Small Luxury Hotels Partners With Hilton, Parts Ways With Hyatt

We weren’t expecting this one.

Hilton Hotels has announced it will be partnering with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) as part of a new strategy giving Hilton guests access to hundreds of new independent boutique-style hotels.

“This relationship with Small Luxury Hotels of the World will grant Hilton customers and Hilton Honors members access to a community of high-end boutique hotels in exciting new luxury travel destinations, giving them more ways to dream, book, and earn and redeem points with Hilton,” said Chris Silcock, president of global brands and commercial services at Hilton.

Let’s take a look at the details.

Hilton Honors Members Will Soon Have Access to Hundreds of Luxury Boutique Hotels

The 560 boutique-style hotels that feature as part of the SLH collection will soon be bookable through Hilton.com and, more importantly, using Hilton Honors points.

“Hilton customers, including Hilton Honors members, gain access to our unrivalled collection of exceptional boutique hotels, while our properties enjoy amplified reach to a loyal and discerning audience. It’s a game changer for independently owned hotels on a global scale,” said Shaun Leleu, chairman at Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

SLH’s new partnership with Hilton will ultimately mean the end of its current relationship with Hyatt — meaning SLH hotels will no longer be bookable using World of Hyatt points.

“At this time, World of Hyatt members can still book participating SLH Hotels on Hyatt’s booking channels, and nothing changes as of now for existing World of Hyatt member reservations,” a spokesperson for Hyatt confirmed to Upgraded Points. “More information on the end of this relationship will be shared with guests and members in the coming months.”

The news that Hyatt is parting ways with SLH is not surprising given Hyatt recently acquired Mr & Mrs Smith, a London-headquartered group of boutique properties.

Hilton is yet to advise of the exact date when all 560 SLH properties will be bookable via Hilton.com.

Final Thoughts

While the news of SLH’s partnership with Hilton will be welcomed by Hilton Honors members, World of Hyatt members will likely be disappointed that SLH properties will no longer be bookable with Hyatt points.

We look forward to the partnership becoming official and will continue to keep you updated as we find out more information.