Hotel Status Match Master Thread

As a companion to the Status Match Master Thread (for airlines), here's the beginning of a Hotel Status Match Master Thread.

Starwood

Per Starwood Lurker
You can receive 'Preferred Plus' status (which is more or less Gold without the 50% bonus on in-hotel earning) by obtaining the Starwood American Express or even joining AAA IIRC. Gold status comes complimentary with the Platinum American Express card (the expensive one, not the co-branded airline or hotel cards).


Hilton

Hilton will sometimes offer a match. Frequently they will offer a challenge (x stays in y days) for Diamond:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=494970
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459827
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=443854
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=369105

The Hilton Visa or Hilton American Express will get you Silver status (which is enough to qualify to use the elite-only awards). $20,000 in spending in a year on the Hilton Amex gets you Gold status. There are some reports of Hilton Amex spending getting you Diamond status, but this isn't an official or published program that would necessarily apply to everyone.

Hyatt

If you can demonstrate elite status with another chain and 10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months, Hyatt will comp you to Diamond status.

Send a fax with a copy of your elite statement (online statement is fine) and elite card to the Hyatt Account Services Desk (402-593-9449).


Marriott

Marriott does not match easily. Some people get told yes and others get told no. Some additional mixed experiences are here and here.

You can receive Silver status by obtaining a Marriott Visa.


Priority Club / Intercontinental Hotels

This thread suggests it's possible to get a match to Priority Club Platinum -- even from Hilton Gold.

This thread suggests it's very difficult to get a match to Royal Ambassador status.

You can purchase Gold status. With the various promos it's easy to make Platinum as only 60k points -- from any source, including points transferred into the program -- are necessary. With the recent offer of 30k points for credit card signup you'd be halfway there (and could then even sign up for a business credit card too for points, and a Netbank checking account...)

For info on these levels and the differences between them, here's a FAQ from the hotel forum here on Flyertalk.


Radisson

Here and here are discussions of elite matches with Radisson. Reply if you have more/better information.

5/10/07: Additional discussion in this thread.


Loews

This thread discusses obtaining a status match in the Loews First program.


Fairmont apparently does not match according to this thread, though this older thread suggests they do.

Shangri-La Golden Circle does not match (though this info is old).

Flyertalkers have had mixed experiences obtaining status matches with Omni Hotels. (Info is old.)


This thread is a work in progress. Please reply with any better factual information that you may have. If it can be verified I'll attempt to add it to this post.

Terrific thread, and nice to put all of the hotel information in a thread of its own.

I'm a little confused as to the wording on Hyatt:
When you say "10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months", do you mean at Hyatt or at the competing chain?

I was comped top tier on Hyatt based on being top tier on Hilton, having had no Hyatt stays at all.

Well done.

The Priority Club Rewards Visa now includes Gold status , for the current year and the following year, if I am reading footnote 6 correctly.

10 stays or 30 nights at a competing chain -- or across various chains. That said, Hyatt has been known to give Diamond status matches with even less than that shown on the account statement for a competitor's frequent guest program.

That is to say, the "10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months" "criteria" is not a firm one and one that I have seen ignored more than observed.

Really would appreciate others' experiences here. It would be great if I could improve the first post in this thread.

Has anyone noted that joining Ameniti will give you Starwood Gold status also..

Thanks, gleff, for taking the time to create this thread. Useful info in one place.

Although not a match, Hilton AmEx automatically gives silver status.

Very true. And there are some discounted offers with good mileage signup bonuses. Alas no more $10 trial that included SPG status and 2 RCC passes that I'm aware of.

Yep, that was noted in the original post.

I recall reading that the equivalent HHonors card in some European countries provides far more than just silver.

And Hilton has -- and through April 2006 is -- given status for spending on certain HHonors-affiliated credit cards:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...2&postcount=25
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3797700
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...27#post3892127

Hyatt has matched HHonors Gold by issuing Hyatt Diamond status.

Sorry. Brain wasn't in gear this morning.

Gleff: thank you very much-just found this.

Just got a LoewsFirst match via email/fax. I just sent them a message asking if they'd do it and got this back like an hour later.

Thanks for the info, heathriel ^

Two recent experiences from colleagues re: Hyatt

* Colleague one faxed SPG Plat and HHonors Gold, received Hyatt Diamond in 30 days
* Colleague two faxed SPG Plat and received Hyatt Diamond in 48 hours

So clearly YMMV with respect to the time it takes for a Hyatt match!