Get 25% off UK and European Hilton hotels for public sector workers

Whilst it disappeared for a year or so during the pandemic, Hilton has an attractive discount code for UK residents who work in the public sector.

If you work in a qualifying role then you will save 25% on the Best Flexible Rate at many Hilton Group properties. The only exception is the budget Hampton chain, where the discount is 15%.

The deal isn’t as good as it was pre-covid when you got 30% off, but it’s still not to be sniffed at.

The discount isn’t a ‘true’ 25% because these rates are non-refundable. You should be comparing the price to the Advanced Purchase rate which is always lower than Best Flexible – but you should still be making a saving.

The rate is only meant to be used for ‘leisure stays’. You may find that some hotels restrict it to Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights although the rules have no date restrictions.

Here’s a pricing example from Hilton Bournemouth for 6th to 8th October:

• Public sector rate (automatically includes breakfast at this hotel) – £141 per night

• Advance Purchase Rate with Breakfast – £173 per night

• Advance Purchase Rate (room only) – £150 per night

If you don’t have Gold or higher status in Hilton Honors, which gets you free breakfast, then this is a very good deal. You’re saving £32 per night on the next cheapest option.

If you do have Gold or higher status in Hilton Honors you are only saving £9, because you would get breakfast included even on a ‘room only’ rate.

What is a ‘public sector’ worker?

There used to be a complex definition of what counts as a ‘public sector’ worker but Hilton appears to have scrapped that for an easy life. All it now says is:

Offer is valid for leisure bookings by employees of the Government/Public Sector (Including Charitable and Non-For-Profit organisations) and is subject to availability at participating hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Offer is valid for up to two rooms per Government/Public Sector employee per stay only and must be booked directly through Hilton owned booking channels. Requests for additional rooms will not be granted. Government/Public Sector ID is required at check-in.

No idea why it says ‘airline’ identification, though ….

You can find further details at this website.

You can also book by going to the main Hilton website and – on the first booking page where it asks for a city – click the ‘Special Rates’ button and enter Hilton promotional code LHH1PN.  Not all UK and European hotels participate but many do.

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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.

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 and they come with generous sign-up bonuses. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

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.)