Hilton points have gotten quite a bad rap since their infamous February 2013 devaluation, when redemption rates were increased and seasonal pricing was introduced. At the time, the points necessary for a free night at many of their hotels almost doubled. It’s not as easy as it once was to get good value from a Hilton redemption, but the possibilities are still there. This is especially true for stays of 5 nights using Hilton’s “5th night free” promotion for members with status. Per the Hilton website:
Silver, Gold and Diamond Elite Members will get every 5th night free when booking a Standard Room Reward Stay of 5 nights or more using all Points (up to four free nights on a stay of 20 consecutive nights). This is reflected in the Point price by applying a per-night discount that corresponds to one free night for every five nights.
One of the best values you can get is combining this with one of the best ways to redeem hotel points: during events and festivals. While cash prices are often doubled (if not more) during major events, point redemption rates often remain the same. To wit, the DoubleTree Edinburgh City Center in Scotland shows the lowest cash rate of £217 per night, or about $280 USD for a weekend in July 2017. At the normal points rate of 50,000 points per night, this nets a value of 0.56 cents per point, right in line with The Points Guy’s May valuation.
However, for a 5-night stay during Edinburgh’s famous Fringe Festival in August 2017, cash rates are significantly higher:
You can see the cash rate of £374, or about $484 USD. The “5th night free” lowers the corresponding points rate to an average of 40,000 points per night. At a total cash price of $2,420 for 5 nights, the 200,000 points spent will net a value of 1.21 cents per Hilton point – more than double their valuation.
The bottom line here is that although Hilton points have lost much of their value in recent years, there still are some very sweet spots, and using the 5th night free during a festival is one prime example.
Has anyone out there found, seen, or used a Hilton point redemption that netted a better value than this? If so, please let me know in the comments!
Michael Prodanovich is a contributor to Point Me to the Plane, and author of The Ultimate Guide to Free Travel
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11 comments
i routinely get at least that much value out of my Hilton points. During the summer I take my kids on roadtrips around the US and Canada, and I try to choose Category 2 Hilton hotels (usually Hampton Inn and Suites). For 10,000 points I often save myself $120-150 per night, at a redemption rate of 1.2-1.5 cents per point. For example, last summer we stayed at a Hampton Inn in Keokuk, Iowa that normally sold for $154. With lots of points in lots of programs, I have the luxury of using the program that has the best redemption rate in any city. Hilton’s category 2 hotels often come up the winner.
Ah yes, good point…sometimes the expensive and higher-end properties aren’t always the best value you can get. That’s a great value for your Hilton points!
I do 5 night stays at the Hampton Inn Addison all the time the paid rates are usually 120 a night and it’s 40,000 points for 5 Nights. Effectively paid $200 for 5 nights here through Point purchase. Back when Hilton was giving 2000 points back per night who is even better
2.4 cents per point for my summer travel at Hilton brand hotels in Poland. I purchased 20,000 points for reward stay at 0.5 cents per point.
Nice! What category of hotel was that where you got the 2.4 cpp?
380,000 points for 5 nights at Conrad Maldives in January. Prepaid rates are about $2000 plus tax, but comes to $2770 total if including breakfast that comes free with Hilton Gold status. That gives a redemption value of 3.6 cents per point. If we calculate using the flexible rate, since points bookings are flexible, then it’s $3338 per night, or 4.4 cents per points
Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza, Alexandria, Egypt. June 30-July 5th. Five nights for 20k points or $1125. 5.625 cents per point.
Wow, thats a great return! Amazing how a hotel that sometimes costs $200/nt cash can be only 5,000 points per night sometimes.
Agreed. It seems to be that way in most of Alexandria. The other one I looked at cost a bit more per night (around $275, before taxes), but was 10k points per night or 40k for five. Still not a bad redemption. Pretty sure they were fishing for ideas with this post
Hampton Inn Mexico City (which looks quite nice) was going for 10,000 a night in November, or $160 a night/$189 with taxes. So that’s a nice 1.89 cpp right there
[…] points a night are getting rare. But still, that’s not to say that you can no longer get a good value on a redemption. Plus, a minimum of a 2,000-point rebate on an award stay is also very much […]