scubaccr

Useful perks
o When hotel full (almost full), often room on website search is only bookable to HHD elite, though only 1 room per night per elite.
o When hotel has minimum stay eg 3nights weekend, booking award as signed in HHD may be allowed for single night which is useful.
o Lounge always (more valuable outside USA, as then lounges are better)
o Likely a better HHD v HHG upgrade where hotels are generous with upgrades, or quite full so have to upgrade soe HH guests to suites.
o Both breakfast AND myway 1000 points (HH-Gold has to choose)
o Highly likey when booking 2rooms/per/night hotel with give lounge access (free b/f) to second room, even if no upgrade on second room.
o Possibly no-resort fees for HHD v HHG at some properties
o High Speed internet to HHD's (but not HHG's), although lower grade hotels eg DTs often have only one-speed on offer.

Duke787

I actually thought this was an incredibly stupid benefit until earlier this year was staying at the HGI Charlotte Uptown which shares a parking deck with the Hampton Inn. Weekend night every single spot was taken except the 3 Diamond spots.

nk15

Please review training video for new status:

Miesque

I LOVE that video

Sisosig

Yes, reminds me of earlier attempts of computer animation and voice modulation in the fifties and sixties of the past century. BTW how much is too much, like when posting a funny 'video' about once every month.

Tintin

I really like it. Thanks. My experience with all brands of Hilton in the US as a Gold member is almost similar like this video.

arlflyer

Congratulations on having your AMEX application approved!

jamesteroh

I love the video. Imagine what it will be like with the all these new diamonds paying $450 a year for a credit card and finding out they aren't getting upgraded because there's not enough upgrades to hand out with all the diamonds

Or at Hotels like the Palmer House where they look at how many nights someone has stayed with Hilton in the past year and will give priority to upgrades to those people over people who have diamond through a credit card or status match. I can just imagine the people with the credit card complaining that a hotel is giving out a nice upgrade to someone that spends 90 nights a year in Hiltons over them

Even if my upgrade doesn't clear on Delta I can still board with the Premium zone with my diamond status and at least a few times a year someone with no status will try to board with premium and argue with the gate agent they are allowed to board with First class and diamonds because they have a Delta American Express card and AM EX said they get premium boarding (the T&C actually say priority boarding which is a zone two zones after Premium). I bet Hiltons will see a lot of this type of behavior with the newly minted diamonds.

pdac1975

Ah yes. The only diamond perk I ever get to take advantage of.

Points Scrounger

Someone just bumped the thread on being walked as a diamond member and his experience, so you might want to visit there.

nomad420

It is going to be a mess from what I can see. I pity the desk clerks who have to deal with disgruntled "new" Diamond status card holders.

jamesteroh

I really feel sorry for the diamonds who earned the status who may lose upgrades to the new diamonds who show up at a hotel earlier than they do and get upgraded by pulling the DYWIA card.

Hopefully a lot of properties will be like the Palmer House and look at their stay activity and give the earned diamonds priority. And I'm saying this as someone who is now a credit card diamond. I always appreciated it when the front desk would give me priority as an earned diamond when I was spending a lot of nights with Hilton and I think it's only fair that someone that someone that has earned diamond gets priority for an upgrade over me.

It really stinks for the gold's that earned the status as well. It's bad enough they have had their benefits diluted with Hilton literally giving the status away for $95 but now they are going to have a lot of diamonds who spend a lot less time in Hilton's than they do getting upgraded over them.

Points Scrounger

This situation absolutely cries out for a last minute announcement of a new top tier status with everyone who was diamond on New Year's Eve grandfathered in.

nomad420

While I couldn't agree more I think if HH institutes a change such as you suggest at this point the Aspire Card holder will scream foul! As I said this is a mess that is only going to get worse.

sethb

Since there are no Aspire card holders yet, . . .