Hilton for Business: Is it worth joining?

At the start of 2024, Hilton rolled out a new programme called Hilton for Business, geared towards small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) too small to have a corporate account of their own. 

Hilton for Business offers SMBs a convenient way to track and manage their expenditure on travel, with special room rates and bonus points. There’s even a double elite nights promotion for all Hilton for Business owners and employees, valid for all paid and award nights for the rest of 2024.

In this post I’ll walk you through the details of the Hilton for Business programme, including the key perks and who’s eligible to apply. 

Overview: Hilton for Business

Hilton for Business

Hilton for Business is free to join, and does not have a minimum spend requirement.

Companies enrolled in Hilton for Business enjoy the following benefits:

• Hilton for Business rates, usually cancellable up to one day before arrival
• A one-time bonus of 7,500 points after a programme member completes their first stay on a Hilton for Business rate
• A recurring bonus of 5,000 points for every 10 nights stayed by a programme member on a Hilton for Business rate (capped at 1.5 million points per calendar year)

Hilton for Business rates are eligible to earn elite night credits and points, and enjoy elite benefits such as room upgrades or free breakfast. Based on my searches, they are marginally cheaper than the member best flexible rate, but aren’t offered by all hotels.

Here’s an example from the Conrad Bangkok. Notice how the Hilton for Business rate (THB 6,230) is cheaper than the member flexible rate (THB 6,297), but not as cheap as the advance purchase (THB 5,409) rate. 

That’s the pattern you’ll see for most participating hotels, and if you usually book advance payment rates, I doubt you’ll find any savings with Hilton for Business. 

In that case, the real benefit are the 7,500 (one-time) and 5,000 (recurring) bonus points. The guest receives their usual Hilton Honors points and elite night credit on their personal account, but will also accumulate additional points in the Hilton for Business account. 

The person who set up the Hilton for Business account can then transfer the points to any employee (or even themselves). Keep in mind that the business itself can’t redeem points, as Hilton Honors memberships are for individuals only.

Who is eligible for Hilton for Business?

Hilton for Business is open to any SMB anywhere in the world that does not have an existing corporate contract with Hilton.

There’s just two things you need:

• A Hilton Honors account
  • When you register your company, you’ll be asked for your existing Hilton Honors account details, since that will be the account through which the Hilton for Business account is managed
• A work email address
  • You must provide an email address that matches your company’s unique domain. For example, I would need to provide an @milelion.com email address. Free email accounts such as Gmail or Yahoo will not be accepted (there is no need for the address on your existing Hilton Honors account to have the same suffix as the company’s domain)

Interestingly enough, there is no need to present proof of business registration or even an ACRA registration number for that matter. However, Hilton for Business will not accept a Google Business Profile, Facebook or LinkedIn page as proof of your organisation. You must have your own email server to qualify.

Registering for Hilton for Business

To register for Hilton for Business, visit this page and click “join for free”.

You’ll then be prompted to sign into your Hilton Honors account, and create a business profile. This includes your email domain, work email address, and company business address. As mentioned, you cannot use a public email service like Gmail or Yahoo to register. 

After submitting the form, you’ll receive a verification code in your work email, which you’ll need to complete registration.

At this point, you’ll receive an email titled “Welcome to Hilton for Business”. 

This, counterintuitively, does not mean you’re approved yet. All it means is that the manual review process has started, which takes “up to three business days”. In my experience, it took a week.

When that process is completed, you’ll receive a second email titled “Welcome to Hilton for Business, [your name]”. This is the approval mail.

Once approved, you’ll be able to select Hilton for Business under the special rates (there’s also an easy toggle called Travel for Business” that you can flick).

Hilton for Business double elite nights promotion

Hilton for Business

From 1 July to 31 December 2024, owners and employees of companies enrolled in Hilton for Business will earn double elite night credits on all stays.

• No registration is required for this offer
• The offer is equally applicable to new and existing Hilton for Business members
• There is no cap on the maximum number of bonus elite nights that can be earned
• There is no need to book a Hilton for Business rate; all eligible stays will earn double elite nights, even award stays
• Bonus elite nights will post within six weeks of completing the stay
• Bonus elite nights will be awarded for all nights that occur during the promotion period, regardless of check-in or check-out date

Double elite nights earned through this offer will count towards rollover night credit, Hilton Honors lifetime status and milestone rewards. 

You can read more about this offer below.

Hilton for Business offering double elite nights till end 2024

Conclusion

Even if the Hilton for Business rate may not result in big savings, joining the programme is a no-brainer in my book, simply because of the bonus points and limited-time double elite nights on offer. There’s no programme fee nor minimum spend requirement; all you need to do is fill up a form and wait for verification to be completed. 

Once that’s done, grab the easy 7,500 bonus points on offer with a Hilton for Business stay, then enjoy the double elite nights on all paid and award stays till the end of 2024. Anything beyond that is just a bonus.