Hilton pulled off a major coup in the world of hotels this year when it stole the chain of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) away from Hyatt, opening the door for Hilton members to book hundreds of additional boutique properties around the globe – including using points. The doors are now wide open.
At first, just a dozen or so SLH properties were bookable through Hilton. This summer, Hilton rolled out a few hundred more. As of Tuesday, the work is done: Nearly 400 SLH properties are now bookable – and, as of publication, award availability booking with Hilton Honors points is expanding to nearly all of them … for as few as 50,000 points per night!
The integration of SLH has been a massive win for travelers with Hilton Honors points, opening the door to book some truly impressive properties around the globe. The biggest knock against Hilton Honors is that the points won't get you very far … but with many of these new SLH properties, you can get some serious bang for your buck. It could even be worth transferring points to Hilton from Amex in order to book some of them – especially with the current 30% transfer bonus!
Check out the full list of SLH properties now bookable through Hilton!
Small Luxury Hotels of the World is a portfolio of boutique properties scattered across the globe, but they were a bright spot in Hyatt’s portfolio for years. What they might lack in extra-special treatment for travelers with top status, they more than make up for it with unique inns, resorts, and properties in great locations with complimentary breakfast travelers can book with points. These aren’t your normal, stuffy big-box hotels.
What's stuffy about Hermitage Bay, a luxe all-inclusive resort on the Caribbean island of Antigua now bookable for 120,000 Hilton points per night? Absolutely nothing.
With nearly 400 hotels now live, that's a sizable chunk of the 560 SLH properties total worldwide. It's unclear if or when any of those additional SLH locations will eventually join Hilton.
Brad Anderson, the vice president of Hilton Honors, previously told Thrifty Traveler that bringing those SLH properties under the Hilton umbrella was a way to complement the chain's other established brands, from top-tier Waldorf Astorias and Conrads to your typical Hilton Garden Inn. And so far, the feedback has been “really positive.”
“When you look at our luxury branded portfolio, I think each of those have a branded experience you want,” he said in a previous interview. “But if you want a small, independent experience in a small city in Europe, it’s just a different experience.”
While these aren't your typical Hilton hotels, they're priced much like any existing property when redeeming Hilton Honors points. And that's a good thing.
From the availability we've seen thus far, top-notch city hotels will typically cost you 70,000 to 85,000 points per night, though a few price out even lower. Meanwhile, while five-star resorts go for 120,000 to as much as 150,000 points a night. But much like your usual Hilton award stay, you might also see far higher priced award nights, too – Hilton's so-called “Premium Room Rewards” can easily climb north of 300,000 points a night.
That all may not sound like the bargain of a lifetime, but that's par for the course with Hilton's usual (and admittedly inflated) award rates. And compared to the lackluster pricing through Hyatt and its new partnership with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, this is a big win.
For example, you can now book Arctic Bath – an incredible-looking retreat in Swedish Lapland – for just 100,000 points per night.
I loved our stay at the Tomtom Suites in Istanbul a few years back – when it was bookable using World of Hyatt points instead. The location was second to none for exploring the city, the suites and service felt more personal than your big box Hiltons and Hyatts, and the classic (and complimentary) Turkish breakfast in the top floor restaurant was to die for.
At just 60,000 points a night next spring, this property would be at the top of my list for any trip to Turkey.
A few additions just this week include Raiwasa Private Resort in remote Fiji and The Cellars-Hohenort in Cape Town, South Africa – a beautiful property steps from a winery in the shadow of Table Mountain. Best of all, it's bookable just 50,000 Hilton points per night – a stellar redemption considering it'd typically cost $600 or more.
As Hilton slowly introduced a handful of SLH properties earlier this year, we saw extremely limited award availability at the dozen or so properties that were initially bookable. But that has drastically improved as they've added more and more properties. While you might still struggle finding availability at the priciest properties like Calala Island or Canaves Oia Suites, many other SLH properties are fairly easy to book at the lowest standard room rates using points.
“It’s really important to us,” Anderson, Hilton's vice president for its Honors program, said of award availability. “What’s the point of going out and earning all these points if you can’t use them? Standard rooms at every hotel: That’s part of this partnership.”
You can search for and book these SLH properties the same way you would for any other hotel in Hilton's portfolio.
Read our complete guide to earning and redeeming Hilton Honors points
Whether you book with cash or points, Hilton members will get much the same treatment as at your typical Hilton hotel:
- Everyday Hilton members get the same “guaranteed member discount,” complimentary standard Wi-Fi, complimentary late checkout, a free bottled water/hydration per stay, and pay no resort fees on reward stays.
- Hilton Silver members get all those perks plus earn 20% more points when booking paid rates and a fifth-night free benefit when redeeming points
- Hilton Gold members get those perks but earn 80% more points when booking paid rates, complimentary breakfast for two, space-available upgrades, and that same fifth-night free perk when redeeming points
- Hilton Diamond members get a 100% elite tier bonus, complimentary breakfast for two, space-available upgrades, and that same fifth-night free perk when redeeming points
Bottom Line
Months after officially stealing this excellent portfolio of boutique hotels and resorts from its competitor, Hilton's SLH integration is now (more or less) complete. And that's a big win for Hilton fans.
Nearly 400 SLH properties are now bookable through Hilton – and reasonable award rates combined with surprisingly solid award availability make this a rock solid addition. Don't sleep on these excellent new options to book through Hilton.
