Holders of the US-based Hilton American Express cards (both the regular and Surpass versions) enjoy extra benefits. In addition to receiving automatic elite status -- Gold for the Surpass card; Silver for the regular Amex -- and the corresponding VIP reward discount described above, cardholders also qualify for a separate class of discounted rewards (AXON).
AXON rewards are available for 4-night stays at hotels in categories 5 through 7, as follows:
- Category 5: 125,000 points
- Category 6: 125,000 points
- Category 7: 145,000 points
As with standard and VIP rewards, AXON rewards apply only to standard rooms, and not to higher room categories. See the discussion at the end of post #1 concerning capacity controls.
Inexplicably, the AXON rate for category 5 hotels is higher than the VIP reward rate: 125K vs. 119K for a VIP reward. (Inexplicably, because anyone who qualifies for AXON is
by definition a Hilton elite eligible for the VIP reward, meaning that no-one should ever need or want to use the AXON5 reward rate.) However, AXON awards provide substantial discounts at category 6 and 7 hotels, as illustrated by the following chart taken from
Ric Garrido's blog post:
For a comprehensive comparison of AXON to VIP/GLON and standard awards,
see the post below.
AXON awards
cannot be booked online, and must instead be made by calling 1-800-920-5649, per the
Hilton Amex terms and conditions. Note that this is the Diamond Desk, and the CSR will automatically ask for your Diamond number. Don't be thrown off; if you are not Diamond Elite, simply explain that you are calling to redeem an AXON reward stay.
Some members report that confirmation emails and/or online reservation records for AXON awards
sometimes show the higher VIP rate instead of, or in addition to, the correct AXON point charge, although the proper amounts are deducted from their accounts. Also, as noted in the September 2011 thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ging-axon.html, some American Express websites list outdated AXON point costs (
i.e., showing 6 as the top HHonors category).
For general discussion concerning AXON awards, see the FT thread
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ve-thread.html.