My Favorite Hilton Brand Doesn’t Feel Like a Hilton

As a Hilton elite status holder since 2018, I’ve stayed at my fair share of Hilton Garden Inns, and they’re fine. But for a nicer stay, I keep coming back to one brand for its unique vibes: The Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

Tapestry is one of Hilton’s “soft brands,” meaning each property keeps its own name, design and personality. Hilton launched it in 2017, and it’s now grown to about 200 hotels across more than 20 countries.

These properties have boutique-hotel energy — typically in excellent locations, with designs tied to local history. They’re not the top-tier resorts where you can’t lift a finger without someone helping you (which I personally find annoying). And importantly, they can be booked with Hilton points for Hilton free night awards. If you have these rewards, and don’t want a cookie-cutter hotel, Tapestry is a genuinely good option.

Three very different Tapestry stays

Hotel Virginia Santa Barbara, Tapestry Collection by Hilton: Built in 1916, this iconic downtown Santa Barbara, California, hotel is officially designated as a historic landmark. You can feel that history in the rooms, with original tilework, exposed brick walls and wrought iron details. The location puts you right next to State Street’s restaurants and about 15 minutes on foot to the beach. I loved the free bike rentals, which is a particularly valuable amenity in a bikeable city like Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara is known for its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and this hotel blends in both inside and out. (Photo by Sally French/NerdWallet)

With just 61 rooms, this is one of the smallest hotels in the Tapestry Collection — and one of the smallest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. The lobby staff definitely knew me by the end of my stay.

Hotel Resonance Taipei, Tapestry Collection by Hilton: I spent two days of my honeymoon at this hotel. (The stay was hosted by the hotel, but the opinions are my own.)

The hotel is located on a piece of land that was once a camphor tree farm. Camphor was historically used to make celluloid (the raw material for photographic film), so the whole hotel leans into a subtle film-and-movie theme as a tribute to that history. For example, the standard “Do Not Disturb” signs you’d expect in rooms instead are “On Air” signs.

Indoors, Architecture, Building — The lobby of the Hotel Resonance Taipei, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. (Photo by Sally French/NerdWallet)

The location is excellent: It’s just a few steps away from Fuhang Soymilk (one of Taipei’s best traditional breakfast spots) and half a mile away from Taipei Main Station.

The Monsaraz San Diego, Tapestry Collection by Hilton: I booked this hotel, named after a small town in Portugal, for how close it was to San Diego International Airport (a 6-minute drive or a roughly 30-minute walk), but I became a fan because of its mid-century modern architecture with Portuguese influence.

I was obsessed with the geometric tilework in the bathrooms. This is a property for people who like to chill, evidenced by features like a live guitarist playing in the open-air courtyard by the fireplace on most nights. I ended up hanging out here in the evenings to wind down after returning from San Diego’s other high-energy neighborhoods like the Gaslamp Quarter.

Sink, Indoors, Basin — The bathroom at The Monsaraz San Diego, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. (Photo by Sally French/NerdWallet)

None of these properties feel like chain hotels to me — even though they all run on Hilton’s booking and loyalty backend.

When I look for hotel stays, I always check to see if staying at a Tapestry Collection is an option. But those stays aren’t cheap — so I also look for ways to save. Here are some tactics I use:

I book with Hilton Honors points. Every Tapestry property is bookable on points, which you earn on any Hilton stay or through a Hilton co-branded credit card. I use this premium Hilton card, which earns 14x points on purchases made directly with Hilton. Terms apply.

I use the fifth-night-free perk. Hilton Honors gives you the fifth night free on standard room award bookings of five or more consecutive nights, and Tapestry hotels are included. I have my eye on trying this in New York City, where it’s easy to spend five days or more (and there are about a half-dozen Tapestry hotels to choose from).

I use my elite status for food and beverage credits. Because of the card I carry, I have Diamond Elite status with Hilton. That means I can get elite status benefits at Tapestry Collection hotels, since they participate in Hilton’s elite status program. It’s easy to get Hilton elite status by carrying a Hilton credit card. Gold and Diamond members get a food and beverage credit at most U.S. Tapestry hotels. The exact amount varies by hotel, but it’s usually about $15 per person ($30 with two people) per night.

To find a location, filter your Hilton results by “Hotel Brand” and select “Tapestry.” There might be more options than you expect.

How to maximize your rewards

About the author

Sally French is co-host of the Smart Travel podcast and a writer on NerdWallet’s travel team. Before joining NerdWallet as a travel rewards expert in 2020, she wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter.

Outside of work, she loves fitness, and she competes in both powerlifting and weightlifting (she can deadlift more than triple bodyweight). Naturally, her travels always involve a fitness component, including a week of cycling up the coastline of Vietnam and a camping trip to the Arctic Circle, where she biked over the sea ice. Other adventures have included hiking 25 miles in one day through Italy’s Cinque Terre and climbing the 1,260 steps to Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand.

She lives in San Francisco.

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