Reflecting on my 1st 12 months as a Hilton Honors Diamond member

I imagine Hilton Honors is likely one of the finest (if not the finest) lodge loyalty applications.

For starters, there’s a enormous variety of Hilton properties within the U.S., Europe and world wide. I’ve hardly ever been to a vacation spot that does not have a Hilton property close by. This makes it simple to earn factors and supplies loads of choices to redeem your factors, too.

Additionally, you earn Gold standing in this system by proudly owning The Platinum Card® from American Specific. Whereas the cardboard comes with different elite lodge statuses, Hilton Gold is the one one that gives you with free breakfast. For that motive alone, I discover it to be the perfect standing this priceless card affords.

Lastly, in my expertise as a U.Okay.-based traveler, the elite recognition is unbelievable worldwide, and Hilton may be very beneficiant with early check-in and late checkout.

As a result of Hilton generously lowered elite night time necessities in 2021, I made top-tier Diamond standing for the primary time 12 months in the past. Listed here are 5 observations from my first 12 months as a Diamond member.

Elite recognition stays excellent

By this level, I can in all probability recite the phrase Hilton employees members use to acknowledge and thank me for my loyalty worldwide. I don’t know if this outcomes from constant and thorough entrance desk employees coaching, however in all my stays since incomes Diamond, they thanked me for being a Diamond member after which normally stated, “so I’ve upgraded you.” I’ve even obtained emails and app notifications earlier than check-in notifying me that I had already been upgraded.

That stated, a few of my U.S.-based colleagues have not had the identical luck with elite recognition on home stays. However as TPG reporter Kyle Olsen identified in a current article, it is usually simpler to get a greater worth to your Hilton Honors factors and elite standing perks on stays outdoors of the U.S.

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Room upgrades have been principally good

I hoped for multicategory room upgrades as a Diamond member, and I’ve obtained some. My finest was on the Sea Breeze Santorini Seaside Resort, Curio Assortment by Hilton. I booked a base room and obtained an improve to the largest and finest room on the resort — an unimaginable three-story, two-bedroom, three-bathroom villa with its personal personal pool.

It was spectacular.

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A property can solely improve me when there’s a higher room accessible. So throughout my quite a few and really unglamorous stays at Hilton Backyard Inns, I haven’t obtained upgrades as a result of there weren’t any higher rooms.

I haven’t pushed the boat out by reserving, say, the most cost effective room at a Conrad property with 10 room classes and seeing simply how far I might be upgraded. Nevertheless, since I requalified for Diamond in 2023, I can strive that.

US inns provide a weak food-and-beverage credit score

In 2022, I stayed at a number of U.S. Hilton properties — particularly in New York Metropolis — for work.

Whereas Diamonds obtain free breakfast at most properties worldwide, properties within the U.S. changed this with a each day food-and-beverage credit score. The speculation is that some friends don’t need or want breakfast, and they need to as a substitute have the pliability to obtain a free drink or night meal.

Diamond members obtain a $15 each day credit score in regular markets or an $18 each day credit score in premium (learn, “costlier”) markets like New York. In concept, if I’ve an early flight the subsequent day, I received’t have time for breakfast, so a credit score I can use the night time earlier than is an enchancment.

There’s one quite simple drawback with the food-and-beverage credit score: It doesn’t cowl the price of most lodge breakfasts within the U.S. This implies Diamonds not obtain a free meal as a result of they usually must pay the distinction.

Some inns re-priced their breakfasts to precisely the restrict of the each day credit score, after realizing that elite friends need free breakfast every day. Nonetheless, some haven’t. I’ve needed to pay out of pocket, all of the whereas scratching my head at how this helps reward loyalty. If you add the tax and tip, the ultimate invoice can simply be twice the quantity of the each day credit score.

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There’s additionally usually confusion round how the each day credit score works. Can I apply it to the day I examine in? Does that imply it doesn’t cowl breakfast the next morning? Can I mix two days of credit on someday if it’s two separate meals? Does every visitor within the room obtain the credit score?

Even in the event you don’t need breakfast and would slightly have a nightcap on the bar after an extended day, $18 is unlikely to cowl even one glass of wine if you embrace tax and tip in an costly metropolis like New York, Los Angeles or Miami. I don’t take into account one glass of wine an applicable substitute for a full, cooked buffet breakfast, and I’m not a fan of this alteration.

The promotions are countless

It is uncommon for a month to move with no Hilton promotion that helps you earn bonus factors or elite night time credit. The Hilton Honors program appears to supply fixed methods to earn extra. Incomes double factors for stays has been the norm, not the exception, in 2022. With the discount in elite nights to earn Diamond standing — in addition to a really helpful promotion for double elite night time credit for the previous few months of 2022 — I didn’t discover it tough to requalify for Diamond standing for subsequent 12 months.

Since qualification quantities will revert to pre-pandemic norms subsequent 12 months, I’ll want 42 nights to requalify once more for Diamond. I’m unsure if this can be potential with out extra of these beneficiant promotions.

Factors are simple to earn however not very priceless

It is common for me to earn 30,000 Hilton factors for a two-night keep at a midrange property when stacking the varied elite bonuses and promotions. In comparison with incomes 30,000 Avios for a flight (which might by no means occur), the incomes fee for Hilton stays is unbelievable.

The draw back is that Hilton factors are among the many least priceless lodge factors within the trade. With Hilton’s dynamic redemption pricing, base rooms generally value 80,000 factors per night time at properties that are not precisely aspirational (for my part).

Examine this with World of Hyatt factors, that are essentially the most priceless lodge factors you may gather per TPG’s valuations. On Hyatt’s award chart, redemptions begin from an astonishingly low 3,500 factors for an off-peak Class 1 property. I’ve by no means seen a Hilton property — even a regional Hilton Backyard Inn — priced beneath about 18,000 factors this 12 months.

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Somewhat than saving up half one million factors for an overwater bungalow within the Maldives, I’ve tended to redeem my Hilton factors as quickly as I earn them. So, the 30,000 factors I earn on a luxurious two-night keep will normally cowl the price of an evening at an airport lodge.

Backside line

I in all probability may have extracted extra worth from my Hilton Honors Diamond standing this 12 months by staying in some extra aspirational properties. Nonetheless, I’ve been happy with the standing and advantages I’ve obtained sufficient to (try to) requalify for one more 12 months of Diamond.

There are a couple of frustration factors — comparable to that weak U.S. eating credit score that hardly ever covers the price of an precise breakfast — however Hilton Honors is a good program with glorious elite standing recognition at its 1000’s of properties worldwide. It really works for me.

If Hyatt had been to considerably improve its United Kingdom and Europe footprint and maybe turn into a switch companion of American Specific Membership Rewards, I’d take into account switching. It is no query that World of Hyatt’s factors are extraordinarily priceless.

Till then, I’m a contented and constant Hilton Honors Diamond member.

When you’re eager about incomes Hilton Honors Diamond standing, do not forget that U.S.-based vacationers can earn it standing by merely opening the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card. In any other case, you will must earn 60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 base factors in 2023 to earn standing for 2024, as Hilton goes again to pre-pandemic elite standing necessities.

The knowledge for the Hilton Aspire card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.