First UK YOTEL joins Hilton Honors, Harvey

The YOTELPAD Stratford in London is now available for booking on hilton.com. This marks the first UK property from the YOTEL brand to be integrated into the Hilton Honors loyalty programme following an announcement made in March. Hilton created a new brand called 'Select by Hilton' for YOTEL properties. YOTEL the company retains control of its brand and future franchising, but new properties must agree to be marketed through Hilton's system. The YOTEL Club loyalty programme is being wound down.

Elite breakfast benefits excluded

There is no breakfast benefit of any sort for Gold and Diamond members of Hilton Honors at YOTELPAD Stratford. The report states that no YOTEL properties will offer free breakfast to elite members. Most YOTEL hotels will offer a cash credit of £8 or equivalent per night towards food and drink. However, three specific hotels - YOTEL San Francisco, YOTEL New York, and YOTELPAD Stratford - will not offer even this cash credit. The only other Hilton brand with a global food and beverage credit instead of free breakfast is Motto.

Lower points earning rate

Stays at YOTEL properties will earn Hilton Honors points at a rate of 5 points per US dollar spent. This is half the usual earning rate of 10 points per dollar offered at most Hilton brands. The report notes that Spark, Hilton's fast-growing budget brand, also earns at this lower rate of 5 points per dollar. For those tracking their points, our stats page can be a useful resource.

Other UK hotels to follow

The 'Select by Hilton' platform went live in July, but initially included no UK YOTEL properties. With the YOTELPAD Stratford now listed, the other UK YOTEL hotels are expected to follow in due course. A pre-opening visit report for the Stratford property is linked on the source website. As more hotels join, you can check their availability in our fixtures section.

Unrelated gift card update

The source article also contains an unrelated note regarding Harvey Nichols gift cards. Harvey Nichols entered administration earlier this month and was bought by Frasers Group, which cancelled all outstanding gift cards. As a goodwill gesture, Frasers Group is willing to replace unspent Harvey Nichols gift cards. Cardholders must submit a form on the Harvey Nichols website by 30th September to receive a replacement card valid for 24 months. The source strongly recommends spending the replacement sooner rather than later, citing a risk of the company slipping back into administration and planned store closures in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Bristol.