton points.
If I used 120,000 points for the stay, the calculated redeemed value for $852 bill is 0.7 cents / points.
If I use the points and money option, the calculated redeemed value for the 48,000 points is 1.358 cents / point. ($852-$200)/48000 points
To me, the 1.358 cents/point redemption is a pretty good value as experts value Hilton points at 0.4 cents/point.
Although I had known about points and money options before, I had never really looked into it. I am able to get decent value out of my Hilton points and stretch them further using this option.
There’s a few things one should know about Hilton cash and points redemptions:
- Not every property participates in them
- You will seem them randomly when you try to book with Hilton points.
- Different properties set their own rules. They may not offer cash and points when the daily rate is higher compared to other dates
- Some hotels charge higher copay than others, even though they are in the same category.
The Hilton points and money option is worth evaluating if the property you are looking at offers them. You can even find these on higher end properties and still get great value on your Hilton points. Loyalty Traveler has a table of points and copay you should expect on different Hilton category hotels.