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Hilton has launched a new sale in which it’s offering discounts of up to 30% on suites at its resorts in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and French Polynesia. Hilton Honors members have to book an Advance Purchase rate to lock in any discount that a property is offering and while that’s usually a very inflexible rate, a quirk within Hilton’s terms and conditions means that these sale rates aren’t quite as rigid as they may seem.
Key Terms
- Valid for current Hilton Honors Members only.
- Honors Discount Advance Purchase is subject to availability at participating hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio for up to two rooms per member and must be booked directly through Hilton owned booking channels, including Honors.com or any Hilton Reservation call center.
- Payments for bookings at Advance Purchase/Non Refundable rates are not refundable and bookings may not be modified.
- Each hotel has specific booking terms and conditions that vary and might include length of stay requirements, day of week restrictions, deposit requirements and blackout dates. Please check with your hotel at the time of booking to determine if any additional conditions apply.
- Full non refundable prepayment required at time of booking. Your credit card will be charged immediately for the total amount quoted for the entire stay.
- The Honors Discount Advance Purchase Rate discounts vary by hotel and commonly range from seven (7) to thirty (30) percent off Best Available Rate.
- No refunds or credits will be made for any changes, cancellation or non arrival on check in date for any reason.
- This rate may not be combined with other select promotions, offers or discounts and is not valid for existing reservations or groups.
- Discount not available at hotels in Mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Full terms and conditions can be found on the promotion page
Participating properties
As far as I can see, most Hilton resorts in Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean are participating in this sale which means that you can get up to 30% off suite bookings at properties like the Grand Wailea Maui and the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos…
…and that you’ll find this offer available at a wide variety of Hilton’s all-inclusive properties too.
In French Polynesia, options are considerably more limited because Hilton only has three properties in this region and one of them isn’t participating (the Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa). Still, that means that the Conrad Bora Bora Nui *is* participating and that’s good news.
Note: I suspect that the discounts on offer in the more popular (high-end) resorts may not be as generous as 30% for significant parts of the year.
An unflexible rate that can be a little flexible
Very early in Hilton’s terms and conditions, you’ll see that the hotelier is keen to stress that payments for bookings at Advance Purchase rates are not refundable and bookings may not be modified and this may put you off making a booking.
The fact is, however, that if you have the patience (and the inclination) to read the terms and conditions in full, you’ll also find this very important wording:
Modifications to your reservation (including but not limited to name changes, date changes, etc.) are not permitted. However, for bookings in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, a request to cancel an existing Honors Discount Advance Purchase reservation and book a new reservation may be permitted if at the time you are requesting a change to your reservation, you book a new Honors Discount Advance Purchase reservation at any hotel in the Hilton portfolio located in the United States, Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, subject to availability.
So modifications to some Advanced Purchase rates *are* possible for bookings in select parts of the world (as long as you’re prepared to make another advance purchase reservation) and as this sale is limited almost exclusively to the parts of the world covered by this exception, that’s very good news.
Keep in mind that Hilton will also levy a service fee of $25 or $50 to cancel a reservation, to have it refunded, and to make a new reservation, but if you’re spending serious money on a resort booking, this will probably be a fee that most will be happy to swallow.
Bottom Line
Hilton is now running a sale in which it’s offering up to 30% off suite bookings at select resorts in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, and French Polynesia. I can’t seem to find a published end date for this sale so there may or may not be a need to book sooner rather than later but to be on the safe side, I suggest locking in any deal that you’re happy to book as soon as you can firm up your plans.
[HT: Loyalty Lobby]
