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Hilton Honors appears to be preparing one of its biggest loyalty program changes in years with signs pointing to the introduction of a new Diamond Reserve elite tier. Currently, the program offers four levels: Member, Silver, Gold, and Diamond, but new details uncovered from Hilton’s website source code suggest that a fifth, more exclusive tier is on the way.
The proposed Hilton Honors Diamond Reserve status would reportedly require $18,000 in annual qualifying spend and either 80 nights or 40 stays per year. The new tier is expected to introduce confirmable upgrade rewards to give members the ability to secure premium rooms or suites before arrival. This benefit has long been offered by competitors like Marriott Bonvoy® and World of Hyatt®, but largely absent from Hilton’s current structure.
While Hilton has not yet formally announced the change, this potential top-tier status seems aimed at addressing one of the program’s biggest challenges: elite dilution. In North America, Diamond status is easily obtainable through credit cards such as the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. This means many travelers qualify without frequent hotel stays. The result has been crowded elite ranks, limited room upgrades, and inconsistent benefit delivery at the property level.
The Diamond Reserve level could serve to better distinguish Hilton’s most loyal, high-spending guests and potentially offer perks that align more closely with Marriott Ambassador or Hyatt Globalist benefits.
Alongside the Diamond Reserve tier, Hilton appears to be developing an invitation-only level called “The Honors Society.” While few details are available, this top echelon may cater to hotel owners, major corporate clients, or exceptionally high-spending members (similar to Marriott’s Cobalt and Hyatt’s Courtesy Card).
The introduction of these two upper tiers would mark Hilton’s first major status expansion in over a decade, signaling a renewed effort to compete with other premium loyalty offerings.
In addition to the new elite levels, Hilton Honors seems poised to reduce qualification thresholds for its existing tiers by roughly 30%. If implemented, the changes would make status more accessible to everyday travelers:
- Silver: 7 nights, 3 stays, or 17,500 base points (down from 10 nights, 4 stays, or 25,000 points)
- Gold: 28 nights, 14 stays, or 52,500 base points (down from 40 nights, 20 stays, or 75,000 points)
- Diamond: 42 nights, 21 stays, or 84,000 base points (down from 60 nights, 30 stays, or 120,000 points)
These reductions would make it easier for frequent leisure travelers and small-business guests to reach mid-tier status. However, the move also raises questions about whether Hilton might adjust benefits downward for some levels (such as scaling back breakfast perks or food and beverage credits for Gold members) to offset the expanded elite base.
Hilton’s challenge has long been balancing the ease of earning status through credit cards with the need to preserve meaningful differentiation between elite tiers. The Diamond Reserve introduction, paired with lowered thresholds for other levels, suggests Hilton is trying to create a more tiered and aspirational path for its most loyal members.
Anthony’s Take: If these updates are true, Hilton Honors will join its competitors in offering a clearer hierarchy that rewards both stay frequency and spending power. The changes could redefine how elite recognition works within the program and restore some of the exclusivity that has long been missing for the most loyal members.
(Featured Image Credit: Hilton.)
(H/T: US Credit Card Guide.)
(H/T: Verylvke.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
So Hilton is finding new ways to Bonvoy loyal guests. They’ve repeatedly nerfed HHonors over the last decade or so so I suppose this shouldn’t be a total surprise but it’s disappointing for sure after multiple devaluations in the past year alone. I guess it’s technically possible that Hilton will leave the rest of the program alone and simply improve things for the big spending hyper-loyalists but that’s generally not how big hotel chains work these days. Thanks for the heads up.
I’m surprised it took them this long. It could be a good addition and give back to those who are loyal to HH.