Yes they can - Rickers, do 50 lines! - and to lots of other airlines as well. See the Hilton website. The rate is poor, though - 10 to 1 for BA. Some airlines are a bit better (like VS) at 6.5 to 1.

That said, since the Hilton devaluation, they aren't worth much as HH points either! HH redemptions are now poor value in big cities although there are some decent deals - Dresden, for instance, is a new hotel and only 35k a night whilst the cash price is often over €150.

I hope you've done the Priority Club 'Luckiest Loser' competition! If you're a Hilton member, Priority Club will give you 20% of your Hilton balance (up to 20,000 points) as a free gift. You would get the full 20,000 which is almost a Crowne Plaza free night.