Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used...
Edited by: Keri Stooksbury
With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
& Kellie Jez
Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...
26 comments
Lora Kennedy
October 18, 2021
I just got off the phone with Hilton, I was calling about the Grand Wailea in Maui to try to book my free night and they said all of their rooms are premium and I could not book there with my certificate. So disappointed as it looks amazing!
Jamie
December 19, 2021
They were mistaken. I have used a certificate at the Grand Weilea.
Tom
December 28, 2021
Exactly the same just happened to me for that same hotel. Disappointed as hell!
Stephen Au
December 28, 2021
Hi Tom,
You need to be flexible if you want to redeem your certificate at any aspirational hotel, including the Grand Wailea. Please go online and search for standard room availability, which will cost 95,000 Hilton points. Then, call Hilton Honors to book this night.
Dian
February 22, 2022
95K point? That is how many years ago? The current point showed at least 431K point for a king bed room. Maybe that is why you were able to use the certificate back then. LOL
Stephen Au
February 22, 2022
Hi Dian,
95K is the price for a standard room. There are dates available with 95K, but it’s hard to find multiple dates in a row. Your best shot is looking 1 month before the stay date.
TF
December 02, 2021
Same. I tried Cabo and Maldives and they are both premium rewards only, and thus not eligible for the free night rewards.
Stephen Au
December 02, 2021
Hi TF,
Keep trying to find standard rewards! Most dates will only have premium rewards, but some will have standard rewards.
dianwen999
February 22, 2022
I too just called for Grand Wailea both in 12/2021 and 2/2022, both times they said no standard room at this location, all premium rooms, so can’t use the free night award. Does the standard room only show up when they have a reduced point offer going on? I wonder.
Nickel
April 07, 2022
So the free night reward is only for standard rooms? How can you tell if it’s a standard room vs. a premium room?
Christine Krzyszton
April 08, 2022
Hi Nickel. Yes, free night certificates work for standard room redemptions. When you log in to your Hilton Honors account, search for a hotel/room, and select the rate, you’ll see “standard room reward” designated as such (if available).
Ed
April 17, 2022
Would not recommend the lxr biltmore. Save your certificates for elsewhere.
Mark
July 03, 2022
I just used my weekend night at the Hotel Del Coronado. They gave me the worst room in the building and after I complained, they gave me the second worst room in the building. The first one was right over the south valet entrance with a view of the parking lot and the balcony was next to the public balcony. The next room they gave me was adjacent to the stairs and you could hear every step. It was made worse by a family with small kids running up and down it.
Shannon
August 09, 2022
Just called HIlton and no standard rooms at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal. Has anyone used their certificates at this property before?
Arturo Imaz
March 07, 2023
Just called and got a standard room free night with a certificate, just make sure you tell them to look for a date with standard rooms, not premiums. Also, make sure the person you speak with is nice. First call told me no availability, only premium. Then called a few weeks later and the lady very nice book me 2 nights (with 2 certificates I had)
James
August 13, 2022
I’ve been trying to book my free night at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal too and all the agents shut it down quickly stating all rooms are always premium. It should be listed on the excluded hotel list. I completed a promotion with the intention of using it on this hotel and now it feels like a bait and switch scheme.
Lynn
August 30, 2022
They open up more rooms about 2 months in advance is what I read.
Sue
August 23, 2022
I just called Hilton as I wanted to use my Free Night Certificate for the Conrad Centennial Singapore. They told me that there is no premium king room, only Hilton Garden Inn has one standard room that can be booked. Hilton Garden Inn is always 30,000 points for one night and I don’t want to use my 95,000 points value certificate for a value of 30,000 points. I would like to ask if you have any good suggestions.
Dan
October 27, 2022
Booked 3 nights at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedragal over Xmas using my free night certs! 2 of which were expiring in January. Lucky I guess, but super excited to go!
Arturo Imaz
March 07, 2023
How lucky, I called and nothing
Arturo Imaz
March 07, 2023
Did you book standard room? or premium?
Christian
January 02, 2023
How long are certificates valid for?
Jarrod West
January 03, 2023
Hi Christian,
They are valid for 1 year from the issue date.
Amanda
January 29, 2023
Does the double occupancy requirement mean that if traveling with my family (3 ppl), we would not be able to use the free night?
Chris Hassan
January 29, 2023
Hey Amanda,
That will depend on the occupancy limits for the standard room for the hotel you are looking at. They can vary greatly depending on where you are looking. Many hotels and resorts in the U.S. allow up to 4 people, while hotels abroad may have sticker limits.
Matthew Cuellar
March 31, 2023
For anyone having issues redeeming their free night reward with properties only listing premium room rewards, I highly recommend you request Hilton reach out to the hotel directly to open up their standard rooms for reservation. Unless a property is listed on Hilton’s list of exclusions, they have to honor your reward certificate. I had this issue with the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal and the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, and both hotels resolved the issue when Hilton reached out to them directly.
Any thoughts or questions? Comment below!
Email needed if you'd like comment updates. It will NOT be published.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.