New Hilton Santorini, Accor Points & Gift Card Deals
The article details several travel industry updates, including a new Hilton LXR property in Santorini, an Accor bonus points promotion, and an Accor gift card offer.
Sandblu Santorini, a 66-room luxury resort with 29 private pools, will join Hilton's LXR brand from Summer 2026. Located on the eastern coast in Kamari, it aims to leverage Hilton's global system, especially for the American market, after opening independently in July 2024. Benefits for guests include redemptions at 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night, offering good value against £400+ cash rates, particularly with the “5-4-4” reward deal for elite members. Basic reward rooms are spacious (35 sq m) and can sleep three. Booking via a luxury hotel partner unlocks additional “Hilton for Luxury” benefits like complimentary breakfast, a $100 hotel credit, double points, and potential upgrades. A potential risk for Hilton's LXR brand is its described “struggling” status, and the resort itself “presumably struggled to stand out” before this tie-up.
ALL Accor is offering 1,000 bonus points (worth €20) for eligible two-night-plus stays at select brands in various European and North African countries, including the UK. To qualify, members must register by January 12, 2026, book an “Advance Saver” rate for stays between December 17, 2025, and February 27, 2026, and can earn the bonus twice. A key risk is that existing bookings made before registration do not count, requiring rebooking, which necessitates checking cancellation terms and current prices. Separately, Accor members can link their accounts with Qatar Airways Privilege Club to earn 1 Avios per €1 spent on top of regular Accor points, offering a straightforward benefit with no downside.
Finally, an extended Black Friday deal provides 1,000 bonus ALL Accor points (€20 value) when purchasing a £200+ or €200+ Accor gift card by December 9th. This provides an effective discount of over 8.5%. The bonus is limited to one per account. These gift cards can even be used for pre-paid stays, with the hotel refunding the value at check-out. A risk is ensuring the gift card is valid at the intended hotel, requiring a check of the participating hotels PDF.
(Source: https://www.headforpoints.com/2025/12/07/sandblu-santorini-joins-hilton/)
