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REGISTER NOW: Hilton cracks first, launches a 2nd Autumn promo for double elite nights

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The so-called ‘status cliff’ is approaching rapidly. There are literally millions of business travellers about to lose status in their preferred hotel and airline programmes due to reduced 2022 travel.

In the hotel sphere, it seemed that the schemes had decided to draw a line. Whilst Hilton Honors had reduced its qualification requirements for 2023, IHG and Marriott did not. No scheme had been offering bonus elite nights since Spring either.

Hilton Honors has now broken ranks. Will other schemes follow?

You can register for double elite nights here. This stacks with the current ‘double points’ promotion which will run alongside it – you can register for that here.

Hilton double elite nights promotion

What is the new Hilton Honors promotion?

It is very simple.

From yesterday (11th October) until 31st December, you earn two elite nights for every night spent in a Hilton Honors hotel.

You must register before your stay – well, before check out technically, so if you spent last night in a Hilton then do it now! – via this page.

If you have already renewed your status for 2023, these bonus elite nights will roll over into 2023 along with your existing ‘spare’ nights.

As a reminder, Hilton Honors has already reduced its thresholds for status for 2023:

  • Silver: 7 nights, 3 stays or 17,500 base points
  • Gold: 28 nights, 14 stays or 52,500 base points
  • Diamond: 42 nights, 21 stays or 84,000 base points

It is important to note that you do NOT receive ‘double stays’ credit – it is only your number of nights which are doubled.

You have always been able to qualify for Diamond for 2023 by doing 21 one-night stays during 2022. The difference now is that you would also qualify for Diamond by doing one consecutive 21 night stay, since that would now double up and count as 42 elite nights.

As usual with Hilton, existing bookings count. You don’t need to rebook anything to earn double elite night credits.

Reward nights also count for double elite night credit.

Based on a similar offer run during the pandemic, I think that day rooms will also count.

Hilton double elite nights promotion

Remind me about the existing Hilton Honors promotion ….

The ‘other’ Autumn promotion works like this.

You receive double Hilton Honors base points on all stays, plus an extra 2,000 bonus points on stays with a Monday to Friday checkout, between 6th September and 31st December.

You can register for this offer here, if you haven’t already done so.

Conclusion

If you thought that you weren’t going to be able to renew your Hilton Honors status for 2023, even with the reduced thresholds, you now have another shot at it.

What will Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards do now? I will, on current plans, just scrape into Platinum with Marriott Bonvoy for next year (I will end the year on 52 nights on current plans) but I have zero chance of retaining Titanium at 75 nights.

IHG One Rewards now requires 70 nights for its new Diamond Elite tier level.

These numbers look a bit chunky in the face of Hilton offering Diamond for 42 elite nights, and awarding double elite night credits for the last 11 weeks of the year.

If Hilton is panicking about having a low number of elite members next year, due to the slow pick up of travel in Europe and the virtual shuttering of Asia, then Marriott and IHG must be in a similar position. Perhaps Marriott and IHG have decided to ‘thin the herd’ – although it is debatable whether their real customers, ie the hotel owners, will be happy if there are fewer elite members around.

You can register for the new ‘double elite night credits’ promotion here.


How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton points is 1:2.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Comments (99)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Aleks says:

    Question as no bits today – I’m looking to book flights with miles LHR-CPT which are Virgin Atlantic + Airlink both ways (VA LHR – JNB, Airlink JNB – CPT). Can I call up Virgin to book this or do I need to go through someone else (and if so, who)? Thanks in advance!

    • Rhys says:

      I’m not sure Airlink are an earn and burn partner so I’d be interested to hear if it works at all. You should be able to book this by calling Virgin.

      Just FYI Virgin are also flying direct to Cape Town this winter.

    • Rob says:

      Eh? How is Virgin able to offer Airlink on miles?

      • Rand says:

        It’s not. South African Airways is (and restarted domestic flights a while ago).

        Airlink has some odd partnerships though – flights can be credited eg to United.

  • whiskerxx says:

    Is it just me the links dont work for?

  • FrenchLondoner says:

    Hi All,
    I suspect the double élite night would count for (interestingly) milestone bonuses and (less interestingly) life time status?
    Do we know for sure?

    • Rob says:

      We only know what is in the T&C. Absolutely no issue for milestone bonuses.

      • Nick says:

        I had to talk to the Diamond desk today about another issue so asked while I was on call and they confirmed the double credits will count toward Lifetime status.

  • JohnTh says:

    Excellent news as just started 4 nights in New York Embassy suites.

  • BillyBleach says:

    Perfect timing. I will be leaving on the 15th for a Canada and US business trip, returning 28th. All hotels are Hiltons.

  • James says:

    If Hilton still had some 5k or 10k hotels I’d be happy to visit for three weeks (such as the older Sharm & Hurghada hotels now ditched), I’d smash out renewal in one go as haven’t travelled this year but will be next and keeping Diamond for that would be great. Sadly I won’t be able to, but top-tier loyalty is for those who put bums in beds so it’s fair my Diamond status ends. Wish it wasn’t but can’t grumble that it is.

    I will grumble there aren’t any 5k or 10k hotels I’d be happy to do a long solo holiday in though !!

    • John says:

      Diamond is for Americans who pay $450 a year and earn 40 points per dollar at Hiltons

      • Chancer says:

        And we legal aliens/Englishmen in New York…or those who appear to be. This is a sting!

        14 pts per dollar though, plus usual diamond earning rate – 34 pts per dollar sub-total, plus any brand bonus and/or any promotional bonus.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      You have it until March anyway. Who knows if they don’t get enough elites perhaps they’ll run something early next year too.

      • meta says:

        I thought nights need to be earned by 31 Dec, but the status is valid till end of March.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          Yes I meant if they’re starting to travel next year they have 3 months of Diamond plus there could be another offer.

          Tbh I don’t feel gold is that much of a drop

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:

      Where was the older 5k/night Hilton in Hurghada? The current one is cheap on cash rates but is 20k on points. I can’t rememb

      If I had needed extra nights I would have considered the cash rates at the current Hilton in Hurghada. I was there last year and a friend tested positive for covid and had to isolate there for 10 nights, so I booked an extra 10 nights (I didn’t have to isolate as I was in a different room) there’s a few different restaurants there as well as a private beach so there was stuff to do

      • Chancer says:

        Shark Bay Resort I think.

      • James says:

        There was a Hurghada Plaza at 5k, IIRC another one too.
        Two in Sharm but I only recall one of the names which was Hilton Waterfalls.
        The other one may have been Hilton Dreams but I could be wrong.

        Sharks Bay is a bit out of the way if you want to go diving regularly and is 20k now, was never as far as I know 5k.

      • James says:

        Cheers, I have wondered about trying out the Hurghada place 👍

  • TJ says:

    Will be interesting to see if Marriott comes up with a similar Elite night offer (I will also probably just scrape through 50 nights by the end of the year as things stand).

    However, now that US residents can get complimentary Platinum Elite status via the Brilliant card I think the number of Elite status holders will swell considerably which may compel Marriott not to take action.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      I always find this interesting.

      If these people don’t travel enough to earn it it’s highly unlikely they’ll make much trouble with their few nights a year leisure.

      The issue is when lots of frequent travellers have status and stay ALOT. That’s when it’s swelled to uncomfortable numbers for properties.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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