AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This week I wrote a post titled “Here’s How to Stay at Any* Hilton Property for Under $100” and took it down shortly after posting. The response was overwhelmingly negative and rightly so. The headline was misleading and sleazy and that’s not the brand I want to promote. In addition, my attitude toward commenters who left constructive criticism was immature at best. I apologize and it won’t happen again. As always, I am lucky to have you as readers and thank you for keeping me honest. Below is the post I should have written.


The new Hilton Honors Ascend credit card by American Express currently has a welcome offer of 100,000 Hilton points for an annual fee of $95. The welcome offer is given in tiers, meaning you will have to hit the following minimum spend amounts within the first few months of opening the card:

  • 75,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000 in the first three months
  • 25,000 Hilton Honors points after spending an additional $1,000 in the first six months

Aside from 100,000 Honors points, you will receive the following benefits, which are pretty good:

  • Complimentary Hilton Gold status
  • 12x Hilton Honors points for each dollar charged directly with a participating hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio.
  • 6x Hilton Honors points on Restaurants, Gas Stations, and Supermarkets
  • 3x Hilton Honors bonus points on all other purchases
  • Free Weekend Night reward when you spend $15,000 on the card in a calendar year
  • 10 free Priority Pass certificates

If you’re like me, you love to use points to stay at awesome hotels. I’m somewhat cheap and won’t typically pay out of pocket for a really expensive hotel so if my only cost is the $95 annual fee and a bunch of points, I’m in!

I took a look at some of the places you can visit with your welcome bonus and here are some great ideas…

Venice, Italy

 

I had the pleasure of staying at the Hilton Molino Stucky a couple of years back and words can’t express how nice of a hotel it is. The hotel doesn’t get as much press as some of the Marriott/SPG properties due to its location across the canal on Giudecca. This shouldn’t deter you. The hotel has a free ferry to St. Mark’s Square and it’s only about a 10-minute ride.

If you’re flexible, it looks like the going rate is 70,000 Honors points largely for stays during the week. The reason I bring up flexibility is that I saw a couple of weekend nights as high as 141,000 so you may be out of luck if weekends are the only days you can stay.

a screenshot of a calendar

Tokyo, Japan

a city with lights at night

The Conrad Tokyo is a gorgeous hotel and though I’ve never personally been myself, there are numerous positive reviews about the place. Is it the best Hilton property in Tokyo? You’ll have to be the judge of that, but the interior and views are stunning.

a room with a view of a city and a bay

Unlike the Molino Stucky, the Conrad Tokyo appears to be 95,000 Honors points no matter which night you stay, which makes this a pretty sweet weekend night redemption, especially given regular room rates can peak at around $1,000 per night!

a screenshot of a calendar

Amsterdam

boats on a canal with buildings in the background

The Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam has long been on my list of places to stay, but given the nightly rates of $800 and above, it was a bit further down the list compared to the rest. Luckily, you can redeem 95,000 Hilton Honors points for a stay at this gorgeous hotel.

http://www.nodestinations.com/blog/the-waldorf-astoria-amsterdam-luxury-hotel

Source: No Destinations

Again, flexibility is going to be the name of the game for this hotel, but if you can swing it I highly recommend you visit.

a screenshot of a calendar

South Africa

a landscape with mountains and trees

The Conrad Pezula is such an intriguing and beautiful property located five hours (!) East of Cape Town, but only one hour from George Airport. Redemption rates for this golf resort and spa are quite good at 40,000-50,000 Honors points per night. If you can stomach the journey, I would think about putting it on your list.

a building with a fountain and palm trees

The nice thing about this resort is that nightly rates aren’t that expensive at roughly $300 per night. It’s worth thinking about redeeming 100,000 Honors points for two nights and perhaps buying another couple of nights.

a screenshot of a calendar

Park City, Utah

a street with buildings and snow

One of my favorite cities is Salt Lake City, believe it or not. You’re probably thinking “isn’t that a dry town?” or “what the hell is there to do in SLC?” There’s actually not THAT much to do, but it’s a beautiful city and only 20-30 minutes from Park City. If you’re a snowbunny or powder bro then Park City is heaven.

a hotel with a pool and snow covered mountains

At around $700 per night during snow season, the Waldorf Astoria Park City makes sense for using Hilton Honors points. You can score a free night for 80,000 points in the high season and around 60,000 beginning in April.

a screenshot of a calendar

I’m curious, what is your favorite Hilton property? If you don’t have one, where would you love to visit?


Featured image courtesy of Pixabay.

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram!