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Hilton luxury hotels complimentary night offer
Hilton is running a complimentary night offer for its luxury brands – LXR, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. You can check the details and book here.
The promotions is advertised for “Fourth Night Free”:
- Book between 4 and 7 nights at participating hotels
- Enjoy 25% off the Best Flexible Rate
- Use the promo page to book, or enter promo code PBBOG1
Here are some nightly rate examples:
- Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – £264
- Waldorf Astoria Berlin – €321
- Conrad London St James – £326
- Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus – €245
- Conrad Algarve – €245
Remember to check the cancellation policy when you book.
Hilton Q2 offer: Double or Triple points
Hilton’s Q2 promotion More Nights, More Points is now open to registration.
You can read about the offer and sign up here. Rules are very straightforward:
- Valid for stays between May 2 and September 5
- Earn double points for stays of one or two nights
- Earn triple points for stays of three nights or more
Your check-in date is irrelevant, but your check-out date must fall in the May 2 – September 5 window. There’s no cap on the bonus points you can earn.
Reward stays also count if base points are generated from incidental spend – a friend of mine just returned from a one-week trip in the Waldorf Astoria Maldives, having spent ten thousand dollars. Bad timing for him…
Hilton buy points 100% bonus offer
Hilton has brought back its (very frequent) sale on point purchase.
You could read more about the offer here. By May 6, if you buy at least 5,000 points you’ll get 100% bonus on top. It works out at 0.5 cent per point which is as far as it gets, and the maximum amount you can purchase in a calendar year is 160,000 points (excluding bonus).
I don’t usually talk about Hilton’s points sale, since 99% of the time it makes little sense to buy them even with the bonus, given how their points have turned next to useless under the current dynamic redemption system.
However, as more and more countries are opening up to tourists, and people are probably very keen on getting back to travel again, their points can be good value at some of the top-end luxury hotels. Note that Hilton has stealthily increased the redemption cost at a few properties recently, for example:
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 95,000 -> 120,000
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi 120,000 -> 150,000
- Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam 95,000 -> 110,000
Which is a pity, but redeeming points on these hotels is still a bargain. If you fancy visiting these destinations, you may consider purchasing some points now.
To minimise the cost you should take advantage of Hilton’s 5-for-4 benefit. You won’t have enough points from this sale alone though, but you could use Points Pooling to combine the balance of multiple accounts.
My review of Hilton Cardiff
I booked Gainsborough Bath Spa via FHR because of the annual $200 credit offered by the US Amex Platinum card. As a result I was also looking for another hotel nearby, ideally with executive lounge and spa facilities, and Hilton Cardiff turned out to be the obvious choice.
The hotel sits comfortably next to the Cardiff Castle, about 15 minutes’ walk from the railway station.
On the day of arrival I inquired about suite upgrade, and got offered a Junior Suite which I’m more than happy about. One feature I love about Hilton is the floor plan and online check-in, with which (and Google Street View) you have enough information to choose the room you want.
They have very few suites, but plenty of junior suites available, so upgrade to the latter shouldn’t be difficult for Diamond members.
The room has an unconventional shape, but quite spacious nonetheless. It’s clearly refurbished in recent years, and generally very comfy. However like the former Le Meridien Piccadilly the bedside sockets are of a very old type, by which you can tell the hotel has some history.
I selected a west-facing room, as the view appears to be much nicer despite being smaller. It turns out to be a great decision, as others have shared online that the east-facing rooms can be heavily disturbed by the bars downstairs.
The bathroom is also big with both a shower and a tub.
The spa at the hotel is quite popular. It’s a member of Hussle so in case you are based in Cardiff, you could probably get a free day pass via Hussle’s various promotions to give it a go.
Swimming pool:
Jacuzzi:
Sauna and steam room:
The gym is next door. Although not large, it’s got enough lighting and view of the swimming pool is quite refreshing.
Breakfast buffet is served in the main restaurant. You must book a one-hour slot for weekends.
My day of arrival is the last day before Wales relaxes its Covid restrictions. The executive lounge is closed and relevant services are moved to the lobby bar – it’s an applauded move, as most hotels that have closed their executive lounge don’t bother to provide any alternatives.
The executive lounge on the 7th floor reopens on the second day. It has a magnificent view of the castle, but unfortunately it rains a lot during my stay.
Afternoon tea is served 3pm-6pm.
Happy hour is served 6pm-8pm, with a couple of hot items, some canapes and the usual beers and wines.
The lounge is decent enough. However it’s not open until 3pm, which prevents you from having soft drinks or a cup of coffee there which is annoying.
In general I’m very happy about the stay: a hotel at central location, with executive lounge, swimming pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, and costs less than £70 a night. If you are looking for a weekend getaway as well, I’d definitely recommend Hilton Cardiff!
Hilton status match is back
Hilton started an official status match program a few years ago and it has been on and off since, whereas the rules have also changed multiple times in the meantime. The website just went live again with a newer version of the offer.
You can access the offer here. To participate you need to be an elite member with one of the following hotel programs:
- Marriott Bonvoy (Gold+)
- IHG Rewards Club (Gold+)
- World of Hyatt (Explorist+)
- Best Western Rewards (Diamond+)
- Choice Privileges (Diamond)
If your program is not listed you could still select Other and provide the details. Some of these statuses are extremely easy to obtain – take IHG for example, you can simply pay $200 to join their Ambassador program (which is well worth it) and be upgraded to IHG Platinum straightaway.
Once your application is approved you will be upgraded to Gold for a 90-day trial period. During the trial period, you can:
- Stay 7 nights and keep the Gold status, or
- Stay 12 nights to upgrade to Diamond
If you fulfil any of the challenge, your status is valid through March 31, 2024, which is more than two years from now.
The rules are tougher than last year, as back then you only needed 5 nights / 9 nights respectively.
If don’t have status with Hilton and have an upcoming stay with them, it’s a no brainer to sign up to this status match promotion. Gold status gets you free breakfast right away (except in the U.S. where you only get a credit) and room upgrade, and if you can stay enough to achieve Diamond, you will enjoy guaranteed executive lounge access at most of Hilton’s branded hotels.Facebook Twitter WhatsApp
Hilton Q1 promotion: 2,500 bonus points per stay
Hilton’s 2022 Q1 promotion is open to registration.
- You need to check out between Jan 1st and May 1st
- Bookings can be made prior to offer registration
- You earn 2,500 bonus points per stay, and there’s no cap
- Reward stays count
Hilton is finally taking a break from the double / triple points offers. If I remember correctly the last similar promotion was to offer 2,000 bonus points per stay, so the current offer is not bad.
The most ideal scenario is for one-night reward stays, as it could just represent a nice discount on the points you pay, on top of the 1,000 welcome points Gold / Diamond members receive at most brands. Unfortunately dynamic reward pricing has already ruined most of the oversized redemption opportunities with Hilton.
While you are here, there are a few other Hilton offers that may be of interest:
$150 daily credit at Waldorf Astoria, LXR and Conrad hotels
Hilton has started a new campaign with its luxury hotel brands – Waldorf Astoria, LXR and Conrad. By booking the specific rate you can take advantage of $150 daily credit throughout your stay.
- Book at least three days in advance
- Two-night minimum stay required
- Book via the page or use promo code PBEXC1
- $150 / £100 / €150 credit per night in respective regions, or $150 local currency equivalent in other regions
Looks too good to be true? Well you are right – you must book the specific rate plan to benefit, which is more expensive than the Best Flexible Rate.
Here are some of the hotels, with a comparison of BFR and exclusive credit rate:
- Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh £490 / £558
- Conrad Dublin €269 / €333
- Waldorf Astoria Berlin €336 / €414
- Waldorf Astoria Rome €357 / €436
- Conrad Istanbul Bosphorus €173 / €233
Remember that Honors Discount and Advance Purchase rates are also available, which are even cheaper than the BFR. As you’ll find out, in many or most scenarios the credit is largely offset by the rate difference, especially if you are booking in advance.
However that’s just the case in Europe. If you visit Istanbul or Asia, the rate difference is much smaller and this rate plan can actually be a very good deal, providing that you don’t mind eating at the hotel.
My review of Waldorf Astoria Berlin
Thanks to the Impresario 3-for-2 offer, I managed to grab three nights at the Waldorf Astoria for my Berlin trip at a more than reasonable price. This is the second WA hotel I’ve stayed with after Edinburgh, which was quite good, although to be honest nothing spectacular.
The WA is right next to the Zoologischer Garten station with excellent connections to both the Hauptbanhof and Brandenburg Airport. Ku’damm street and the Tiergarten Park are both within reach so I find here a nice balance between nature and busy city life. I stayed at the Westin Grand last time and definitely prefer the location of the Waldorf Astoria (West Berlin).
You won’t miss the hotel’s iconic building.
Check-in experience is prompt and smooth. Unlike Hyatt Regency Cologne, I only need to show my vaccination proof once and never again for breakfast and dinner throughout the stay.
My room is upgraded to a Junior Suite on the 6th floor. From what I understand this is what Diamond members are usually upgraded to, so there’s no special advantage for booking Impresario unfortunately.
The Junior Suite measures around 50m2 which is fairly big – actually even the entry-level rooms at the WA are 36m2 which is decent enough by all standards.
Despite being called a “suite”, there isn’t really a well-separated living space apart from this small corner:
There is also a walk-in wardrobe.
The all-marble bathroom feels lavish:
Bathrobe is super comfy!
There is a small platform outside the window but I can’t really go out. Due to being on a low-ish floor I don’t have much of a view at all. You should be able to overlook the Zoo and Tiergarten on floor ten and above, if the aspect is right of course.
In terms of breakfast, Diamond members used to receive the continental buffet for free only until 2019. This has changed since and the entire cook-to-order menu is comped for Gold and Diamond guests.
The menu is very extensive, covering all egg variants including Shakshuka, Eggs Royale, Eggs Benefits and a WA special. You can also indulge yourself with American Pancakes and Belgian Waffles etc.
The only dining option at the moment is ROCA on the ground floor. I used my $100 credit here. Food is okay, nothing to write home about.
There is a Library Lounge at the 15th floor which is usually used for private events. It’s now open as a bar from Wednesday to Sunday. I didn’t have my phone with me and here are some stock photos from the hotel’s website:
It’s got a nice view over the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and I recommend having a couple of drinks here if you’ve got time. The setup is similar to an Executive Lounge which intrigued me, but then I was told the drinks were not complimentary :p (many hotels in China have a complimentary happy-hour alternative if no Executive Lounge is available to elite guests)
One big pleasant surprise is the Guerlain Spa, which is very big, bright and modern.
I thoroughly enjoy the swimming pool (although I don’t really swim) and the jacuzzi. The sauna and steam rooms (with fragrance) are very nice too.
There’s also an outdoor terrace attached to the Spa.
There’s a gym too.
It’s probably down to personal preference, but to me WA Berlin is one of the most luxurious hotels I’ve ever stayed at in Europe for sure and I would not hesitate to return. Compared to my most recent “luxury” experience at the Langley, WA Berlin has larger and more functional rooms, and better Spa facilities – not to mention it’s also much cheaper!