One of the new features I like about Hilton HHonors is their periodic listing of new hotels. The list of 62 Hilton Worldwide new hotel openings June 30 to October 8, 2014 coincides with the release of HHonors category increases at 20 hotels and category decreases for 12 hotels effective October 8.
Conrad London St. James is one of the big stories here with the InterContinental Westminster being rebranded in just two years since it opened. Loyalty Traveler – InterContinental London Westminster rebranding to Conrad in September 2014.
An elusive category 1 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia across the bridge from Singapore offers a cheap reward destination at 5,000 HHonors points per night when SIngapore is busting your travel budget.
DoubleTree Zanzibar Stone Town is a hotel with close proximity to several National Parks. I wrote about Stone Town in an article on the Park Hyatt Zanzibar last October. Hyatt Hotels expansion in Africa has hotel industry abuzz.
Home2 Suites is an extended stay hotel brand I still have not seen with only one hotel on the west coast. The Home2 Suites brand website lists 48 locations now with seven Home2 Suites opened in the past three months. Looks more probable that I will find my way to a Home2 Suites before the end of 2015.
Earning only 5 base points per dollar at Home2 Suites when all other other Hilton brands earn 10 points/$1 still rubs me wrong.
In the race to be the largest upper midscale hotel brand in the world, Hampton Inn (1,900+) looks like it might be gaining on Holiday Inn Express (2,200 hotels), although HIX states it has 500 more hotels in the construction pipeline.
The Highland Dallas Curio Collection is one of the initial members of Hilton’s boutique brand launched in 2014. Loyalty Traveler – The Highland Dallas, a new Curio Collection hotel by Hilton.
New York’s Manhattan has added several new hotel choices for HHonors members with two Hilton Garden Inns and a Homewood Suites. Those category 8 and 9 designations mean the reward rates will likely be high most of the year. A category 8 hotel can range from 40,000 points to 70,000 points per night. Category 9 runs from 50,000 to 80,000 points. Here is the link to the HHonors Standard Rewards Category chart.
You need to check the HHonors Standard Rooms Rewards Point Pricing Tool to find the exact points level for the month of your hotel stay.
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