Hilton discontinued its free breakfast benefit for Gold and Diamond elite members earlier this year. In its place, they implemented a new credit system. Well, now Hilton adjusts its food and beverage credits with new amounts and has extended the “trial period.”
In July, Hilton decided to ax one of its mainstay elite benefits – free breakfast. However, to maintain value for its elite members, Hilton introduced a new food & beverage credit system instead. These changes were supposed to be temporary – at least, that’s what Hilton said at the time. But, it looks like this new system is getting some adjustments and will stick around a bit longer.
Hilton Adjusts Food and Beverage Credits
The amount of credit you receive under the new program varies based on what brand you’re staying with. At launch, these were the credits Hilton offered:
- $25 per person per day (max $50 per room per day) at Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and XLR
- $12 per person per day (max $24 per room per day) at Hilton, Signia by Hilton, DoubleTree, Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection, Canopy, and Motto – though this bumped to $15 per person per day (max $30 per room per day) in select markets
- $10 per person per day (max $20 per room per day) at Hilton Garden Inn
Well, beginning February 1, 2022, Hilton is adjusting the middle-tier benefits. Specifically, the credit is changing to $15 per day in most markets, while properties in select markets already providing $15 a day will see that credit bumped to $18. Per Hilton, those select market properties include “full-service and lifestyle properties located in the cities of Boston, Chicago, District of Columbia, Key West, Key Largo, New York City, San Francisco, the County of Los Angeles, and the state of Hawaii.”
F&B Credits Extended
Originally, the above credits were to run through the end of 2021. But, given the start date of the newly adjusted credit amounts, that’s no longer the case. In fact, Hilton now states we’ll see the credits remain at least through 2022.
Final Thoughts
I’ve used these credits exactly once so far. I’ll share more on that experience when I write up my Maui trip report. But, suffice to say, it served its purposes for us. Sure, it didn’t cover the full cost of our meal, but I’d much prefer this over a free continental breakfast. What’s more, because we didn’t eat breakfast on-property every day, being able to apply it to dinner made it far more valuable to me.
Plus, for those of you coming to the islands, the increase will help you get a bit more too now. For example, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, you can now get an order of pancakes or waffles at Tropics Bar & Grill, since both of those cost $18. And over at the Hilton Waikiki Beach, the credit now covers the omelet and some sandwiches along with most of their pancakes. Sure, you still aren’t getting a free breakfast in most cases, especially not after tax or tip. But, do you really want a continental breakfast?
Look, I’m not trying to defend Hilton here, but I’ve had worse values before. And, as you’ll see in a coming post, you can still get value out of these credits.