Fall 2017 hotel promotions: Hilton

The first day of fall is Friday and, with autumn's arrival, it's time for new hotel promotions. As usual, the major chains are offering incentives to lure you to their properties during your fall travels. None of these offers are particularly innovative but they can offer a solid return on your hotel spend.  In a series of four posts, I will cover the promotions from Hilton, Starwood, Marriott and IHG. In the first entry in the series, I discuss "Double Points" from Hilton Honors.

Fall 2017 hotel promotions

The Offer

Hilton's latest promotion offers double points on stays this fall

Hilton's latest promotion offers double points on stays this fall

The Hilton promotion "Double Points" is as straightforward as its name implies: earn double Hilton Honors points for each stay between September 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. The offer is valid at any hotel in the Hilton Portfolio except Hampton Hotels in mainland China. From the promotion terms:

Registered Hilton Honors members will only receive Bonus Points for nights completed during the Promotion Period, regardless of a check-in date before the Promotion Period begins or a check-out date after the Promotion Period ends. Registered Hilton Honors members will earn Double Hilton Honors Bonus Points per stay during the Promotion Period. "Double Points" means you will receive a bonus equal to the number of Base Points earned during a stay. There is no limit to the total amount of Bonus Points that may be earned during the Promotion Period with this offer. 

You must register at HiltonHonors.com/DoubleUp before completing your first stay during the promotion period.

Solid but not groundbreaking

Let's take a look at the points you can earn with "Double Points:"

  • Earn 10 points per dollar on base rate and eligible room charges
  • Earn 10 bonus points on base rate and eligible room charges from "Double Points"
  • Earn an additional 5 bonus points on eligible spending by selecting, as your earning style, "Points and Points" rather that airline miles
  • Earn elite tier bonus point:
    • Silver: 15% or 1.5 points
    • Gold: 25% or 2.5 points
    • Diamond: 50% or 5 point 

As a Gold member - by virtue of my Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN - who selects "Points and Points", I will earn 27.5 points per eligible dollar with "Double Points.". At a value of $0.006 per point, my return on Hilton stays would be $0.165 per dollar or 16.5%. That is very attractive!

Conclusion

This is the type of promotion I prefer. Simple with no tiers, based on number of stays, and each property offering the same earning rate. The high return on Hilton spend would encourage me to favor Hilton Portfolio properties. Since I routinely stay at Hampton Inns on Georgia Tech football road trips, I should be able to use "Double Points" to grow my Hilton Honors balance!

Hotels, Loyalty Programs, Points and MilesDerek Cookpromotions, Hilton hotels, Hilton Honors