After raising award rates at some of its most popular resorts late last year and top Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) properties, too, Hilton has done it again – this time, raising the maximum cap from 150,000 points per night for a standard award all the way up to a whopping 200,000 points per night. 

We're still digging in to see just how bad this latest Hilton Honors devaluation is after Danny Deal Guru first flagged some increases Thursday morning, but the damage is deep, hammering some of the most sought-after properties in Hilton's portfolio. For example: 

  • The Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi jumped from 150,000 points per night all the way up to 200,000 points per night
  • Same goes for Calala Island, a prized redemption ever since it joined Hilton's portfolio through SLH: It's now 200,000 points a night, up from the previous 150,000-a-night rate
  • Ditto at RiverView Ranch Retreat & Western Adventures – an all-inclusive escape in rural Montana that also jumped to that 200,000-point threshold, up from 150,000 points a night
  • Hermitage Bay, an all-inclusive SLH resort on the Caribbean island of Antigua and a personal favorite, has gone from 130,000 points a night … to the old cap of 150,000 points last fall … to the new rate of 190,000 points – all in less than a year. Ouch.
  • The Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal is arguably the most popular redemption for Hilton aficionados, but nightly rates were just hiked from 140,000 points to 190,000 points a night
  • Canaves Oia Suites on the Greek isle of Santorini saw an identical hike from 140,000 points to 190,000 points per night
  • South Bank, a fan-favorite SLH redemption in Turks & Caicos, jumped from 130,000 points to 180,000 points a night
  • The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – one of the most popular Hilton options in the Maldives – went from 120,000 points a night to 140,000 points a night.
  • The relatively new Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island has increased from the previous rate of 130,000 points a night to 150,000 nightly

 

hilton award booking for calala island
Seeing nightly rates of 200,000 points a night is a major change – and a shock.

 

This is by no means a comprehensive list – we're still digging in just to see how far it goes.

Still, those are some nasty overnight increases without a word of warning from Hilton to its members. Worst of all, bumping the maximum nightly rate for standard award rooms from 150,000 points all the way up to 200,000 is a massive change … and one we warned might be coming just a few months ago.

So far as we can tell, these hikes largely hit the top-dollar Hilton redemptions where you can squeeze some serious value from your Hilton Honors points – not your everyday bookings at Hilton Garden Inns or DoubleTree locations. And a handful of other popular redemptions escaped unscathed like the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, the Conrad Bora Bora Nui, and the brand-new Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique – at least so far. 

Others aren't so lucky. Considering Hermitage Bay was previously bookable for 130,000 points a night, this hurts to see.

 

hermitage bay award rates of 190,000 points

 

Like many other hotel programs, Hilton uses a dynamic pricing model … with a twist. While the points rate is typically tied to the cash price, they also have “standard awards” at a set rate for every property. That means award rates can be all over the map at many Hilton properties – sometimes as high as 1 million points a night or more – but there’s still a lowest-and-best base rate when redeeming Hilton Honors points.

That's what just got more pricey.

With the integration of SLH last spring and tons of other advantages, we've been singing Hilton's praises for months … and wondering whether it could win the crown of best hotel loyalty program from Hyatt. That's a harder case to make now. 

Hilton points remain tremendously easy to earn with a slew of co-branded credit cards, points transfers available from both American Express and Bilt, and a much greater return when paying for hotel stays than you'll find at any other hotel program. And you can stretch those points further with Hilton's fifth-night free on award stays so long as you have Hilton Silver status or higher.

Aside from forking over even more points, it's unclear what this means for travelers looking to redeem Hilton free night certificates from cards like the Hilton Honors Aspire Card. Will they still be eligible to use at these $4,000-per-night, 200,000-point properties? Probably … but if so, how much longer will that last? 

 

This is a developing story, check back for updates.