There are a number of different Hilton promotions on the go right now. If you foresee booking any stays at Hilton brands in the near future, make sure you’re up to speed with the current offers. Included in the summary below is a particularly good rate at the Hampton Inn in downtown Halifax and an interesting package option at the Hampton Inn in Truro.
Hilton Honors Double Rewards Promotion
Between September 8 and December 31, 2020 Hilton Honors members will earn double points on stays and double elite night credits. To take advantage of the promo, be sure to register and review the terms and conditions and the FAQ.
Terms and Conditions
From the promo website:
Offer valid for stays completed September 8 – December 31, 2020 (“Promotion Period”) at any hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio. Hilton Honors™ members must first register at HiltonHonors.com/doublerewards prior to completing a stay within the Promotion Period. Registered Hilton Honors members will earn Double Hilton Honors Bonus Points per stay during the Promotion Period as well as double night credits.
Double Bonus Points means you will receive a bonus equal to the number of Base Points earned during a stay. Registered Hilton Honors members checking in before September 8, 2020 will receive Double Hilton Honors Bonus Points for their stay if the stay is completed on or after September 8, 2020 and prior to or on December 31, 2020.
Double night credit means one additional, tier qualifying night credit will be awarded for each night stayed in the promo period. Registered Hilton Honors members will receive double night credit for all nights completed in the Promotion Period, regardless of a check-in date before the Promotion Period begins or a check-out date after the Promotion Period ends. Double nights will count towards Hilton Honors members’ 2020 night count and will be eligible for rollover night credit.
There is no limit to the total amount of Bonus Points or double night credits that may be earned during the Promotion Period with this offer.
For examples and further details, please see the FAQ page. There are restrictions on the amount of Base Points that can be earned on a single stay at certain brands.
Additional terms and conditions:
- This offer may be altered or terminated without notice.
- Bonus Points do not count toward elite tier qualification.
- Please allow 6 to 8 weeks from completion of your stay for Bonus Points to appear in your account.
- A ‘stay’ is defined as the total number of consecutive nights spent at the same hotel, whether or not a guest checks out and checks back in again.
- Hilton Honors™ membership, including the earning and redemption of Points, is subject to Hilton Honors Terms and Conditions.
- Offer is not valid for groups and cannot be combined with other select offers.
- In-Room Internet Access, Fitness Center/Health Club Access and Bottled Water benefits may not be complimentary at properties with a resort charge.
- Space-available upgrades only available at select brands. Elite status benefits are subject to availability and vary by brand.
Rollover Nights
Hilton Honors announced that all qualifying nights will be rolled over to 2021 when the counter would otherwise reset. Considering the impact COVID-19 has had on both leisure and business travel, this is a reasonable gesture.
Status Match
If you have a number of Hilton stays before the end of the year and hold elite status with another hotel loyalty program, you could do a status match with Hilton Honors to get extra benefit from the double night credit. You’ll have 90 days to fulfil the requirements to reach Gold or Diamond. Of course, with uncertainty around travelling in 2021, your hotel status might not prove so useful, and according to its terms, the status match/challenge is a one time opportunity.
Discounts and Package Rates in Nova Scotia
The downside to a double points promotion is the fact that finding a great low hotel rate obviously means a lower bonus total. Contrast it with the current Marriott Bonvoy promo that awards members a flat 2500 points per stay, plus an extra 5000 points after the third stay.
The upside is that there is no disadvantage to booking a multi-night stay at one property. With a straightforward double points offer, you’re not tempted to do any hotel hopping to maximize the return.
Package Rates
If you can find an appealing package rate, you’ll benefit more from the double points promo on the higher bill. You just need to ensure that the package is in fact a good deal compared to the lowest rate otherwise available at the hotel.
For example, there is an interesting rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Truro. It’s called “Shop and Drop” and includes a $50 credit good at over 100 downtown retailers. Whether it appeals to you or not will depend on the best available rate on your chosen dates and your desire to do some shopping in Truro (sadly, Margolians is long gone). I suspect the $50 credit is in the form of Downtown Dollars.
Looking at a random date of Saturday, September 19th, the Honors Discount member rate is $126 ($145.38 with tax) compared to the Shop and Drop rate of $139 ($159.85 with tax) that comes with the 50 dollar shopping credit.
The lowest Shop and Drop rate that I saw was on certain nights in late December for $119 ($136.85 with tax) compared to the Honors Discount rate of $105 ($121.59 with tax).
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Truro (December 20, 2020):
Discount Rates
Turning to non-package rates, you’ll see mention on the Hilton website of a Dream Away special rate. This seems to be the best discount available at the moment as the lowest member rates on the flexible date calendar display all have this label on them.
Also, if you check the Manga Hotels Collection website, there is a limited time offer of 50% off the second night at Hilton hotels in Atlantic Canada that are operated by the company. You must book by September 15th and stay by October 31, 2020.
The best nightly rate for a 2-night stay that I could find was at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Downtown Halifax where it goes as low as $68 per night on some dates including the Thanksgiving long weekend, October 10-12:
Points Sale – 100% Bonus
Hilton Honors offers a discount on buying points quite frequently. Until September 20, 2020 there is a 100% bonus on purchases of at least 5000 points. You can buy up 80,000 points in a calendar year.
If you have a specific high value use in mind, it can make sense to buy points. The problem with Hilton Honors is that they use a dynamic pricing model for their reward rates. If you are ready to make a booking and the math works out, that’s great, but speculative point purchases are risky with fluctuating reward rates. And remember to factor in the currency conversion from USD to CAD along with HST on the purchase.
Final Thoughts
There are things about Hilton Honors I like such as the ability to pool points between accounts and the points+cash option, both of which are useful when one’s balance is low. Sometimes there are very good targeted or public promos to earn points, and if you happen to be Gold (the mid-tier status level), the free breakfast is a great perk. We’ve also made use of the Long Weekender Rate which offers a significant discount on Sunday nights.
Double Rewards is not the most exciting promotion ever but it’s not bad. If you have any plans to stay at one of the Hilton brands before the end of the year, remember to register to get those extra points.
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