Drastic dilution of Hilton Diamond's main benefit and increased redemption rates

[MAN Flyer]

I don't know how many of you may have seen the thread on FT about a huge dilution of the benefit of being Hilton Diamond, that is the ablility to use a Diamond Special Arrangement / Diamond Force to get awards in hotels that will not allow a booking via the website or are sold out.

This has been the main benefit of Diamond (especially as Gold continues to be handed out to anyone with a pulse) the knowledge that as you rack the points up, you know you will actually be able to use them as you can get the Diamond Desk to force an award for you. Now, if all the standard rooms are sold out, you will be asked to pay more for a higher category room (despite the fact that as a Diamond you would get upgraded anyway) and some of the redemption rates quoted are quite simply hilarious.

As usual, no announcement had been made before people started encountering the new system, which is slowly being rolled out, then the comment from Hilton themselves about it is the usual farcical PR bullsh*t :

Hi everyone,

We know how important our Diamond Guarantee is to our members and we want to assure you that this policy is not being revoked. If a hotel is sold out, Diamond members will still be able to use points for a guaranteed reservation. We will continue to be the only program of its kind to allow our most valued members to use points for a guaranteed reservation.

As part of our continuing efforts to improve the overall Hilton HHonors program, we’ve recently made additional, premium rooms available for reward bookings at some of our hotels. Similar to how our Diamond Guarantee works for paid stays, these premiums rooms must be sold out before we are able to force a Diamond Guarantee for a reward booking.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these enhancements to our overall reward offerings.

I have almost requalified for Diamond again this year but if this continues to be rolled out I won't bother next year.

[demue]

Yes a big bummer on that one. Totally kills Diamond. For me I would recommend anyone still crediting with HHonors to maintain Gold only and move to rest of your stays to another program. HH Gold benefits are pretty good already and now Diamond is even closer to it and nothing special at all.

[iainbhx]

I am one of those people who flits between Gold and Diamond depending on the year. With the exception of one year when due to family reasons I dropped to Silver for a few months, I have been either Gold or Diamond for 12 years, I am currently Gold, I requal for Diamond next week.

I seem to have never been eligible for "make you gold promotion", I did try a few when I was Silver, "not eligible" was the usual refrain. The only time I've been offer free Gold was when I got my Amex Plat, I was Gold at the time.

The main reason I am with HHonors is that with my travel patterns, it's either HHonors (who have 90% coverage on my destinations) or Accor (who have 100% coverage but a truly awful programme). Starwood are virtually absent from the UK and non-smoking in too many places. Hyatt has the same problem of absence from many markets and I'm allergic to IHC

So I'm stuck with Hilton, which has become increasingly inconsistent over the years and this change isn't helping one bit. I've only used a Diamond Reward Force twice, but both times it was extremely useful and saved a packet. The Premium Rooms idea is nice, but has two problems for me, firstly the extortionate rates being charged and secondly, the likelihood of a cancer downgrade. I've had a few stays where I have been given the lethal combination of "we only have standard rooms for smokers and we only give lounge access to people on the Exec Floor", downgraded and no in property benefits. I can see a situation coming where I would be reduced to a near apocalyptic rage at check in on paying a silly number of points for a room and then being downgraded.

The work contract with Hilton ends next year, I won't be putting up the same defence of it I did three years ago. However, there are individual Hiltons I would still try to patronise (Brisbane, Köln, Berlin, Conrad Singapore) despite that.

Now, how do I burn 680,000 points

[MAN Flyer]

I have been Diamond for a few years now as Hilton is the easiest and most beneficial for me based on my travel patterns. Starwood is probably my favourite programme based on the treatment but there are less of their properties than Hiltons where I tend to go.

Hyatt is even worse and is a struggle to keep Diamond, but I have done so for the last few years as I do like their properties in the places I frequent. I enjoyed FFN as well so if they don't come back this year I doubt I'll bother keeping Diamond next year.

I am coming around to the conclusion that keeping top tier status in three major chains is too much and not necessary. As it was I was going to drop Hyatt next year. Now, if Hilton do go ahead and stay with these p*ss take redemtption rates and removal of Diamond Force awards then I will just do enough to keep Gold, which at the moment seems to mean just having a pulse such is the amount of places they hand it out free. I have also only used Diamond Force a few times but it was a real benefit when I did and it always allowed me to believe that I could use the points I was clocking up.

I did consider ICRA, which I could qualify for if I wanted to, but in places like Singapore, Bangkok and Saigon where I visit regularly I prefer the Hyatts and Starwoods to the IC, and demue has also put me off.

[demue]

I did consider ICRA, which I could qualify for if I wanted to, but in places like Singapore, Bangkok and Saigon where I visit regularly I prefer the Hyatts and Starwoods to the IC, and demue has also put me off.

Haha, sorry man. As mentioned, the benefits of IC RA are decent enough when it comes to early check-in, Club Level or suite upgrades, free minibar (should we really drink more? ), internet in most places, etc. Also Priority Club as the points accrual program allows you to rack up a good number of points through promotions and Points Breaks at 5K PC points can be great value if published for the right places you want to go to. As long as you pull a lot of 1-2 nighters at IC hotels the 2K PC points limit for earnings at the actual IC brand hotels does not bother you. Stay longer and you loose out on some earnings potential versus regular CPs or HIs.

The main caveat and pain is the opaque and mysterious re-qualification criteria for RA. As stated before, common wisdom is that it takes 50 nights a year in ICHG group properties with at least 3 stays in 3 different IC hotels. That is not that easy to achieve when you want to maintain one or two other programs at top-level. Also some IC hotels are good and some not. In sum RA only really pays if you travel to places that have a good IC and stay there (it does nothing for you at a CP or HI), where you can get a competitive rate and still stay enough to requalify.

[CarbonMan]

Hilton increases status qualification thresholds

Looks like they have just upped everything by 20%.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS (AS OF JANUARY 2013):

DIAMOND: 30 stays • 60 nights • 120,000 Base Points

GOLD: 20 stays • 40 nights • 75,000 Base Points

SILVER: 4 stays • 10 nights

BLUE: JUST ENROLL

[Kyo]

They announced that end of last year... bring it on I say, since they give Gold to just about everybody with their @#$@# credit cards anyway. Not to mention Diamond for Surpass and those lucky enough to be able to enrol for it..

[sqdazz]

They announced that end of last year... bring it on I say, since they give Gold to just about everybody with their @#$@# credit cards anyway. Not to mention Diamond for Surpass and those lucky enough to be able to enrol for it..

Not that Diamond treatment is much better than gold really.

[Lobster]

I just checked and I am still HH gold until 2014 despite staying in HH hotels just twice last year for a grand total of 4 nights - Seems it is impossible to loose Gold status

[kapitan]

I just checked and I am still HH gold until 2014 despite staying in HH hotels just twice last year for a grand total of 4 nights - Seems it is impossible to loose Gold status

blardy hell, I should not have tried so hard then.....

[sqdazz]

I just checked and I am still HH gold until 2014 despite staying in HH hotels just twice last year for a grand total of 4 nights - Seems it is impossible to loose Gold status

I thought status doesn't drop down until March or April for HH

[MAN Flyer]

For those who haven't already seen it, Hilton have announced more changes that devalue the programme. They've increased more (read higher / more expensive) tiers for awards and even 'seasonal' awards. Some properties have jumped almost over 100% in award rates, including the Conrad Koh Samui (where I should have been this week on an award....) which is now Category 10 and has gone form possibly being available for 50,000 a night (and under) to up to 95,000 points a night.

To be fair to Hilton, thay are far from alone in doing this. IHG and Marriot have recently done so as have SPG. Bl**dy credit cards are ruining Hotel 'loyalty' programmes.

[milehighj]

Bl**dy credit cards are ruining Hotel 'loyalty' programmes.

[SQGamespeed]

For those who haven't already seen it, Hilton have announced more changes that devalue the programme. They've increased more (read higher / more expensive) tiers for awards and even 'seasonal' awards. Some properties have jumped almost over 100% in award rates, including the Conrad Koh Samui (where I should have been this week on an award....) which is now Category 10 and has gone form possibly being available for 50,000 a night (and under) to up to 95,000 points a night.

To be fair to Hilton, thay are far from alone in doing this. IHG and Marriot have recently done so as have SPG. Bl**dy credit cards are ruining Hotel 'loyalty' programmes.

Points almost doubled now?!

I wonder if Hilton intends this to be a long term devaluation to the programme.

[HUGE AL]

To be fair to Hilton, thay are far from alone in doing this. IHG and Marriot have recently done so as have SPG. Bl**dy credit cards are ruining Hotel 'loyalty' programmes.

I noticed how Hyatt was not in that statement. They are the only program left that has chosen to LOWER more categories than they increased. Will MAN Flyer decide to make yet ANOTHER run at Hyatt Diamond now?

Yes, they all suck with promos as of late.