Best Use of Hilton Points

Hilton Honors points can vary in value pretty significantly depending on how, when and where you redeem them. While we generally value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cent each, your value can be a measly 0.1 cent, or maybe a slick 1 cent, depending on how you redeem the points.

We’ve outlined some of the best Hilton points redemptions to help you maximize the value of your points.

1. Hilton free fifth night

Hilton Honors members with elite status can get a free night on longer award stays. When you use your Hilton points to book stays of five nights or more, you'll receive the fifth night for free as long as you have Hilton Honors™ Silver Status or above. That’s five nights for the price of four when using points.

Although the Hilton free fifth night benefit is available only to elite members, Silver status is relatively easy to attain. You can earn Hilton Honors™ Silver Status after staying seven nights, completing three stays, earning 17,500 base points or holding the Hilton Honors American Express Card, which has a $0 annual fee. Terms apply.

» Learn more: Hilton credit cards: Which one should you get?

Here’s an example of how to maximize Hilton’s free fifth night perk. A King Deluxe Room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bratislava in Slovakia costs 20,000 Hilton Honors points per night. Using a sample check-in date of Dec. 5, 2022, a four-night booking at the hotel would cost about $444 if you paid in cash.

Since four nights will cost you 80,000 Hilton Honors points, you will have redeemed your Hilton Honors points for a value of 0.56 cent per point, which is just about NerdWallet’s valuation of Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cent each.

However, by taking advantage of Hilton’s fifth night free benefit, you can redeem the same 80,000 Hilton Honors points for a five-night stay, which would cost roughly $540 using the same sample dates.

» Learn more: Your guide to the Hilton Honors award chart

2. Hilton waived resort fees

Resort fees are brutal, and they’re becoming more common. These fees are tacked on to your base room rate and the taxes you’re already paying, and they typically run from $40 to $100 per night. We generally don’t like them, but there’s an easy way to avoid them: Book your stay on points with Hilton.

Hilton doesn’t charge resort fees on rewards stays booked using all points, or on promotional free night stays (for example, issued by credit card partners). When calculating the cost of a room in cash versus points, don’t forget to account for the resort fees.

3. Luxury hotels on points

Another way to get the most value out of your Hilton Honors points is to use them at luxury properties, particularly brands like Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Curio Collection. Rooms at these luxury properties can be quite expensive if paid for in cash, but you can often get great redemption value with your Hilton Honors points.

Let’s look at some of our favorite sweet spot redemptions with Hilton Honors points.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

One of the most luxurious properties in the Hilton portfolio is the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. A pristine and remote resort located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is perhaps most famous for its undersea residence, The Muraka.

While you may not be staying at The Muraka yourself, the best part of using your Hilton Honors points to stay at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is that you can use a standard room redemption of 120,000 points per night to book a Water Villa, which includes a private plunge-pool and will give you the overwater villa experience that many travelers covet. These rooms can easily go for over $1,089 per night, representing an excellent value for your points of 0.9 cent each.

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

A great way to maximize the value of your Hilton Honors points and enjoy a truly luxurious stay is by using them at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. Located in the heart of Beverly Hills, California, the hotel promises that guests are in for a treat, noting on its website that “from the moment you step inside, you’ll know you’ve arrived at the center of extraordinary."

A standard room costs 120,000 points per night, though if you were to pay in cash you could easily pay over $980 per night (for a value of 0.8 cent per point).

Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

The Grand Wailea, located on the southwest coast of Maui, is a luxurious resort that's great for families, couples and even solo travelers. The property is best known for its pools and water activities, including the Lava Tube Slide — a three-story, 262-foot slide that will propel you to speeds of up to 22 miles per hour.

Although a standard room redemption isn’t cheap at 110,000 points per night, paying in cash can easily set you back $1,200 or more per night for the same room, making this a redemption of nearly 1.1 cents per point even on the low side.

Conrad Algarve

The Conrad Algarve is located at the southernmost tip of Portugal and is famous for sandy beaches, stunning cliff views overlooking the ocean and golf resorts. The hotel offers various wellness programs, a spa, gym, golf course and several pools (including an infinity pool).

Based on a scan of the calendar over the coming year, a hotel night at this property goes for $600 or more. If you were to use points, a standard room redemption would cost 85,000 points or more, resulting in a value of 0.7 cent per point.

Hilton is one of the largest hotel brands in the world, with nearly 6,800 properties in over 122 countries and territories. Hilton properties include the following brands:

» Learn more: Hilton Honors elite status: Your complete guide

Two of the best ways to maximize the redemption value of your Hilton Honors points are by using them for stays of five nights or longer and by using them at luxury properties.

If you’re willing to put some time and effort into your search, you can find some really good redemption values using your Hilton Honors points, particularly if you’re able to save enough points for a five-night stay. While the better values for Hilton Honors points are often found at higher-end properties, there are great opportunities to redeem points and maximize your redemption values at many Hilton properties around the world.

Photos courtesy of Hilton Hotels (© 2022 Hilton).