Airline and hotel loyalty programs always try to tell us how special we are when we earn status. But how special are we really, in comparison to other guests? This is something we almost never find out, though here are some interesting insights…
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Hilton Honors may have almost 1.4 million Diamond members
Hilton Honors recently announced a major loyalty program overhaul, including the introduction of a new Diamond Reserve tier, above the current Diamond tier. The idea is that Diamond status is currently really easy to earn (even just with holding onto a credit card), so it makes sense to introduce a tier that offers stronger perks for those who are truly Hilton loyalists.
Airlines and hotels will almost never reveal how many members are in each elite tier, though LoyaltyLobby shares some interesting details. Hilton reportedly recently held a meeting for hotel owners, where it stated that if the Diamond Reserve tier were in place this year, around 4% of Diamond members would qualify, and that would translate to 50K-55K members.
So you can then work backwards, to multiply that by 25, to determine the supposed number of Diamond members. This would mean that the number of Diamond members is in the range of 1.25 million to 1.375 million. I’ve gotta say, that’s a lot of people to have the (current) highest elite tier in a program!
What does that number of members mean in practice?
To crunch the numbers a little more, Hilton currently has around 8,500 open properties, so if you had 1.3 million Diamond members, that means you have an average of 1,529 Diamond members per property, give or take. Of course that’s not a very useful metric as such, since it’s not like most Diamond members live at properties year-round.
What’s more useful is figuring out the average number of nights that Diamond members stay, and then you’d know the average number of Diamond members per property at any given point. That’s something I’m not so sure of:
- I wonder what percent of Diamond members actually earn the status through the “traditional” requirements, rather than through having an eligible credit card
- Obviously there’s massive variance in the concentration of elite members depending on where in the world you are; a Hawaii property has a much higher percentage of elite guests than a Kazakhstan property
LoyaltyLobby estimates that Diamond members might stay an average of 45 nights per year, which would mean each hotel has 19 Diamond members on any given night. Personally, I think that number is too high. I think the average is lower, because I’d guess that substantially under half of Diamond members earn status with a credit card, and largely complete just a few stays per year (I’m among those).
Over at Marriott Bonvoy, we’ve seen a number of hotels post signs at check-in desks listing the number of elite members staying on a particular night. While some people view that as being tacky, personally, I think it helps with managing expectations. There’s something to be said for members getting a sense of just what they can expect.
If your elite tier promises you the best available room, but there are 100 people just like you, that creates an obvious issue.
Bottom line
Hilton has reportedly revealed internally that it expects to have around 50K to 55K Diamond Reserve members, making up roughly 4% of the total number of Diamond members. That suggest that Hilton currently has around 1.25 million to 1.375 million Diamond members. That’s a lot of elite members, and one certainly wonders how many of those earn status through credit cards, vs. through traditional methods.
What do you make of this alleged Hilton Honors Diamond statistic?
Diamond at Hilton is pretty much worthless. Those who got screwed are the Lifetime Diamonds who earned Diamond year after year the old fashioned way….with loyalty and $. Now they are part of millions of fake Diamonds. The real perks are gone so enjoy your shitty breakfast credit
As one of the hard-earned Lifetime Diamond members I find it ludicrous that credit card holders in some countries can effectively buy Diamond status. The recent change by Hilton is a slap in the face to us and very disappointing that there is no recognition of our loyalty over so many years.
Reading Loyalty Lobby today, he gave many statistics of this Hilton situation.
What is viable to happen is this, forget the sign Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, travellers will choose which hotel gives them the benefits.
No exec lounge, I'll go to the one that does. No Breakfast, I 'll go to the one that gives.
These companies are playing games with their most valued guests, well those most valued guests will begin to...
Reading Loyalty Lobby today, he gave many statistics of this Hilton situation.
What is viable to happen is this, forget the sign Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, travellers will choose which hotel gives them the benefits.
No exec lounge, I'll go to the one that does. No Breakfast, I 'll go to the one that gives.
These companies are playing games with their most valued guests, well those most valued guests will begin to realise how valuable they really are when they start choosing which gives, instead of just going to the same old same old.
These CEO's will then recognise what they should offer, instead of the old nickle and dime.
I've never figured out why someone thought that a 4PM checkout and a 3 PM checkin would work out, regardless of the loyalty program. 1 or 2 hours after the standard checkout time seems like a good idea for both top tier loyalty guests and the desk, to avoid the rush, but 4PM is crazy IMHO. I hate having to sit around after checkin time because someone checked out at 4 PM.
Seems like some mild restriction on the credit card diamonds would be more useful than downgrading Diamond. Minimum activity of 10 nights a year or something...
Honestly, I had to chuckle reading all the hand-wringing from Hyatt loyalists in the comments. It’s adorable how worked up some folks get over the idea that too many people are Diamond these days.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been one of the few Lifetime Diamond for years. I can assure you the experience is on an entirely different level. At this point I don’t even ask for my perks; the teams just know. My...
Honestly, I had to chuckle reading all the hand-wringing from Hyatt loyalists in the comments. It’s adorable how worked up some folks get over the idea that too many people are Diamond these days.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been one of the few Lifetime Diamond for years. I can assure you the experience is on an entirely different level. At this point I don’t even ask for my perks; the teams just know. My 6pm checkout is practically waiting for me before I arrive, like they’ve been expecting me.
So while others squabble about program tier dilution or clutch their Hyatt cards like some sacred relic, I’m simply enjoying the effortless recognition that comes with more than a decade of true loyalty.
But please, carry on with the outrage. Some of us Lifetime Diamond are far too busy being taken care of.
There are tons of Lifetimes. I have been Lifetime for many years. Not sure which hotels you stay at, maybe the same one over and over. I stay 60+ nights all over the world and can tell you the perks are evaporating. No one even cares when one checks in…usually one is greeted with a grunt, “do you have a reservation?” ( what do you think….non, I just love standing in your elite check in...
There are tons of Lifetimes. I have been Lifetime for many years. Not sure which hotels you stay at, maybe the same one over and over. I stay 60+ nights all over the world and can tell you the perks are evaporating. No one even cares when one checks in…usually one is greeted with a grunt, “do you have a reservation?” ( what do you think….non, I just love standing in your elite check in line) and which credit card are you using. Gone are the days of thank you for being a Diamond member, hope you had a pleasant journey, we have been looking forward to welcoming you and have a nice suite reserved for you. As far as I can tell many hotels have seemingly given up on welcome gifts in the room, and even with elite status don’t expect that a room will actually be ready by check in time. As for Hilton clubs, the rule is one hot and one cold dish. That seems to mean either cheap soup or something fried from the bottom of the freezer, and chips with salsa. With my apologies to those Hilton properties that still do deliver.
Not sure why this is surprising. You have
1) Hilton Aspire, which must have at least several hundred thousand holders
2) The USA is a country of 330 million + people, with a huge amount of domestic business and leisure travelers
3) Hilton's other large market is China
4) The Hilton loyalty program overall has 235 million members
1 million honestly seems low. Gold probably has a few million at least (Amex Platinum kicking in a million or two).
Add one more to that list as I just hit Diamond this afternoon.
This is my first trip back to the US in a few years and I agree with other posters that in Europe the frequency of benefits is higher likely because of fewer members over there.
Even if this is true, the vast majority of the diamonds are USA-based. So outside the USA, there are very few diamonds. Likewise, it's the same for Marriott ambassador and Hyatt globalist.
Which is why it's so much easier to get rooms upgraded overseas. At least with hilton.
Not sure why this is shocking…a Person get diamond from a credit card, an easily obtainable one at that.
And Hilton shouldn’t be shocked either as this was all easily predictable and no doubt, planned. Credit cards are bigger business than providing a quality product/service.
Any Diluting of The AMEX ASPIRE credit card & I am Out!
Dont let the door hit you on the way out
The only thing that makes sense about these changes is a reminder that loyalty programs are a one way street. The street is littered with lofty marketing promises that don’t meet reasonable expectations
Why would it be any other way? Americans have been successfully convinced to believe marketing due to relentless and brilliant capitalist programming.
Completely agree about the credulity, but I suggest it goes back further than that.
Many of the sixteenth and seventeenth century immigrants from Europe who greatly replaced the then native population were passionate believers in pretty extreme Protestant sects!
It is about time someone has made a tier that means loyal is really loyal, not just dollars in a bucket. It would be great if airlines would do this same idea!¡!
@Mark I don’t think airlines have an issue with credit cards linked to airline status. As far as I know there isn’t an airline credit card that grants top tier status year after year for an AF. U.S. airlines found a way to monetize everything. Now, some people if not most get a co-branded credit card or two to avoid paying baggage fees.
1,300,000 / 8,500 = 152.94 Diamonds per hotel, there is an extra zero in your calculator.
I was a Diamond member for 8 years and took 1 year off for traveling and they ripped me of my status and put me back as a regular member. All that money I spent and the points I had meant nothing as a loyal member.
Why in the world would any frequent traveler program reward you for behavior in the past? They're not in business to lose money on people who haven't been loyal for a year. This has to be a troll, right?
@Fsuga Yeah and this person could have applied for a diamond extension.
152 Diamond per hotel. If avg Diamond spends 40 nights in a hotel, there are 15 Diamonds on avg at each hotel each night. If 5 percent of Diamonds hit reserve, there will be 1 reserve per hotel.
Well they have over 200 million members apparently. These hotel programs are more global than the airlines. So less than 1% would be Diamond with these numbers.
Yes but how ,any members actually stay at a Hilton each year? Who cares if you have 150 million members who have stayed at a HILTON ONCE!
Be interesting to know what the amount was if you remove the credit card diamonds and the chinese fake statuses.
Well, it's just $550 annual fee for their top status via Hilton Aspire.
Yeah, plenty of people 'have' O.G. Diamond.