On the heels of the Hyatt Diamond/Platinum match, you can now match to Hilton status if you are an elite member from another program. They made the announcement of this match on Flyertalk and said they will be getting back to people over the next few days when matches are requested.
Now You Can Match To Hilton Status
Hyatt was the most recent to offer a status match and they, initially, made it very generous (in fact, to the many Diamond members who earned the status, too generous!) by matching even mid-tier elites from other programs to their own top-tier Diamond status.
Taking A Page From Hyatt Match?
The report on their Twitter feed was that they had received over 10,000 match requests! That is a lot! There is no doubt that Hilton had watched this frenzy go on and thought it would be a good idea to step in to offer matches to other elites as well. But, what will it exactly look like?
Will It Match To Gold Or Diamond?
I certainly do not think Hilton Diamond is on the same level of benefits as Hyatt Diamond but Hilton Diamond would surely be nice nonetheless. But, will they be matching to Hilton Diamond? That is the question everyone is waiting for answer to!
Already, their Gold status is one of (if not the) best mid-tier status levels around. Gold members get free breakfast which is something other mid-tier statuses do not offer. Plus, you can get Hilton Gold by having one of three cards – American Express Platinum (must request it), Hilton Reserve, and Hilton Surpass. Most Americans that are in the miles/points game and that have Hilton points most likely have Gold already.
So, will they match to Hilton Diamond? My guess is they will match to Hilton Gold for most matches but will offer Diamond to top-tier members of other programs. If they were smart about this, they would request to see stays from your elite account as well. That way they know they are getting members that would likely stay at their properties rather than going through elite dominoes.
Also, they have seen the frustration from many with Hyatt as a result of their match (and the fact that early birds got Diamond while later requests only received Platinum) so they may try to avoid that with internal levels of status and stay requirements.
Report From Hilton Rep
So, how do you go about requesting this? According to the Hilton rep on Flyertalk, this is what they say:
We’re winding down for the Thanksgiving holiday and, as a heads up, I will be out of the office until Monday, but I wanted to let you know about our status match program…
We’ve been receiving a number of requests and yes, we do match status from other programs and we’d love to be your travel home.
- We are matching status for 2016. To make sure you’re all set for the year, please submit your request by January 11, 2016. You’ll enjoy that status through March 2017.
- All you need is something that shows your elite tier in another program and an HHonors number.
- Email us at HHonorMyStatus@hilton.com and we’ll help get you started.
Please note it may take a couple of days to process given the Thanksgiving holiday. We promise to process requests as quickly as possible and any request submitted prior to January 11, 2016, will be processed in time to enjoy your new status for the entire year.
Summary
All you need to do is to:
- Send a screenshot of your elite tier from your competing program
- Via e-mail to HHonorMyStatus@hilton.com
- And include your Hilton HHonors number
We shall see what happens with this! I have submitted mine and will update when I hear something back. I am matching over my Hyatt Diamond and will be curious to see if I get Hilton Diamond as a result.
While I do not think Hilton Diamond has the same value as Hyatt Diamond, this could make some people split their stays next year. If someone already hits elite in one program, it may make sense for them to switch over to another, especially if they have high status. It can also help fill in holes of hotel portfolios depending on where your travels take you.
HT: @renespoints
