unc0mm0n1

Not even a maybe for me. I would take all of my spend to Hyatt (where available), as I assume many other Gold's would.

bldr1k

I can't remember the last time I was upgraded to a Suite (and I've been Diamond for a long time).

Overall I can't really tell much difference between the top and middle level of any of the brands. 200+ nights last year and I don't remember being upgraded to a suite once.

toomanybooks

I was wondering exactly what this means when you go to book a redemption.:

"This is a benefit for Diamond members to bypass length of stay restrictions to reserve a room using HHonors points for a standard room."

Do Golds/Silvers get the same deal?

I have also heard that there is extra redemption inventory automatically available online for Diamonds vs. Gold/Silver/Blue, but have never seen proof.

sundevils

One benefit of Diamond that is misunderstood is the ability to get a reservation even if a hotel is sold out. This does not apply if the reason the hotel is determined to be sold out is due to a booking by a group or the presence of a significant local event. For example, if you try to get a room the weekend of March 7-9 in the Palm Desert, CA, area you aren't going to get one even if you are Diamond because the BNP Paribas tennis tournament is in town.

jsmith50

I consider this to be a back-handed benefit. With Diamond force, the hotel also can, and usually does, charge full rack rate for the room with no discounting and on occasion there have been reports of Diamonds who invoked a diamond force getting the least desirable room in the property because of this maneuver. I guess if you desperately are in need of a room and are willing to pay whatever is asked, yes, you can get a spot in an otherwise full hotel. Personally, I'd rather drive a few more miles and get a better room and possibly an upgrade at a cheaper price point.

arlflyer

Actually, if they're smart, I don't think it will. Having the easiest-to-achieve meaningful level of status in the marketplace is a competitive advantage. It makes people like me, who aren't road warriors but do a decent number of nights, want to go all in on Hilton. I know that's how it worked for me when I first started out. I was a CC gold, and the ability to get those benefits up front made me push 100% of my stays to Hilton. Breakfast, internet, lounges here and there, the occasional suite, and generally being treated nicely drove 100% of my business to Hilton. I ended up doing so many nights that I would have made gold the old fashioned way. Without those benefits up front, I would probably have spread my nights around.

So, for me, gold status was actually less of a reward for a bunch of nights than it was a lure that caused me to go spend a bunch of nights and a bunch of money. Smart marketing in my opinion!

chad3

In my experience (and I've found this on 3 separate occasions) when the hotel has no rooms to sell (and you'd otherwise be needing to "use the force" and pay full rack rate) a quick amendment to the search allowing for a search with points often yields results.
For example, I have one upcoming stay where almost every hotel in a 30 mile radius of where I needed to be was booked out due to a very big event in the area. A couple of rooms were available in less desirable properties but were priced at 4-5 times what they sell for in a normal week. Clearly there was so much demand that the local Hilton group properties weren't even offering me a Diamond Guarantee. I searched a second time including searching with points and magically, availability opened up - rooms were there to be chosen and even more surprisingly, at the normal category rates.
As I say, that's an example but this happened to me three times in the past year and a half. In these circumstances, I think this is an extremely good value way to burn points - it might be a $150 room but on a particular night, to some people, its "value" could be many times that.

timfountain

How did you manage to expense that?

jamesteroh

Agree totally except for parking. In cities like NYC and Chicago where a third party owns the parking garage, Hilton would have to raise rates if they did that. I think the Palmer House charges $35 or $40 a night for parking and a couple weeks ago I got the room rate at only around $60.

Some things I would love to see is a GUARANTEED 4 p.m. checkout and for diamonds who stay a lot of nights at Hiltons added benefits like the 24 hour revolving check in (would be great for Europe stays) and lifetime status.

Also a diamond check in line at busier properties would be great

jsmith50

Lifetime status would be nice. I do foresee a time when I won't travel as much and would love to have Hilton benefits for personal travel later in life (assuming that there's anything left of HHonors at that point!).

jamesteroh

THat's another reason I am thinking of switching to SPG. In addition to the Delta Crossover benefits, I can have lifetime status with the benefits for when I retire. I won't be travelling nearly as much, but would be great to have the free breakfast and lougne benefits for my lesiure travel

InvestorTiger

Do you Diamond members get consistent upgrades to suites?

wizla

ive only been diamond since xmas...... ive had 2 stays this year since and both times ive been upgraded to suites....... Hilton docklands room 1427 ( requested this room at time of booking)........ Hilton canary wharf room 1006 ( junior suite) preupgraded the night before.

flyingnomadic

Depends entirely on the individual hotel and then on how busy the hotel is. The only time I have been suite upgraded was at one of your fave properties (KL DoubleTree). Just had a 5-day standard room reward stay for 40k points and they bumped me up to a nice Executive Suite. I would go as far to say it is as likely for a Diamond to get a suite at that property as it is a Gold to get Executive level (meaning very likely).

Never get a suite at Hilton Birmingham Metropole (I was offered a paid upgrade to a suite though), nothing at Hilton Dusseldorf or Cologne, no success at Kensington Olympia. Hope to get one at Phuket Arcadia - I booked the room one below so will be very disappointed if they don't bump me up a level.

Check the dedicated Diamond suite upgrade success/failure threads for specifics.

treppenlaeufer

Second your comments, very dependent on property. German hotels go largely by the book, many restricting Gold to a one-level upgrade these days (i.e. standard only to deluxe), Diamond usually Exec (that includes very nice Exec rooms), but not suite for me during all my stays in Germany. More luck in the UK certainly (but not at Birmingham Met, they seem to have changed policy, and now nearly always assign a low Exec non-lake view room to me GRMPH), but very successful in Eastern Europe.