HHonors Gold/Diamond for Velocity Gold/Plat

[Rdarby]

For me it has been 5 months since I moved from Gold to Plat and nothing happened to my HHonors status. I called Velocity, they said call Hilton, as it was not Velocity's responsibility to change it after you had initially signed up. I called Hilton, they gave me an email address to send details to. Who then responded telling me to call Velocity. So I sent a PM on Friday but have not had a reply. Hopefully it works out. I have put effort into staying at Hilton's and I would like to experience it as a Diamond at least once!

 

[robd]

All this is noted up thread, however those reports indicate it's a once off offer per level.

i.e.

Earn VA SG, get and invoke Gold Hotel benefit options.

Subsequently earn VA WP, get and invoke Platinum/Diamond Hotel benefit options.

Drop back to SG, no further Gold Hotel benefit option would be available.

Subsequently re-earn WP, no further Platinum/Diamond Hotel benefit option would be available.

Dropped to VA SG last month on review and no option to re-opt. in at that time. Logged in today, and the option seems to be available again to opt in with HH or IHG as Gold. I am still currently Diamond with HH and hope to qualify Platinum again with VA around September this year, so won't utilise the option until I hit Platinum again and hope that the option is still available to utilise in April next year when the new HH year begins, which hopefully, will give me HH Diamond until the end of 2016.

 

[dandandan]

My Diamond finally ran out and just set my wife's up for impending travel, applied on the 24/05/14 and noticed Diamond status today, so 5 days max.

For me it has been 5 months since I moved from Gold to Plat and nothing happened to my HHonors status. I called Velocity, they said call Hilton, as it was not Velocity's responsibility to change it after you had initially signed up. I called Hilton, they gave me an email address to send details to. Who then responded telling me to call Velocity. So I sent a PM on Friday but have not had a reply. Hopefully it works out. I have put effort into staying at Hilton's and I would like to experience it as a Diamond at least once!

 

[Jama]

I ended up cancelling all my Hilton bookings and stayed at my regular haunts.

 

[Jack_OC]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I've just hit VA Gold, and I'll reach Platinum within the next couple of months (I'm on 980 SCs already, but with only 4 eligible sectors, so need 2 more rtn trips). I just want to check - if I opt in to Hilton Gold now, will I still be able to upgrade to Platinum with Hilton when I hit Platinum with VA? What makes me nervous is the "This benefit is only available once ...." line on the website. And I can see that some people have had some problems with recognition, but it's not clear to me if that's because of system glitches or because they're not strictly speaking entitled to the benefit again when hitting Platinum. The fact is, if it really is a one time only benefit, I'll wait til I hit VA Platinum, but otherwise I may as well request Hilton Gold status now.

And at the risk of straying of topic, same question re Hertz Five Star/President's Circle.

Very grateful if someone could quickly clarify this, TIA.

 

[serfty]

...
Very grateful if someone could quickly clarify this, TIA.

Your option will upgrade to Diamond when you qualify VA WP.

What I did in a similar circumstance was to enact the Gold for IHG rewards - that gave me the year I did it and the next - then, after I reaching WP, I enacted the Hilton Diamond benefit.

 

[Jack_OC]

Your option will upgrade to Diamond when you qualify VA WP.

What I did in a similar circumstance was to enact the Gold for IHG rewards - that gave me the year I did it and the next - then, after I reaching WP, I enacted the Hilton Diamond benefit.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[Ewing]

I ended up cancelling all my Hilton bookings and stayed at my regular haunts.

That's what I've done - switched back to Starwood.

 

[dsotm]

I did a bunch of Hilton stays last year all over the world as a Platinum, but I was just a couple of nights short of Gold and they bumped me to Silver. I've switched all my travel to Starwood and others also. If there had been a soft landing to Gold I would have stayed with Hilton and spent a pretty reasonable amount of travel dollars with Hilton.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Awesome, thanks!

Be aware though, that serfty did that some time ago. It doesn't mean the gossip around the "one time benefit" won't be applied to you. Robd seems to have evidence of the multi-time benefit continuing.......at least for the moment.

Up to you if you wish to try your luck, but remember, gold with IHG is pretty much worthless and I'd probably not risk only getting gold over diamond with Hilton. As for the cars, it's up to you which you choose, but the same anomaly exists with them as it does for the hotels (currently).

 

[Joshua]

I did a bunch of Hilton stays last year all over the world as a Platinum, but I was just a couple of nights short of Gold and they bumped me to Silver. I've switched all my travel to Starwood and others also. If there had been a soft landing to Gold I would have stayed with Hilton and spent a pretty reasonable amount of travel dollars with Hilton.

Pretty much identical to me. Also I've come to the conclusion with my travel patterns and personality, SPG is a much, much better fit. I got some value out of Diamond but just happier with SPG.

 

[robd]

Be aware though, that serfty did that some time ago. It doesn't mean the gossip around the "one time benefit" won't be applied to you. Robd seems to have evidence of the multi-time benefit continuing.......at least for the moment.

After re-reading the post from serfty, I am not so sure the benefit kicks in every time you change status. He suggests that you may receive the benefit only once at Gold and once at Platinum. I opted in at Platinum and received HH Diamond Status (which is still valid until March 2015). My current VA status is Gold, and the benefit seems to be available to me at that level. So now I am not sure whether to opt-in with Gold status just prior to achieving Platinum, as I have already used the benefit at that level already.

It's definitely in Hilton's best interest to make this benefit ongoing IMO, as I have booked Hiltons over other comparable hotels during the time I've held Diamond status.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I am not so sure the benefit kicks in every time you change status.

Evidence on AFF is that it did. What is now under a cloud is whether changes are happening (or happened) and if so, what are they? From where I sit, it's possibly a wait-and-see situation where people will post their experience and build a picture of the current VFF policy and/or actions.

 

[Jack_OC]

Evidence on AFF is that it did. What is now under a cloud is whether changes are happening (or happened) and if so, what are they? From where I sit, it's possibly a wait-and-see situation where people will post their experience and build a picture of the current VFF policy and/or actions.

Thanks. I've no prior experience with hotel status of any kind, so wasn't aware that IHG is not worth bothering with. Might just stick with Hilton to avoid the risk - but just to be clear, is there still a risk that if I select HH Gold now, that I might not be able to upgrade to HH Diamond when I hit VA WP? Or is that considered safe enough?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

is there still a risk that if I select HH Gold now, that I might not be able to upgrade to HH Diamond when I hit VA WP? Or is that considered safe enough?

Yes, there is a risk, however the recent post by robd suggests that it is currently, not the case.

Only you can decide if the risk is safe enough. Do you have any stays planned for the interval between when you can get HH gold and when you can get HH Diamond? If no, than why risk it? If yes, then do you have any stays planned, or is it likely that you will stay at a Hilton property, after the time when you would be eligible for diamond? If no, then the gold option may be worth the risk. If yes, then I believe there are alternate methods of achieving HH Gold but I'm not sure if any are still current (check the AFF, HH discussion board for details), which may be a safer option.

wasn't aware that IHG is not worth bothering with.

It's not so much that IHG is not worth bothering with, more the case that IHG Gold is somewhat worthless compared to HH gold. HH diamond is also (IMHO) far more value than IHG platinum. For me personally, IC Ambassador is the better value with IHG (and it comes with an automatic IHG gold) but IC AMB is only worthwhile if you stay at least a few times a year at an IC property. IHG Gold used to be available for outright purchase for US$50 so that gives an idea of it's worth.

 

[Jack_OC]

Yes, there is a risk, however the recent post by robd suggests that it is currently, not the case.

Only you can decide if the risk is safe enough. Do you have any stays planned for the interval between when you can get HH gold and when you can get HH Diamond? If no, than why risk it? If yes, then do you have any stays planned, or is it likely that you will stay at a Hilton property, after the time when you would be eligible for diamond? If no, then the gold option may be worth the risk. If yes, then I believe there are alternate methods of achieving HH Gold but I'm not sure if any are still current (check the AFF, HH discussion board for details), which may be a safer option.

I don't have any Hilton stays planned right now, but a lot of my travel is at fairly short notice, and it seems HH status takes a while to take effect once requested - is that correct? So I was going to request Gold now just in case I have a short notice trip involving a Hilton stay, if there was no downside to doing so. The other uncertainty is, I don't know when I'll hit VA WP - I have another rtn trip next week that will take me to 6 eligible sectors, but no further VA bookings until September. So it could be as long as 3 months before I hit WP, or it could be just 2 or 3 weeks!

It's not so much that IHG is not worth bothering with, more the case that IHG Gold is somewhat worthless compared to HH gold. HH diamond is also (IMHO) far more value than IHG platinum. For me personally, IC Ambassador is the better value with IHG (and it comes with an automatic IHG gold) but IC AMB is only worthwhile if you stay at least a few times a year at an IC property. IHG Gold used to be available for outright purchase for US$50 so that gives an idea of it's worth.

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll definitely stick to HH then, and I'll think a bit more about when to request it.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I have another rtn trip next week that will take me to 6 eligible sectors

Is it possible to do a connection both ways? That'd rack up your 8 sectors!

 

[Jack_OC]

Is it possible to do a connection both ways? That'd rack up your 8 sectors!

Yeah and I would if it was just me, but the wife and kids are with me on this trip so really not an option I'm afraid!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Yeah and I would if it was just me, but the wife and kids are with me on this trip so really not an option I'm afraid!

I have been known to send the wife and kids straight home and I do a connection .

You've got to remember, you are an AFFer........normal travel is abnormal on this forum

 

[serfty]

FWIW, I enacted the Diamond Benefit 60 days ago - it had been sitting there for 11½ months after I qualified BIS WP in Mid April 2013. I had activated the IHG Gold benefit about three weeks earlier.