The Hilton HHonors auction site doesn’t get a ton of press, but for a few of you it may be a good way to wring some extra value out of your Hilton point stash.
For example, right now there’s a listing for a stay in the presidential suite at the Hilton Vienna Plaza, a category 7 hotel. The package includes:
-Two (2) nights’ accommodation in the Presidential Suite at Hilton Vienna Plaza
-Daily breakfast at Brasserie & Bar ÉMILE
-Afternoon treat: Participate in the apple strudel making class in the hotel and experience what it takes to become a master in preparing this traditional Viennese pastry
-Evening treat: Private candle light dinner in your very own gondola at Wiener Riesenrad, Vienna’s prestigious landmark
-Airport shuttle
-Late check-out
-Executive Lounge access
Here’s a picture of the suite:
A look at the hotel’s suites shows that the presidential suite is the hotel’s biggest, at 1,658 square feet. If you wanted to book that room in the summer, you can pay over $2,000 per night. So by that measure, this package is worth over $4,000, and that’s not even taking into account the incalculable value of the streudel making class and the other perks.
I know some folks find point valuation exercises tedious, but right now the high bid for this package is 135,000 points. A $4,000 valuation on this package at that points cost would give you three cents per point, which is several times what you can reasonably expect from your Hilton points.
Unfortunately, packages like this are far and few between on the HHilton HHonors AAuction site. Almost everything you can bid for is a concert ticket for some reason. And that’s puzzling: you’d think that Hilton would throw in a few more nice hotel packages like the Vienna one in light of the fact that they’re, you know, a hotel chain. As things stand, the site’s appeal is pretty limited and I’m not sure of the rationale for its existence.
“Apple strudel making class” – The Dream!