In February 2024, Hilton announced a new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), which will greatly expand the hotel chain’s luxury hotel portfolio.
In June, the partnership started to go live, with a handful of properties added to Hilton’s booking channels. At that point, we also learned a few more details about what to expect when it comes to earning and redeeming Hilton Honors points at SLH properties.
As of September 17, 2024, Hilton has completed the onboarding of hundreds of SLH properties across the world, with nearly 400 available for bookings across its channels.
Hilton and SLH Launch Exclusive Partnership
Earlier this year, Hilton and SLH announced details of an exclusive partnership, through which SLH hotels would become bookable across Hilton’s channels. The partnership is now live, and it’s possible to earn and redeem points at SLH properties booked through Hilton channels, and guests with Hilton Honors Elite Status will also enjoy perks on eligible stays.
For those who are unfamiliar, SLH is a collection of 560 independent hotels in 90 countries around the world.
As the name suggests, SLH properties target a luxury audience, and this partnership bolsters Hilton’s roster of available luxury properties, which also includes brands such as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, and LXR Hotels & Resorts.
Not every SLH property participates in the partnership, which is similar to how SLH’s previous partnership with Hyatt operated. According to Hilton’s press release, close to 400 of SLH’s 560 properties are now available through Hilton channels.
It’s worth noting that only 268 were accessible through the Hyatt platform with the previous partnership, so it appears that more are available through Hilton.
In June, we started to see the rollout of a few SLH properties on the Hilton website, and we also learned more details about what members can expect.
Now, nearly 400 are available for booking across Hilton channels, and the full roster of participating properties is noted on the list of SLH hotels that participate in the Hilton Honors program.
As per the terms and conditions of the SLH partnership, Hilton Honors members will receive benefits at SLH properties when they’re booked through official Hilton channels. If you book directly through SLH or third-party booking platforms, you won’t be eligible for Hilton Honors benefits.
Depending on your level of status with Hilton Honors, you’ll receive the following incremental benefits when staying at SLH properties booked through Hilton channels (with higher tiers enjoying all benefits at lower tiers and more):
- Base-level members
- Guaranteed member discount
- Complimentary standard Wi-Fi
- Complimentary late check-out (subject to availability)
- Bottled water/hydration per stay
- No resort fees on reward stays booked using all points
- Silver Elite Members
- All benefits that base-level members get, plus
- Elite tier bonus (+20%)
- Fifth Standard Reward Night Free
- Gold Elite Members
- All benefits that base-level and Silver Elite members get, plus
- Elite tier bonus (+80%)
- Complimentary breakfast for two
- Space-available upgrades
- Diamond Elite Members
- All benefits that base-level, Silver, and Gold Elite members get, plus
- Elite tier bonus (+100%)
As it stands, SLH properties don’t yet offer MyWay Choice selection, digital check-in, choose your room, or digital keys.
Hilton Honors members earn base points and elite tier bonuses on the room rate only at SLH properties, and won’t earn points on other eligible folio charges (food & beverage, incidentals, etc.).
As we’ll explore in more detail below, Hilton Honors members are now able to redeem points at participating SLH properties at Standard Room Reward rates, and it’s also possible to redeem Free Night Rewards for SLH stays.
Redeeming Hilton Honors Points at SLH Properties
With nearly 400 SLH properties now available for booking through Hilton channels, we now have a good idea of what’s possible when it comes to redeeming points.
At many properties, there’s a handful of dates available for booking with Hilton Honors points, though you might have to do some digging to find them at the higher-end properties.
At the time of writing, most dates are marked as “Sold out”, “Rate not available”, “2-night stay unavailable”, and so on; however, that could change in the future as the partnership rolls out. You may also see all dates marked as sold out if you search for one-night stays, but then availability if you search for multiple nights.
If you are able to find dates with award availability, the good news is that there’s Standard Room Rewards on some dates, which are eligible for using Free Night Awards.
For example, Standard Room Reward pricing at Flemings Mayfair in London comes in at 80,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
The cash rate per night is listed at £294 ($374 USD, $515 CAD), which works out to a value of 0.47 cents per point (USD) or 0.64 cents per point (CAD).
We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point (USD) or 0.7 cents per point (CAD), and using these valuations, you’d come in just slightly under par with a redemption.
At Hermitage Bay in Antigua and Barbuda, there’s fairly generous availability, with some Standard Room Reward pricing and some Premium Room Reward pricing.
With cash rates at $1,758 (USD) and Standard Room Rewards at 130,000 points per night, it works out to a satisfying 1.35 cents per point (USD).
At the Teranka Formentera in Spain, you might come across nights with Standard Room Rewards pricing out at 110,000 Hilton Honors points per night, with no minimum stay.
The corresponding cash prices on these dates are listed at €1,470 ($1,578 USD, $2,169 CAD), which works out to a value of around 1.43 cents per point (USD) or 1.97 cents per point (CAD).
Indeed, that’s nearly triple what we value Hilton Honors points at, and it goes to show that there should be some excellent redemption opportunities at SLH properties through Hilton Honors. Let’s hope that award availability won’t be too restrictive now that the partnership has been fully rolled out.
Conclusion
Hilton and Small Luxury Hotels of the World have launched an exclusive partnership, which gives Hilton Honors members access to participating SLH properties across the world.
Members are now able to earn and redeem Hilton Honors points at nearly 400 participating SLH properties. When it comes to redemptions, SLH properties are subject to Standard Room Reward pricing, and can also be booked using Free Night Rewards.
With the partnership now fully rolled out, there are some excellent opportunities to book aspirational hotels with points!