Hilton launches into the hostel market with its new Motto brand

Hilton is breaking into the hostel market, of all things, with the launch of a new brand – Motto.  And London is going to be the testing ground.

Motto “is a micro-hotel with an urban vibe in prime global locations”.

In plain English, Hilton believes that extended family groups or large groups of friends are happy to share rooms.  However, they don’t want to stay in a traditional hostel.  This is a market which the Generator chain dominates, creating hostels with private rooms and funky shared spaces.

The mock-up Motto room below explains it better.  As you can see, you have a double bedded room connecting to a living room with a pull down bed connecting to a room sleeping three, including a bunk bed.

The average room will be a super-small 14 square metres and may have bunk beds or beds which flip down from the walls.  The majority of rooms will connect so you can build the exact space you need for your group.  Interestingly, Motto rooms can be booked online using multiple credit cards in order to split the payment between friends.

The first site will be a 100-bed Motto in Marylebone, London.  Demolition of an existing building is already underway and the ho(s)tel is due to open in 2020.

It will be interesting to see how these stays are treated by Hilton Honors, as they are likely to provide a cheap way to run up additional night credit if you are chasing status.

How to earn Hilton Honors points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Hilton Honors points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Hilton Honors Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Did you know that the Virgin Atlantic credit cards are a great way of earning Hilton Honors points? Two Virgin Points can be converted into three Hilton Honors points. The Virgin Atlantic cards are the only Visa or Mastercard products in the UK which can indirectly earn Hilton Honors points. You can apply here.

You can also earn Hilton Honors points indirectly with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Hilton Honors points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)