400 Small Luxury Hotels now bookable with Hilton points – deals to be had

Back in February, Hilton announced a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

This was to replace the SLH partnership with World of Hyatt, which had been doomed ever since Hyatt announced the acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith.

Hilton had been very cautious about the timeframe for rolling out SLH on hilton.com but – well ahead of schedule – 400 hotels went live for booking this week. There are some good deals to be had.

Of the 560 hotels in Small Luxury Hotels, 400 have agreed to join the Hilton partnership. This is a good sign-up rate in my view, given that the hotels have to give benefits (outlined below) to elite members of Hilton Honors.

It’s fair to say that these hotels are far more aspirational as a points redemption than 95% of Hilton’s own hotels.

What makes the SLH partnership even more interesting is that redemptions follow standard Hilton Honors rules:

• no hotel will cost more than 150,000 points per night
• ‘5-4-4’ will be available if you are Silver Elite or above

It turns out that there are some excellent redemption deals to be had. Even hotels which do not offer ‘outsized value’ will still get you a redemption value in line with our expected Hilton Honors value of 0.33p per point. Many are well above this.

Good value Small Luxury Hotels redemptions

I gave one example of a good value SLH deal in my article yesterday on how to get outsized value from hotel redemptions.

This 240 sq m overwater bungalow at Milaidhoo Maldives (website here) is $2,500 for cash. Redemptions are capped at 130,000 points per night, getting you 1.5p per Hilton Honors point:

It’s actually an even better deal than it looks because Hilton does ‘5 nights for the points of 4’ on redemptions if you have Silver status or above. It is highly likely you’d want to stay at least five nights here.

Here is another example at Canaves Epitome in Santorini (website here). This rather snazzy suite with its own private plunge pool would cost you €1,235 later this month, or 140,000 points.

You’re getting 0.75p per Hilton point, which increases to 0.93p if you booked for five nights and got one night for free.

Want more examples?

There is no point reinventing the wheel, so take a look at this article from US site Frequent Miler.

It includes fantastic properties in Mallorca (Cap Rocat), Venice (Ca Sagredo) and Lugano (THE VIEW) amongst others.

What are Hilton Honors elite benefits at SLH hotels?

Here is a reminder of the elite benefits for Hilton Honors members who book an SLH property via the Hilton website for cash or points.

These are surprisingly comprehensive, given that World of Hyatt struggled to get SLH properties to offer much during the years they held the partnership. This is what you get:

• Member (no status): member discount, complimentary standard Wi-Fi, complimentary late checkout, bottled water, no resort fees on reward stays 

• Silver: 20% elite tier bonus, 5th standard reward night free, all “Member” benefits 

• Gold: 80% elite tier bonus, complimentary breakfast for two, space-available upgrades, 5th standard reward night free, all “Member” benefits 

• Diamond: 100% elite tier bonus, complimentary breakfast for two, space-available upgrades, 5th standard reward night free, all “Member” benefits

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How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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

There are two dedicated Hilton Honors debit cards. These are especially attractive when spending abroad due to the 0% or 0.5% FX fee, depending on card.

You also receive FREE Hilton Honors status for as long as you hold the debit cards – Gold status with the Plus card and Silver status with the basic card. This is a great reason to apply even if you rarely use it.

We reviewed the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card here and the Hilton Honors Debit Card here.

You can apply for either card here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 30th April 2025, the annual fee on the basic Hilton Honors debit card is halved from £60 to £30. The sign-up bonus is also easier to earn – you need to spend £1,000 either in the UK or abroad within three months. The usual bonus rule requires you to spend the full £1,000 outside the UK.

There is another way of getting Hilton Honors status, and earning Hilton Honors points, from a payment card.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

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)

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Hilton Honors 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.