Hilton Honors is the VIP fast lane to free stays, upgrades, and enough points to make your next holiday feel like a steal. Covering 8,300+ hotels globally across 24 brands, Hilton’s empire stretches from the ultra-luxurious Waldorf Astoria to the “better than a hostel” Home2Suites. The newest additions include Signia (convention-focused), Tempo, Spark (budget-friendly), LivSmart (extended stay on a budget), and Motto (for the sociable traveller). Hilton has also teamed up with Small Luxury Hotels, adding some boutique flair to the mix.
In This Post
How Does Hilton’s Footprint Look?
Hilton is everywhere, but how good are its properties? In Europe, the brand leans heavily on Hampton and Hilton, while DoubleTree is surprisingly well-regarded despite being a step below Hilton. The real gems, though, are in the Curio Collection and Tapestry Collection, which allow unique independent hotels to join Hilton without losing character.
In the UK, many regional Hilton’s are in dire need of a facelift—you’re more likely to get a free trip down memory lane than a modern hotel experience. However, newer properties like London Bankside, St George’s Park, Manchester, Woking, and Bournemouth are genuinely impressive. The most hyped opening? Lost Property St Paul’s in London (Curio Collection). Meanwhile, Waldorf Astoria’s Admiralty Arch London is set to make a grand entrance soon.
What Do You Get with Hilton Honors Status?
Hilton’s elite tiers range from Silver to Diamond, with progressively better perks (or just more free bottled water, depending on your luck). Here’s the breakdown:
- Silver (4 stays / 10 nights): 20% bonus points, complimentary bottled water.
- Gold (20 stays / 40 nights / 75,000 base points): 80% bonus points, a slightly better room, complimentary breakfast (or a cash credit in the US). Hit 40+ nights, and you start getting additional bonuses.
- Diamond (30 stays / 60 nights / 120,000 base points): 100% bonus points, non-guaranteed upgrades, lounge access, and complimentary breakfast.
Lifetime Diamond status is possible, but Hilton makes sure you really earn it—either by racking up 2 million base points or 10 years as a Diamond member with 1,000 paid and reward nights.
A handy trick? Hilton offers status matches throughout the year—get Gold for 90 days, then keep it by completing 8 nights (or go all the way to Diamond with 14 nights). If you’re considering it, wait until April, so your status runs to March 2027 instead of 2026.
Can You Actually Get Good Value from Hilton Honors Points?
Hilton points are generally valued at 0.33p per point, but if you’re smart, you can do better. The lack of a fixed reward chart means prices vary based on cash rates, but the points cost is capped—so you won’t be paying more than 150,000 points per night at top-tier hotels.
Key ways to maximise your Hilton Honors points:
- Fifth night free on award stays (20% savings over a 5-night booking).
- No resort fees when booking with points (a rare and valuable perk, especially in the US and Caribbean).
- Ignore ‘Premium Room’ redemption’s—Hilton basically buys the room at a cash price and charges you in points at a terrible rate.
- Hilton Auctions lets you burn points on exclusive concerts, Formula 1 experiences, and other fun events.
One downside? Hilton quietly increases point requirements at some hotels without notice—recently bumping many high-end properties by 5,000-10,000 points per night.
Earning Hilton Honors Points: Easy or Painful?
Hilton gives you 10 base points per $1 spent at most brands, plus elite bonuses:
- Silver: +20%
- Gold: +80%
- Diamond: +100%
They’re always running promotions, so you’ll usually end up with more than the base rate. You can also:
- Transfer Virgin Points into Hilton points at a 2:3 ratio (not great, but helpful).
- Earn points with Lyft (US only).
- Get Hilton Honors points with UK credit and debit cards such as the American Express Gold credit card, click to see our review, or the American Express Platinum credit card, click to see our review.
What About UK Credit & Debit Cards?
Yes, there are UK Hilton Honors debit cards (new as of late 2024):
- Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card → Free Gold status + points on spending.
- Hilton Honors Debit Card → Free Silver status + lower points earning.
These cards offer 0-0.5% FX fees, making them solid for spending abroad. Alternatively, Amex Platinum holders get free Hilton Gold (alongside status in Marriott, Radisson, and Melia).
Should You Convert Hilton Points to Airline Miles?
You can convert Hilton Honors points to airline miles (BA, Virgin, etc.), but the rate is abysmal (10:1 or 6.7:1 for Virgin). Given Hilton points are worth ~0.33p each, you’d be burning 3.3p of hotel value for 1 Avios, which is a terrible deal.
Hilton Honors in a Nutshell
Pros:
- Huge global footprint with properties at every price point.
- No resort fees on award stays.
- Fifth night free on redemption’s.
- Consistently running promotions for extra points.
- Easy to earn Gold status through UK credit and debit cards.
Cons:
- No fixed redemption chart (Hilton can raise point requirements whenever they feel like it).
- Suite upgrades are not an elite perk (it’s at the hotel’s discretion).
- Regional UK properties can be hit or miss.
- Poor value for transferring points to airlines.
Verdict: Is Hilton Honors Worth It?
If you stay at hotels even semi-regularly, Hilton Honors is one of the best hotel loyalty programs. The fifth-night-free perk alone makes it worthwhile, and Gold status is easy to get via credit/debit cards. Just don’t expect automatic suite upgrades or a fixed points redemption system, and you’ll be golden (literally if you get the Hilton debit card). The Hilton website can be found here.
