How a single day-use hotel booking earned me almost 15,000 points

Earlier this month, TPG editorial director Scott Mayerowitz published a story comparing new day rate programs offered by Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott. These hotel groups recently started offering day rates geared toward remote workers. With these rates, you can stay in a hotel room for the day and use the desk, coffee machine and other amenities. In short, it's your office away from home for the day.

In the article, Scott pointed out that Hilton is offering 10,000 bonus points on your first Hilton WorkSpaces booking. This promotion expires on Mar. 31, 2021 and applies to any booking.

Here at TPG, we value Hilton points at 0.6 cents each, so 10,000 is worth $60. On top of this, you also earn Hilton points and elite nights like you would on any other stay, so you can get some serious value during this promotion.

With this in mind, I dove deep into the WorkSpaces booking page with a goal in mind: get more value in points than the rate I paid for my WorkSpaces booking. This would effectively make the stay free (so long as I redeem the Hilton points accordingly).

Much to my surprise, this was quite easy to do. I'll give you a quick look at how I profited from my recent Hilton WorkSpaces booking. Plus, I'll give you a look at what it's like to work from a Hilton hotel for the day.

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Finding a cheap WorkSpaces booking

I started my quest by heading to the Hilton WorkSpaces website and looking for the cheapest rates in New York City and New Jersey. Prices varied widely, with some hotels being as expensive as a standard night. That said, I was able to find a handful of hotels that were right around $60 — the value of the WorkSpaces points promo.

The cheapest WorkSpaces booking was at the DoubleTree by Hilton Times Square West. The hotel was offering WorkSpaces rates for $57 per day. After taxes, this came to $69.88 for the day. Not only did I earn about $60 worth of points through the promotion, but I also made progress toward Hilton elite status. More on that later.

I quickly booked this deal for the next day and packed my backpack with my laptop, chargers and snacks. After nearly a year of working at home, I was excited to work from somewhere new, interesting and away from the sound of my three cats.

Related: 16 best ways to earn more Hilton Honors points in 2021

My experience working at the DoubleTree Times Square West

The next day I arrived at the DoubleTree Times Square West right at the stated 9 am check-in time. The check-in process was quick and the front-desk clerk told me she's seen more and more of these bookings come in recently. Interestingly, she also told me I'd have the room until noon the next day. This stuck out to me since the WorkSpaces website specifically lists a 5 p.m. check-out time.

I reserved the cheapest rate — a standard king bed — for my stay. Despite being a Hilton Honors Diamond member, I wasn't upgraded. I wasn't disappointed since I'd only be in the room for the course of a workday anyway.

The room was small but nice. Admittedly, the bed took up the bulk of the room and the desk was small, but it was adequate for working on a laptop for a day. The desk area was outfitted with power outlets and an adjustable desk lamp.

There was also a coffee machine with coffee available. Unfortunately, there were no coffee cups. I also checked the machine and saw there was still water in it from the last guest. At that moment, I decided I'd go to the coffee shop down the street for caffeine instead — clearly, the machine hadn't been cleaned, even in the middle of a pandemic.

The bathroom and rest of the room were clean and looked ready for an overnight stay. Having access to a shower is nice too — especially if you bike to the hotel or have a long walk from the subway during a New York City summer.

The internet was fast and reliable. It handled a handful of Zoom calls and writing articles without issue, so I'd assume it's fine for most remote workers too.

I worked through the day and had an overall great experience. I can safely say I'd recommend WorkSpaces to any remote worker who needs a break from the usual grind of working from home. That said, I wouldn't make it a regular thing at just under $70 per day after taxes.

Related: We tested out Hilton DoubleTree’s chocolate chip cookie recipe

How many points I earned

But you didn't come here for a hotel review — so let's get into how many Hilton Honors points I earned on my WorkSpaces booking.

It's important to mention (again) that I'm a Hilton Diamond elite member. This means I'm entitled to a 100% points bonus on all paid stays. The base rate was $57.85, so I earned 579 base points and another 579 points because of my elite status. These 1,158 points are worth just under $7 based on our valuations.

Hilton Diamond elites are also entitled to a welcome amenity on all stays. At DoubleTree properties, this amenity is an extra 1,000 Hilton points, which is a nice touch and added to the overall earnings. This was another $6 in value — not bad considering I earned my Diamond status with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Further, Hilton is running a promotion dubbed "Points Unlimited" that awards 2,000 bonus points per stay. There's no minimum night requirement and WorkSpaces bookings are eligible, so I earned another 2,000 points. This is worth $12 based on our current valuation.

Of course, the 10,000 bonus points (again, worth $60) for my first WorkSpaces booking also posted to my account. This brought me to a total of 14,158 Hilton points earned, worth $85.

I also clicked through the Rakuten shopping portal before I booked my WorkSpaces stay. Rakuten awards cashback or American Express Membership Rewards points on purchases made through the shopping portal and the rate varies by merchant. Strangely, Hilton actually gives fewer points/cashback to those with elite status, likely because elites earn more Hilton points than standard members. I earned 1x point per dollar as a Diamond member.

The purchase tracked and I should earn 58 bonus Membership Rewards points — worth just over $1 — once the transaction processes.

Further, I paid with my Citi Premier® Card and earned 3x ThankYou points per dollar spent on the price of the stay. We value these points at 1.7 cents apiece, so the $69.88 stay earned 207 points, worth roughly $3.50. I won't include these in my total earnings as you may choose to pay with a different credit card.

Alternatively, I could've paid with my Hilton Aspire card and earned 14x Hilton points per dollar spent. This would have yielded 978 Hilton points, worth almost $6. I opted to pay with my Citi Premier Card, as I'm saving up points for a future flight redemption.

Related: The best hotel credit cards of 2021

Bottom line

In the end, I made roughly $16 in profit from my WorkSpaces stay. I think this is a pretty great deal, given I had a new place to work for the day too. That said, the true value of this promotion completely depends on how much you value Hilton Honors points. But if you're looking for a new place to work for the day and want some Hilton points for future travel, this could be a great bet.

Feature photo by Andrew Kunesh/The Points Guy