Alohashirt

I've had gold for the past couple of years thanks to my Amex Platinum card. The included breakfasts have been nice on the few occasions when I have stayed at Hiltons lately. However, I'm considering getting an Aspire card in order to get Diamond status. I have already earned Marriott Platinum status or the rest of this year and next, so I am considering at least giving Hilton a try for my upcoming business trips in October .The main reason I'm considering switching from Marriott is all of the trouble I've been having with reservations and getting stays credited during the SPG/Marriott merger nonsense.

I care more about is lounge access than anything else. Occasional room upgrades would be nice, and I've managed to get a few as a Gold. Work frequently takes me to the financial district in NYC (I believe the Millennium has a lounge) and San Diego (La Jolla, Torrey Pins and Gaslamp Quarter). Hilton also has a good footprint in the leisure destinations I expect to visit in the next year with just my wife. Other than lounge access, I care about having the ability to earn points and redeem them at higher end properties.

So I'm asking all of you Diamonds out there whether it's noticeably better to have Diamond than Gold. I'm especially interested in comparisons to Marriott Platinum. Thanks!

lcohen999

3 or 4 years ago, I did a Marriott challenge and they gave me Platinum for a year (after meeting requirements of course).

I generally don't get to stay in higher end hotels, so they were the Courtyards and what not of the worlds. Their properties did not really impress me too much. I stayed at a Gaylord and because it was a resort, no breakfast. Courtyards, I got a small (couldn't get a medium) free coffee. It all seems just very average.

I like Hilton Diamond. HHonors isn't a perfect program but it generally suits me well. When I do stay at properties with a lounge, it is a great benefit and I have had some beautiful upgrades.

I suspect in the end, there are Diamonds who love it, others who hate it and same with Marriott. Just have to pick the best that works with you and manage expectations of course

jerry a. laska

Have a look at the discussion in these threads:
Is Diamond Status worth $450?
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilt...nce-perks.html
Never been upgraded as a diamond
Comp Upgrades for Golds - What are your experiences?
Do any of you guys believe that Diamond has provided you significantly more benefits?

Some think it's worth it; others don't.

whimsey21

Given this statement, I think the answer to your question is that yes, Diamond is worth THAT much more than Gold. Back when I was gold, I'd occasionally get an upgrade to an exec room with lounge access, but not often-- much more often I'd get an upgrade to a higher room class, but without access. As a Diamond, you always get lounge access whatever room type you book and receive. So if lounge access is truly the thing you care about, Diamond is definitely worth having (especially if you book properties with nice lounges). Lots and lots of discussion on whether the other benefits come through (ie. whether you get more/better upgrades as Diamond than Gold), but really no question that you'll get lounge access more often with Diamond if you don't specifically book exec rooms.

smmrfld

Numerous other threads on this exact same topic...unclear why it was necessary to start yet another one.

craigthemif

Because some people are new, didn't use the search facility properly, etc.

Alert a mod if you think it should be merged into an existing thread.


And the short answer for the OP is that DIamond is guaranteed lounge whilst Gold is maybe lounge. You could probably book exec rooms when absolutely crucial, instead of paying the extra for a credit card or 10 stays.

jeffers

If you're staying at nice properties (with nice lounges), I'd do the math and see if you think you'll get $450 (or $450-$95) of value out of them.

Having been a diamond for 5 years, I have to say I'd miss the lounge access if I were to drop down - especially in Conrads.

isle-hawg

Not sure why OP cares about exec lounge in US - which to me is next to completely worthless - but since it is for him then yes it is worth it.

BlueZebra

Thank you for taking the time to list these. Looking around to see if a topic has come up, or doing a search is a lost skill. And "worth" is such a vague and subjective definition.

pharmawalk

For me, when i was gold, gold was great and the properties my wife and I stayed at in the Caribbean, EU and USA all acknowledged that status level very nicely. When I hit diamond, the level of room upgrades was enhanced as were the 4pm late checkout requests. We always received lounge access at the Hilton properties we stayed at when Gold.

restlessinRNO

The Hilton Midtown has a lounge, but it is very modest, and wine in the evening is $8 a glass.

Alohashirt

Because:

• It's a place to relax and work after checkout when I have late flights-- which is usually the case when I fly eastbound transcons
• It's a more private place to grab breakfast when I don't have time or the desire to go to the hotel restaurant
• I don't just travel to the US-- and the lounges at the Conrad London St. James and the Park Lane Hilton are both light years ahead of any lounge I've ever seen in the US.

I appreciate these links. I was searching for threads where there had been posts within the last three months and doing the search on my phone. Neither was ideal. Please feel free to merge this with other threads-- and thanks to all of you who posted.

whimsey21

pinniped

I'm HH Diamond and MR Platinum Premier. I find the two pretty similar. Guaranteed lounge, few room upgrades, lots of points, good enough service at the hotels that you shouldn't run into "bad" rooms.

There's some discussion on the Marriott board how long or whether the Starwood upgrade culture will continue. SPG Platinums (pre-merger) enjoyed pretty strong suite upgrade rates at many properties. I was SPG Plat for about 4 years and it was indeed great - lots of very strong upgrades, true 1-bedroom suites and even things that would be considered parlor suites or presidential suites. That was never a big part of Marriott culture (although I did luck into one every now and then, as I have with HH Diamond), so some people think it'll fade away at Starwoods.

If lounge is your concern, then HH Diamond should work pretty well for you. HH lounges in many parts of the world can be quite worthwhile. In the U.S. and Canada they're mostly on the lame side. In Asia, they're mostly fantastic.

Diamond is sort of a no-brainer for me: if Hilton is going to pay me to carry a credit card that includes Diamond, sure...OK, I'll take it. If two or three years down the road they start pulling benefits from that card, then I'll reevaluate - especially since I have LT status at Marriott.

aih

Here's a contrary view.

I earned Diamond the hard way: Traveling, a lot, two or three nights at a time with a week long trip here and there, all domestic.

I've been Diamond for several years in a row now and I don't remember Gold that well. But like the OP, what I like about Diamond is the lounge access in some places, and the no-extra-cost breakfast buffet in some others. I do get room upgrades a lot, but that doesn't matter too me so much. The desk personnel at some properties remember me because I visit so much, and I like that.

That said, I would not make a decision to switch credit cards or get a credit card just to earn Diamond versus Gold. But that's me. The difference in that sense just wouldn't be worth it to me. In someone else's situation I might think different. If I was a frequent international traveler, I might think different. I tend to prefer Hampton Inn, Embassy Suites, or Homewood Suites generally, and choose Hilton or DoubleTree sometimes depending on the location. But Hampton Inn is my goto most of the time because of the locations I visit frequently. And for the most part Diamond doesn't get me much extra that I pay attention to. But different strokes. Only you can say if it is worth it to you.

By the way, when I wasn't Diamond I never used the Diamond parking spaces. I usually don't even now because I usually have my sights on another parking space. But now as Diamond I will use the Diamond spaces when the lot is full. It's a small perk, but it's a perk.