Hilton Raises, Lowers HHonors Award Prices

Hilton this week posted upcoming changes to HHonors award prices. While such announcements are almost never good news—and are sometimes positively gut-wrenching—this round of changes is so modest in scope that it’s practically a non-event.

On July 13, just 33 of the company’s 4,600 hotels will be recategorized, with 13 moving to a lower category, requiring fewer points for a free night, and 20 moving to a higher category, requiring more points.

With more increases than decreases, the net effect is negative for the program, and for HHonors members. Still, it’s as minor as a negative effect could be. In fact, it’s so minor it could be considered a positive, given the alternative.

As always with award-price changes, program members should peruse the list of affected properties, and book hotels that will decrease in price after the change, and do the opposite for hotels that will increase in price.

And they might also offer up a prayer that Hilton’s next round of award-price changes is as benign as this one. Again, given the alternative.

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After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.