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With January now upon us, it’s worth reminding you that the current Hilton Europe, Middle East and Africa Winter Sale ends on the 31st of this month.

The sale offers up to 25% off, and we’ve already covered it in some detail, including what we consider to be the standout bargains. Dubai at £46 a night should be more than tempting for anyone seeking some winter sun.

While you need to book by 31 January, the sale rates apply to stays up until 29 May 2019.

This sale also ties in nicely with the ongoing and really quite generous Hilton status match offer…

Anyone currently holding mid- or top-tier status with another hotel loyalty scheme can have that status matched by Hilton, in the excellent Hilton Honors loyalty programme.

The status match is interesting, as it gives you a free “taster”, but also a corresponding challenge that lets successful participants keep the status a long way beyond the taster period.

The details are thus:

• Initially, Hilton will match your status for 90 days
• If you are matched to Gold, you then need to stay 4 times in those 90 days to get Gold for the full “Hilton elite year” (the rest of the year, all of the next year and then till 31 March of the year after that). If you are matched to Diamond, you need to stay 8 times in those 90 days to keep your status, although staying 4 times will secure you Gold.

If you can take advantage of this – even if just for the trial period – I strongly recommend doing so. Hilton Gold is excellent for a mid tier option, while the free lounge access that comes with Diamond can add even more value to your stay.