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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
How to redeem Hilton points for upgraded rooms
Featured image by JEFF JOHNSTON/THE HIGGINS HOTEL NEW ORLEANS, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
April 20, 2025 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Hilton Honors members can use points to book premium room types, such as rooms with better views or club access.
Premium room rewards often require significantly more points than standard rooms, making them less valuable for most travelers.
The fifth-night-free benefit does not apply to premium room rewards, further reducing their value compared to standard rewards.
Some premium room types may not be available for points bookings, even if they are available for cash.
What to consider
Premium room rewards typically have a higher points cost that does not scale proportionally with cash rates.
You cannot use the fifth-night-free perk when booking premium room rewards.
Certain desirable room types may be excluded from points redemptions, regardless of availability for cash.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of how to maximize Hilton Honors points value and alternative strategies for securing upgraded rooms.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
One appealing aspect of the Hilton Honors program is redeeming points for upgraded room types. Hilton premium room rewards mean you can secure the room type you want — or need — when booking. For example, if you want a room with a specific view, you can book it with points. Likewise, if you want to book a room that provides club lounge access, you can do that.
The downside is that premium room types often cost a disproportionate amount more when redeeming Hilton points. Plus, even when booking Hilton premium room rewards, some room types aren't bookable with points. Here's what you need to know.
What are Hilton premium room rewards?
Hilton premium room rewards let you redeem Hilton points for elevated room types, including better views, corner rooms, specialty rooms, club-level rooms and suites.
HILTON
You can't use the fifth-night-free benefit offered to members with Hilton elite status when redeeming points for premium room rewards. Combined with the disproportionate points cost you'll often find when redeeming for elevated room types, booking premium room rewards usually won't provide good value.
In the above example, a Hilton Honors elite member could redeem 160,000 points after the fifth-night-free perk for a standard reward or pay $910.77 for a five-night stay in a king guest room. Meanwhile, a deluxe king room with a view would cost 415,000 points or $1,018.30 for the five-night stay. Booking the premium room reward would drop your redemption rate from a decent 0.57 cents per point to a terrible 0.25 cents per point.
Additionally, some room types aren't bookable with points even when they're bookable with money. For example, although an overwater pool villa is available via cash for slightly more per night than a beach villa for the following stay at the Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa, it's unavailable on points.
HILTON
So, if I want to redeem Hilton points for the above stay, I'd have to choose between booking a beach pool villa for 120,000 points per night or an overwater suite with a pool for a much higher 329,000 points per night.
The process for booking Hilton premium room rewards is the same as booking standard rewards. Once you select a property, you'll see rates for each room type.
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HILTON
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Click to see more rates for your preferred room type. You'll see the points rate and paid rates with varying cancellation policies and inclusions.
HILTON
You can book reward stays using a combination of points and money. To do so, move the sliding bar to select the points-and-cash rate you prefer when booking. You must redeem at least 5,000 points, but you can otherwise choose any points amount in increments of 1,000.
HILTON
You may boost your redemption rate by redeeming fewer points and paying more money. However, saving your Hilton points for standard reward stays will usually get the best value.
It's frustrating that Hilton premium room rewards rates often don't scale similarly to paid rates and aren't eligible for the fifth-night-free reward perk. I've never booked a Hilton premium room reward for these two reasons — as well as the fact that I often get upgrades to suites or rooms with a view due to my Hilton Diamond elite status.
A room at the Hilton Niseko Village in Japan. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
However, confirming a suite or premium room type when booking is appealing. So, if you want to secure a premium room type but don't want to book a premium room reward, you have three primary options: hope for a complimentary upgrade, select a paid upgrade offer or book a paid rate for the room type you want. The paid upgrade options will usually appear in the Hilton Honors app before your stay, although some properties may also send upgrade options via email.
Whether you want to redeem Hilton points for standard or premium room rewards, you'll need to earn points before you can redeem them. You can earn Hilton points in many ways, including through Hilton Honors promotions on stays and by buying Hilton points. I choose to earn most of my points via Hilton credit cards. Here's a look at options you could add to your wallet.
Earn 200,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership.
14 points per dollar for eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
7 points per dollar spent on select travel, including flights booked directly with airlines, through amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and car rentals booked directly with select car rental companies
7 points per dollar spent on dining at U.S. restaurants, including takeout and delivery
3 points per dollar spent on other eligible purchases
$550 (see )
I have the Hilton Aspire Card, which offers many valuable perks ranging from complimentary Diamond status to an annual free night reward. I love my Hilton Aspire and believe it offers excellent value, but suppose you won't consistently use the up to $400 Hilton resort statement credit (up to $200 semiannually) and the up to $200 flight statement credit (up to $50 quarterly) for eligible purchases. In that case, another Hilton credit card is likely better for you.
Having the option to redeem Hilton points for premium room types is nice. But in practice, the high reward rates and inability to get a fifth night free mean Hilton premium room rewards are rarely useful. Instead of booking a premium room reward, it's often better to book the room type you want with money or book a standard reward stay with points and accept a paid upgrade offer.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Surpass Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex Business Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Hilton Amex Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire Card, click here.
