YOTEL, a low-cost hotel chain found in some airports and city centers, is joining the Hilton Honors program. By the end of 2026, YOTEL properties will be bookable through Hilton channels, which presumably means that Hilton members will be able to earn and redeem points on YOTEL bookings.
Hilton announced this partnership a few days ago, along with the launch of a “Select by Hilton” brand umbrella under which it will fall. While details about points earning were not included in the announcement, I would guess that it is likely that this new “Select by Hilton” brand will earn 5 base points per $1 spent rather than the full 10 points per dollar earned at most Hilton brands.
Also still a mystery at this point is how elite benefits would work. I haven’t personally stayed at a YOTEL property, but my understanding is that they were usually pretty limited-service. I’ve seen them positioned as transit hotels in several airports around the world, and there are some city-center locations. I wouldn’t expect full Hilton benefits, but we’ll see how they handle things as they launch the brand later this year.
As Head for Points notes, Hilton has not taken over YOTEL. For now, this is more of a marketing partnership. Perhaps we will see an acquisition down the road.
On the surface, this partnership lacks some of the intrigue we’ve seen for its partnerships with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) and AutoCamp. However, I’m glad to see this partnership expand a different side of Hilton’s footprint. There have been times where I’ve wanted to book a transit hotel and been surprised by the prices for on-airport properties like YOTEL. I could imagine scenarios where redeeming points could be attractive, depending on the value per Hilton point. While Hilton Honors points have become closer and closer to a fixed-value currency in recent years, we sometimes see standout value at the top and bottom ends, so perhaps there will be some good point redemption opportunities via YOTEL. Time will tell.
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