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Hilton Q2 offer: up to 4,000 bonus points per stay
Hilton’s new global promotion is open to registration, which allows you to earn up to 4,000 bonus points per eligible stay.
You can sign up to the offer here.
- Stay between May 1 and September 5
- Earn 4,000 bonus points per stay at Hilton resort hotels
- Earn 2,000 bonus points per stay at other hotels
Note that the bonus points are posted per stay, not per night. The full list of resort hotels can be found here – the majority of the resorts appear to be in Asia and United States, and the only UK one I can spot is the Doubletree in Glasgow.
For a one-night stay at a resort hotel, 4,000 points is decent return. Otherwise the bonus is a bit underwhelming. Considering that travel restrictions are almost totally gone and summer is coming up, it’s unsurprising that we don’t see great hotel promotions.
My review of Hilton Bahrain
As Hilton had that “Stay once to keep Diamond” promotion, I’ve chosen to the Hilton Bahrain hotel to start my trip. It is a very new hotel, charging just over £120 per night, and somehow is even cheaper than the Hilton Garden Inn. I spent 82,000 points on two award nights as I have nowhere to spend my Hilton points.
I received a welcome email one day before my arrival that offered me an airport transfer for 10 dinars. It isn’t much more expensive than Uber (~6 dinars) and I took it.
The friendly chauffeur was already waiting for me at the arrival hall when I landed, and it was smooth 10-minute drive to the hotel. The occupancy seems low – the receptionist lady addressed me with my name immediately when she saw me.
The hotel has 45 floors and features an executive lounge. However it is still under constructions and not many facilities are available yet. In fact when I did the online check-in the highest floor presented to me was like 33. This might explain when the hotel’s rate is so low.
Daily drinks vouchers are offered in lieu of the executive lounge.
Hilton Bahrain is more of a residence than a hotel, as all guest rooms are actually (at least studio) apartments that feature a proper kitchen and washing machine etc. I received an upgrade to a one-bedroom apartment on the 27th floor.
Living room:
The apartment is indeed very well furnished, with refrigerator, dishwasher, hobs, washing machine, plus cutlery and plates. There’s even a water dispenser, which I haven’t seen since my childhood in China!
Bedroom and bathroom:
The TV set doesn’t support Chromecast. I managed to connect to Smart View with my phone but it’s not as convenient.
It is not the average hotel room you see elsewhere. In fact it doesn’t feel like a hotel at all, but rather an apartment you rent on Airbnb.
Both the living room and bedroom have access to the balcony:
The view isn’t particularly scenery here. There are multiple construction sites next to the hotel which is an eyesore.
That says something about the hotel’s location. The zone is under heavy construction and not much is happening around here. I crossed a few construction sites to finally reach the park by the sea but it’s very underwhelming. The Grand Mosque is not too far away though.
My welcome gift: a fruit plate and baklava.
Breakfast is served in the restaurant on the third floor. It’s the classic English breakfast buffet and some local delicacy such as foul medames and egg shakshuka.
There’s Asian cuisine as well, but hmm very fused. I was reaching out to the spring rolls, but then was put off by its cheese stuffing.
Menu for eggs:
The swimming pool is just outside the restaurant.
It’s February and just over 20 degrees in Bahrain. The pool isn’t heated and a bit too cold.
The jacuzzi is broken and can’t be turned on for safety reasons. There is an indoor spa though that offer more facilities.
The sauna room is terribly flawed. I think they chose the wrong material for floor and bench, and you don’t want to stay in unless you are not afraid of being burnt!
Gym:
I had no problem getting 3pm late check-out before I moved to the Westin. The service at Hilton Bahrain is good, and the room / facilities are okay too, especially if plan to stay for more than just a few days. However, for a five-star hotel in the Middle East it doesn’t quite meet the standard, but hopefully thing will pick up once the construction has completed.
Hotel redemption guide on London New Year’s Eve
London New Year’s Eve, thanks to the famous fireworks show, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. If you are looking for a hotel on that night, you should act as soon as possible, especially if you want to burn some points.
[Marriott]
Marriott London County Hall is the best hotel for watching the fireworks show, and redeemable with points. The redemption price has gone up a little bit this year, from 100K to 106K, but it’s still great value compared to the £1,500 NYE package rate.
Award availability is temporarily blocked right now, but my friend did manage to grab a room a few days ago. I believe more availability will be released in the future – in fact last year it was even bookable on the day.
Marriott London County Hall is inside the Fireworks Zone. The hotel will send you the wristbands a couple of days ahead by courier, which you’ll need to travel in and out of the zone freely. You can chill in your hotel room until the firework starts, and then walk to the White Zone, which is one minute away, to enjoy the show. Fireworks can be seen from rooms with London Eye view too, but don’t expect any upgrade on that day.
I have a couple of friends who stayed here on the 2023 NYE. To be honest the viewing angle from the White Zone is far from ideal, but it is an experience nonetheless.
[Hyatt]
Hyatt “poached” two Crowne Plazas last year, which happens to be the only two London IHG hotels that I liked. The former Crowne Plaza Albert Embankment, to be re-opened as Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment, is already bookable for NYE.
It costs 20,000 points which isn’t cheap, but acceptable for a special occasion. Interestingly, Twin Room with River View (priced at £500+) is available for the same amount of points, although I don’t think you can see any fireworks from the room.
Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars has a better location, but it’s not bookable yet and we don’t know its redemption category.
[Hilton and IHG]
Somehow most Hilton hotels in central London have already sold out. The only sensible redemption right now is the Westminster, a Curio hotel. It’s a newly-renovated hotel, converted from a Doubletree, but at 60,000 points it feels a bit steep.
In terms of IHG, the only economical option left in central London is Holiday Inn Oxford Circus at 32,000 points. There were many more better options when I checked last week:
- Staybridge Suites London Vauxhall – 34,000 points
- Holiday Inn Express London Victoria – 19,000 points
- Hotel Indigo Tower Hill – 25,000 points
But the availability has gone now. Keep checking as they might come back, but I’m most certain that it’s just going to get more and more expensive.
2023 Tier Last Call – Stay once to maintain your Hilton Diamond / Gold status (live)
Hilton quietly released their 2023 Tier Last Call promotion one week ago, which makes it super easy to maintain your Hilton status for another year. I’m still waiting for more details to come through, but in the meantime it’s worth sharing what I already know.
First of all, the offer is by-invitation only. It was made crystal clear at the beginning that only residents of Greater China could participate (based on your account address on 01/01/2023), however such wording no longer appears on the official FAQ.
I’m not sure if the eligibility criterion has changed, but it’s possible. I changed my account address to China last year, hoping that there might be special extension policies for their residents, but then changed it back to the UK in December thinking that all dust had settled. When I learned of the news last week I changed it back to China again (!!), which should have been too late per the original terms.
However, I can see the promotion in My Offers now:
Which means that they’ve automatically enrolled me, yay!
Eligible members need to stay once, twice or three times by March 31 to maintain their Diamond or Gold status through Feb 2024. The registration links are as follows:
- One stay to maintain Gold
- Two stays to maintain Gold
- Three stays to maintain Gold
- One stay to maintain Diamond
- Two stays to maintain Diamond
- Three stays to maintain Diamond
In theory the more you have stayed in 2022, the less you need to stay in this challenge. An email has just sent out clarifying how many nights are required from each individual:
Remember that you have until March 31st to complete the challenge, and reward nights should count.
Hilton Q1 promotion: double points & 1k new brand bonus
Hilton is the first one to reveal their 2023 Q1 promotion, and you can sign up here.
- Stay between January 1 and April 30
- Earn double points on all eligible stays
- Earn an additional 1,000 points for each brand you stay with
Note how the brand bonus is different to Marriott’s promotion: if you stay with 5 brands during the promotion period, you will earn 5,000 bonus points instead of 4,000.
Existing bookings count. If your check-in date if before January 1 but your check-out date is before April 30, you are still eligible for the bonus.
25% off, 3-for-2 and more offers with Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
You are probably familiar with American Express’s Fine Hotels and Resorts Program – Platinum and Centurion cardholders can book select luxury hotels at the Best Flexible Rate, and enjoy benefits including free breakfast, room upgrade, 4pm checkout and $100 on-property credit.
Even better, Amex FHR has launched a sale to sweeten the deal. On top of the aforementioned perks, some hotels are making an additional offer, for example:
- 25% off room rate
- 30% off suite bookings
- Complimentary 3rd or 4th night
- Extra on-property credit
The offer page is dedicated to the U.S. market, but the offer is global. I signed in with my UK Platinum card and could see the same deals. Not many UK / European hotels are participating, but here are some examples:
- Baglioni Hotel London 3for2 / $535
- Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh 25% off / $221
- Conrad Dublin 3for2 / $260
- Mandarin Oriental Prague 3for2 / $286
Rates are in USD and exclude taxes. Remember that they all come with $100 credit to spend at the hotel, so WA Edinburgh is exceptional value for a one-night stay.
There are even more great offers in Asia Pacific, and to name a few:
- Conrad Tokyo – 3for2 / $452
- Conrad Osaka – 25% off / $403
- Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong – 3for2 / $326
- Shangri-La Singapore – 4for3 / $254
- Shangri-La Sydney – 4for3 / $285
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – 25% off / $900
If staying with a hotel chain, you are still entitled to the usual elite benefits and points accrual. You also have the option to pre-pay, which may earn you additional Amex MR points.
Hilton: double night credit offer, 30% Amex UK conversion bonus
In addition to its double points global offer, Hilton has launched another double night credit promotion which makes it easier to attain elite status and potentially earn even more bonus points.
- Stay between October 11 and December 31
- Earn double elite night credit for all stays
- It counts towards Milestone Bonuses and Rollover Nights too
As usual, both paid and award nights can trigger the bonus. Existing bookings prior to registration count too, so there’s no need to cancel and rebook.
Your check-in / check-out date doesn’t matter, but only nights falling into the promotion period earn bonuses. For example, if you check in on October 9 and check out on October 12, only the last night is eligible.
It’s a nice gesture to make them count towards Milestone Bonuses, which means if you are approaching or above 40 nights, you earn 10,000 bonus points for every 5 nights stayed, on top of all the other promotions.
Last but not least, although not 100% official, multiple people received confirmation from CS that the bonus counts towards Diamond Challenge too – which means you only need six nights for the Diamond status.
Meanwhile Amex UK started a conversion bonus recently which has totally gone under the radar. You get a 30% bonus when converting Membership Reward points to Hilton by November 3, which means 1 MR point = 2.6 Hilton points.
In my opinion it’s still not a great ratio, but if you need some Hilton points right now or you’ve been saving up for a Maldives trip, it could work out in your favour.
My review of Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh
There is only one Waldorf Astoria hotel in the UK, and it’s not in London! When my Mum visited me in 2018, we spent two nights in Edinburgh and one of them was in the Waldorf Astoria The Caledonian hotel. Many things have changed since, and the hotel has undergone a lot of refurbishment, so I’m excited to be back.
After yet another pleasant stay at the Kimpton, I moved myself across the street to the Waldorf Astoria. My initial choice was the Hilton Carlton as I’ve never stayed there, but then I was put off by the reviews on Flyertalk and don’t want to take the risk anymore. WA Edinburgh’s award night costs 95,000 points (used to be 70k or 80k), which is hardly a bargain.
The hotel is sat where the West End and Princes Street meet. It’s not super close to the railway station or Edinburgh’s main attractions, but still convenient enough. It’s built in 1903 as the old Edinburgh Railway Station.
The lobby is very beautifully refreshed and looks much more welcoming than it was four years ago.
I’m given an upgrade to Queen Premier Room with Castle View, which appears to be the norm for Diamond members.
The room’s been repainted, and furniture replaced. Nothing fundamental has been carried out though, probably due to the listed status of the architecture. Beware that windows are only single-glazed, so it doesn’t shield you much from the street noises.
Great castle view through the window.
Then I receive what may be one of the best welcome presents I’ve had in Europe – a box of chocolate assortment, two bottles of water and a large bottle of Laurent Perrier. I’m actually quite surprised, as when I stayed here last time on Amex FHR the champagne only came in a small bottle.
Spa needs to be pre-booked, and it’s a long walk from the first floor.
Facilities are great, although I’m not convinced by their design choice. Shower and sauna are downstairs whereas the pools are upstairs, so it’s a bit of a journey to travel back and forth.
Breakfast is served at the Peacock Alley. I had my afternoon tea here last time to use the $100 FHR credit.
There’s no buffet at all and you order anything from the menu, which is great. The eggs benedict is really disappointing though – too much salt and the muffins are too tough to bite.
Now here comes the drama. At 5.30am the (false) fire alarm suddenly went off, and then lasted sporadically for an hour or so in my room and some other guest rooms, and which understandably ruined my sleep. I’m speechless as the exact same thing happened in 2018 – what’s wrong with me and this hotel?!
I raised a complaint when checking out. The staff told me it would be brought to the attention of their supervisor and I’ll get some points as compensation, however two weeks have passed and I’m yet to hear anything.
Anyway, when staying at Edinburgh my top choice is probably the Kimpton, given its lovely boutique vibe and good rate (on points or BOGOF). Sheraton on the other hand has the best Spa in this country and is definitely worth a visit as well. If you’d love some history, the Waldorf Astoria is not to be missed either.