There are pros and cons to each major hotel loyalty program, including when it comes to suite upgrades. For many, the prospect of a suite upgrade is one of the most valuable perks of a high hotel elite tier, though understandably, not all programs are created equal.
Continue reading: Do Hilton Diamond Members Get Suite Upgrades? It’s Complicated
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I've applied 5 SUAs to upcoming reservations with Hyatt. I am confirmed to be in Suites at those properties.
For other stays, I may or may not be upgraded to a suite.
At Hilton, there is only "may or may not be". More often than not, I have experienced "not". But last year was a pleasant change at the W.A Beverly Hills.
Anyways, I'm sure someone will be around to explain how none of the suites I've booked are actually confirmed, because what if the hotel floods or an asteroid hits?
Never been upgraded at all as a Hilton Diamond member in America as far as I can remember. No upgrade in Europe either. I have been upgraded quite often in Asia including HGI.
I do not recall ever receiving a suite upgrade as a Diamond with Hilton, until this week. I have one night booked on a Aspire cert at WA Los Cabos and they put me in a 1 bedroom Estrella suite a few days out. Score!
I’ve oddly been upgraded twice in my last few Hilton stays (proactively via the app), the most recent being from an entry level king bed to the penthouse suite that included a baby grand piano, full dining room, living room, separate bedroom/bath, half bath and small gym.
That said, I also received an “upgrade” from a Peloton-equipped room that I booked into, to an entry level room with a “nicer” view. They also love to push “offers” for paid upgrades.
Long gone are the days when status meant something... I remember when, as a mere HH gold, I booked a regular room at the Doubletree Parque 93 in Bogotá and was upgraded to an executive suite with a jetted tub and a 8-ppl dining room 😀
I'm Lifetime Diamond you self anointed gurus.
To me, points are worth the same, I always get a suite upgrade, and $15 is not for breakfast because I don't care if breakfast costs me $80 as long as I can expense it.
Please take more money.
Strange... I've been upgraded at Home2Suites before. Also, I agree with the international upgrades... At Conrad Cairo I got upgraded to a 3 room suite.
Sadly I have yet to be offered a single suite upgrade despite multiple Hilton stays per year at a variety of properties (Diamond via Aspire) yet considering how I seem to have very good luck with DS upgrades compared with most commentors on this blog, I will just consider this karma.
That's brilliant! Out of curiosity, are you just doing a one night stay or are you combining a regular money/points stay with free night cert? I always wonder if they prioritize the latter when it comes to upgrades.
Never been diamond except one time I with Wyndham a few years back I played the DYKWIA card because occupancy was low and was about to call customer service or whatever and ended up getting a 2 bedroom bungalow in Kona for 4 nights. I worked at hotels when I was younger and would say just be firm and politely argue with the manager to get what you want.
I don’t think it’s that complicated - Gold and Diamond members may receive an upgrade and that may include a suite. In practice, it’s quite similar to other hotel chains (Hilton just don’t over-promise). Upgrades in the US are btw not totally unheard of - I got a suite upgrade at a newer (and actually very good) DoubleTree in Louisiana last week.
*CAUTION* they are notorious for rugpulling upgrades, even up to morning of. If you truly get the Estrella Suite...awesome! Just please temper your expectations.
Yes, empirically, Hilton Diamond and even Gold gets suite upgrades at times. I have had plenty of domestic upgrades to suites as a Gold member who has never been Diamond.
Close reading of the terms is useless. Hotels are franchised and compliance rates are far from perfect. This is true in every chain. Only if the terms provide specific tangible redress - like Marriott promises an exact denomination of cash to be paid to some guests who do not receive their booked bed type - is it useful to know and refer to the terms.
If you worked at hotels, you know that just because no guest has booked the suite, does not make it available. Suites take longer for housekeeping to clean, what if the hotel is short staffed?
That guy's argument is true if you earn points exclusively through staying with the hotel. Every chain's points program, in isolation, amounts to a 10-15% rebate.
Hyatt may charge 10,000 points a night while Hilton charges 60,000 points per night. But for every stay at Hyatt you earn 100 points and for every stay at Hilton you earn 600 points. So even though Hilton's numbers look inflated, the actual practical value is equivalent to Hyatt.
However, most of us earn most of our points through credit cards and for example BILT points convert to Hyatt or to Hilton at the same nominal rate. You can convert 2,000 Bilt points to either 2,000 Hyatt points or 2,000 Hilton points. That is why Hyatt points are worth more.
It happened to me before. I procrastinated and was kicked back to the curb at check-in. This time I did online check-in two days out when it opened and it stuck.
Thankfully the Hilton Baghdad Bob has retired from visiting OMAAT, so we can have a more unbiased, non-outlier discussion
My years of experience with diamond I estimate that my upgrade to an actual suite overseas have been about 75%...not counting 2024. I feel like something changed in 2024 where instead of suites I've been given a room on the other side of a hotel and the staff exuberantly tells you they upgraded you. Hope it's just an anomaly. In the USA forget it. Upgrades of any variety have been less than 25%. Some regions like San Diego they don't even pretend and if you read TripAdvisor comments you'll know they give the same story. I do my part. I rarely stay at Hilton in the us.
Marriott from my experience had been even worse including overseas where it's just about 50% for upgrades. But I've dropped them this year. Ironically, the best suite (more like large luxury apartments) I ever got was via hyatt and paradox hotels when I had zero status of any kind on either platform. To me the writing is on the wall and hotel loyalty is not worth the effort anymore.
Europe and Japan treat Gold members better than the US treats Diamond members. I always get executive lounge access and better seats at breakfast. The Food and beverage credit is a joke in the US
Other than suite certificates, isn’t every program the same?
Step 1: Is there a suite available? Step 2: Does the specific hotel want to give you an upgrade?
Because any hotel that doesn’t want to give you an upgrade will have some sort of excuse, and no major hotel chain is going to do anything about it.
95% no suite upgrades on Europe, Asia (Türkiye, Thailand, Hong Kong). Specially not in Conrads. 1% success. Hotels give give room you are worth in their opiniion, so take it or leave it.
Diamond and 95% no suite upgrades on Europe, Asia (Türkiye, Thailand, Hong Kong). Specially not in Conrads. 1% success. Hotels give give room you are worth in their opiniion, so take it or leave it.
It was at a 600 room 4 star Marriott property in the heart of Hollywood. 16 years ago. We were fully staffed in all departments. A vacant room can be either VC vacant clean or VD vacant dirty. It’s subjective. Sunday would be the main checkout day so it’s likely checking in Sunday night some rooms may be VD. Again depends on the property. If you are being polite and persistent you have a better chance of getting upgraded to a suite. You can always tip me $200 like a rapper and get a one bedroom suite for five nights. I’ll even have room service send over a bottle of champagne.
I had the most delightful upgrade to a corner suite at the Osaka Conrad recently. We were two parties, each with our own Diamond status and couldn’t have been happier with their hospitality and kindness. Similarly, I had a huge one bedroom suite on a day rate at the Conrad in Macau. Ben’s assessment of domestic Conrads, however, has always been true for me too: don’t get your hopes up in Nashville or Las Vegas.
Frankly, many properties have very few suites and lower level brands (upto Garden, but even some Doubletree) don’t have any … If a property has only one or two suites, they may decide not to give it away for complementary upgrades.
As a Hilton Diamond member for a few years now, I find that I get an upgrade about 50% of the time by messaging in the app about 48 hours prior to arrival. I’ve had some great successes getting an upgrade for busy weekends and week-long stays across the states into junior or one-bedroom suites - primarily Curio, Canopy, and Hilton brands. Hope that’s a helpful tip!
Diamond for Life & very rarely have i had a suite upgrade, IMHO it would be aa good move if Hilton offered Diamond for Life members something extra, having done well over 3,000 nights over 30 years in Hilton properties it feels I've done my bit!
We must agree with you Bob. This has happened not only at Hilton but also at Hyatt to us in 2024.
It might not be an anomaly.
Amen. I go to Europe, I get upgrades and awesome free breakfast. In the US, the last upgrade I got was to a suite in Missoula MT of all places.
Many of the Hilton brands that don’t offer free upgrades are brands that don’t have upgrades to give, as lower tiered properties don’t always have suites, so your upgrade may be limited to a higher floor or something…
So, in a nutshell "it’s yours – up to a 1-bedroom suite" - in fact the better room isn't yours.
More often than not, the hotel would rather not recognise my loyalty and would rather keep the suite empty and leave me on the first floor facing the garbage.
I think it is true about it being easier to get an upgrade overseas. We used points for stay at the Hilton in Buenos Aires and were upgraded to an enormous, beautiful, one-bedroom suite. It was lovely! I've only been upgraded once to a one-bedroom suite in the US - it was at the Roosevelt in New Orleans and a worthy upgrade - such a lovely hotel.
Diamond member 10+ years. Upgrades are rare since Covid. Japan zero upgrades but rest of Asia actually almost every time. US&Europe - no.
Diamond member 10+ years. Upgrades are rare since Covid. Japan zero upgrades but rest of Asia actually almost every time. US&Europe - no.