Your Guide to the Hilton Honors & Small Luxury Hotels Partnership

If there is one thing that is pretty consistent in the world of miles and points it’s that things don’t tend to get better and devaluations are a part of life. But as part of the hobby, instead of getting frustrated you just learn to cope with it and develop strategies to better handle it, such as not hoarding points and instead burning them on redemptions as soon as you can.

However, while much more rare, there are sometimes changes that impact the hobby positively. One of the more recent changes in the hotel loyalty program space is that Hilton Honors will now partner with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (also known as SLH), which was previously partnered with World of Hyatt. Based on the information that is available so far, this partnership looks to be a massive benefit for Hilton Honors loyalists.

While many details of this new partnership are still being worked out and communicated accordingly, we wanted to get ahead of the game and share the information that is available so far to help miles and points enthusiasts plan out their next potential stay with this program. This article will be updated as more information is made available in the coming months.

Let’s take a look at what we know so far about Hilton Honors’ partnership with the Small Luxury Hotels of the World program and what we can expect to see over the coming years.

What is the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Program?

The Small Luxury Hotels of the World program is a collection of over 550 independent unique boutique hotels worldwide that aren’t directly tied to any major hotel loyalty program. 

SLH properties average around 50 rooms per property and with an emphasis on the highest standards of luxury, SLH brands itself as ‘anti-chain’ and an expression of their locality. These properties offer niche and curated experiences and are much more unique than your typical Hilton or Marriott property.

Needless to say, the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection will most likely have a hotel or resort that is a bit more interesting for your travel desires if you’re looking to break away from the cookie-cutter style hotels that dominate the chain hotel industry.

If you are interested in learning more Jeff previously wrote an article on Frugal Flyer about the World of Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership. The Hilton partnership will operate similarly to how it did with Hyatt, with a few interesting twists that we will touch on below.

As an aside, since they are no longer partnered with SLH, World of Hyatt is now partnered with Mr. and Mrs. Smith, another boutique luxury hotel program.

Benefits of Booking a Small Luxury Hotel of the World with Hilton Honors

When booking a Small Luxury Hotel of the World stay, there are no automatic benefits that are granted. Instead, hotel guests will receive benefits associated with their Hilton Honors Elite status level. For example, if you are a Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond member and expect to receive complimentary breakfast, you can expect to receive that same benefit or a food credit when staying at an SLH property. 

This further incentivizes chasing Hilton status knowing that it can be used across the entire chain including this new partnership. Thankfully, there are easy ways to earn Hilton Honors Gold and Diamonds status with minimal effort. Check out these articles for more information:

• Definitive Guide to Hilton Honors Gold Status
• Definitive Guide to Hilton Honors Diamond Status

There are minimal details on whether any other benefits will be offered or what members can expect, but we will update this article once more confirmed details are released.

How Can a Small Luxury Hotel of the World Be Booked with Hilton Honors?

Members can book eligible SLH properties with both Hilton Honors points and Hilton Honors free night certificates.

Hilton Honors Points

The main way to book Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties is by redeeming Hilton Honors points. Members can expect pricing to align with the existing Hilton Honors program pricing, meaning that standard room award nights should cap out around 150,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

Members will also be able to benefit from the “book four nights on points and get the fifth-night free” perk when making a redemption completely on points at an SLH property. This is a huge benefit as it effectively cuts the cost of your five-night stay by 20% and can result in a huge amount of points being saved.

The quickest way to earn Hilton Honors points is through credit card welcome bonuses on co-branded credit cards available in the United States. These cards are accessible by Canadians, so check out our US Credit Cards for Canadians guide if you are interested in learning how. 

The below cards are all worth considering if you are looking to build your Hilton Honors balance:

	Credit Card	Welcome Bonus	Net Value
	American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US)	150,000 Hilton Honors	$350	Apply
	American Express Hilton Honors Business Card (US)	130,000 Hilton Honors	$585	Apply
	American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card (US)	130,000 Hilton Honors	$630	Apply
	American Express Hilton Honors Card (US)	80,000 Hilton Honors	$480	Apply

Hilton Honors points can also be combined among members meaning that if you are earning points with a family member, it is that much easier and faster to earn enough points for your next hotel redemption.

Hilton Honors Free Night Certificates

Many of the above-mentioned American Express Hilton credit cards offer the ability to earn Hilton Honors free night certificates by either holding the card or spending a set amount on the card during a calendar year. These free night certificates can be redeemed at Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties where standard room award nights are available.

The most straightforward way to earn an annual free night certificate is by holding the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US), which gives cardholders a free night certificate upon approval and every cardholder anniversary thereafter.

American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US)

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American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US)

The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US) earns Hilton Honors points and offers cardholders an annual $400 Hilton Resort credit, a $200 airline fee credit, instant Hilton Diamond Elite status, an annual free night, and more.

Check out our American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card (US) review for more details.

BONUS
150,000 Hilton Honors

MINSPEND
$6,000

NET VALUE
$350+

ANNUAL FEE
$550

FOREX FEES
No

EXPIRY
–

The American Express Hilton Honors Aspire credit card also offers a couple of additional free night certificates that are granted upon spending $30,000 USD and $60,000 USD in a calendar year. For those with not as much spending capacity, the American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card (US) offers a free night certificate upon spending $15,000 USD in a calendar year.

What Properties Are Included in Small Luxury Hotels of the World?

While the Small Luxury Hotels of the World program has over 550 properties available, not all of those will be bookable through Hilton Honors upon the launch of the partnership. Hilton has publicly stated that they expect to start with 100 properties this summer which is slightly less than 20% of the entire SLH portfolio.

Once the initial properties are loaded, I expect to see the remainder of the hotels and resorts loaded into the system over time, most likely in batches. While it might take a while to get all properties loaded into the Hilton Honors system, it will definitely be worth the wait.

If you want to check out the entire portfolio, you can search through all Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties here.

Our Thoughts on This Partnership

While there was some hesitancy when it was announced that Hilton Honors would be partnering with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the details we have so far have blown our expectations out of the water. 

The fact that Hilton Honors members can redeem free night certificates and still enjoy the fifth night free when booking a stay on points at these properties is a major plus to this new partnership. I do think it will be interesting to watch closely as more properties are added to see where they land pricing-wise.

In our eyes, this new partnership makes the value of Hilton Honors points even greater. If you’ve been sleeping on the Hilton Honors loyalty program, now is a great time to jump in.

Conclusion

It’s refreshing when we see a change in the miles and points community that actually benefits members, and Hilton’s new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World does exactly that. I’m excited to have more details come out over the next few months and to see the first allotment of hotels loaded into the system for booking; I’ll be doing some digging to see if any potential redemption opportunities are available for my next few vacations.