Another hotel devaluation: Hilton raises the price of some properties to 120,000 points per night
Editor's note: This post has been updated with a statement from Hilton.
While Hilton Honors has long employed dynamic pricing for award bookings, it has tended to stick to set point ranges for standard award nights, meaning nights where there is award availability for a standard room.
For the past few years, the highest standard award rates for some of the chain's nicest properties, including many Conrads, Waldorf Astorias and LXRs, have hovered around 95,000 points. There were some exceptions, like the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos, where standard awards cost 120,000 points, or the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, where standard awards started at a whopping 150,000 points. But they were few and far between.
It looks like more hotels are going to start costing a lot more in terms of points now, though.
Hilton has quietly raised the cost of a handful of former 95,000-point properties to the 120,000-point level, representing a 26% increase in price. The change was first noticed by View From The Wing at various Maldives properties that previously only charged 95,000 points per night for standard awards, including the aspirational (and ever-popular) Conrad Maldives.
Here's a look at current award pricing at the Conrad Maldives for the month of March. As you can see, nights are going for 120,000 points apiece.
Unfortunately, the price hike goes beyond the Maldives and includes other Hilton Honors reader favorites like the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which historically charged 95,000 points per night for a standard room but now requires 120,000 points per night (with much steeper prices for higher-category rooms).
Other properties, like Maui's Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, have increased from 95,000 to 110,000 points per night — a nearly 16% jump.
To state the obvious, this unannounced change is terrible news for Hilton Honors members who are hoping to redeem their hard-earned points for luxurious hotels around the world.
More and more loyalty programs have been raising award prices overnight with no advanced notice to members, but it's still a shame to see Hilton taking a page from this disappointing playbook.
When asked for comment on these pricing changes, Hilton told TPG the following:
"Since the launch of Points & Money, our team regularly monitors the performance of the program and makes necessary tweaks along the way. Recently, we conducted a series of business as usual changes in our Point pricing for a small number of hotels. As previously shared, while we won't be sending updates for each and every shift, we are fully committed to delivering the best value to our members and will carefully consider any Point adjustments for Hilton properties."
On the bright side, these price increases shouldn't affect free night certificates offered by some Hilton cobranded credit cards, as the list of excluded hotels has not been updated to reflect these properties specifically ... yet. If you're planning to use your certificates to book one of them, play it safe and book now just in case. You can always cancel your plans later.
Right now, we're unsure of just how many properties have been affected by this change but will update this article with more examples as we find them.
Feature photo of the Conrad Maldives by Ryan Patterson/The Points Guy.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.