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Your Hilton points can take you just about anywhere—from a dreamy beach escape in the Maldives to a luxury stay in one of Japan’s most popular cities. In this post, we’ll give you five aspirational Hilton properties to book on points or free-night certificates. 

Hilton prices its hotels dynamically, making it a bit more challenging to obtain outsized value for your points. But even with recent devaluations of these points, Hilton’s free-night certificates are still the best of any major chain because they can be used at nearly any hotel if you can find standard room availability. 

 

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 

You may have heard of the famous overwater villas in the Maldives, but what about underwater dining? You can enjoy a meal under the Indian Ocean at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, among many other potentially memorable moments at this aspirational resort. This property also offers gorgeous villas, a high-end spa, and lots to keep you busy during your trip, including snorkeling and scuba diving. 

Most of the villas at this resort require guests to be 16 or older. I couldn’t find standard availability for the villa that accommodates families with young children. So, this resort might be preferable for a getaway with your partner/Player 2 if you’re booking with points. 

Booking with Points: I found widespread standard availability at this hotel for 140,000 Hilton points per night. Considering this hotel can cost more than $1,000 per night at peak times, it’s a great value for your points or free-night certificates. 

 

 

Zemi Beach House (Anguilla) 

If you’re looking for a luxurious beach escape a bit closer to home than the Maldives, the Zemi Beach House has you covered. Zemi Beach House is located on the stunning coastline of Shoal Bay Beach on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. This resort has the powdery sand and beautiful turquoise waters you’re probably looking for in an aspirational vacation. You will certainly not want for pools at this property, because Zemi Beach House has four: a family pool, a lap pool, an adults-only pool, and a spa pool. The hotel also offers a kids’ club (ages 4 to 12) with lots of fun activities like coconut bowling and cooking lessons. 

Booking with Points: Standard rooms are typically 110,000 points per night, though I found some 190,000-point standard rooms during holiday periods. I found standard rooms that sleep four here, so this could be a great option for a family trip. 

 

 

The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton (Scotland) 

If the beach is not your aspiration, you could always use your Hilton points to stay in a train-station-turned-stately-hotel in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland! This 120-year-old hotel has a lot of character and is in an ideal location with a view of Edinburgh Castle and a short walk to Princes Street Gardens, The Royal Mile, and Edinburgh’s Old Town. You can even swim or get a treatment at the hotel’s spa that overlooks the nearby castle! 

Booking with Points: Standard room prices at this property typically top out at 95,000 points per night, though rooms that can accommodate more than two people typically cost more points. You can always inquire with the hotel about a cash or complimentary upgrade to a room that can accommodate a family. 

 

 

Conrad Osaka 

If you’re looking for luxury and unforgettable views in Osaka, Japan, check out the Conrad Osaka. Every room in this hotel, 40 floors above Osaka, has floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can enjoy the views for your entire stay. The hotel is near two train stations and the Umeda shopping and dining district is within walking distance. 

Booking with Points: The Conrad Osaka is generally priced between 100,000 and 150,000 Hilton points per night for a standard room. Cash rates here can go as high as $1,000 a night at peak times like Christmas and New Year’s. If you’re taking the family, you may need two rooms here, as each room accommodates a maximum of three people. 

 

 

L’Auberge de Sedona, an SLH Hotel (Arizona) 

If you’re looking to recharge in the desert, consider taking a friends’ trip or a couples’ getaway to L’Auberge De Sedona with your Hilton points. This beautiful, boutique hotel is bookable with Hilton points, thanks to Hilton’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. While I’d be content to spend my time in the spa or relaxing with a book, this resort offers lots of activities if you want a more active stay, like meditation classes, stargazing experiences, and yoga. 

Booking with Points: Standard rooms are generally available for 140,000 Hilton points—not bad for a property that can cost $800+ per night at peak times. 

 

 

How Can I Earn Hilton Points?

There are lots of opportunities to earn Hilton points and free-night certificates, and for these aspirational stays, you’ll need them!

• Co-Branded Credit Cards – Currently, there are three co-branded personal Hilton cards that allow you to earn Hilton points: the Hilton Honors American Express Card, Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card, and the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire. On the business side, you can also earn these points with the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card. In addition to points, you can also earn a free-night certificate by spending $15,000 on your Surpass card in one year. The Aspire card, which has a higher annual fee, comes with an initial free-night certificate when you open the card and an annual one on your card anniversary. 
• American Express Membership Rewards® – American Express Membership Rewards® can be transferred to Hilton at a 1-to-2 ratio, meaning one Amex point would transfer to Hilton Honors to become two Hilton points. It’s generally not the best value for your points because Hilton points are only worth about half a cent each, so even doubling their value, you’re still getting only one cent per point. But you may want to transfer your Amex points to Hilton in certain situations, such as topping off your account for a stay or taking advantage of a transfer bonus.
• Buying Points – Buying points can often make sense if you get more value out of them than you pay for the points. You should do the math before buying the points to make sure it’ll work for you. These points are often available for sale at 0.5 cents each. 

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Card has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Hilton Honors American Express Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card  is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

All information about the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Business Card has been collected independently by Travel Mom Squad. The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card is no longer available through Travel Mom Squad.

 

General Hilton Booking Tips

If you’re planning a longer stay at an aspirational Hilton property, it’ll be very helpful to have status with Hilton, as this allows you to receive the fifth night free on award stays. (Unfortunately, this does not include free-night certificates; the extra night is for points-only bookings.) You can add a free-night certificate at the beginning or end of your stay if you want to stay 6 nights or more, as Jess did on her recent trip to the Conrad Bora Bora Nui.  

Luckily, this fifth-night-free benefit is easy to get. You can get Hilton Silver Status with the Hilton Honors American Express Card, which has no annual fee. (You can learn more about the fifth-night-free benefit in the podcast episode on all things Hilton.)

Redeem four nights, get the fifth night free when you redeem points for a consecutive five-night Hilton hotel stay. You can receive a fifth Reward Night free, redeemable at that same hotel during that same stay.

Popular properties can be tough to book on points. Luckily, tools like MaxMyPoint can help you find those limited standard rooms. Being flexible and patient will be key for these redemptions. 

 

Bottom Line 

With some flexibility and strategic use of points, you can find the Hilton property of your vacation dreams. Have you stayed at any of these five aspirational Hilton properties to book on points? Where are you headed next? Tell us in the comments.

 

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