5-night stay in the Maldives for FREE!
I have often written about how Hyatt hotels offer great redemption value and are sometimes the best use of Chase UR points. However, Hilton is one of the largest hotel chains in the world and has a bigger international presence, with some great options for award stays. Although Hilton Honors points are usually valued at around half a cent per point, one of the best ways to use them is for on-the-water bungalows in the Maldives or Bora Bora.
Another great feature of the Hilton Honors awards program is the “5th-night free” benefit when you book award stays for at least four nights, but only on standard availability. Unfortunately, if there is only premium availability, the stay DOES NOT qualify for the fifth night free. It is important to check standard availability before booking, as I learned from my own experience when I made a mistake with one of my first award bookings in Hawaii. You can also combine free night certificates (FNC) with your points, but you will need to contact Hilton’s customer service for assistance.
If you have Hilton Honors points or are considering applying for one of their cards and are not exactly sure what the best value would be, consider the beautiful five-star resorts in Maldives or Bora Bora.
To search for availability, start by entering your destination and desired travel dates. Be sure to select the “Search with Points” option. The first property I considered is the Conrad, which has standard availability for on-the-water bungalows in the Maldives. I found five available nights for 120,000 HH points per night, with a total of 480,000 HH points required (with the fifth night completely free).
You may think that 480,000 Hilton Honors points is a lot, but it is typical for Hilton. The great news is that American Expressis one of the transfer partners of Hilton, and their transfer ratio is 1:2. This means that every 1,000 AMEX MR points equals 2,000 HH points. They also regularly offer promotions for bonus transfer points, with bonuses as high as 40% (1,000 MR = 2,800 HH).
With the standard transfer rate for this stay, you would need to transfer 240,000 MR points. The lowest cash price for Hilton on this stay is $7,497, and it can go as high as $11,000 for the same villa. This gives you over three cents per point value for your MR points and about half that value if you use 480,000 Hilton Honors points without transferring any points in. That’s 3-5x more than what HH points are valued at!
As an AMEX Platinum, HH Aspire, Surpass or Business card holder, you receive complimentary Hilton Honors Gold/Diamond Status and added benefits:
- Complimentary upgrades (subject to availability)
- Daily Breakfast Buffet
- One bottle of wine upon arrival
- Daily Happy
While Hyatt properties can require fewer points, keep in mind that the value of rewards programs is subjective, and it is always recommended to have diverse points and miles in most ecosystems in this game! I plan to save my HH points for one of our bucket list trips to these islands!
