EDIflyer

Sorry had forgotten they offered that - it's such a poorly managed card (run by Barclaycard), with poor earnings that I cancelled it after reaching the minimum spend.

However by comparison (see http://freetravelgenius.com/hilton-cards/) the Visa Reserve in the US has automatic recurring Gold status (with Diamond for $40k spend) and 0% forex fees (vs 3% or so on the UK card). The UK card offers 2 HHonors points per £1 spent (3 per £1 with Hilton) vs the US card offering 3 per $1 (=£0.60) with 10 per $1 spent with Hilton - that makes it a vastly more lucrative card and thus worth keeping/reaching the spend target to maintain status. The UK one is really quite pitiful by comparison.

EDIflyer

No of course not, but presumably they're trying to maintain a limit on the number reaching the different status tiers to maintain 'exclusivity' - I'm just pointing out that they're increasing the requirements for those achieving status through stays but not for those achieving it through other routes.

Puddlestone

More nights, stays, base-points are needed for tier levels in 2013.....

http://hhonors3.hilton.com/en/terms/index.html

Gold 2012: 16 stays / 36 nights / 60K base-points
Gold 2013: 20 stays / 40 nights / 75K base-points.

Diamond 2012: 28 stays / 60 nights / 100K base-points
Diamond 2013: 30 stays / 60 nights / 120K base-points

Skimanant

Im fine with this, just the credit cards to tidy up now :-)

InkUnderNails

This is really disappointing. It will now probably be July before I get the nights for Diamond. I was getting it in June.

holtju2

Exactly. You can have the status via credit cards or fast track offers while, at the same time, they are increasing the requirements to those that actually stay at their hotels.

EDIflyer

With the extra kicker that the credit card offers are pretty rubbish outside the USA, or in many countries non-existent - bit of a joke for a theoretically global brand!

iainbhx

And even there, there is a disparity. You just need two more stays at that $99 a night Hampton Inn, but if you are a Diamond on base points, then you need to spend another $2,000!

Well, I'd decided not to bother with Diamond after 2013 anyway, work changes were making it expensive. This puts it completely out of reach.

fozziedoggie

^

CIT85

Hilton obviously doesn't want us making Gold and Diamond the hard way, earn it by stayuing at Hilton hotels. They want to give out Gold and Diamond status to credit card holders who spend money anywhere but at Hiltons.

Even though I have over 30 Hilton stays this year, I definitely will focus on SPG in 2013.

ILovetheReds

Strange they are increasing the requirements for Gold when they started giving out the status a few months back with the reserve Visa. And more properties are enforcing not giving out lounge access to golds who aren't on the exec level.

Makes no sense, less of a chance at lounge access, more golds to compete with for upgrades due to the Visa card and now they are making getting gold status harder on the people that actually spend money at Hilton???

Dovster

I received my Diamond card two weeks ago and it does say it is good through 3/14.


The thing about that is that if someone does not stay often at Hilton properties, he will not be competing with you.

I had very few stays this year (not enough to qualify for silver) and got my Diamond through my Surpass Card spend. I have two remaining stays this year, one in the DoubleTree Chelsea and the other in the Airport Embassy Suites in ATL.

Neither has an Executive Lounge and hence no Executive Floor. In fact, as I have asked for a smoking room, and both hotels have all such rooms on the same floor, even if there was an Executive Floor I would not be on it.

I can't see how my Diamond status is going to put me in competition with anyone.

tkelvin69

Damn, I'll have to take another golf trip next year to meet the new requirements.

Putra

Nice move. I am not going to get qualified after this.

blackjack-21

Are they getting so many sign-ups for the VISA Reserve card and their other CC that Hilton feels that may cause more overcrowding in the already often packed Executive Lounges and floors? And they've decided that one way to "control" the crowds a bit is to increase the requalifications for Diamonds and Golds who actually pay and stay at their properties in the hopes that some may drop down to Silver or Blue, thus giving up the perks.

If the Hilton VISA Reserve card were offered with the same perks up here in the frozen north, I'd jump at the chance to get it, instead of having to sweat keeping my Gold status through stays (paid or points) every year. The $95 cost is easily recouped with a couple of breakfasts and a few upgrades for Golds. But Hilton seems not to notice or care that other chains have CC that are available outside the U.S. (at least nothing yet from them for Canada). So for us it means not as frequent stays at Hiltons, rather more HGI, HWS, ES, or HI's (don't like DT's, too inconsistant) and saving our points for the higher priced Hiltons we prefer but won't pay their higher rates. Hopefully that will still let us keep our Gold status in 2014.

bj-21.

OT--The Hilton Fallsview in Niagara Falls appears to be going totally non-smoking next year, even in the South Tower that had several smoking floors, so that removes one property that we visited often, as the Mrs. and I are both smokers.