Excess Hilton Points

Hanoi IG

Level 2 Member
OK, when we drive in the US, we usually stay at Hamptons so have found ourselves using HHonors as our secondary hotel program with LeClub Accor as our primary.

Sure I belong to many other programs but when Hilton matched my Accor status I got a credit card and will soon have about 200,000 points. What would be a good, fairly efficient use of these, like an upscale property that has decent deals.

I note that whenever I look into a points stay, figuring half a cent a point, I would wind up paying 80,000 points for a $200 room. So far we stayed at Hilton Dresden and it was mediocre at best, though with a great location.

We have a booking at Conrad Tokyo and so far the concierge has scored us a table at Jiro(!) so I love them already.

My feeling is usually, points are not real money so free is still free but I don't like my points to be worth less than 1/4 of a cent either.
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
200K isn't going to last much beyond 3 nights in Tokyo, so I wouldn't say you had excess there :)
 

Maverick17

Level 2 Member
Look at using the 4th(5th?) night free you get with an Amex from Hilton, that can be a great value. There are some posts about good values on blogs, I think Travel is Free often has maps showing hotels by category.
 

knick1959

Level 2 Member
If I saw a $200 room for 80k, I'd just pay for it. In fact, I just did for 2 + 1 nights in CA. The point prices were way high, yet the hotels could be had for $110-143 (Hilton Embassy Suite in Anaheim and the Garden Inn in Irvine).

I have Hilton points on my spreadsheet at .4 cents each. I also have over 200k, but I want to use them strategically, or at least only when it makes sense.
 

ENOTTY

New Member
When it comes to hotel points, I try to acquire them at a cost that makes sense. I go over to Hotel Hustle, we can see the cents per point value for each of the major hotel chains. For Hilton, 75% of the properties have redemptions at 0.372 cpp or greater.

That said, if I have to be somewhere, I value cash way more than points so even if I don't beat the acquisition cost for my points, I still sometimes use points.
 

Hanoi IG

Level 2 Member
200K isn't going to last much beyond 3 nights in Tokyo, so I wouldn't say you had excess there :)
Paid for that room. I'm gonna have over 200,000 points which I'd like to use wisely. I'm not impressed with Hilton so would like to use and get out.
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
Paid for that room. I'm gonna have over 200,000 points which I'd like to use wisely. I'm not impressed with Hilton so would like to use and get out.
I used them in Maldives and Tokyo on the same trip, both were good enough. Certainly have to cherry pick. I'm no expert at them, but I feel that a lot of Waldorf (and to a lesser degree Conrad) properties are over-rated while DoubleTree's are underrated.
 

TheBOSman

Moderator
Staff member
I used them in Maldives and Tokyo on the same trip, both were good enough. Certainly have to cherry pick. I'm no expert at them, but I feel that a lot of Waldorf (and to a lesser degree Conrad) properties are over-rated while DoubleTree's are underrated.
Agreed. But some DoubleTrees are also not good at all...DT has the highest variance of any hotel brand in my experience.
 

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
Paid for that room. I'm gonna have over 200,000 points which I'd like to use wisely. I'm not impressed with Hilton so would like to use and get out.
Several hundred sounds like so many for most programs. With Hilton especially, it isn't:0
 

Hanoi IG

Level 2 Member
'
Several hundred sounds like so many for most programs. With Hilton especially, it isn't:0
OK but what would be the best use of these, plus I'll have some more from 5 nights in a Conrad Tokyo and a Hampton in NC. Just saying they charge a ton for rooms but maybe I should just use them for any opportunity.
 

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
OK but what would be the best use of these, plus I'll have some more from 5 nights in a Conrad Tokyo and a Hampton in NC. Just saying they charge a ton for rooms but maybe I should just use them for any opportunity.
It depends on your travel needs and if you are more interested in a free aspirational stay or just getting them spent. You probably could use them at the Hampton and save that money. A lot of people look at how many cents per point valuation. Others look at using it for a room they would be unlikely to spend money on. I use mine for a mix of types of stays. I tend to look for good value for the price of the room.
 

SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
I don't specifically seek to use Hilton points. Rather, I use them when it makes sense. For example, my husband does business in central California where there are only the secondary brands of major chains. A simple Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express or Fairfield Inn costs in excess of $100. I'll always look at how many points it takes and generally use them instead of cash. We own the business, so I'd rather save cash out of pocket even if the expense is tax deductible.

Then, there is the travel that we do. If we are in the hinterlands, again I'll look at using points instead of cash. If we are in an area where there are choices, I evaluate the chain options. If I decide on Hilton, I look at cash versus points. We were in Dresden this summer. Starwood, Marriott, and Priority Club all had options. But the Hilton was in the perfect location for tourism, right at the edge of the Old Town and steps from their beautiful cathedral. I could have used 40K points for a regular room or 75K for a massive suite. I chose the suite, and was extremely happy with my decision.
 
Top