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Every now and then, an aspirational travel opportunity comes around that’s really worth thinking about. This is one such example…

We ordinarily value Hilton Honors points at around 0.3 pence each, so anything in excess of that offers clear value. One such redemption possibility has just appeared at a truly superb hotel, and the availability is very good.

Indeed, the current redemption opportunities at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi are excellent. This is a stunning hotel, and just about as “aspirational” as it gets. In short, if you can make it work for you, its a really good way to redeem your Hilton points.

As we note below, now is also an excellent time to buy Hilton points, as a 100% bonus is available, meaning points cost a very reasonable 0.5 US cents each. That means that even if this deal is beyond your current points total, you can top up your account at an affordable price.

Wide availability

Right through until 2022, you can get around 1 pence per point value on your Hilton Honors points redemptions at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi. What that means in simple terms, is a room that would ordinarily cost around £1200 per night, is available for 120,000 Honors points.

Note that this rate is for a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids), as it applies to villas at the resort.

Here’s a stark example in August 2021:

Note that you save a quite incredible 527,000 points a night by opting for the ‘Standard Room Reward’ Reef Villa instead of the Overwater Villa.

The rates spill into 2022 as well, here’s an example in March 2022:

As you can see from the cash rate here, you’re actually getting MORE than 1 pence value from your Hilton Honors points. Indeed, using the 0.3p per point valuation, you would effectively be ‘paying’ approximately £360 a night for a £1,228 room. I appreciate that’s still not cheap, but it’s an incredible saving and quite phenomenal use of any Hilton points you may have saved up.

Better still, stay 5 nights via the fifth night free option and (using the 0.3p valuation) you’ll end up paying an effective rate of around £288 a night. That’s an effective reduction of over 75% on the cash rate. 

Indeed, even with a direct points purchase, using the 100% bonus on buying Hilton points, you can currently simply “buy” a night at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, through a points purchase, for US $600 (which gets you 60,000 plus 60,000 points). That’s £422 for a £1228 room, via a purchase made directly from Hilton! If you took advantage of the ‘fifth night free’ on points redemptions, that would come down to ~£336 per night.

Sumner’s Final Thought

I fully appreciate that, regardless of how good this saving is, these rooms are still quite expensive. I also understand that with travel very uncertain at the moment, people are understandably nervous about commitment to future travel. However, this really is a fantastic opportunity and, crucially, Hilton points bookings are fully refundable.

Therefore, if you have an existing points balance, this is a great time to use them, knowing that you can always get them back if the trip does not work for you. Similarly, you can buy points with a 100% bonus, safe in the knowledge that if you then cancel any Maldives booking for a refund, you’ve still secured the points at a very fair price.

(Images courtesy of Hilton)