Update: for a complete list of the hotels no longer at 10k level, see this Loyalty Traveler post,
I’m literally in the middle of writing about my Hilton redemptions in Romania. 7 nights this month set me back 60,000 Hilton points (without 5th night free).
I happen to go to Hilton.com to see if there were any other sweet spots in Romania I had missed. Lo and behold, ALL of the sweet spots (of which there were quite a few) doubled in points requirement.
- Hilton Sibiu : was 10k per night, now 20k
- DoubleTree Sighisoara : was 5k, now 10k
- Hampton Inn Cluj Napoca : was 10k, now 20k
- Hampton Inn Iasi : was 5k, now 10k
{ Bye bye, Hilton Sibiu 10k redemption. Credit: hilton.com }
Of course, these aren’t the only ones affected. Other low category sweet spots wiped out include:
- DoubleTree Johor Bahru : was 10k, now 20k
- DoubleTree Melaka : was 5k when opened this year, quickly rose to 10k, now 18-20k
- Hampton Inn Medellin : was 10k, now 20k
- Hampton Inn Cartagena : was 10k, now 20k
- Hilton Salalah Resort : was 10, now 20k
The increase isn’t across the board. A few sweet spots escaped the massacre, including:
- DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur
- DoubleTree Penang
- Hampton Inn Farmington NM
- Hilton Garden Inn Vienna
- Hampton Inn Krakow
However, the writing on the wall has never been clearer. Hilton is on a mission to decimate any good value in what’s left of their low category redemptions, capping the CPM to around 0.5 across the board. This is round 3 or 4 of devaluation since they abolished the award chart. I called them out in a previous round. I have no doubt the low category value eradication will continue, and they’ll continue to provide zero notice because no one with any influence is demanding otherwise.
{ DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur : one of the last surviving low category gems, could double in cost any time. Credit: hilton.com }
I’m glad I burned some points to enjoy the low category Romanian Hiltons before this (trip report coming soon). If I were you, I’d book any low category points deals ASAP.
I stayed at several of these sweet spot Romanian hotels last month. They were indeed a sweet deal. Although at some properties, it just made sense to puchase the rooms outright in Bucharest and neighboring Belgrade, Serbia.
Sibiu is a bizarre hotel for a Hilton. But at 10k, I put up with it. But for 20k, it’s certainly not worth the severely outdated hotel and location from the city. Cluj was also a great deal and a superb hotel & location. Not surprised this is now 20k, although at this point, the room rates are pretty reasonable. Sighisoara is still a fantastic location and still an amazing deal at 10k. Shame these award charts are getting such quiet devaluations without any repercussions.
Agree on all counts.