Last month I was invited by Hilton Honors to experience their Concert Series at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. They provided complimentary admission to the event along with a hotel room at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas.
Hilton Honors Concert Series Overview
The Hilton Honors Concert Series is part of Hilton’s larger Hilton Honors Experiences program where members can redeem points for unique dining and cultural experiences including tours, concerts and more.
Here is the lineup for the 2019 Hilton Honors Concert Series:
- WALK THE MOON: March 1, Waldorf Astoria, Las Vegas
- Jake Owen: May 16, The Rustic, Houston
- Jessie J: June 15, Abbey Road Studios, London
- Brett Young: September 12, Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville
- Portugal. The Man: October 11, The Troubadour, Los Angeles
- Fitz and the Tantrums: November 8, Conrad Washington, DC
This year the concerts range in price from 40K-100K points for two tickets. The concert I attended (Walk the Moon) only cost 40K Hilton Honors points for two tickets with some members bidding a bit more to get a chance to meet the band before the show.
Hilton Honors points are generally considered to be worth about .6 cents each, meaning the “cost” was around the equivalent of $240 in my estimation. Feel free to substitute your own value for points to arrive at an equivalent cost for yourself.
My Hilton Honors Concert Experience
To start, I have to say that I have always been skeptical of redeeming points for anything other than hotels, but in this case I was surprised at the value received. While I was hosted by Hilton, any member could have redeemed 40K points for two tickets and a few hundred did.
In exchange for their points, members were treated to a very diverse and delicious menu of food, free flowing drinks and a very intimate concert held in one of Waldorf Astoria’s ballrooms.
Hilton Honors Concert Series – Pre-Concert Food & Drink
I am not going to lie. I was really impressed with the food offerings. Starting an hour before the performance Waldorf had several stations of food setup including: a taco bar, angus beef egg rolls, a slider bar, poke, crab cakes, short ribs and more. While all of that may seem meat centric, they also had vegan Impossible Burger sliders. They were delicious.
Hilton also didn’t skimp on the drinks. Several bars were setup serving a decent selection of alcohol. If you’ve ever been at an event with an open bar then you’ll know what to expect as far as selection. Hilton also had a champagne wall which was quite a hit with the guests.
Hilton Honors Concert Experience – The Concert
I am not going to lie and say I am a big fan of Walk the Moon. Or I should say I wasn’t a big fan before this concert. I had heard a few of their songs before, but didn’t really know what to expect going in. All I can say is the band really brought their “A” game and gave one hell of a concert. They played for a full 60 minutes and the crowd was really into it.
While I am not a huge fan of dense crowds, the venue was so intimate that I was able to stand to the side and still only be maybe 10 feet from the stage. The first picture at the top of this post shows the furthest back you would have been standing in the middle. If you are a hardcore fan of one of the bands, then this is a fantastic way to get to see them play in a much more intimate setting than you otherwise would.
Hilton Honors Concert Series – Post-Concert Desserts
Following the concert, Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas provided a “candy shop” with tons of very high quality desserts. This ensured that no one left the building hungry. Between the pre-concert food and drinks and the desserts at the end I’m sure everyone left satisfied.
Good Deal or No?
Again, I went into this as a skeptic of these types of redemptions, but I absolutely feel that people got a very good value at this concert. The concert was on a Friday night on one of the busiest weekends of the year in Vegas. For ~$120 each (use your own valuation of the points) they were treated to an awesome concert, plus an open bar and high quality food with dessert.
Conclusion
Hilton Honors offers a wide range of experiences you can redeem your points for. This year’s concert series started off with one heck of an event and it honestly has me looking at some of their other experiences. Had I paid the 40,000 points for the Walk the Moon concert I would have absolutely left satisfied.
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
