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By: Frank – @dugup46 – Status matching is a pretty deal in the travel hobby in general; however, it’s exceptionally nice when you are talking about award travel. Hotels not only treat their loyal customers better, but you can receive all kind of great benefits ranging from upgraded rooms to free breakfast! Occasionally, different chains will offer status upgrades at the same time of the year. Using a little wit, you can piggy back offers together and gain top status at a number of chains with no stays at any hotel’s property! In this article, I will explain how, with very little effort, you can upgrade yourself from Hilton Gold to Hilton Diamond without staying a single night in a Hilton!
Sunset Villa at the Hilton Conrad Maldives
Obtaining Hilton Gold
The first step in obtaining Hilton Diamond is obtaining Hilton Gold. This can be done a number of ways, but the easiest way is through the American Express Platinum charge card (bonus offers range from 40k to 100k points). The Platinum offers free Hilton Gold status just for being a card holder as well as a number of other benefits ($200 airline reimbursement, SPG Gold, Global Entry reimbursement – just to name a few!). Other cards that offer Hilton Gold include the Amex Hilton Honors Surpass Card and the Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card.
If you like doing things the hard way, you can also stay at Hilton properties for 20 stays a year (or 40 total nights). With Hilton Gold you get a free breakfast at some Hilton properties, your 5th night free, space available upgrades, late check out, 25% HHonors point bonus, and a number of other benefits.
The Hilton Gold to Hilton Diamond Loophole
The loophole is simple! Best Western will match any hotel loyalty program to their top tier to Best Western Diamond. And even though it is only a match, you will become a Best Western Diamond member for LIFE! (EDIT: Thanks to those commenting for correcting this. The loophole still works, but it appears that the BW match is not for life) After you match to Best Western Diamond, you can email Hilton and status match using your Best Western Diamond and they will upgrade you to Hilton Diamond through March of 2018! I’ll give you the step by step right after I explain some of the benefits of Hilton Diamond status.
Underwater Dining at the Conrad Maldives
Benefits of Hilton Diamond
You can view all the Hilton Diamond member benefits by clicking this link. On the surface, you only get all the same benefits of Hilton Gold with an increased HHonors bonus: you receive 25% bonus for being a gold member and a 50% increase for being a Diamond member. However, people who frequent hotels know that the difference between Diamond and Gold can be quite large! Note that with Hilton Gold (and Hilton Diamond) upgrades are given at the hotel’s discretion based on availability. Diamond members get preferred treatment over a gold member. If there is an upgraded room available, you will certainly have a better shot at scoring the upgrade as a diamond member than you would a gold member. Better service, guaranteed lounge access, and a better chance at an upgraded room are the main reasons why you’ll want to upgrade!
Jesse’s Note: Diamond status scored us an incredible penthouse upgrade in Dubai and free parking/breakfast at the Waldorf in Maui!
Step by Step Hilton Gold to Hilton Diamond
- Take a screenshot of your Hilton Gold membership page or just take a picture of your Hilton Gold membership card. Make sure that it shows your status!
- Send an email to Best Western’s status match department at StatusMatch@bestwestern.com. You’ll want to quickly explain that you are a Hilton Gold member and would like to be matched to Best Western Diamond. Make sure you attach your picture or screenshot!
- Hilton requires proof of a stay at your other hotel’s chain. So you can either book 1 night at a Best Western and stay there or book a refundable room and screenshot the receipt. Make sure you have have proof of your Best Western Diamond loyalty and your receipt read and head over and submit it to https://hiltonhhonors.hiltonapps.com/
- You should receive an email an email back confirming you are a Hilton Diamond member in about a week! You can enjoy Hilton Diamond through March of 2018!
Special thanks to /u/krisvaldez over on Reddit’s /r/AwardTravel community for the tip!
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