As regular readers will know my other half who works for the NHS and as such I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that we probably haven’t used the 30% Hilton Public Sector discount anywhere near as much as we should!
In fact, when I originally told Hannah she was entitled to a very generous discounted rate I was initially met by disbelief. She then quite rightly went on to highlight that only a small handful of public sector workers actually know that this epic deal exists. As such if you know someone who’d benefit from this great deal please do take the time to share…
So what’s the deal? If you work in the public sector Hilton are offering a permanent 30% discount on the Best Available Bed and Breakfast Rate at participating hotels across the Hilton group. This is with the exception of the Hampton by Hilton which offers a reduced discount of 20%.
The promotion is available for leisure stays and is usually available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, although there are occasions when additional availability is released during the week (mainly in August).
Hilton doesn’t just stop there, public sector employees are also entitled to 30% of LivingWell gym memberships. Worth considering if you live close to a full service Hilton!
Read on to find out how the Hilton public sector rates compare with other deals as well as a quick look at those pesky T&Cs so you don’t get caught out!
Hilton Public Sector Rates Example
Let’s start by taking a look at a couple of examples. First let’s start with the UK.
Fancy a trip to London? Why not book the DoubleTree London Excel for £118 versus the already reduced Honors rate of £151. Note that the public sector discount is based on the Best Available B&B Rate rather than other discounted rates…
How About a Trip Somewhere Sunny?
The UK public sector discounted rates aren’t just available in the UK. See an example for the Hilton Garden Inn Venice below.
Let’s Take a Look at the T&Cs
Now like all special offers, there are a couple of terms and conditions you should be aware of when using the 30% Hilton public sector code.
Unlike the Hilton Honors Discount rate (highlighted above) which only requires payment upon arrival and cancellation up to 1 day before, the Hilton public sector rates are non-refundable and your card will be charged immediately. If your plans are likely to be subject to change, then the slightly more expensive option may be more appropriate.
Hilton defines the public sector as follows:
“Organisations that have a direct report to a UK Government Ministry (including the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Assemblies), are entirely funded by UK Tax Payers’ money, are non-profit making and operate entirely for the public interest and have no commercial interests whatsoever.”
Public sector Hilton redemptions are usually only available on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Although a small selection of the hotels also release midweek availability during August.
How to Book Hilton Public Sector Discount
Historically you had to use the Hilton Public Sector code – PR11PN – to redeem discounted hotel stays. This has now changed and you can simply go to the Hilton Public Sector website (found here) to book.
Completely Free Hilton Stay
As I alluded to earlier, there is a rather amazing (if I don’t say so myself) alternative which if used correctly has the potential to provide a completely free night’s stay. How’s this possible? By using the wonders that are credit card sign-up bonuses, it’s possible to earn enough points in a couple of months to easily redeem a night’s stay at a Hilton hotel.
As regular readers will know, the credit card industry is highly competitive and as such card providers are having to offer ever more generous rewards to both attract new customers and retain existing customers. As such some of the sign-up bonuses can be worth well over £150.
One of the most generous cards in the UK market is the American Express Gold card which I’ve reviewed in full here. The card is free for the first year and offers a sign-up bonus of 10,000 reward points when you spend £3,000 in the first 3 months. The sign up bonus can be increased to 12,000 points using this link. You’ll also benefit from 2 free airport lounge passes!
These reward points can be transferred to Hilton Honors at a rate of 1 reward point to 2 Hilton Honor points. The 24,000 Hilton Honors points earned from the sign-up bonus would be enough to book the likes of the Hampton by Hilton Liverpool as seen below.
Not bad hey! Now there’s one further thing you need to know. After the first free year the Gold card comes with a hefty annual fee of £140 – we would strongly recommend cancelling the card before the 12-month period is up.
American Express reward points can be used for various redemptions ranging from Amazon vouchers to British Airways air miles. For further information I’d suggest reading my recent article on the best use for American Express reward points to maximise value.
Let’s Wrap this Up!
As we’ve seen, the discounted Hilton public sector rates are extremely generous and simple to use. If you work in or for the public sector simply head to the Hilton Public Sector website (found here) to receive between 20%-30% off all leisure bookings. You’re also eligible to receive a 30% discount on LivingWell gym memberships!
Hilton occasionally require proof that you work for the public sector so don’t forget to take a copy of your ID with you. If you’re a Hilton Honors member it’s also possible to earn points for your heavily reduced stay!
If you’re interested in collecting enough points for either a free night’s stay (or alternatively enough points for 2 EU return flights with BA) then you may find my Amex Gold card review useful. You can also read how I combined this with one other credit card to redeem two First Class BA tickets from London to Sao Paulo (article found here).
Finally don’t forget that the Hilton public sector rates are non-refundable so if there’s even the slightest risk you may need to change your booking, the standard, slightly more expensive option may be preferable.
We hope you’ve found this review covering Hilton public sector rates useful and as we mentioned earlier, if you know anyone else who may benefit from this please do take the time to share (they’ll thank you for it!).
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