Originally Posted by
Alfonso904
I'm curious, how many people stay here paying cash? It just doesn't make much sense. You can buy 720k Hilton points for $3200 for a sunrise water villa vs $13,000 cash price for 7 nights. Or you can do that and pay for an upgrade. Do you guys think the majority of the people at the Conrad are fluent in the world of points? Who is the typical clientele? Same goes with the Waldorf.
Points (aside from purchasing them) are harder to come by outside of the United States because credit card rewards are less available. Hilton status is also harder to come by, and a point booking made by someone without status wouldn't receive complimentary breakfast, which is north of $75 if I remember correctly.
The hotel also runs promotions through travel agencies (especially in Russia and China), offering packages for far less than the rates you see on the Hilton website. It would take me a while to find the posts, but I believe MaldivesFreak referenced this at one point.