Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

[Cynicor]

Surprised no one has posted this yet:

During calendar year 2012, Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 28 stays, 60 nights, or 100,000 Base Points. Beginning January 1, 2013, Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 30 stays, 60 nights or 120,000 Base Points earned during any calendar year


Anyone know when it was announced?

 

[straitman]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Surprised no one has posted this yet:

During calendar year 2012, Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 28 stays, 60 nights, or 100,000 Base Points. Beginning January 1, 2013, Hilton HHonors Diamond Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 30 stays, 60 nights or 120,000 Base Points earned during any calendar year


Anyone know when it was announced?

No idea when it was announced.

Thanks for the heads up.

Now if HH could count then my stays will still be about the same. This year I agree with them on base points but not stays or nights. Next year I will monitor it closely as it goes along.

 

[Hvr]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

The extra two nights seems strange. Wonder why they increased it?

 

[oz_mark]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Hmm. Gold has had a change as well

During calendar year 2012, Hilton HHonors Gold Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 16 stays, 36 nights, or 60,000 Base Points.
Beginning January 1, 2013, Hilton HHonors Gold Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 20 stays, 40 nights or 75,000 Base

 

[kamchatsky]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

I hate this, especially US residents have all those free HH Gold by having HH Surpass CC etc. Really unfair for rest of the world customers.

 

[Hvr]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

I hate this, especially US residents have all those free HH Gold by having HH Surpass CC etc. Really unfair for rest of the world customers.

Even more unfair is that they have many cheaper brands such as Hampton Inn and Double Tree that also count for stays.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Increase in required diamond base points.

Does the latest iPhone app have a 'Dislike' button ? :evil:

 

[anat0l]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Hmm. Gold has had a change as well

During calendar year 2012, Hilton HHonors Gold Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 16 stays, 36 nights, or 60,000 Base Points.
Beginning January 1, 2013, Hilton HHonors Gold Elite membership will be awarded to Members with 20 stays, 40 nights or 75,000 Base

Whoa, steep!

Considering that Gold is not significantly better than before, it must be trying to control the crowd of elites.


Of course, it would help greatly if HHonors stopped handing out challenges or free status like candy. I know Velocity it seemed to work, and they saw an upturn in bookings despite an accompanying explosion in elites. In the USA, you can get instant HHonors Gold quite easily through credit cards. I suppose for HHonors, they may be realising that more people are actually trying to retain their status (for example, just like the Velocity status thing - people get the status and actually want to retain it). So, they'll push their luck on people trying to get that status, because people will probably still try even harder.

Too bad they haven't thought about instituting some lifetime or beyond-Diamond benefits, a la SPG.

 

[dajop]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Whoa, steep!

Considering that Gold is not significantly better than before, it must be trying to control the crowd of elites.


Of course, it would help greatly if HHonors stopped handing out challenges or free status like candy

Yes, it seems the ones that are penalized are those that are loyal. Best strategy for me in 2013 will be to just focus on SPG (I am just on my requalifying HHonors Gold stay at the moment) and do a 4 stay challenge, or finds some other candy to get Gold back once I drop to silver.

 

[lovestotravel]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

I will let my status with Hilton go down in 2013

SPG Gold works well for me

 

[anat0l]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

...or finds some other candy to get Gold back once I drop to silver.

As it stands, the Velocity elites are (or should be) rejoicing, because as long as they keep Gold or Platinum, they will incidentally and easily retain their Gold or Diamond (respectively) status without so much as a fuss (unless, of course, the long-term conditions of the Velocity & elite status agreements change).

So this 'enhancement' by HHonors is of little consequence.

A similar argument made for those who have the HHonors credit card in US (i.e. almost every man, woman and child... or at least those who are wise up on FFPs, like us).

 

[Moopere]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Its a bit rich isnt it? We saw a significant watering down of HH when they moved from elites being essentially guaranteed an executive room to 'preferred' room and whilst nothing locally (at least) changed much for a fair while, the reports coming back on the Hilton thread are starting to show a measurable decline in elite bennies being granted across Australia and elsewhere.

I am interested that I haven't received an email from HH about this yet. Its nearly years end ... no official mailout to elites???

{nips off to SPG site again for a look .....}

 

[Moopere]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Yes, it seems the ones that are penalized are those that are loyal. Best strategy for me in 2013 will be to just focus on SPG (I am just on my requalifying HHonors Gold stay at the moment) and do a 4 stay challenge, or finds some other candy to get Gold back once I drop to silver.

I think I'll seriously look at a similar plan. I should sneak in as HH Gold at check-out DEC 31st this year, will be points, not nights. Next year would probably be nights not points given forward bookings and projected movements and was looking at the potential for HH Diamond ... but its not much of a leg up on Gold and SPG Platinum seems to be easier to achieve and offer better benefits as well.

Only problem with this plan is that I'm not all that keen on the 4-points or westin properties in Australia. I'll probably have to find a way to finagle HH gold for local trips. I'm likely to hit DJ gold for the first time next year, so maybe that will keep me in HH gold for 2014 and after that ... who knows? So many ongoing changes in the programs.

 

[mella2007]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Not happy at all. Will maintain Gold on points for 2013 and probably the same next year with already 20 nights booked thus far.

I seriously hope HHonors doesn't end up like Accor with so many offers for comp Gold that the program becomes a joke.

 

[zqsn5678]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Does HH reset stay credit when your new tier kick in?

My current DM ends at the end of March 2013, and says I opt-in my DJ complimentary HH Gold in June.

Will my stay credits in Jan and Feb 2013 count towards maintain HH Gold for 2014?

if I opt-in in June 2013, looks like I will have HH Gold till March 2015?

cheers.

 

[dfcatch]

Increase in required diamond base points.

I will let my status with Hilton go down in 2013

SPG Gold works well for me

Well SPG wasn't interested in offering me a reasonable challenge to keep my earned Gold (they offered a challenge - but benefits only available AFTER challenge was completed).

So I voted with my feet and Hilton has won around 30 stays from me this year alone with another ~8 already booked in for the near future.

Not to mention the lack of SPG options in Australia.

So SPG's loss in Hilton's gain.


Sent from AFF Mobile Edition

 

[Princess Fiona]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Wasn't there talk a little while ago of Hilton introducing a Credit Card here which had comp status with certain spend levels?

 

[straitman]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Does HH reset stay credit when your new tier kick in?

My current DM ends at the end of March 2013, and says I opt-in my DJ complimentary HH Gold in June.

Will my stay credits in Jan and Feb 2013 count towards maintain HH Gold for 2014?

if I opt-in in June 2013, looks like I will have HH Gold till March 2015?

cheers.

No.

HH qualifying period is per calendar year. The user period is 1 Apr - 31 March so your Jan/Feb/Mar stays count toward re-qualifing for 2014.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

re: Increase in Base Points/Stay Qualification for Gold & Diamond from 2013

Wasn't there talk a little while ago of Hilton introducing a Credit Card here which had comp status with certain spend levels?

I completed a rather lengthy survey from Hilton about a credit card here in Australia so I think it is in the works!

As for the Virgin/Hilton deal, I think it is yet to be seen whether it is a one off thing. It seems rather unfair if it is, I too have an offer for Hilton gold on my account which dropped from plat to gold recently. I don't need to activate it at this stage though, as I am still HH plat until March, I'm not sure whether I drop to Gold or Silver as I only requalified to silver so probably not going to be soft landed to Gold?

 

[drron]

Well I am glad I switched from HH to SPG.The only city that I regularly stay in in Australia is Sydney where SPG has more to offer than HH and always when I stay at lower prices than the Hilton.