There are other (perhaps easier) Hilton HHonors Fast Track to Gold offers. For example, either 4 stays, or 9 nights, within 3 months. In other words, you could do 4 cheap one-night stays, or even 4 one-night award stays, or some combination of paid and award stays totalling 4, within the specified time frame and get Gold. (With the HHonors program, even award stays count towards status.) I've done these HHonors Fast Tracks a few times now. You have to receive (or find) an invitation, though. (One way you seem to routinely get invited is if your current Gold status is expiring. The Fast Track period then starts right after your Gold status expires.)

Do a search on the Hilton HHonors forum for details.