Simple send your Hilton status to Hyatt for a Diamond elite Match
Then get free breakfast in the club/confirmable upgrades to suites and through the end of January a free night for every two stays at a Hyatt LaJolla or any Hyatt
you can also earn welcome amenity bonus points at check in
Rates are 99 through 150 on average.The Mission Bay Hyatt is my favorite in San Diego however the Hyatt La Jolla is still nice and typically better then any other area property you mention

Sorry, but I don't believe you'll have much luck finding the Hyatt La Jolla for "99 through 150 on average" during the week.

Hyatt.com has been running that for the last two months with the hyatt specials
of course there are exceptions due to occupancy
The Manchester Grand has had a few weekdays for 119 though they typically are the highest and overpriced of most SD properties
I have been staying at Hyatt Mission Bay for 99 dollars a night weekdays and weekends.Awesome value
Use an Open Amex card to pay for the stay save another 3%
request special AMEX promo and non elites have been getting 1 free full breakfast,free garment pressing and a daily bottle of water at that rate too

maybe I'm wrong , but I thought changes for elites on four night stays are not massive increases

There seems to be a mass fleeing from the program from very loyal heavy hhonors points balance members.

BTW, I have about 280K to 320K HH points

I am not running, but I tend to think they will raise it again in a year or two. Hilton is starting to go the way of the airlines selling points to everyone for everything. They will then have to honor those points with rooms. The new Amex card and the new award chart lead me to that way of thinking. I know SPG is also looking at another/ better AMEX card.

This board and FT as a whole is filled with Chicken Littles and Pollyannas. And people in between, like me. For some, the lack of a free concrete buscuit and horrible gravy at the Hampton Inn would be signalling the death knell of the world. For others no abuse is enough to complain about. In the real world, Hilton will lose some customers and gain some new ones as newbies wake up to a loyalty program.

I'm actually more concerned about Diamond status not being worth much, if anything, in many hotels anymore. They simply don't care at all, or they will provide the (little) bare minimum that HHonors requires. That makes you wonder why you would even bother to stay 28 times instead of 16 times.

+1. And this is why I didn't stay 28 times in 2009. I will lose my status in 2010, after many years of being a diamond.

Diamond Force for awards and "guaranteed" lounge access internationally are keeping me for now, coupled with Hilton's overlay on the footprint of where i usually travel. I would love to get back to PC RA for ICs in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, etc but it would involve a fair amount of nights in some desperate HI/HIX properties.

First time I've seen this thread since I don't do Hilton anymore.

I switched to give Marriott a try back in February at The Blackstone in Chicago. Since, I have had 39 subsequent nights with Marriott Rewards, while only 12 with Hilton.

This change was solely based on HHonors lack of points and/or rate promos & lack of participation in this forum. Now add the Best Rate Guarantee program experiences FTers are reporting, the loss of Point Stretchers & award redemption increases to the mix. I otherwise enjoyed my Diamond years and the properties, but won't miss the program.

I'm doing a wait-and-see, precisely for the reason that pauleeepaul states. I use awards primarily for overseas vacations. So far, been treated for the most part, extremely well. So I will grit it out with the so-so Hilton US properties so I can use their fantastic properties overseas.

I am concerned too about Diamond benefits being diluted. I think it may be occurring because of the sheer number of Diamonds now and the near future. What is so special about a Diamond if there are 20+ of them on any given night?!
Much more competition for an unchanging pot of benefits, i.e. upgraded rooms. Giving people the chance to earn Diamond via CC spending, IMO, was a bad idea. Diminishes what is supposed to be a loyalty program for ppl loyal to a hotel brand.

This is exactly the type of response I got from Hilton:

************************************************** *******

Dear Mr. xxxxxxx,

Thank you for your email regarding the recently communicated program changes.

<SNIP>

Although Hilton HHonors has not raised reward costs since June 2003, we have been committed to offering various opportunities to earn even more points through the Points/Points earning style, as well as earning opportunities through our co-branded credit cards, car rental, and shopping/dining partners. As such and in order to continue to remain competitive, the decision was made to increase the cost of hotel rewards without taking away the earnings opportunities currently in place.

Hilton HHonors is committed to continuing to grow our program and benefits to all of our most loyal customers and in order to do so, we have to manage how the program is structured accordingly. We sincerely hope that you can understand our position regarding this change.

We appreciate you contacting us with your concerns and thank you for your continued loyalty!

Regards,

xxxxxxxx
Customer Care Email Department
Hilton Reservations and Customer Care
www.hiltonworldwide.com

SD 1K,

You are someone whose judgement and opinion , I value.
I am not disagreeing with you. Rather asking a question.
I can't stay 28 times in a year. But if I charge $40K , I Get diamond with no stays.

So I can book a cheap room and I'm guaranteed access to Exec lounge with breakfast and snacks and soft drinks throughout the day. Not so bad with no stay requirement

What was better previously about Diamond? what were the take aways?

Thanks to all, not just SD 1K, for replies.

You're right that its not that bad, but the accelerated point earning was probably the strongest thing the HH program had going for it. The program is very inconsistent, so many people who were on the verge for leaving are.

I'm not going to leave entirely, but HH will now become my backup program, and I'll likely only make Diamond through Surpass spend.

Good point here. I've been lamenting the fact lately that PC Plat has meant more to me staying at IHG properties than HH Diamond, and HH Diamond is a lot harder to reach. What gives?