Hilton has just released the latest list of hotels that will be changing category effective for award bookings made after Wednesday, October 12th. Overall there are 21 properties that are going up in category while 33 properties will go down, which represents a net movement of 12. Considering there are more than 4,500 properties in their portfolio, these changes represent a <1% change, so its not too much of a big deal. You can check out the full list here.
Usually I do not keep up with the changes since it does not really affect me, but upon closely inspecting the list, a property stood out for me - the Doubletree by Hilton Beijing. I have always wanted to do a stay here because being a Category 2 hotel which requires 10,000 points a night, it made for such a good redemption. But sadly it is increasing to a Category 3 hotel which will require 20,000 points a night. Of course i have up to October 12th to make bookings, but we'll see.
Another thing I notice is the huge number of properties in Turkey that are decreasing in category. It really speaks volume about the safety of the country.
Ultimately the changes represent very minor changes, especially for properties in the Category 4-9 range since they have variable award pricing depending on seasons. I am very happy with the Hiltonhhonors program right now especially with the newest promo they have, which allows one to earn Triple Points when booking through the Hilton Honours app for bookings from October 4th - December 31st. No registration is required if one has already signed up for the Double Up promotion. And the great thing about this promo is that all hotels are participating, there is no point cap max, and no minimum night requirement.