Hilton HHonors - Best value for awards...$$$

I apologize if there is a thread, but I searched a few different ways and couldn't find anything.

We are planning our next award and I'm looking for some of the really expensive hotels to use my award.

What hotels are REALLY expensive...and REALLY nice. Say, at least $300 per night or more. (Already enjoyed the Hawaii properties and looking for something out of the country.)

I can't even imagine using an award on a property that you can get for $200 a night on your own...what a waste of an award.

Already been to Barcelona a couple of times. Already been to London and Ireland, so exclude those.

Thanks!!! Can't wait to see some properties. We are planning our next trip and want the best bang for our award!

Dawn

Rome perhaps?

http://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/content/ROMHITW/media/pdf/en_ROMHITW_fact_sheet.pdf

Cheapest rate on the website for a random week in April was $335.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by FrequentStark:
Rome perhaps?</font>The hotel is fantastic, particularly the executive lounge.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kymbakitty:

I can't even imagine using an award on a property that you can get for $200 a night on your own...what a waste of an award.

Dawn</font>

To say that using an award when you can get a room for less than $200 is "a waste" is very much a blanket statement. It really depends on how you value your HHonors points and how you look at your alternatives. There are those who will not redeem for an award unless they are getting a value of 1 cent/point or more. That would mean at least $350/nt for a category 5 property! Others, myself included, have a much lower point value (just over 0.5 cent each in my case). I'll redeem an award, regardless of property category, if I can secure at least 0.5 cents of value per point and there are no suitable alternative hotels in the area.

It may not be obvious, but you don't always receive the best return on your dollar by using points at the more expensive properties and never using them at relatively low cost properties. As an example, let's say you value points at 0.5 cents each. Redeeming for a night at cat 6 property will cost you 40K points, equivalent to $200 (40,000 * 0.5). If a room at the cat 6 property could be purchased for $225/nt you are only saving $25. Alternatively, a room at a cat 1 property only requires 10K points or the equivalent of $50. If a room cannot be purchased at the cat 1 property for less than say $80, then you actually save more ($30) by using the points for the cat 1 award.

Dear Mileking:

You are correct, it was a blanket statement.

For me, I would never use an award for a hotel that I could get for $200 a night. They are just way too valuable, for me. That is how I value my points!

Dawn

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by kymbakitty:
For me, I would never use an award for a hotel that I could get for $200 a night. They are just way too valuable, for me. That is how I value my points!</font>

Fair enough.

I guess part of how you value them depends on how easy it is for you to get points.

- My first 117K points were earned in ~8 stays (mostly in 2001), almost by accident, as I was focused on *wood that year. I'm using 100K of those on an old GLON for 6 nights at the Hilton Tokyo. The hotel is pretty expensive, the city is pretty expensive (for alternate lodging and in general), and I think the same award under the current chart would be 175K!

- If you have a ton of miles that can be transferred to HH, they may not seem as valuable. As I just posted on another thread, I'm going to keep a minimum balance of 500K in AA, and send excess miles to HH on an "as needed" basis. I'd rather use the bulk of my travel budget towards elite miles on airlines... and beer. Between priceline and hotel rewards, I'm 1.) hoping to minimize cash out-of-pocket on lodging (good) and 2.) giving up on hotel elite status (bad).



[This message has been edited by landspeed (edited Jan 28, 2004).]

Try the Scandics. It isn't that they are outstanding hotels, but they are often expensive if you pay $$$ for them and they require very few points, relatively speaking.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by dream7:
Try the Scandics. It isn't that they are outstanding hotels, but they are often expensive if you pay $$$ for them and they require very few points, relatively speaking.</font>

Agree completely. these hotels are the best value - many are rather "regular" but considering the cities they are in are a great deal. Often a three star hotel in Scandinavia will run in excess of $150/night and I think this is the best deal in the hilton chain.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by MacDaddie:
Agree completely. these hotels are the best value - many are rather "regular" but considering the cities they are in are a great deal. Often a three star hotel in Scandinavia will run in excess of $150/night and I think this is the best deal in the hilton chain.

</font>

It's amazing what these Scandinavian hotels can get away with charging; even though most throw in breakfast, it's still amazing how hard it is to find reasonably-priced good hotels there.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by landspeed:
If you have a ton of miles that can be transferred to HH, they may not seem as valuable. As I just posted on another thread, I'm going to keep a minimum balance of 500K in AA, and send excess miles to HH on an "as needed" basis. I'd rather use the bulk of my travel budget towards elite miles on airlines... and beer. Between priceline and hotel rewards, I'm 1.) hoping to minimize cash out-of-pocket on lodging (good) and 2.) giving up on hotel elite status (bad).</font>

There is good with #1 and #2. If you use HHonors points, those award stays count towards Hotel elite status. So you may have the possibility to stay GLD and get breakfast. Me likes breakfast. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Now, what HHonors has to do is somehow add additional airlines back into the equation to transfer miles to HHonors points.

Good choice with the beer, too! I'm trying to migrate to Champagne, myself.

Try the Jalousie Hilton on St. Lucia. Great property - adaquate food but the vistas of the Pitons are unmatched.

The Doubletree in Santa Barbara, CA is well over $300 on weekends during the summer. I have an award on hold there - seems like a good value to me.

I look at rewards a few different ways.

#1 is value
#2 is reducing cost

For example, for our upcoming European vacation (where the dollar absolutely stinks against the Euro) my hilton points & airline points will come in very handy!

2 Free Business Class Tickets
1 Week at the Hilton cavalieri
6 other nights at Hiltons as we travel on our Eurorail Pass (mostly Hotels which charge $200 Euros & up per night)

With 2 nights scheduled on night trains that leaves us *paying* for just a handful of nights. And for those I'm using my corporate rate whenever possible to stay in great properties at great prices.

I wouldn't normally pay $5000 or more for Airline tickets, but that's what WBC would cost me even on a discount business fare.

If I was paying for the whole trip without miles & points I would fly coach, stay in comfort inn quality properties and wake up with a sore back every morning.

How you use your points depends on your personal goals! Set your goal and pray you get there before Point Deflation hits next!!!



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doglover

I agree with Rome Cavalieri, and Jalousie St Lucia, both great hotels!!! It depends on what time of year you want to go, and if you want big city or beach! Be aware that some Scandic hotels do not have air conditioning! I booked Scandic Frankfurt last summer, temps in the 90s, than I found out no air!!! Have you thought about Paris or London Hiltons? Great cities, several very nice hiltons! Have fun

Thanks...great replies.

We LOVED Ireland and are thinking of returning. We stayed at the Dublin Conrad but would like to stay at Mt. Juliet in Kilkenny. Have heard nothing but fabulous things about this place. Ireland is one of the coolest places in the world....or so we think.

Thanks again.

Dawn