Hilton is teaming up with Scandic Hotels Group to expand its presence across Northern Europe. And new benefits are in the works for Hilton Honors and Scandic Friends members.
The companies announced a multi-year agreement covering Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Scandic will help develop and operate Hilton-branded hotels across the region, although the agreement doesn’t involve converting Scandic’s existing portfolio into Hilton properties.
What Does This Mean for Hilton Honors Members?
Hilton and Scandic say they’ll introduce new benefits for members of their respective loyalty programs, but haven’t shared any details yet.
According to the announcement made on October 19:
“The companies will also announce new benefits for members of the Hilton Honors and Scandic Friends loyalty programs at a later date, with the shared ambition to further open the Nordics to Hilton Honors members and the world to Scandic Friends.”
Whether that means reciprocal elite benefits, opportunities to earn points, or even the ability to redeem Hilton Honors points at Scandic hotels is still up in the air.
Scandic is the largest hotel operator in the Nordics, so the possibility of accessing more hotels across the region could be particularly appealing to Hilton Honors members.
For now, though, Scandic hotels aren’t joining Hilton Honors, and there’s no indication that members can earn or redeem Hilton points at those properties.
We’ve reached out to Hilton for more information about the planned loyalty benefits.
The first hotel announced under the agreement is a 284-room Hilton near Copenhagen Airport, which is expected to open in 2029. The property will feature an executive lounge overlooking the Öresund Strait, along with a restaurant, bar, and wellness facilities.
The companies already work together in Finland, where Scandic operates three Hilton properties: Hilton Helsinki Airport, Hilton Helsinki Strand, and Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa.
Hilton also plans to renovate the Hilton Helsinki Airport.
Additional Hilton properties could follow across the four Nordic countries, although no other locations or opening dates have been announced.
For years, hotel elite status was largely the domain of frequent travelers. Spend enough nights at a hotel chain, and you could earn perks like room upgrades, late checkout, and complimentary breakfast.
That’s still one way to earn status, but it’s far from the only (and easiest) one.
Credit cards and other qualification pathways have made elite status accessible to travelers who might spend only a handful of nights in hotels each year.
And according to Hilton, status is becoming increasingly important to travelers, even beyond the benefits it provides.
In its newly released 2027 Trends Report, Hilton found that 64% of travelers with loyalty status take pride in it, while 43% view it a sign of personal success. Half of respondents also said they’re more likely to trust travel recommendations from someone with loyalty status than someone without it.
On top of that, 38% said they would take a trip specifically to earn or maintain their status.
Those findings surface an interesting (and perhaps obvious) question for hotel companies: As more travelers gain access to elite status, how do you make sure it continues to mean something?
Points Insider put that question to Hilton, along with several others about how the company is approaching its increasingly diverse loyalty membership.
Hilton Wants Status to Appeal to More Travelers
Hilton doesn’t see a conflict between making elite status more accessible and preserving its value.
“We don’t see accessibility and exclusivity as opposing forces,” Brad Anderson, Vice President, Hilton Honors Program, told Points Insider. “Our goal is to make Hilton Honors rewarding for more travelers while ensuring that we continue to deliver meaningful, differentiated value at every status tier level.”
Someone who stays at a Hilton property a few times a year has different expectations from a business traveler who spends 80 or more nights (and several thousand dollars) annually in hotels. But Hilton wants both customers to find reasons to participate in its loyalty program.
And the company isn’t shy about the role status plays in encouraging repeat business.
Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana. HILTON
“Our goal for all tiers is both recognition and continued engagement,” Anderson said in response to a question about the role of lower and mid-tier status.
That means offering benefits travelers can appreciate at different levels, while giving them reasons to continue choosing Hilton.
Basic Hilton Honors membership comes with benefits like discounted member rates and access to Points & Money bookings. Silver adds perks such as Fifth Night Free on reward stays, while Gold introduces benefits like space-available room upgrades and a daily food and beverage credit at eligible U.S. properties. Diamond takes those benefits another step further.
Hilton describes Gold as the point where the value of status really takes off. And there’s a good case for that. The food and beverage credit, for example, puts a tangible dollar value on a benefit that members can use during their stays.
Of course, Gold status is also available through certain Hilton co-branded credit cards, as well as some non-Hilton American Express cards. Travelers don’t necessarily have to spend dozens of nights in hotels to receive its benefits.
In fact, someone could earn Gold without a single hotel stay, simply by holding an eligible credit card with an annual fee as low as $150. Diamond is available on a card with a $550 annual-fee card, while Silver is a perk of another with no annual fee.
For Hilton, those different paths allow the program to serve travelers with very different habits and spending levels.
Making Room for More Exclusive Benefits
At the other end of the spectrum, Hilton is also creating greater differentiation for its most frequent and highest-spending customers.
The clearest example is Diamond Reserve. This is the company’s newest and most exclusive Hilton Honors tier. It sits two levels above Gold and one above Diamond.
Unlike status levels that can be obtained through certain credit cards, Diamond Reserve requires 80 nights or 40 stays, plus $18,000 in annual eligible spending.
Benefits include a 120% points bonus, guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, dedicated 24/7 support, and a Confirmable Upgrade Reward that can be used to secure an upgrade of up to a one-bedroom suite at booking.
Hilton specifically pointed to Diamond Reserve when Points Insider asked how the company intends to preserve the meaning and value of elite status as access expands.
It’s one way Hilton can recognize its most frequent and highest-spending guests while keeping other status tiers accessible to a wider range of travelers.
Hilton Panama. HILTON
But Can Hilton Deliver on Those Benefits?
There’s a practical challenge to making elite status more widely available.
Some benefits, such as bonus points, are relatively straightforward to provide. Others, particularly room upgrades, depend on availability. When multiple elite members are staying at the same hotel, not everyone can receive an upgraded room.
In its 2027 Trends Report, Hilton says it delivered more than 1 million automated upgrades to Honors members during the first half of 2026.
That’s a big number, but it doesn’t tell us how often eligible members actually receive an upgrade.
Points Insider asked Hilton for additional context, including how many eligible stays or members were considered for those upgrades. The company didn’t provide those details.
Instead, Hilton pointed to changes intended to make upgrades more transparent and predictable.
Its Upgrade at Digital Check-In feature allows Gold, Diamond, and Diamond Reserve members to see complimentary and paid upgrade options in the Hilton Honors app before arriving at the hotel. Diamond Reserve members also receive a Confirmable Upgrade Reward.
“Ultimately, our goal is to make elite recognition more personal, more guaranteed and more attainable for every member who earns it,” Anderson said.
The distinction between guaranteed benefits and those subject to availability remains important, particularly as more travelers gain access to elite status.
A Broader Definition of Loyalty
One question Hilton declined to answer was how its elite membership breaks down between travelers who earn status through hotel stays and those who receive or accelerate it through credit cards.
The company confirmed that it tracks a range of membership metrics but doesn’t disclose the share of elite members qualifying through different pathways.
Without those figures, it’s difficult to determine how much the composition of Hilton’s elite membership has changed as status has become more accessible.
Hilton’s research indicates that elite status can influence not only how travelers feel about themselves but also where they spend their money and whose recommendations they trust.
And as Anderson’s responses suggest, Hilton sees status as more than a reward for its most frequent guests. It’s also a way to encourage occasional travelers to engage with the brand, while giving more frequent customers additional reasons to stay on the hamster wheel.
The question is whether Hilton can continue delivering benefits that members value as more travelers gain access to them.
Hilton has a new resort on Kauai, and there’s a pretty good reason to consider using points to stay there.
Hale Hōkūala Kauaʻi, Curio Collection by Hilton opened October 2. It’s the Curio Collection brand’s first property in Hawaii.
The newly built resort has 210 rooms overlooking Nāwiliwili Bay near Kalapakī Beach and Līhuʻe Airport (LIH). There are 23 suites, a pool, access to a full-service spa, tennis and pickleball courts, more than five miles of trails, and preferred tee times at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Ocean Course at Hōkūala.
There’s also a cultural program developed with local organizations and practitioners, two restaurants, and plenty of outdoor space across the wider Hōkūala resort community.
Standard Rooms Are Wide Open With Points
Hale Hōkūala currently has standard rooms available for 120,000 Hilton Honors points across a wide range of dates. Really, as far as the eye can see.
That’s a lot of points for one night. But then again, this isn’t a cheap resort.
Around the Christmas holiday, for example, we found a Resort View room with one king bed for an Honors Discount rate of $689.08. Add $48 in fees and $137.91 in taxes and government charges, and the total comes to $874.99 for one night.
Or you can snag the same room for 120,000 points.
HILTON
There’s an important Hilton Honors benefit working in favor of the points rate, too. At participating hotels with resort fees, Hilton waives those fees on stays booked entirely with points or using an eligible free night reward.
The “entirely” part matters a lot. A Points & Money booking doesn’t get the same treatment.
And skipping the resort fee doesn’t mean skipping what comes with it. Hale Hōkūala’s $48 daily resort charge includes internet access, cultural activities, bicycle rentals, beach gear, an hour of tennis or pickleball court time with equipment, lawn games, refillable water bottles, and reef-safe sunscreen. Those benefits are still included on an eligible points or free-night stay.
Free night rewards play here as well. Some Hilton credit cards offer them as an ongoing benefit or, at times, as part of a welcome offer. Since eligible rewards can be used when a standard room is available, all of this availability makes Hale Hōkūala a potentially useful place to redeem one.
If you don’t have Hilton points, you’re not out of luck.
Hilton regularly sells Honors points with a bonus. During its better promotions, the price can drop to 0.5 cents per point. At that price, buying 120,000 points would cost $600.
Against the $874.99 Christmas-period rate we found, that’s a difference of nearly $275 for one night.
That doesn’t mean buying Hilton points is always worth it. Points sales come and go, cash rates change, and there’s no guarantee all of this (consistent) 120,000-point availability will stick around.
The better method is to find the room first and do the math from there. Anyone who already has some Hilton points would need to buy fewer, while still booking the stay entirely with points to get the resort fee waived.
Hale Hokuala Kauai. HILTON
And there’s one more opportunity for longer stays. Hilton Honors elite members (of any tier, so Silver and above) get the fifth night free on qualifying stays booked entirely with points.
Five nights at the 120,000-point standard rate would therefore cost 480,000 points instead of 600,000.
For a new Kauai resort where cash rates can climb toward $900 per night, there’s a pretty good case for checking the points price before paying cash.
Hotel promotions aren’t typically reasons on their own to book a trip. But when a stay is already on the calendar, registering for the right one can spell an easy opportunity to earn a few more points.
Marriott, IHG, Hyatt, Hilton, and Wyndham all have promotions for stays this fall, ranging from a few thousand bonus points to 4X bonus points.
Here’s what’s on offer.
Marriott Bonvoy: Up to 4,500 Bonus Points Per Stay
Marriott Bonvoy members can earn 1,500 bonus points on each eligible paid stay of at least two nights through November 22.
If you stay at a participating resort, Marriott adds another 3,000 points. That brings the total to 4,500 bonus points per stay.
There’s no limit to the number of qualifying stays, but registration is required by November 13. Only eligible paid stays completed after registering qualify, so it’s worth registering before the next Marriott stay rather than waiting until checkout.
IHG One Rewards is offering up to 3X points on stays from October 1 through December 31.
There’s a catch, though: the first qualifying stay doesn’t earn any bonus points.
Starting with the second stay, members earn 2X points when booking through an IHG direct channel. If you book through the IHG app, WeChat, or LINE instead, that increases to 3X points instead.
There’s no cap on the number of bonus points that can be earned.
Registration is required, and stays completed before registering don’t count. That makes this one worth registering for before the first IHG stay of the promotion, even though the extra points don’t start until stay number two.
World of Hyatt is keeping the math relatively simple with its fall promo.
Members can earn 3,000 bonus points for every three eligible nights after registering, up to a maximum of 36,000 bonus points.
Participating Hyatt hotels and resorts count, along with participating Mr & Mrs Smith properties, The Venetian Resort, and Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt.
There’s another useful difference here: points stays do count. An eligible night can be booked with an eligible paid rate or a free night award.
The bonus starts with the first eligible stay after registration.
Hilton’s More Points to Play promotion starts October 15 and runs through December 31.
Registered Hilton Honors members earn 3,000 bonus points per stay at participating luxury, lifestyle, and resort properties. Stays at other Hilton properties earn 1,000 bonus points.
There’s no overall cap on the number of bonus points one can earn.
This promotion rewards stays rather than nights, which makes shorter stays particularly interesting. Three separate one-night stays at eligible luxury, lifestyle, or resort properties, for example, would earn 9,000 bonus points.
Registration is required before completing a qualifying stay.
Buying hotel points might sound like an unnecessary extra step. After all, if a room is available, why not just pay for it?
Sometimes there’s a good reason. Buying the points needed to book a room can cost less than paying the hotel directly.
Hilton Honors sells points throughout the year and frequently runs promotions that lower their cost. There’s little reason to buy just because a sale is happening. But with a Hilton stay already in mind, it takes only a few seconds to see whether buying points could save money.
Current Hilton Buy Points Offer
Hilton is currently offering up to a 120% bonus when buying points, dropping the purchase price as low as ~0.45 cents each.
Current promotion: Up to 120% bonus
Lowest price per point: Roughly 0.45 cents
Offer ends: November 21, 2026
Offer purchase limit: 240,000 points before the bonus
Annual purchase limit: 240,000 points before any bonus
Hilton runs points sales fairly regularly, so there’s rarely a reason to buy solely because a promotion is happening or ending soon. The history below shows how the current offer compares with previous ones. Click the arrow to see past offers.
First, find how many Hilton points a hotel requires. Then figure out how much it would cost to buy those points under the current promotion and compare that with the cash price for the same stay.
The math is simple:
Points needed × current price per point = cost to buy the points
Say Hilton is selling points for 0.45 cents each and a hotel costs 60,000 points per night. Buying 60,000 points would cost $270.
If the same room costs $425 in cash, buying the points could save $155. If the room costs $250, paying cash is the easy choice.
That’s really all there is to it.
CERI BREEZE / ISTOCK
There are a few things that can change the math even more. For example, Hilton elite members get a fifth night free on eligible five-night award stays. This can drop the all-in cost of a stay even more.
There’s little reason to stock up on Hilton points without a stay in mind. As the promotion history above shows, Hilton sells points regularly, and another offer will eventually come along.
Instead, start with the hotel. Check the cash price, check the points price, and calculate what those points would cost to buy. Sometimes cash wins. Sometimes points do.
And when buying the points is cheaper, it’s a pretty easy way to save money on the exact same room.
