Hilton is one of the largest hotel groups in the world, and Diamond status is the top tier status in the Hilton Honors program. What makes Diamond status unique is that it’s also the easiest top tier hotel status to earn with any US-issued credit cards.
In this post, I wanted to take a closer look at the benefits of Hilton Honors Diamond status, including the easiest ways to earn it.
In this post:
How to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status
There are several pathways to earning Hilton Honors Diamond status — you can earn it through stays, you can earn it just for having a premium credit card, and you can earn it by putting spending on certain credit cards.
Earning Diamond status with hotel stays
If you want to achieve Hilton Honors Diamond status through hotel stays you need to earn any of the following in a calendar year:
- 60 nights
- 30 stays (with each check-in and check-out counting as one stay)
- 120,000 base points (you typically earn 10 base points per dollar at most brands, so that’s like spending $12,000 per year)
Note that both award and revenue stays count toward the night and stay total. The qualification requirements are in line with other top tier status programs, though fortunately there’s a much easier way to earn Diamond status if you have access to US credit cards.
Earning Diamond status with credit cards
Hilton has a suite of co-branded credit cards that can earn you status. The easiest way to earn Hilton Honors Diamond status with a credit card is to simply have the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express (review).
The Hilton Aspire Card offers Diamond status for as long as you have the card, in addition to a slew of other amazing benefits that more than justify the annual fee. These benefits include an annual free night certificate, up to $400 in annual Hilton resort credits, up to $200 in annual flight credits, up to $199 in annual CLEAR Plus credits, and more. The Hilton Aspire card carries a $550 annual fee.
Alternatively, you can earn Hilton Honors Diamond status by spending $40,000 in a calendar year on either of the following cards:
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (review) — $150 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review) — $195 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
If you’re unable to meet the $40,000 calendar year spending requirement, keep in mind that both the Hilton Surpass Card and Hilton Business Card come with Hilton Honors Gold status for as long you are a cardmember.
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Hilton Honors Diamond status benefits
With the requirements to earn status out of the way, what are the benefits of Hilton Honors Diamond status? Below are the benefits, roughly in the order that I value them.
Executive lounge access
For Hilton-family properties with executive lounges, Diamond members receive access. This applies regardless of whether or not there’s availability to upgrade the Diamond member to an executive room.
Executive lounges offer complimentary breakfast, evening snacks, and a place to grab a coffee or drink during the day. You can generally expect that executive lounges outside the United States (in particular in Asia) will be significantly better than domestic ones.
Complimentary continental breakfast or hotel credit
For properties outside of the United States without executive lounges, Honors Diamond members are entitled to complimentary continental breakfast. At a minimum, this is a choice you can select at all properties in eligible regions.
There are a couple of things to note:
- While the benefit is technically only for continental breakfast, in practice many hotels will offer Diamond members full breakfast
- Technically this benefit only applies at properties without executive lounges, though there are also hotels that will give Diamond members the option of dining either in the restaurant or in the lounge
For properties in the United States, Honors Diamond members receive a hotel credit in lieu of complimentary breakfast.
The amount of the credit ranges from $10-25 per person per night, and depends on the brand and location. For full service and lifestyle brands, high-cost markets include Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia, Key Largo, Key West, New York City, San Francisco, the county of Los Angeles, and the state of Hawaii.
When it comes to breakfast benefits at major hotel chains, where does Hilton Honors rank for high tier elites?
- I’d say World of Hyatt wins, as Globalist members receive either a hot breakfast in a restaurant or executive lounge access at all properties globally; gratuity is included, and there are generally the fewest limitations on what you can order
- I’d say IHG One Rewards is pretty competitive too, as Diamond members receive a good breakfast offering, as they get a hot breakfast at all brands; the catch is that many hotels have a stringier interpretation than with World of Hyatt, specifically about what one can order
- I’d say Hilton Honors ranks next, as breakfast for Diamond members is technically limited to being continental (though lots of hotels go above and beyond), and on top of that properties in the United States only get a food & beverage credit
- I’d say Marriott Bonvoy ranks last, as Platinum members receive continental breakfast at some brands, while other brands are excluded (including EDITION, Ritz-Carlton, etc.)
Room upgrades
Hilton Honors Diamond members are entitled to room upgrades, though individual hotels have a lot of discretion. As the terms explain, Hilton Honors Diamond members may receive upgrades to preferred rooms, and that may include upgrades to junior, standard, or one-bedroom suites.
All of these upgrades are at the discretion of the hotel, and are granted on a space-available basis for the entire duration of the stay at the time of check-in (though at some hotels upgrades are starting to clear in advance on an automated basis).
This language is a bit different than what you’ll find with Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt, which promise suite upgrades for top tier elite members subject to availability, rather than at the discretion of the hotel.
As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, I don’t expect (or ask for) suite upgrades, and that way I’m not disappointed. However, I do find that I’m upgraded to suites fairly often. It doesn’t happen much within the US, while I’d say outside the US I get a suite upgrade about 50% of the time.
100% bonus points
Hilton Honors Diamond members receive a 100% points bonus on Hilton Honors stays. Members ordinarily earn 10 base points per dollar spent, so Diamond members earn an additional 10 points per dollar spent.
Hilton Honors also often has global promotions to earn more points, and Hilton’s co-branded credit cards offer an excellent rate of return for Hilton spending.
When you combine all of these factors, racking up Hilton Honors points for hotel stays is quite easy.
Hilton MyWay Benefits
Diamond members receive what’s known as a “MyWay” benefit with each stay, which varies by brand:
- At Waldorf Astoria choose two of the following: 1,000 Honors bonus points, one in-room movie, or a spa, golf or restaurant discount
- At Canopy, Conrad, Curio Collection, DoubleTree, Hilton, LXR, Motto, Signia, and Tapestry: receive 1,000 Honors bonus points
- At Hilton Grand Vacations: receive 2,000 Honors bonus points
- At Embassy Suites choose one of the following: 1,000 Honors bonus points or three snacks/refreshments
- At Hilton Garden Inn choose one of the following: 750 Honors bonus points or a hot breakfast for up to two guests
- At Hampton by Hilton choose one of the following: 250 Honors bonus points or your choice of a snack and non-alcoholic beverage
- At Homewood Suites by Hilton choose one of the following: 250 Honors bonus points or two bottles of water and a sweet snack
- At Home2 Suites by Hilton choose one of the following: 100 Honors bonus points or your choice of a snack and bottled water
- At Tru by Hilton choose one of the following: 250 Honors bonus points or your choice of a snack and bottled water
Premium Wi-Fi
As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, you receive premium lobby and in-room Wi-Fi at Hilton brands. Interestingly Hilton doesn’t offer premium internet to mid-tier elite members, unlike some other programs.
Fifth night free on awards stays
While this is a perk for all Hilton Honors elite tiers, I still consider it to be extremely valuable. Hilton Honors elite members receive a fifth night free on award redemptions, which can stretch your Hilton Honors points further.
Late check-out, subject to availability
This is an area where Hilton Honors lags. Technically all Hilton Honors members receive late check-out subject to availability. However, this is entirely at the hotel’s discretion. Unlike at Hyatt and Marriott, Hilton’s top tier members don’t get guaranteed 4PM check-out.
Two bottles of water
Again, this is a benefit of all elite tiers — you receive two complimentary bottles of water per stay.
Guaranteed room availability
Hilton Honors Diamond members can receive guaranteed room availability when booking at least 48 hours in advance. There are a couple of reasons this isn’t particularly valuable to me, though:
- When taking advantage of this benefit you can expect to pay the highest possible rate, so you’re not going to get a discounted rate with this deal
- There are limits to this benefit, like when a hotel is overbooked, so don’t expect this to work during major conventions, sporting events, etc.
Elite status gifting
Hilton Honors Diamond members can gift elite status to others, but only if they actually earn a certain number of elite nights (in other words, you don’t get this if you earn status through a credit card):
- If you achieve 60 elite nights, gift Gold status to another member
- If you achieve 100 elite nights, gift Diamond status to another member
Diamond status extension
Honors Diamond members have a one-time opportunity to extend Diamond status if they didn’t qualify in a particular year. This isn’t available to those who earn Diamond status through a credit card, but rather only applies to those who earn it via nights, stays, or base points. In order to be eligible you need:
- At least three total years of Diamond status (they don’t have to be consecutive)
- At least 250 elite nights or 500,000+ earned base points
Earn lifetime Diamond status
Hilton Honors offers lifetime Diamond status, which has the following requirements:
- Members must have maintained Hilton Honors Diamond status for 10 years (the years don’t need to be consecutive)
- Members must have stayed a total of at least 1,000 nights (either paid or award) OR must have accumulated at least two million base points since joining the Hilton Honors program
What are the differences between Hilton Diamond & Gold status?
Gold is Hilton Honors’ mid-tier status, so what are the major differences between Gold and Diamond? I’d say there are a few most significant differences:
- Diamond members receive a 100% points bonus, where Gold members receive an 80% points bonus
- Diamond member upgrades include standard suites (at the discretion of the hotel), and Gold member upgrades exclude standard suites
- Diamond members get executive lounge access regardless of the room they’re in, whereas Gold members only get executive lounge access when upgraded to an executive room
- Diamond members receive complimentary premium Wi-Fi, while Gold members receive free standard Wi-Fi
The differences between the two elite tiers aren’t huge, though you’ll definitely notice some differences if you stay at Hilton properties often, especially outside the United States, where treatment is more differentiated.
Is Hilton Honors Diamond status worth it?
Is earning Hilton Honors Diamond status worth it? It depends on how you’re earning it, what the opportunity cost is, and what you’re hoping to gain from status.
Let me put it this way — if earning Hilton Diamond status through actual stays, I’d say:
- It might not be worth the incremental nights compared to Gold status
- Personally I like that Marriott Bonvoy Platinum and World of Hyatt Globalist offer more guaranteed benefits, at least on paper (this applies to suite upgrades and late check-out)
That being said, I think Hilton Honors Diamond elite status is the all-around best value top tier status you can earn, when you consider that you can get the status just by having the Hilton Honors Aspire Card.
You’re paying $550 per year for a card that not only gets you top tier Diamond status, but also gets you up to $789 in credits, a free night certificate, and more. Personally I value the perks of the card at more than $550 not even factoring in the Diamond status, so I basically consider the Diamond status to be “free.”
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you have a similar valuation, then yes, Diamond status is oh-so-worth-it. I think Diamond status is worth it if you’re earning it through a co-branded credit card. However:
- For actual stays I’d probably prefer going for status with Hyatt or Marriott
- Hilton Honors Gold status is great as well, for someone who only stays at Hiltons every once in a while
Bottom line
Diamond is Hilton Honors’ top tier status, and comes with perks like free breakfast (or a food & beverage credit in the United States), lounge access, bonus points, and room upgrades. While the benefits of Diamond status aren’t quite as “guaranteed” as they are with other programs, I’ve consistently gotten great value with my status.
Getting Diamond status with the Hilton Honors Aspire Card is a phenomenal value, in my opinion, as this is no doubt the easiest way to get top tier status with any major hotel program.
If you’re a Hilton Honors Diamond member, what has your experience been like?
The information and associated card details on this page for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by OMAAT and has not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees).
I have been a Hilton Diamond member for over ten years now (LIFE) and have only been upgraded twice and I do request upgrades upon check-in. Once at the Conrad in London (very nice) and once at the Sand Destin Beach/Golf Resort in Florida, that's it. Over 600 Hilton stays, yes with the majority being in the US. However, I have stayed in Aruba 3 times, Hawaii 2 times, Puerto Rico 2 times, Miami 2...
I have been a Hilton Diamond member for over ten years now (LIFE) and have only been upgraded twice and I do request upgrades upon check-in. Once at the Conrad in London (very nice) and once at the Sand Destin Beach/Golf Resort in Florida, that's it. Over 600 Hilton stays, yes with the majority being in the US. However, I have stayed in Aruba 3 times, Hawaii 2 times, Puerto Rico 2 times, Miami 2 times, Conrad Fort Lauderdale 2 times, New Orleans 2 times, 11 different Waldorf Astoria's across the US and never an upgrade. I'm heading to the Waldorf Astoria in Cabo San Lucas in November for 7 nights, what are my odds of receiving an upgrade? Slim to none. Moral of my story is don't do it for the upgrades, do it because Hilton's are the best hotels with the best points program for loyal customers. I have the American Express Hilton Aspire Card and between that card and the benefits of being a Diamond member, it's been a good Hilton experience... All the mentioned stays above have been booked using either Hilton Honor points or the certificates I have received during the year. Lots of business and personal travel over the years helped with the points, but the AMEX Hilton card is the ticket.
As a Hilton Gold member since 2018 with modest disposal income to splurge, I am not eager for Diamond status as much as I enjoy traveling.
Last year I did receive 3 "upgrades" in domestic Hilton properties: Miami Aventura at May ("deluxe room"), Waldorf Astoria of New Orleans at August (1 bedroom suite) & The Virginian at Lynchburg just last week after Christmas in order to take advantage of the Amex member offer (1 bedroom...
As a Hilton Gold member since 2018 with modest disposal income to splurge, I am not eager for Diamond status as much as I enjoy traveling.
Last year I did receive 3 "upgrades" in domestic Hilton properties: Miami Aventura at May ("deluxe room"), Waldorf Astoria of New Orleans at August (1 bedroom suite) & The Virginian at Lynchburg just last week after Christmas in order to take advantage of the Amex member offer (1 bedroom suite).
Probably not the "upgrades" the commentators looking for, but at least good to get some. Staying during the off season also help.
As Ben & other commentators has mentioned, Hilton should provide more firm, if not more generous for late checkouts. When I request late checkout at Conrad Fort Lauderdale (very fine Conrad indeed, & received another "upgrade" to Junior Suite) in 2022 the responses was...one more hours to 12pm.
@Ken F - With regards to Conrad Fort Lauderdale I couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not. Did you like that hotel or no? I am considering a visit there at some point in 2024.
Diamond status got us $50 daily in food at the Waldorf Astoria Maui last week. I was expecting $18 per person, or $36 daily, like we got at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki the week before. I don't know what Golds get at either property.
Is Hilton continuing to count CC spend in 2024 as base points?
No word from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named yet? He must be lurking under a bridge.
I'm not Hilton Platinum, but Gold and my comments are not specific to that status. And not a big deal, more matters of detail.
I stayed at a Hilton property in Melbourne recently and instead of the two bottles of water on arrival they offered a 750ml glass bottle (not to take away with you) of still or sparkling filtered water, which you could have refilled at reception.
The complimentary continental breakfast buffet was very...
I'm not Hilton Platinum, but Gold and my comments are not specific to that status. And not a big deal, more matters of detail.
I stayed at a Hilton property in Melbourne recently and instead of the two bottles of water on arrival they offered a 750ml glass bottle (not to take away with you) of still or sparkling filtered water, which you could have refilled at reception.
The complimentary continental breakfast buffet was very good with a wide range of choices, and the option of taking the hot buffet (and eggs or an omelette cooked to order, with table service) for a $AU10 surcharge.
I’ve found great benefit in a few lounges exUS especially when arriving early and needing to work. But I can count on 2 fingers the number of upgrades I’ve received in 5 years.
Was Diamond via the card until recently, I had been earning it the hard way until 2018, used the card to eek it out another year - with Covid kept the card since it paid for itself (almost). Just dropped the card now with the revised Amex Hilton offering. Sad to have had to do it. It's the first of my arsenal of premium credit cards that I had to drop.
It's certainly no surprise the perks are so weak when staying in the USA given they effectively pay you to have the status with all the CC deals they throw at you! Sadly no similar easy options for Diamond anywhere else but at least Europe and Asia tend to have decent lounges and offer great breakfasts!
Can a Diamond for Life gift diamond even if the stays are not mrt?
No
@DCS
After reading your analysis about Hilton all these years
I am only a few years away from Lifetime Diamond
I actually get treated better with Hilton Diamond than with Marriott as a Titanium Elite
I almost never stay at Hilton since I made Lifetime Diamond, maybe 10% of my annual stays. Redemptions are excessive, lounges absent in the US, upgrades rare to nonexistant. It seems like 50% of the time my cash value in lieu of a free breakfast is charged to me anyways resulting in an endless phone menu at the property to get maybe $10 back. I was once chewed out for asking for an hour late...
I almost never stay at Hilton since I made Lifetime Diamond, maybe 10% of my annual stays. Redemptions are excessive, lounges absent in the US, upgrades rare to nonexistant. It seems like 50% of the time my cash value in lieu of a free breakfast is charged to me anyways resulting in an endless phone menu at the property to get maybe $10 back. I was once chewed out for asking for an hour late checkout at one property and even my most recent stay at the Tokyo Hilton we got tossed out of the lounge less than 5 minutes after closing time, don't know how they found the only rude people in Japan!
@Herbert... Agree about the excessive redemptions. If I planned my trips around my redemptions, I could do better. But I plan my trips around my schedule and then look for redemptions. I can almost always find a decent redemption for a Marriott or a Hyatt. But I'm sitting in a seven figure HH pts balance. I'm not going to waste them, but I rarely find a base room available for redemption and premium redemptions are...
@Herbert... Agree about the excessive redemptions. If I planned my trips around my redemptions, I could do better. But I plan my trips around my schedule and then look for redemptions. I can almost always find a decent redemption for a Marriott or a Hyatt. But I'm sitting in a seven figure HH pts balance. I'm not going to waste them, but I rarely find a base room available for redemption and premium redemptions are laughable. I'm not going to waste my balance. But as a LT Diamond, I'm not exactly looking to add to my points balance when I can't use them and don't get any elite recognition now that everyone and their brother is a CC Diamond.
When was the last time you found a lounge at a US chain across all brands (post covid excuse era)
that was:
A: Open
B: Provided quality amenities/food/beverage
The answer for me is zero.
Hotel status in the US is a scam. Upgrades? Oh sure. Rooms on higher floors or "preferential views" are now called "upgrades". It's all BS. If you're dumb enough to play the game, then you deserve...
When was the last time you found a lounge at a US chain across all brands (post covid excuse era)
that was:
A: Open
B: Provided quality amenities/food/beverage
The answer for me is zero.
Hotel status in the US is a scam. Upgrades? Oh sure. Rooms on higher floors or "preferential views" are now called "upgrades". It's all BS. If you're dumb enough to play the game, then you deserve to be scammed. I'm a hotel free agent now and I even lean heavy toward AAhotels. While not perfect, I value the LPs and redeemable miles much more than whatever "free" stale bagel a hotel will throw at me for my "loyalty".
“ When was the last time you found a lounge at a US chain across all brands (post covid excuse era)
that was:
A: Open
B: Provided quality amenities/food/beverage
The answer for me is zero.”
In the U.S.? Zero. In Asia, 100%.
And I agree with “I even lean heavy toward AAhotels. While not perfect, I value the LPs and redeemable miles […]” I used AAhotels until I hit the 250k LP threshold. Now I’m back to bookin directly through Hilton - until I need more LPs.
While a lot of your points are fair, I somewhat disagree with the "status is a scam" point. The most beneficial part of hotel status, IMO, is enhanced earnings on paid stays. Hotel points are easy to redeem and can get you into some excellent hotels. Hilton Diamond gets you twice as many redeemable points as a Hilton base member, and of course you earn no points through BookAAHotels or a portal., Also, stuff like...
While a lot of your points are fair, I somewhat disagree with the "status is a scam" point. The most beneficial part of hotel status, IMO, is enhanced earnings on paid stays. Hotel points are easy to redeem and can get you into some excellent hotels. Hilton Diamond gets you twice as many redeemable points as a Hilton base member, and of course you earn no points through BookAAHotels or a portal., Also, stuff like free breakfast can be valuable at Marriott and Hilton. So the status isn't scam at all. It is just not anything exclusive, and people shouldn't be looking for special treatment. There is no "game" to play with Marriott Platinum (Amex Brilliant) or Hilton Gold (Amex Platinum), just hold a credit card.
Tysons corner Marriott. Stayed in June with open lounge. Full breakfast buffet, afternoon presentation, water, tea, coffee, soda, juice available till late.
Oh you just wait until whatever crappy REIT that runs that place gets wind that there is actually a quality product being offered there!
As a Diamond i got exactly zero upgrades last year. The Executive Lounge is a thing of the past as most are gone. I won't be Diamond when my status expires and I won't miss it. (PS - 250 points on a $200 hotel stay is pathetic.
A couple years ago, a reader commented that he had been a Lifetime Diamond for over 20 years (so, add 10 years of "regular" Diamond) and he rarely received an upgrade. There are less than two dozen Executive Lounges in the US. The breakfast benefit in the US is not worth mentioning. So, if someone predominantly stays in the US, it's really a points game. If someone has meaningful stays outside the US, it's a different story.
LT diamond hasn't existed for 20 years... I think it started about 12 years ago, maybe 15. So, that individual was confused. Maybe they meant 10 years diamond and 10 years LT diamond. Otherwise, I have to agree... poor elite recognition within the chain these days. Once upon a time there was always a welcome amenity and an upgrade to at least the executive floor. No longer.
You must be doing something wrong - standard Aspire Diamond status here, have been upgraded on every single stay, both inside and outside of the US. This includes domestic Conrads, a WA, etc. and even rooms booked for other people on my account. I’ve been pleasantly pleased by the benefits it confers.
@mork, you have been exceptionally lucky. Or maybe you've used the DCS method of torturing the hotels until they relent. The rest of us who prefer not to harass staff and call for managers are not seeing a lot of upgrades.
The issue here is that very few people can identify tangible ways where Hilton Diamonds are treated better than Hilton Golds, outside of enhanced earnings. Lounge access is one, but there are so few lounges with Hilton anyway (and Gold members seem to be able to finagle an upgrade to a lounge eligible room in most cases). If Diamonds consistently got better upgrades than Golds, then it would be "worth it," but I don't see...
The issue here is that very few people can identify tangible ways where Hilton Diamonds are treated better than Hilton Golds, outside of enhanced earnings. Lounge access is one, but there are so few lounges with Hilton anyway (and Gold members seem to be able to finagle an upgrade to a lounge eligible room in most cases). If Diamonds consistently got better upgrades than Golds, then it would be "worth it," but I don't see that reported on a consistent basis. Given this, basic Gold status (available with Amex Platinum) is really "worth it" while Diamond is more of an afterthought
IMO, Diamonds are treated significantly better than Golds in Asia. To some degree in Europe. Most of my stays in the U.S. are either Hampton Inns (so there is little difference in one’s treatment) or Conrads / Curio properties. I’ve been treated exceptionally well as a Diamond at Conrads; it is hit or miss at Curio properties. But YMMV. And as an FYI, I have an Aspire card, but I also often earn Diamond the “hard way”.
Status is earned! Y’all are applying for CCs with ‘free’ status AND then keep complaining that hotel chains and airlines are watering down status perks.
@Endre, many of us who complain are those who earned the status by staying at hotels and flying. I have elite status on all three major alliances (top tier on two) this year, 95% of qualifying credits through flying as well as LT Hilton Diamond earned through 1000 nights stayed and Marriott Ambassador which can only be earned through stays. So, yeah, all the CC elites are annoying but I don't hold it against people...
@Endre, many of us who complain are those who earned the status by staying at hotels and flying. I have elite status on all three major alliances (top tier on two) this year, 95% of qualifying credits through flying as well as LT Hilton Diamond earned through 1000 nights stayed and Marriott Ambassador which can only be earned through stays. So, yeah, all the CC elites are annoying but I don't hold it against people for working the system. The hotels and airlines are also working the system. But I do appreciate those that have some requirements to actually stay or fly.
When you can get top tier status just by holding a credit card, it's by definition not a loyalty program but a marketing one. They have missed the point by some margin.
Even better - get this net-free card every year and you too become Lifetime Diamond! Deal of the century.