Review: Is Hilton Honors the best hotel loyalty scheme? (Part 2)

In my previous article, I outlined ‘the facts’ of the Hilton Honors loyalty scheme. This article is my personal opinion, highlighting areas where I think you might want to focus.

The full series of articles can be found here:

• Review: Is Accor Live Limitless the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is IHG One Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Marriott Bonvoy the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is Radisson Rewards the best hotel loyalty scheme?
• Review: Is World of Hyatt the best hotel loyalty scheme?

The 10-second summary:

Strong points – best mid tier status of any scheme (Gold gets free breakfast outside the US and a ‘preferred’ room of some sort), good UK coverage, much improved luxury portfolio, Amex Membership Rewards partner, Hilton Auctions experiences, free online transfers of points between members, Gold status available via the new UK debit card, long-running status match scheme, guaranteed lounge access for Diamond members, no resort fees on redemptions, new Small Luxury Hotels partnership

Weak points – some UK Hilton-branded hotels dated, US ‘free breakfast’ now a small F&B credit, regional differences in how status members are treated, redemption rates can go up without notice

The longer version:

Let’s look at the good points first. Hilton Honors offers the best mid tier status of any of the hotel schemes. Once you have a Hilton Honors Gold card, you will receive free continental breakfast at non-US hotels and a ‘preferred room’ of some sort at most of the Hilton brands.

(Breakfast at US hotels has been replaced by a F&B credit. This is rarely enough to pay for breakfast, but is more flexible as it can be used at the bar or for other meals. Opinions on this change vary.)

You can status match your existing mid-tier hotel card and get upgraded for 90 days, with an extension if you hit a stay target.

Since September 2024, you have been to get Hilton Gold status simply by holding new Hilton Honors Plus UK debit card – review here, apply here. It’s not a one-off – as long as you keep the debit card, you’ll keep your Gold status.

Hilton Gold is also free if you hold an Amex Platinum credit card, although at £650 per year it is far more expensive than the Plus debit card.

Put simply …. it is easy to earn mid-tier Gold status, and the benefits are surprisingly good once you have it.

I am impressed with the way that the portfolio has been refreshed in recent years. We have seen impressive new upscale Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotels and decent Hampton budget properties. I would rank Hampton above Holiday Inn Express and indeed most Holiday Inn properties. 

There is also a deliberate attempt to bring in more upscale hotels, with the Curio brand attracting smart independents and the new LXR brand attracting luxury owners who don’t want to be tied down by Conrad or Waldorf Astoria brand standards. The 2024 partnership with Small Luxury Hotels has added a lot of good redemption options.

The core Hilton brand has seen a resurgence in the last decade with openings such as Tallinn and Paris Opera which we have reviewed, as well as London Bankside.  It’s fair to say, however, that the best options will be found with other brands.  Canopy – effectively a modern Hilton – has potential and is now in London and Paris.

The Curio brand, which attracts leading independent hotels, has grown impressively.  The biggest issue is churn – because hotels don’t rebrand, it is easy to leave Hilton if the benefits aren’t as promised, and quite a few do. The new Lost Property St Paul’s in London is an example of a new-build hotel joining Curio at opening, which confirms the growing strength of the brand.

There are still some identity issues in the portfolio.  I defy anyone to explain the difference between a Conrad, a Waldorf Astoria and a LXR. Why is the smart Venice hotel branded as Hilton? Why is there no real distinction in the UK between Hilton and DoubleTree? Indeed, why are UK DoubleTree properties superior to Hilton when the opposite is meant to apply?  I am also confused about the difference between Hampton and Hilton Garden Inn, both of which are being rolled out aggressively at the moment – note that Garden Inn doesn’t offer free breakfast.

There are also variations in how status members are treated. Due to the huge number of people holding Gold status in the US via credit cards, you won’t get much recognition from a property there. On the other hand, a Gold travelling in Asia can often do very well for upgrades and benefits. Even Diamond status is now being diluted as one of Hilton’s US credit cards gives it away as a benefit.

I am happy to move across a slug of Amex Membership Rewards points at 1:2 when a suitable redemption opportunity comes up.  Even buying points can prove to be excellent value – in December 2020 I bought almost 300,000 Hilton Honors to cut the cost of a stay at Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Dubai by a ludicrous 62%.

The Hilton Auctions ‘redeem points for experiences’ scheme continues to impress.  It isn’t on a par with Marriott Moments but it is the second best platform in the industry, ahead of IHG, Accor and Hyatt.  Hilton does a bad job of promoting this, which means that UK events often consist entirely of Head for Points readers if we choose to get behind a particular one! I like to keep 100,000 points in my Hilton Honors account at all times in case a good ‘buy it now’ event pops up.

If you’ve got Hilton Gold and you avoid staying at the most dated UK Hilton properties, you will probably have a decent stay. This is especially true at Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, Curio, Canopy and Hampton branded hotels where it’s hard to go very wrong.

Interestingly, top-tier Hilton Diamond status is generally seen as having only modest extra value. Unless you stay at hotels with a lounge, where you are guaranteed access, you get little extra at most places than a Gold.  A better strategy may be to secure your Hilton Gold requalification and then focus on achieving mid-tier status with another chain.

What has changed in recent years?

Since 2017, Hilton has had a unique model amongst hotel loyalty schemes – if cash rates are low, the redemption rate dropped in tandem.  If rates went up, the reward price was capped. It was a win-win for members.

In recent years we’ve seen other tweaks – higher earning for elite members and lower earning for Blues and Silvers, and the introduction of milestone rewards to keep members going after they hit the requalification threshold. That said, Hyatt and IHG do milestone rewards better with a broader range of benefits.

I’d also like to praise the free ‘points pooling’ feature, another relatively recent innovation.  This allows me to sweep across points earned by my (Gold) wife on her work trips into my (Diamond) account.  This makes it easier to earn the points needed for a redemption and ensures that we maximise status benefits when we do.

2024 saw the launch of the two Hilton Honors UK debit cards, partially filling the gap left by the closure of the Hilton Honors credit card. These offer Silver or Gold status for as long as you hold the card. Full details can be found here.

Conclusion

I have a soft spot for Hilton Honors, possible because I have been a member of it and its predecessor schemes for 30 years. What impresses me is:

• decent new hotel openings, both in the luxury and mid-market sectors

• the success of Curio in attracting high-end independent hotels which often have a spark missing from ‘mainstream’ Hilton properties

• the addition of Small Luxury Hotels, bringing a lot of high end redemption options which can be excellent value, and

• the ease with which you can obtain Hilton Gold (via a status match, via the new Hilton Honors Plus debit card or via Amex Platinum)

Hilton also doesn’t get enough credit for not charging resort fees on redemption bookings. This makes no difference in Europe, where such fees are banned, but does save you money in the United States.

The removal of reward charts and the tendency to increase the points pricing ‘cap’ at specific hotels with no notice means that you need to remain vigilent, however. I’d also expect Hilton to keep chipping away at the Gold ‘free breakfast’ benefit.

Diamond is under more pressure since IHG One Rewards relaunched with meaningful benefits, including pre-bookable suite upgrade vouchers, free breakfast and free lounge access. When you look at the small print, Hilton Honors doesn’t guarantee much – no late check-out, no upgrade. Only breakfast and lounge access (if Diamond) are benefits you can rely on.

If forced to choose, I think that Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status still has the edge on Hilton Diamond. You have the guaranteed 4pm late check-out, lounge access, the five annual Nightly Upgrade Award vouchers, a more pro-active approach to upgrades and the lower nights target (50 v 60, with 15 of those 50 elite nights available for free via the UK Marriott Bonvoy American Express card).

Hilton’s saving grace remains the cap on individual hotel reward night prices. This creates genuine value in peak cities on peak nights that IHG and Marriott can no longer match.

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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.