Dec 16, 2014, 2:26 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Lifetime Diamond Status with HHonors is now reality. ^
More recent information posted by Lauren (Hilton Honors Representative) reflects changes in the Honors Lifetime Diamond qualifying criteria:
Previous:
Details for the first inductees were announced on the 11th Feb. 2015. Erin (HHonors Rep here on FT) posted the announcement shortly before the emails were sent out to members on the same day.
[B]Initially, Lifetime Diamond Status will go to a select group of members who met all of the following criteria as of December 31, 2014:
All paid stays count — not just the paid stays during the years a member is a Hilton HHonors diamond.
As more information becomes available it will be added here. Should you have any updates please post them in the thread or in this wiki to keep the most pertinent info quickly available to those interested.
For those interested, the development unfolded as follows:
Erin, the HHonors rep on FT posted the following on 16/12/2014: (after some eagle eyed attention by adambrock from an email sent out by Hilton and which he thankfully posted here on FT: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...tus-email.html Kudos to adambrock for noticing and sharing it with the community. ^)
HHonorsRepresentative (Erin) wrote in that thread:
In 2015, HHonors will begin introducing Lifetime Diamond Status! As you may know, we’re always looking for new ways to reward you and we take into consideration your feedback on ways to recognize our most loyal members. Over the past several years, we’ve heard from you that Lifetime Diamond Status is important to you and I’m thrilled to announce that we will be inviting some of our most tenured Diamond members into this status.
I’ll have more details for you in early 2015 and I understand our first Lifetime Diamond members will receive their invitations in the early part of 2015. At this time, this is all the information I have on Lifetime Diamond Status, but I will do my best to keep you all updated as I hear more!
levman wrote in a post on Jan 24:
The best source of info I've found is the email address [email protected]. It seems to be staffed with people dedicated to the Lifetime Diamond program.
More recent information posted by Lauren (Hilton Honors Representative) reflects changes in the Honors Lifetime Diamond qualifying criteria:
Hi all,
A few months ago, we received some great feedback in the Q&A thread with our VP of Hilton HHonors, Aaron Glick. While the team explores a number of initiatives, one area that we could change quickly was our Lifetime Diamond qualifications. As of January 2017, we will grant Lifetime Diamond to all members who have met the following criteria:
• Members who have maintained Diamond status for at least 10 years (years do not need to be consecutive)
AND
• Have stayed at least 1,000 nights - either paid or reward (as you may know, only paid nights were eligible before)
OR
• Have accumulated 2 million Base Points since joining the Hilton HHonors program (this is a new feature to enable more members to enjoy Lifetime Diamond status; also as a reminder, only Base Points are eligible...Bonus Points earned via promotions, co-brand credit cards, or other means do not count towards status)
So now, there will be essentially two ways you can qualify for Lifetime Diamond:
1. 10 years at Diamond with Hilton HHonors + 1,000 nights (including paid and reward)
2. 10 years at Diamond + 2 million cumulative Base Points
An email notification will go out in February to members who have qualified for Lifetime Diamond as of December 31, 2016. If you want a sneak peek to find out if you will qualify, you can contact the Diamond Desk and the team will be happy to help.
Please reach out with any questions or comments, and I’ll be sure to share them directly with Aaron and team.
Thank you!
Lauren
A few months ago, we received some great feedback in the Q&A thread with our VP of Hilton HHonors, Aaron Glick. While the team explores a number of initiatives, one area that we could change quickly was our Lifetime Diamond qualifications. As of January 2017, we will grant Lifetime Diamond to all members who have met the following criteria:
• Members who have maintained Diamond status for at least 10 years (years do not need to be consecutive)
AND
• Have stayed at least 1,000 nights - either paid or reward (as you may know, only paid nights were eligible before)
OR
• Have accumulated 2 million Base Points since joining the Hilton HHonors program (this is a new feature to enable more members to enjoy Lifetime Diamond status; also as a reminder, only Base Points are eligible...Bonus Points earned via promotions, co-brand credit cards, or other means do not count towards status)
So now, there will be essentially two ways you can qualify for Lifetime Diamond:
1. 10 years at Diamond with Hilton HHonors + 1,000 nights (including paid and reward)
2. 10 years at Diamond + 2 million cumulative Base Points
An email notification will go out in February to members who have qualified for Lifetime Diamond as of December 31, 2016. If you want a sneak peek to find out if you will qualify, you can contact the Diamond Desk and the team will be happy to help.
Please reach out with any questions or comments, and I’ll be sure to share them directly with Aaron and team.
Thank you!
Lauren
Details for the first inductees were announced on the 11th Feb. 2015. Erin (HHonors Rep here on FT) posted the announcement shortly before the emails were sent out to members on the same day.
Hi all,
Thanks for your patience as I gathered more details on our Lifetime Diamond rollout. As we’re in the New Year, I have some additional details to share with you.
Initially, Lifetime Diamond Status will go to a select group of members who met all of the following criteria as of December 31, 2014: Members that met this criteria as of December 31, 2014 will be notified via email and receive their Lifetime Diamond Status in the mail at the physical address on their account at the end of February. Members that meet Lifetime Diamond Status criteria in the middle of the year will receive Lifetime Diamond Status at the beginning of the following year.
Please note that we are in early stages of this benefit, which means that elements of this offering may evolve and may change over time. As I hear of any updates, I will be sure to share those here.
As always, your input is truly valued and we welcome your thoughts and feedback during this launch period. We’re here and listening!
Thanks,
Erin
Thanks for your patience as I gathered more details on our Lifetime Diamond rollout. As we’re in the New Year, I have some additional details to share with you.
Initially, Lifetime Diamond Status will go to a select group of members who met all of the following criteria as of December 31, 2014:
- Have maintained Diamond Status for at least 10 years (consecutive or concurrent) and
- Completed paid stays totaling at least 1,000 nights
Please note that we are in early stages of this benefit, which means that elements of this offering may evolve and may change over time. As I hear of any updates, I will be sure to share those here.
As always, your input is truly valued and we welcome your thoughts and feedback during this launch period. We’re here and listening!
Thanks,
Erin
All paid stays count — not just the paid stays during the years a member is a Hilton HHonors diamond.
As more information becomes available it will be added here. Should you have any updates please post them in the thread or in this wiki to keep the most pertinent info quickly available to those interested.
For those interested, the development unfolded as follows:
Erin, the HHonors rep on FT posted the following on 16/12/2014: (after some eagle eyed attention by adambrock from an email sent out by Hilton and which he thankfully posted here on FT: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...tus-email.html Kudos to adambrock for noticing and sharing it with the community. ^)
HHonorsRepresentative (Erin) wrote in that thread:
In 2015, HHonors will begin introducing Lifetime Diamond Status! As you may know, we’re always looking for new ways to reward you and we take into consideration your feedback on ways to recognize our most loyal members. Over the past several years, we’ve heard from you that Lifetime Diamond Status is important to you and I’m thrilled to announce that we will be inviting some of our most tenured Diamond members into this status.
I’ll have more details for you in early 2015 and I understand our first Lifetime Diamond members will receive their invitations in the early part of 2015. At this time, this is all the information I have on Lifetime Diamond Status, but I will do my best to keep you all updated as I hear more!
levman wrote in a post on Jan 24:
The best source of info I've found is the email address [email protected]. It seems to be staffed with people dedicated to the Lifetime Diamond program.
Consolidated "Lifetime Diamond - Experiences, Questions, Is It Worth It?" thread
Dec 31, 2017, 8:50 am
#1156
In memoriam
Join Date: May 2005
Location: DAL
Programs: SWA A list preferred and CP, Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Hertz President's club
Posts: 9,803
Thanks for the reply. Mine switched to (see attached photo) this right after email came, must be part of them processing them.
Jan 1, 2018, 12:59 pm
#1157
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: DCA/RIC
Programs: HH LTD, AA LTG
Posts: 1,015
Yes mine changed yesterday also and looks just like that too except includes the word lifetime, which is what the system does every year this time of year. The rest of 2017 it showed the stats and fully expect it to do the same for 2018 within a couple weeks after they give the system time to report all stays for the later part of December. If you just made Diamond this last year don't be surprised or worried if it does not reflect on the app or website initially once the stats show again. In my case the IT system did not reflect lifetime 'till about April even though I got the email from HH in December indicating I met the criteria.
Last edited by isle-hawg; Jan 1, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Feb 9, 2018, 7:36 am
#1159
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Gulf Coast
Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond; National Car Rental Executive Elite
Posts: 2,320
Yes, it's not a function on the website.
You have to submit an email form. The last time I checked on my progress, it took them 4 weeks to reply with the count. They included a 60+ page PDF attachment showing my entire stay history... dates, properties, points, etc.
You have to submit an email form. The last time I checked on my progress, it took them 4 weeks to reply with the count. They included a 60+ page PDF attachment showing my entire stay history... dates, properties, points, etc.
Feb 9, 2018, 10:25 am
#1161
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 246
Agents see only an estimate
If you do this, the number the agent gives you is an indicative estimate. The only way to get a lifetime stay number that is valid for qualification as a lifetime diamond member is to send an email or ask an agent to 'open a case' for you to receive an official lifetime stay count.
Feb 9, 2018, 10:55 am
#1162
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,546
If you do this, the number the agent gives you is an indicative estimate. The only way to get a lifetime stay number that is valid for qualification as a lifetime diamond member is to send an email or ask an agent to 'open a case' for you to receive an official lifetime stay count.
Feb 9, 2018, 11:14 am
#1163
Moderator, Marriott Bonvoy & FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: McKinney, TX, USA
Programs: United Silver; AA Plat/2MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,727
If it is anything like the way Marriott used to calculate it, the agent could see the LT totals to the beginning of the current year. They then had to go to a different tool to look up your current year totals and add them together. Most agents would normally just eyeball it and give you an "approximate" answer.
Feb 9, 2018, 5:52 pm
#1164
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Tucson, AZ
Programs: Hilton Diamond, AA Platinum, Marriott Gold
Posts: 100
Really wish they'd have a tracker on the website. Not sure why it's so hard to implement. The feedback form mentioned form is here: https://secure.hilton.com/en/hi/feedback/index.jhtml. If you are currently a Diamond you will get an auto reply from the Diamond desk email indicating they will be the ones working on your query.
Feb 9, 2018, 8:27 pm
#1165
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,790
It's the analyst in me, but after I got my lifetime totals from Hilton, I just keep a spreadsheet with all of my hilton stays and add to their totals. I update it a couple times a year and I do a =count for stays, =sum for base points, and =sum for nights. I also have the formulas set to show my % to LTD. Though I'm so early in my career and travel life, god knows if LTD will even be there when I reach it. 
Feb 11, 2018, 10:40 am
#1167
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2
Good afternoon,
I have lurked on this board since coming here to see what people’s opinions were on the great Hilton point devaluation from a several years ago. When a standard room award went from 70,000 or 80,000 points for a night to well over 200,000 for the same room the next day. As has been posted here loyalty programs are certainly not what they used to be for hotels, airlines, cars, anything basically.
Anyway, I was curious to see what the opinions were on Hilton Lifetime status after first being rolled out a few years ago. As I expected the opinions expressed here run the gambit from “You entitled snob be happy with anything a program gives you.” To “I’ve spent 4 years+ of my life at Hilton properties I deserve more.” And anything and everything in between. I can see the argument for both and of course as with all things personally think the response should be somewhere in the middle. Here are a couple of FACTS regarding the Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond achievement.
Fact #1 - Nowhere on ANY readily available check in screen that the front desk, GM, Hospitality Manager, Concierge or any other hotel/resort employee has access to does "Lifetime Diamond" get listed. This has been confirmed by multiple GM's and Hospitality Managers I know, unless it changed in the last few months which I doubt. So, those of you being recognized as "Lifetime" at check-in have made a note of it on your reservation, have stayed at the hotel before and they know you are a Lifetime or some GM or Manager has drilled deeper into your profile to look for your status but that is unlikely, in CONUS anyway. Even the "hand written" welcome letters we often receive only thank us for our Diamond status.
Fact #2 - Other than not having to re-qualify as a Diamond and the welcome amenity you first receive there is NO BENEFIT/PERK from being Lifetime. Anything "given" to you is hotel/resort specific and can be given to any Diamond or for that matter any guest that complains enough. Again this is confirmed from GMs, Managers and others at various Hilton properties.
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime. There are no extra benefits/perks and now that any 17 year old willing to pay $450/year for an AMEX Aspire card receives the same Diamond benefits as someone who has 1,500+ stays and 20 years of loyalty what is the point? It's pretty much a hard slap in the face from Hilton when some kid spending 5-10 nights/year gets the EXACT same benefits/perks as someone who spends 120+ nights/year and $200,000/year on the Hilton brand. Makes sense to me, ROFLMAO.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there. I should make Lifetime Gold at Marriott in 2019 or 2020. This will give us flexibility for resorts in retirement. Conversely working in field service which is a 100% travel industry I have not heard of ANY new hires say specifically that they signed up for Hilton Honors just because they offer a Lifetime level. Of course they signed up but they signed up for Marriott, IHG, American, Delta, Southwest, United, Hertz, National, Avis, etc... etc... as well, as any road warrior should.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds. Here is a list I submitted a couple of years ago after achieving Lifetime and realizing we essentially didn't get anything for it. As you can see NONE of this list has been implanted.
Lifetime Diamond Benefits (What I would like to see Lifetime Diamonds receive.)
- 100% elite status bonus on points stays (Diamonds receive 50%)
- Allow cancellations up to 6:00 PM the day of the reservation. Currently most hotels require 24 hours notification minimum. This was changed in the last few years.
- Waive the annual fee for the Hilton AMEX Ascend Card. (I think this is $95/year.)
- Offer the Hilton AMEX Aspire Card at a discount. (This is $450/year otherwise.)
- 24 hour rewards room guarantee (1 room only is fine) This used to be a Diamond level benefit. It was taken away when our points were massively de-valued a few years ago in the great Hilton HHonors purge, lol.
- Reward rooms at STANDARD reward rates. A standard room should be available at the standard category rate without the obscene markups for "Premium" rooms which are usually no more than standard with higher point amounts added. This also began occurring after the great HHonors Devaluation a few years ago.
- 4th night free on standard room reward stays. (Currently all membership levels receive the 5th night free.)
- One Lifetime Diamond parking spot at each hotel/resort.
- A more concerted effort to give Lifetime Diamonds complimentary room upgrades.
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Napua Tower when booking reward stays at the Grand Wailea in Maui. (Even offering this upgrade with an upcharge wouldn't be so bad.)
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Imperial Club Level when booking reward stays at the Rome Cavalieri. (Again as with GW in Maui having to pay a slight upcharge for this wouldn't be terrible.)
- Lifetime Diamonds who are also HGVC Owners should receive complimentary Elite Status with HGVC at a minimum. Elite Plus or Elite Premier would be better. (Note: Elite Premiers at HGVC receive complimentary Diamond status with Hilton Honors.)
- Lifetime Diamond dedicated phone and email address for Customer Service and Reservations.
Happy travels!!!!
I have lurked on this board since coming here to see what people’s opinions were on the great Hilton point devaluation from a several years ago. When a standard room award went from 70,000 or 80,000 points for a night to well over 200,000 for the same room the next day. As has been posted here loyalty programs are certainly not what they used to be for hotels, airlines, cars, anything basically.
Anyway, I was curious to see what the opinions were on Hilton Lifetime status after first being rolled out a few years ago. As I expected the opinions expressed here run the gambit from “You entitled snob be happy with anything a program gives you.” To “I’ve spent 4 years+ of my life at Hilton properties I deserve more.” And anything and everything in between. I can see the argument for both and of course as with all things personally think the response should be somewhere in the middle. Here are a couple of FACTS regarding the Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond achievement.
Fact #1 - Nowhere on ANY readily available check in screen that the front desk, GM, Hospitality Manager, Concierge or any other hotel/resort employee has access to does "Lifetime Diamond" get listed. This has been confirmed by multiple GM's and Hospitality Managers I know, unless it changed in the last few months which I doubt. So, those of you being recognized as "Lifetime" at check-in have made a note of it on your reservation, have stayed at the hotel before and they know you are a Lifetime or some GM or Manager has drilled deeper into your profile to look for your status but that is unlikely, in CONUS anyway. Even the "hand written" welcome letters we often receive only thank us for our Diamond status.
Fact #2 - Other than not having to re-qualify as a Diamond and the welcome amenity you first receive there is NO BENEFIT/PERK from being Lifetime. Anything "given" to you is hotel/resort specific and can be given to any Diamond or for that matter any guest that complains enough. Again this is confirmed from GMs, Managers and others at various Hilton properties.
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime. There are no extra benefits/perks and now that any 17 year old willing to pay $450/year for an AMEX Aspire card receives the same Diamond benefits as someone who has 1,500+ stays and 20 years of loyalty what is the point? It's pretty much a hard slap in the face from Hilton when some kid spending 5-10 nights/year gets the EXACT same benefits/perks as someone who spends 120+ nights/year and $200,000/year on the Hilton brand. Makes sense to me, ROFLMAO.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there. I should make Lifetime Gold at Marriott in 2019 or 2020. This will give us flexibility for resorts in retirement. Conversely working in field service which is a 100% travel industry I have not heard of ANY new hires say specifically that they signed up for Hilton Honors just because they offer a Lifetime level. Of course they signed up but they signed up for Marriott, IHG, American, Delta, Southwest, United, Hertz, National, Avis, etc... etc... as well, as any road warrior should.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds. Here is a list I submitted a couple of years ago after achieving Lifetime and realizing we essentially didn't get anything for it. As you can see NONE of this list has been implanted.
Lifetime Diamond Benefits (What I would like to see Lifetime Diamonds receive.)
- 100% elite status bonus on points stays (Diamonds receive 50%)
- Allow cancellations up to 6:00 PM the day of the reservation. Currently most hotels require 24 hours notification minimum. This was changed in the last few years.
- Waive the annual fee for the Hilton AMEX Ascend Card. (I think this is $95/year.)
- Offer the Hilton AMEX Aspire Card at a discount. (This is $450/year otherwise.)
- 24 hour rewards room guarantee (1 room only is fine) This used to be a Diamond level benefit. It was taken away when our points were massively de-valued a few years ago in the great Hilton HHonors purge, lol.
- Reward rooms at STANDARD reward rates. A standard room should be available at the standard category rate without the obscene markups for "Premium" rooms which are usually no more than standard with higher point amounts added. This also began occurring after the great HHonors Devaluation a few years ago.
- 4th night free on standard room reward stays. (Currently all membership levels receive the 5th night free.)
- One Lifetime Diamond parking spot at each hotel/resort.
- A more concerted effort to give Lifetime Diamonds complimentary room upgrades.
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Napua Tower when booking reward stays at the Grand Wailea in Maui. (Even offering this upgrade with an upcharge wouldn't be so bad.)
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Imperial Club Level when booking reward stays at the Rome Cavalieri. (Again as with GW in Maui having to pay a slight upcharge for this wouldn't be terrible.)
- Lifetime Diamonds who are also HGVC Owners should receive complimentary Elite Status with HGVC at a minimum. Elite Plus or Elite Premier would be better. (Note: Elite Premiers at HGVC receive complimentary Diamond status with Hilton Honors.)
- Lifetime Diamond dedicated phone and email address for Customer Service and Reservations.
Happy travels!!!!
Feb 11, 2018, 10:52 am
#1168
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2
Good afternoon,
I have lurked on this board since coming here to see what people’s opinions were on the great Hilton point devaluation from a several years ago. When a standard room award went from 70,000 or 80,000 points for a night to well over 200,000 for the same room the next day. As has been posted here loyalty programs are certainly not what they used to be for hotels, airlines, cars, anything basically.
Anyway, I was curious to see what the opinions were on Hilton Lifetime status after first being rolled out a few years ago. Here are a couple of FACTS regarding the Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond achievement.
Fact #1 - Nowhere on ANY readily available check in screen that the front desk, GM, Hospitality Manager, Concierge or any other hotel/resort employee has access to does "Lifetime Diamond" get listed. This has been confirmed by multiple GM's and Hospitality Managers I know, unless it changed in the last few months which I doubt. So, those of you being recognized as "Lifetime" at check-in have made a note of it on your reservation, have stayed at the hotel before and they know you are a Lifetime or some GM or Manager has drilled deeper into your profile to look for your status but that is unlikely, in CONUS anyway. Even the "hand written" welcome letters we often receive only thank us for our Diamond status.
Fact #2 - Other than not having to re-qualify as a Diamond and the welcome amenity you first receive there is NO BENEFIT/PERK from being Lifetime. Anything "given" to you is hotel/resort specific and can be given to any Diamond or for that matter any guest that complains enough. Again this is confirmed from GMs, Managers and others at various Hilton properties.
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime. There are no extra benefits/perks and now that any 17 year old willing to pay $450/year for an AMEX Aspire card receives the same Diamond benefits as someone who has 1,500+ stays and 20 years of loyalty what is the point? It's pretty much a hard slap in the face from Hilton when some kid spending 5-10 nights/year gets the EXACT same benefits/perks as someone who spends 120+ nights/year and $200,000/year on the Hilton brand. Makes sense to me, ROFLMAO.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there. I should make Lifetime Gold at Marriott in 2019 or 2020. This will give us flexibility for resorts in retirement. Conversely working in field service which is a 100% travel industry I have not heard of ANY new hires say specifically that they signed up for Hilton Honors just because they offer a Lifetime level. Of course they signed up but they signed up for Marriott, IHG, American, Delta, Southwest, United, Hertz, National, Avis, etc... etc... as well, as any road warrior should.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds. Here is a list I submitted a couple of years ago after achieving Lifetime and realizing we essentially didn't get anything for it. As you can see NONE of this list has been implemented.
Lifetime Diamond Benefits (What I would like to see Lifetime Diamonds receive.)
- 100% elite status bonus on points stays (Diamonds receive 50%)
- Allow cancellations up to 6:00 PM the day of the reservation. Currently most hotels require 24 hours notification minimum. This was changed in the last few years.
- Waive the annual fee for the Hilton AMEX Ascend Card. (I think this is $95/year.)
- Offer the Hilton AMEX Aspire Card at a discount. (This is $450/year otherwise.)
- 24 hour rewards room guarantee (1 room only is fine) This used to be a Diamond level benefit. It was taken away when our points were massively de-valued a few years ago in the great Hilton HHonors purge, lol.
- Reward rooms at STANDARD reward rates. A standard room should be available at the standard category rate without the obscene markups for "Premium" rooms which are usually no more than standard with higher point amounts added. This also began occurring after the great HHonors Devaluation a few years ago.
- 4th night free on standard room reward stays. (Currently all membership levels receive the 5th night free.)
- One Lifetime Diamond parking spot at each hotel/resort.
- A more concerted effort to give Lifetime Diamonds complimentary room upgrades.
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Napua Tower when booking reward stays at the Grand Wailea in Maui. (Even offering this upgrade with an upcharge wouldn't be so bad.)
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Imperial Club Level when booking reward stays at the Rome Cavalieri. (Again as with GW in Maui having to pay a slight upcharge for this wouldn't be terrible.)
- Lifetime Diamonds who are also HGVC Owners should receive complimentary Elite Status with HGVC at a minimum. Elite Plus or Elite Premier would be better. (Note: Elite Premiers at HGVC receive complimentary Diamond status with Hilton Honors.)
- Lifetime Diamond dedicated phone and email address for Customer Service and Reservations.
Happy travels!!!!
I have lurked on this board since coming here to see what people’s opinions were on the great Hilton point devaluation from a several years ago. When a standard room award went from 70,000 or 80,000 points for a night to well over 200,000 for the same room the next day. As has been posted here loyalty programs are certainly not what they used to be for hotels, airlines, cars, anything basically.
Anyway, I was curious to see what the opinions were on Hilton Lifetime status after first being rolled out a few years ago. Here are a couple of FACTS regarding the Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond achievement.
Fact #1 - Nowhere on ANY readily available check in screen that the front desk, GM, Hospitality Manager, Concierge or any other hotel/resort employee has access to does "Lifetime Diamond" get listed. This has been confirmed by multiple GM's and Hospitality Managers I know, unless it changed in the last few months which I doubt. So, those of you being recognized as "Lifetime" at check-in have made a note of it on your reservation, have stayed at the hotel before and they know you are a Lifetime or some GM or Manager has drilled deeper into your profile to look for your status but that is unlikely, in CONUS anyway. Even the "hand written" welcome letters we often receive only thank us for our Diamond status.
Fact #2 - Other than not having to re-qualify as a Diamond and the welcome amenity you first receive there is NO BENEFIT/PERK from being Lifetime. Anything "given" to you is hotel/resort specific and can be given to any Diamond or for that matter any guest that complains enough. Again this is confirmed from GMs, Managers and others at various Hilton properties.
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime. There are no extra benefits/perks and now that any 17 year old willing to pay $450/year for an AMEX Aspire card receives the same Diamond benefits as someone who has 1,500+ stays and 20 years of loyalty what is the point? It's pretty much a hard slap in the face from Hilton when some kid spending 5-10 nights/year gets the EXACT same benefits/perks as someone who spends 120+ nights/year and $200,000/year on the Hilton brand. Makes sense to me, ROFLMAO.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there. I should make Lifetime Gold at Marriott in 2019 or 2020. This will give us flexibility for resorts in retirement. Conversely working in field service which is a 100% travel industry I have not heard of ANY new hires say specifically that they signed up for Hilton Honors just because they offer a Lifetime level. Of course they signed up but they signed up for Marriott, IHG, American, Delta, Southwest, United, Hertz, National, Avis, etc... etc... as well, as any road warrior should.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds. Here is a list I submitted a couple of years ago after achieving Lifetime and realizing we essentially didn't get anything for it. As you can see NONE of this list has been implemented.
Lifetime Diamond Benefits (What I would like to see Lifetime Diamonds receive.)
- 100% elite status bonus on points stays (Diamonds receive 50%)
- Allow cancellations up to 6:00 PM the day of the reservation. Currently most hotels require 24 hours notification minimum. This was changed in the last few years.
- Waive the annual fee for the Hilton AMEX Ascend Card. (I think this is $95/year.)
- Offer the Hilton AMEX Aspire Card at a discount. (This is $450/year otherwise.)
- 24 hour rewards room guarantee (1 room only is fine) This used to be a Diamond level benefit. It was taken away when our points were massively de-valued a few years ago in the great Hilton HHonors purge, lol.
- Reward rooms at STANDARD reward rates. A standard room should be available at the standard category rate without the obscene markups for "Premium" rooms which are usually no more than standard with higher point amounts added. This also began occurring after the great HHonors Devaluation a few years ago.
- 4th night free on standard room reward stays. (Currently all membership levels receive the 5th night free.)
- One Lifetime Diamond parking spot at each hotel/resort.
- A more concerted effort to give Lifetime Diamonds complimentary room upgrades.
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Napua Tower when booking reward stays at the Grand Wailea in Maui. (Even offering this upgrade with an upcharge wouldn't be so bad.)
- Complimentary room upgrades to the Imperial Club Level when booking reward stays at the Rome Cavalieri. (Again as with GW in Maui having to pay a slight upcharge for this wouldn't be terrible.)
- Lifetime Diamonds who are also HGVC Owners should receive complimentary Elite Status with HGVC at a minimum. Elite Plus or Elite Premier would be better. (Note: Elite Premiers at HGVC receive complimentary Diamond status with Hilton Honors.)
- Lifetime Diamond dedicated phone and email address for Customer Service and Reservations.
Happy travels!!!!
Feb 11, 2018, 7:44 pm
#1169
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: ATL - DL DM/3MM - HH Lifetime Diamond - Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 3,117
Nowhere on ANY readily available check in screen that the front desk, GM, Hospitality Manager, Concierge or any other hotel/resort employee has access to does "Lifetime Diamond" get listed. This has been confirmed by multiple GM's and Hospitality Managers I know, unless it changed in the last few months which I doubt. So, those of you being recognized as "Lifetime" at check-in have made a note of it on your reservation, have stayed at the hotel before and they know you are a Lifetime or some GM or Manager has drilled deeper into your profile to look for your status
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds.
Happy travels!!!!
Not Fact but strong evidence that since announcing Lifetime Diamond Hilton is actually losing some of its most loyal customers such as myself, a Lifetime Diamond for several years. As was pointed out in other posts there really is no incentive to keep staying at Hilton once you achieve Lifetime.
I have spoken with several Lifetime Diamonds and they are switching to Marriott, Hyatt or some other company to try and get Lifetime there.
It really wouldn't take a lot of effort on Hilton's part to show some loyalty to their Lifetime Diamonds.
Happy travels!!!!
Above are the main points of contention I have. As a LTD, I'm more interested in keeping Marriott Gold as I get basically nothing as a LTD with Hilton.
Feb 12, 2018, 1:22 am
#1170
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Posts: 10,909
Sorry to burst some bubbles but Hilton never said Lufetime would give any extra benefits other than whe one you get when you first qualify. It just means you don’t need to qualify anymore. Does Marriott lifetime status give you any extra benefits for being lifetime?