Of the four most popular hotel loyalty programs among TPG readers (World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors and IHG One Rewards), the Hilton Honors program has the weakest elite benefits. Part of that is certainly because you can maintain top-tier Hilton Diamond status just by holding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
However, US Credit Card Guide users noticed that Hilton Honors appears to be adding two new levels to its loyalty program and lowering the eligibility requirements for the current levels.
This report is based on changes made by Hilton Honors to the source code of its website. I confirmed the reported changes by logging into my Hilton Honors account and checking the site’s source code. Additionally, shortly after we published this story, Hilton sent TPG the following statement:
At Hilton, we recognize that our most loyal guests are truly diamonds, so we’re constantly working behind the scenes to refine Hilton Honors, introducing new facets and ensuring the program remains ahead of the pack. As you may have read, we’re working on some exciting stuff – but you haven’t heard it all yet. We plan to announce the full news soon – we’ll be sure to contact you when we do.
Here’s what we know so far.
New Hilton Honors Status Levels
Users of the US Credit Card Guide discovered references to two new levels in the source code of the Hilton Honors website: Diamond Reserve and Honor Society.
According to the source code, Diamond Reserve will be the new top-level Hilton Honors elite status and will provide “confirmable upgrade bonuses to better rooms.” However, this qualification requires $18,000 in qualifying spend and 40 stays or 80 nights per calendar year.
At the same time, “honor society” also appears in the source code as a new status level. There are no additional details or eligibility requirements associated with this status. So it could be an invitation-only membership, a membership reserved for Hilton owners, or it could be a paid membership similar to an InterContinental Ambassador or a new Wyndham subscription.
With no specific information on Hilton Honors, we can only speculate about these new status levels. But the Diamond Reserve’s qualifying spend requirements make it comparable to Marriott Bonvoy Elite Ambassador status (requiring 100 nights and $23,000 in qualifying spend per year).
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Also, while the confirmable upgrade bonus for Diamond Reserve members sounds appealing, the fact that it’s a “one” confirmable upgrade is a bit concerning. After all, if I spend $18,000 in Hilton Honors qualifying purchases in a year and meet the Diamond Reserve stay requirement, I’m expecting more than just a confirmable upgrade bonus. After all, Hyatt Globalist members (who only need to accumulate 60 qualifying nights at Hyatt or 100,000 qualifying base points per year) can earn up to five suite upgrades per year when they meet the 60-night Globalist requirement.
Based on what I found in the source code, confirmable upgrade bonuses may be an option you can choose with certain Hilton Milestone Bonuses.
Related: The 21 Best Hilton Hotels in the World
Reduced Hilton Honors eligibility requirements
Even if you’re not planning on earning Diamond Reserve or Honor Society membership, you’ll be happy to know that the eligibility requirements for other Hilton Honors membership levels appear to be lowering soon as well. In particular, the source code on the Hilton Honors website indicates that the following changes may occur:
| status | Current requirements | Potential new requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Silver Medal | 10 nights, 4 stays or 25,000 base points | 7 nights, 3 stays or 17,500 base points |
| Hilton Gold Card | 40 nights, 20 stays or 75,000 base points | 28 nights, 14 stays or 52,500 base points |
| Hilton Diamond Hotel | 60 nights, 30 stays or 120,000 base points | 42 nights, 21 stays or 84,000 base points |
Interestingly, Select Perks recently announced plans to lower its elite requirements and introduce new top-tier statuses. So it’s not unheard of for Hilton Honors to lower its elite status requirements in an effort to increase member loyalty.
But remember, you can earn elite status, including Hilton Diamond status, with your Hilton Honors card. Therefore, for Hilton Honors card members, these discounts do not matter unless your status as a Hilton Honors card benefit changes (or you decide to pursue Diamond Reserve status).
RELATED: How to Maximize Statement Points on a Hilton Co-branded Credit Card
bottom line
So far, the news is interesting. This may indicate that Hilton Honors will be making changes soon, but I recommend not acting on this information until Hilton confirms these changes. After all, at the moment we don’t know when (or if) Hilton Honors plans to roll out these changes.
