Hotel Status Match Master Thread
 

As a companion to the Status Match Master Thread (for airlines), here's the beginning of a Hotel Status Match Master Thread.

Starwood

Per Starwood Lurker
You can receive 'Preferred Plus' status (which is more or less Gold without the 50% bonus on in-hotel earning) by obtaining the Starwood American Express or even joining AAA IIRC. Gold status comes complimentary with the Platinum American Express card (the expensive one, not the co-branded airline or hotel cards).


Hilton

Hilton will sometimes offer a match. Frequently they will offer a challenge (x stays in y days) for Diamond:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=494970
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459827
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=443854
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=369105

The Hilton Visa or Hilton American Express will get you Silver status (which is enough to qualify to use the elite-only awards). $20,000 in spending in a year on the Hilton Amex gets you Gold status. There are some reports of Hilton Amex spending getting you Diamond status, but this isn't an official or published program that would necessarily apply to everyone.

Hyatt

If you can demonstrate elite status with another chain and 10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months, Hyatt will comp you to Diamond status.

Send a fax with a copy of your elite statement (online statement is fine) and elite card to the Hyatt Account Services Desk (402-593-9449).


Marriott

Marriott does not match easily. Some people get told yes and others get told no. Some additional mixed experiences are here and here.

You can receive Silver status by obtaining a Marriott Visa.


Priority Club / Intercontinental Hotels

This thread suggests it's possible to get a match to Priority Club Platinum -- even from Hilton Gold.

This thread suggests it's very difficult to get a match to Royal Ambassador status.

You can purchase Gold status. With the various promos it's easy to make Platinum as only 60k points -- from any source, including points transferred into the program -- are necessary. With the recent offer of 30k points for credit card signup you'd be halfway there (and could then even sign up for a business credit card too for points, and a Netbank checking account...)

For info on these levels and the differences between them, here's a FAQ from the hotel forum here on Flyertalk.


Radisson

Here and here are discussions of elite matches with Radisson. Reply if you have more/better information.

5/10/07: Additional discussion in this thread.


Loews

This thread discusses obtaining a status match in the Loews First program.


Fairmont apparently does not match according to this thread, though this older thread suggests they do.

Shangri-La Golden Circle does not match (though this info is old).

Flyertalkers have had mixed experiences obtaining status matches with Omni Hotels. (Info is old.)


This thread is a work in progress. Please reply with any better factual information that you may have. If it can be verified I'll attempt to add it to this post.

Terrific thread, and nice to put all of the hotel information in a thread of its own.

I'm a little confused as to the wording on Hyatt:
When you say "10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months", do you mean at Hyatt or at the competing chain?

I was comped top tier on Hyatt based on being top tier on Hilton, having had no Hyatt stays at all.

Well done.

The Priority Club Rewards Visa now includes Gold status , for the current year and the following year, if I am reading footnote 6 correctly.

10 stays or 30 nights at a competing chain -- or across various chains. That said, Hyatt has been known to give Diamond status matches with even less than that shown on the account statement for a competitor's frequent guest program.

That is to say, the "10 stays or 30 nights within the past 12 months" "criteria" is not a firm one and one that I have seen ignored more than observed.

Really would appreciate others' experiences here. It would be great if I could improve the first post in this thread. :)

Has anyone noted that joining Ameniti will give you Starwood Gold status also..

Thanks, gleff, for taking the time to create this thread. Useful info in one place.

Although not a match, Hilton AmEx automatically gives silver status.

Very true. And there are some discounted offers with good mileage signup bonuses. Alas no more $10 trial that included SPG status and 2 RCC passes that I'm aware of. :(

Yep, that was noted in the original post.

I recall reading that the equivalent HHonors card in some European countries provides far more than just silver.

And Hilton has -- and through April 2006 is -- given status for spending on certain HHonors-affiliated credit cards:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...2&postcount=25
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3797700
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...27#post3892127

Hyatt has matched HHonors Gold by issuing Hyatt Diamond status.

Sorry. Brain wasn't in gear this morning.

Gleff: thank you very much-just found this.

Just got a LoewsFirst match via email/fax. I just sent them a message asking if they'd do it and got this back like an hour later.

Thanks for the info, heathriel ^

Two recent experiences from colleagues re: Hyatt

* Colleague one faxed SPG Plat and HHonors Gold, received Hyatt Diamond in 30 days
* Colleague two faxed SPG Plat and received Hyatt Diamond in 48 hours

So clearly YMMV with respect to the time it takes for a Hyatt match!

More upto date info re:Shangri-la status match:

I tried to get a comp with them a few months ago, but they said that they don't match based on other companies' statii.

Has anyone sucessfully bargained down requirements??
 

Called Hilton to get them to match my SPG Plat status and they gave me a challenge...10 stays or 20 nights in 90 days which seems pretty steep...now 15 nights I could probably manage but not 20...so has anyone ever got them to go down from their original amounts??

Hi, Just got Starwood gold through Ameniti. Will Hilton match my status and to what?? What about other Programmes? Can someone tell me what to do with matching the best with a starwood gold??? Btw I have no stays on record ;)

Thanks

One time only for Hyatt
 

Note that Hyatt will do this one time only (they expect your business after that...).
If anyone has other experience with Hyatt, I would welcome hearing about it. You may notice that I am about to lose my status, which I enjoyed as much as I could last year :D , but Hyatt just didn't have hotels in many of the locations I travelled to. :rolleyes:

I too have Starwood Gold through the Ameniti trial. I did attempt to get it matched at other hotel chains, but found they do want you to fax in the detail of stays at the other properties. So, unless I am missing something, there is no way to have your category matched for other chains, without having had the qualifying stays.
Canada1

Thanks Gleff
 

Nice to have this all on one thread. Thanks for your work. I'm a bit reluctant to post. I dont usually do things the same way as most FT'ers. With the risk of being bashed for being a bragger (which I'm not) I'll share my experience. I've been Diamond with Hilton for ten years, on my own dime. I am very happy with them. Sometime's however other choices are necessary. I have been status matched with the following. Marriott Gold over the phone instantly. GCCI over the phone Platinum w/ only fifteen more nights for Diamond. (I know BW, but they have 1700 hotels in Europe, some very nice) Starwood--- I've been Gold with them for years based on my Airline. I never stay there? I qualify for their match easily, but as a Plat I'd most likely still not stay there. They just dont seem to be where or when I want them. Last nite I managed to get my son Compted to Hilton Gold over the phone. He has no stays with Hilton at all. We are booking a honeymoon gift in Europe this fall. Explained this to Hilton. They understood Upgrades as Gold is a good perk and compted him based on my Diamond status. Very nice of them. Well thats that. It seems that most Hotels want your business and will offer you what you want: if they see it as bringing steady $ into their coffers :)

Btw
 

When is this thread going to get it's own space. Nothing is worse than reading 10000 airline status posts. ^

Isn't that what I did by creating this thread, separating it out from the airline discussions? :confused:

I was successful in faxing in my IC/Priority Club Platinum Ambassador statement to Hyatt to receive a full year of Hyatt Diamond status. I had roughly 75 nights and over 150,000 points in the last 4 months with at least another 14 nights booked.

This thread was very very useful. I was a Hyatt Platinum until Feb of this year. I'm just finishing up my assignment that has had me for several months living at an IC property but I'll be doing several business trips to Vancouver where I'll be staying at the Hyatt Regency.

Thanks to gleff for this thread.

hotel/airline status matches?
 

I'm planning a oneworld RTW trip taking in various countries in Europe, Asia, Oz/NZ & South America and will end up staying in quite a few hotels along the way. It would make sense to stick to one brand, and they'll get a fair amount of business out of me...

I don't have any elite hotel program status yet but am a Gold member of the BA Executive Club.

Do any of the major hotel groups offer BAEC silver/gold members status match or a quick path to elite status?

Any other suggestions appreciated, thanks.

Officially probably not, although hotel programs do occasionally target elite members of airline programs for special status mailings.

Seems to me you should call and ask Starwood, Hilton, and Priority Club. And if you're told no the first time call back and ask again.

Starwood and Hilton have both been known to give Gold status for simply asking when you get a sufficiently empowered CSR and they're given a reason. Priority Club I add just 'cause it's the least meaningful status so one hunch might be it wouldn't be hard to get.

And if the calls fail, send a fax.

Then report back! :)

Has anyone specifically received a Hilton Diamond status match or Fast Track to Diamond within the last 30 days?
Thanks

i recently applied to have my hilton diamond matched to obtain starwood platinum. i faxed my required docs about 2 weeks ago. i was wondering if there is anyone to contact to at least know whether my request was recieved over at starwood.

thanks.

I have done both Matching Diamond to Starwood and then to Marriott. There are some weird reasons, but Starwood was great, until my job changed and the hotels in the area... So I tried to stay at Hilton and was not impressed by their properties.. so tried Marriott (with a couple stays as a Non-Elite) and booked some more.. then called them and faxed my stays. The next day, they called back and I was Platinum.. sweet.. easily will make that this year... (and prob Starwood Plat too).

Anyway, if you do request a match, make sure you state you are unhappy with your current chain, disappointed in the lack of quality benefits and hotels, and tried this chain and was impressed and would like to request a good faith match of status.... Of course what I said was very true... so good luck! :)

Additional Methods for achieving Silver and Gold on Hilton
 

Owing a Hilton Grand Vacation Club (HGVC) Timeshare automatically provides you Hilton Status.

All HGVC Owners automatically gets Silver status with no night stays required.
HGVC Elite Owners (those owing >14K HGVC Timeshare points) automatically get Gold Status, with no stays required.

Yes I received a Fast Track to Diamond dated April 6th. I am a Gold member because of HGVC ownership, but I also have hotel stays as well.

Has anyone recently done a Marriott challenge or gotten a match recently? I am looking to diversify my hotel stays and want to pick a brand with a strong presence in my locations.

Am quite disappointed with Marriott - I did 129 nights in hilton last year, and they won't even let me fax my statements in. They gave me a gold challenge.
However a coworker of mine had 80 nights in Starwood last year, and he was comped Platinum.
I just don't get it.

Status Match with RA Platinum
 

Does anyone know what RA Platinum would achieve in terms of status match with other programmes? I typically stay about 50+ nights a year with IHG but some of the places I work do not have IC, CP or HI, which is why a status match would be of interest.

What stategy could I use to achieve maximum term for such a status match, thus allowing me sufficient time to continue to retain the level achieved?

Thanks for your feedback.

I have 131 nights with Hilton and Marriott just gave me gold. I have a whopping 4 night with Marriott (technically 1 because 3 was the woman staying under my name w/out me). I called in, talked to a rep, faxed in a screenshot of my HH account and just got a call back they are comping me gold. No challenge, just comped me right to gold. When I called at first the rep put me on hold, talked to a manager, and came back to tell me their manager said they would give me gold after 50 night. I (somewhat sarcastically) thanked him and explained that is what it normally is. He went to talk to another manager who said to fax in the docs so it seems to be pretty much YMMV based on who they ask. I sent a note along with a screenshot explaining the amount of business that I'm doing with Hilton, anticipated number of upcoming stays, etc and expressing my desire to stay staying with Marriott more often. Just booked two weeks at the end of next month and I'll book another month if that goes well.

double post

gleff thx for taking the time.^

Does anyone know if its a "once in a lifetime" privilege?

Has anyone done repeated challenges? (a la AA)

Anyone has intel on when is the best time to ask for a status match? (for example in AA's case if you wait until after 6/16 you will get the remainder of the year + the following yr).

With most chains. For example, with Starwood you can only get a comp to Platinum if you've never been platinum before (they won't comp you even if your previous platinum was earned). However you can get re-refered over and over to Intercontinental Royal Ambassador status, at least as of a couple months ago. (I was referred in December '05, my status expired at the end of December '06, and I was bumped back up to complimentary RA status in January '07 via another referral cert.)

Intercontinental Royal Ambassador status always lasts until the end of your current Ambassador membership. If you aren't currently an Ambassador they'll sign you up and it lasts for 12 months. If you have less time left, renew your Ambassador status and then (or concurrently) send the referral. I suspect it might be possible to get the status for, say, 15 months this way -- but go to the Priority Club forum and research royal ambassador referrals first...

Starwood is the most interesting case. Their status always lasts at least 12 months, and status expires Feb 28. So if you get comped to Platinum after March 1, it can't expire Feb 28 of the following year -- 'cause status would have lasted less than 12 months -- so it lasts until Feb 28 of the NEXT year. Example: if you took a comp today (March 30, 2007 in the U.S.) then your status would expire February 28 2009. ;)

Anyone know if Hyatt or other chain will match Hilton Gold?

Thanks!

Thanks for the info glff. I am sitting on an RA referal cert to give to my husband in June. Hopefully the one that comes with his welcome package will expire after Dec since my RA status ends Dec 2007. I was wondering if they would let him refer me back.:D