Today, Hilton Honors announced several changes to its elite program for 2026, which will include lowering the stay and night thresholds for current tiers, removing base points as a qualification metric, and perhaps most notably, adding a new top-tier: Diamond Reserve.
The new elite tier and lower thresholds were leaked last week, when some enterprising folks managed to glean the details from the source code on Hilton’s website (welcome to 2025). Now, all of the upcoming changes are officially official, and we know a few more of the nitty-gritty details.
Hilton Honors program changes for 2026
New Top-Tier Diamond Reserve Benefits
The worst-kept secret in points and loyalty programs is a secret no more: starting January 1st, 2026, there will be a new top-tier Hilton status: Diamond Reserve.
This will be the only Hilton elite status that can’t be obtained via a credit card, and it will also be the only one that has a (hefty) hotel spend requirement: $18,000 per year. That said, the only other top-tier status (among major US hotel chains) that has a spending threshold is Marriott Ambassador, and the requirement for that is $23,000/year. I guess Hilton Diamond Reserve is, by comparison, a value?
And what does $18k per year in Hilton spend get you? All of the benefits of a run-of-the-mill Diamond, an extra 20% bonus on base points, and a few other notable additions. We’ll cover the most important below.
Confirmed Upgrade Rewards
For the first time in living memory, there will be a Hilton upgrade instrument that allows you to confirm an upgrade at booking: Confirmed Upgrade Rewards (CUR). These will be awarded once a member reaches Diamond Reserve status and again, as a Milestone Reward, at 120 nights. It’s also possible to get one at 120 nights without reaching Diamond Reserve status, and if you manage to stay 120 nights in Hilton properties without spending close to $18,000, hats off to you.
“CURs” will be valid at any Hilton property that currently provides space-available upgrades, so long as the booking is made directly via Hilton. You’ll be able to upgrade to a one-bedroom suite (or other, lower category rooms) for up to 7 nights, and you’ll be able to see which rooms are available for the upgrade before you finish the booking.
The reward will be valid for one year from the date of issue, and it can’t be extended beyond that. You must complete your stay before the expiration date in order to apply the confirmed upgrade.
It’s good to see Hilton finally provide this option, especially at booking. At the outset, it effectively matches the confirmable suite upgrades offered by IHG and Hyatt, and is a significant improvement over Marriott Nightly Upgrade Awards, which are only valid for one night and aren’t confirmed until a few days before your stay.
Where it doesn’t quite match up with Hyatt and IHG is what you have to go through to get one. If you stayed 80 nights with IHG, you could have up to four confirmable suite upgrades. If you spent 80 nights with Hyatt, you could have a whopping seven Suite Upgrade Awards, all valid for up to a one-week stay. By comparison, Diamond Reserve members only get one, which feels a bit paltry, especially since you also have to spend $18,000 and have no means to add elite nights via credit card spend, like you can with Hyatt.
Still, it’s a definite improvement compared to what someone who is already spending $18k and 80 nights per year can expect right now.
Space-available upgrades that include one-bedroom suites
Diamond Reserve members will have the highest upgrade priority at Hilton properties worldwide, and the terms actually say that space-available upgrades can include one-bedroom suites.
This is certainly better than the one-category upgrades, not including suites, that current Diamond members enjoy. However, Hilton is very clear that it will not be providing a Hyatt-style guarantee along the lines of, “if a better room is available, it’s yours.” Properties will be able to set which rooms are available for upgrades, along with what level of inventory needs to be present in order for that upgrade to be “available.” Up till now, that hasn’t been a recipe for consistent benefits, especially in the US.
Almost no one wants to try and fight for benefits at the front desk. That’s one of the best parts about Hyatt’s clearly spelled-out terms regarding upgrades, and even then, some properties still play games. We’ll see next year what Hilton’s fudgier benefit means for Diamond Reserves. If they actually can expect better rooms when they’re available, it will be a big win.
Guaranteed 4 pm Checkout
This is another new one for Hilton, as it’s not based on availability. Hilton has again taken a page out of Hyatt’s book and provided guaranteed 4 pm checkout, and individual properties will not have the option to selectively apply it.
However, Hilton actually one-ups Hyatt in one respect (and Marriott/IHG as well): no exemptions are made for resort properties. What we’re told is that any Hilton property that is booked directly through Hilton channels will automatically have the 4 pm checkout applied for Diamond Reserve members. The only hotels that won’t be covered are independent properties like Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).
If Hilton is able to execute this without widespread revolt from resort properties, it will be an impressive, industry-leading benefit. No other large hospitality brand does it.
Access to “Premium” Clubs
Most Hilton Honors members probably aren’t aware that there are “premium” clubs in a handful of Hilton properties around the world that you must pay to get access to. Examples include Club Signia at Hilton Atlanta; Sakura Club at Conrad, Washington, DC; and The Imperial Club at the Waldorf Astoria Rome Cavalieri.
If the Sakura Club is any indication, these are more or less the equivalent of a smaller, high-quality Asian Diamond Lounge, but with far less crowd pressure, simply because far fewer people have access to them. Each one has a rotating menu for breakfast and dinner with a made-to-order chef’s station; a respectable wine, cocktail, and spirits menu; and a well-stocked selection of dry and refrigerated snacks that can be accessed throughout the day.
It’s a nice benefit; the only shortcoming is that there are so few of them. No one seems to know exactly how many there are worldwide, just that you can count them with your fingers. Hilton doesn’t have any concrete plans to add premium clubs at an accelerated rate, so what’s there is there for the time being. If you happen to stay at one of these properties as a Diamond Reserve member, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy it. If you stay at one of the 99.9% of Hilton hotels that don’t have one, it won’t mean much.
Dedicated Diamond Reserve Support Team
The fourth primary differentiator between Diamond and Diamond Reserve is a dedicated support team. But wait, you ask, I’ve called the Diamond Desk before, isn’t that a dedicated support team?
This version is supposed to be something more akin to Hyatt’s My Concierge or Marriott’s Ambassador, except an entire team instead of one dedicated person. It will be available 24/7, and have the capacity to make requests of hotels, such as specific room types, activities, or special amenities.
This team will then have a similar ability to execute those requests as an in-house concierge or management member would. The support team will be staffed by a small group of current customer service agents, who are selected based on their guest satisfaction scores, and when they say “jump,” a hotel evidently says, “how high?”
It’s hard to know how valuable this perk will be until we see it in action. Marriott and Hyatt both sell their dedicated concierge as a fantastic resource; for some folks, it is, for others it’s a nothingburger. Like many of these benefits, it’s all about consistency and execution.
It’s hard for me to imagine that a team of (probably non-local) agents will be able to successfully execute the kind of personal, specific, worldwide attention to detail that Hilton believes it can. If Hilton’s right, there’s the potential for this to be a very compelling resource. If it isn’t, it will likely be similar to Marriott and Hyatt’s versions: great in some instances, barely noticeable in others.
Lowered qualification thresholds for existing elite tiers
At the same time that Diamond Reserve is added on January 1st, elite status thresholds for the remaining tiers will be lowered. Base points will no longer be a metric for earning elite status, and there will now be a spend component that can get you there if you’re short on nights and stays. However, unlike Diamond Reserve, the spend threshold is not required in order to earn status.
The new elite tiers will be live 1/1/26; all 2025 activity will count towards the old thresholds for Gold and Diamond. Diamond Reserve must be earned with activity in 2026. Here’s what the changes look like:
| Elite Tier | 2025 Requirements | 2026 Requirements | Credit Card Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 4 stays, 10 nights, or 25k base points | 4 stays, 10 nights, or $2.5k spend | Hilton Honors |
| Gold | 20 stays, 40 nights, or 75k base points | 10 stays, 25 nights, or $6k spend | Hilton Surpass, American Express Platinum® |
| Diamond | 30 stays, 60 nights, or 120k base points | 25 stays, 50 nights, or $11.5k spend | Hilton Aspire |
| Diamond Reserve | N/A | 40 stays or 80 nights, AND $18k spend | None |
It’s worth noting that, although the elite requirements for Gold and Diamond will be lowered, there’s no change in the benefits offered. Of course, part of that is due to the fact that there are not many requirements for what properties have to provide, outside of a food and beverage credit, a couple of bottles of water, and lounge access (where they exist).
Hilton does say that there will be more consistently applied upgrades across the board for existing elites, to go along with the new, higher-priority Diamond Reserve members. Again, individual properties will still have discretion to decide what “space-available” and “upgrade” mean, so we’ll see how this plays out in practice.
No caps for maximum rates or free night certificates
Based on the feedback we receive from readers, Hilton hasn’t been wowing its members over the last year. Hilton points have dropped ~15-20% in average value at the same time that the maximum price for award nights has more than doubled, not coincidentally after it added several hundred, very expensive properties from the SLH portfolio.
We asked Hilton about our observations regarding their points value, skyrocketing rates for standard room awards at luxury properties, and how all of that might affect the free night certificates that are earned from the Hilton Amex cards.
Encouragingly, we were told in no uncertain terms that Hilton sees the ability to use its free night certificates for a standard room award at any property as something that sets it apart from similar instruments offered by competitors, which almost always have a maximum redemption amount attached. They have no desire to mess with that by capping the value of their certificates.
Less encouraging is that the Hilton Honors team doesn’t see any recent decline in the value of their points, and will continue to raise the maximum redemption amounts of standard awards as cash prices warrant. My takeaway was that the current maximum standard award price of 250k isn’t the ceiling of what we can expect for high-value, luxury properties. We’ll continue to see those rates go up…and up. The honesty is appreciated, although I’m loath to see where that will take award prices within the next few years. Hopefully, future increases will at least be preceded by advance notice.
Final Thoughts
For years, we’ve been expecting Hilton Honors to rejigger its loyalty program to incentivize customers to spend a larger proportion of their nights and money at Hilton hotels. When a top-tier status can be had with a credit card and offers relatively inconsistent benefits, there’s not much reason for folks to push more of their time and cash into the pot. The creation of a status that requires actual patronage of the brand’s properties is sensible.
Does Diamond Reserve create that incentive? There are some great features here, but the biggest question for me is whether Hilton can effectively execute them across its worldwide empire of 9,000+ properties.
Will 4 pm checkout really be delivered at all properties? Will the “Super-Diamond” support team consistently surprise and delight at hotels worldwide? Will space-available upgrades happen with consistency across brands, especially in the US? Will the new terms of “up to one-bedroom suites” actually mean that Diamond Reserve members get suite upgrades? We’ll see.
There are a couple of big misses here. It’s crazy to me that there’s no improvement on the substandard food and beverage credit for Diamond Reserve members in the domestic US, which rarely covers the actual cost of breakfast at most properties. If someone spends $18,000 per year at Hilton hotels, shouldn’t they be able to expect breakfast each morning, just like they could with Hyatt, Marriott (kinda), and IHG?
The confirmable suite rewards sound like they’ll be nifty to use, and I’m thrilled that Hilton is finally bringing them online. But just one? After 80 nights? Is there a suite shortage that we’re not aware of? And why not guarantee an upgraded room for Diamond Reserve members if one’s available, instead of leaving it up to the property’s discretion, which, if past performance is any guide, means we shouldn’t expect much in the USA?
There’s a good start to something relevant here, and if Hilton can pull off what it says it can, it will be a distinct improvement to its current top-tier, for those who can qualify…and I imagine that some of our quibbles above will eventually be fixed. If not, there are many places in the world for folks to spend $18,000.
On the other hand, you can make a decent argument that Hilton now has the “deepest” award scheme from top to bottom. Diamond Reserve may not quite reach the level of Hyatt Globalist or even IHG Diamond, but Hilton’s Gold and Diamond statuses are easily preferable to Hyatt’s mid-tier Explorist or IHG Platinum. On the flip side, Diamond Reserve could end up being more desirable than Marriott Ambassador, but I’d take Marriott Titanium or Platinum status over the Hilton’s two equivalents.
If, like many people, you have Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond from an Amex card, and don’t spend anywhere close to $18,000 per year with Hilton, there probably won’t be much change. After all, the most consistently applied benefits aren’t terribly scarce. There will be more Gold and Diamond members out there, due to the lower qualification thresholds, so there’s the possibility for a bit more lounge crowding (where they exist), and a modestly elevated competition for those one-category upgrades. Despite that, I still think that there’s little reason to believe that folks who have one of the cards and get good value from the benefits as they are now won’t continue to do so in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my 2025 Hilton activity earn Diamond Reserve for 2026?
2025 elite nights and Hilton spend will not count towards earning Diamond Reserve in 2026. The one exception is if you have a stay that starts in 2025 and ends in 2026, in which case the stay, total nights, and spend will all count towards 2026 status.
Will there be a lifetime Diamond Reserve status?
No, the highest lifetime status that a Hilton Honors member can earn is Diamond.
Will Hilton Honors continue to roll over extra elite nights?
No, 2025 will be the last year that Hilton Honors will roll over elite nights earned past a member’s current tier.
Will I be able to add elite nights or elite-qualifying dollars via credit card spend?
No, the only spending that will count towards elite thresholds is the same that earns base points and is done at Hilton properties.
Will Diamond Reserve members have additional benefits at SLH properties?
There will be no additional benefits for Diamond Reserve at properties in the Small Luxury Hotels of the World portfolio when booked through Hilton Honors. Hilton will let the property know the member’s status, but it will be up to the individual hotel to decide whether to acknowledge it in some way.
Will the elite status offered by Amex credit cards change?
There will be no changes to the elite status offered by the American Express Hilton or Platinum cards.
Hilton elite benefit comparison chart for 2026
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This is an awful change by Hilton. I have been a Hilton Honors member for over 20 years and have about 900 nights with them toward the 1000 nights needed to make Diamond Lifetime Status. I feel stepped on with these new changes, and actually became a ‘free agent’ around 5 years ago when Hilton tinkered with the Breakfast benefit in the U.S. I currently have Diamond Status based on the Amex Aspire Card, and only use Hiltons when travelling in Europe where my wife and I always get a full free breakfast, room upgrade, and executive lounge access. In Europe (and Asia) Hilton is still a decent value as a Diamond. But creating a higher-level tier than Diamond without lowering the number of nights (1000!) needed to make lifetime Diamond just denigrates the whole program. This will turn people away and make more free agents. Also the higher tier that Hilton is creating I don’t feel will draw more people in – how many people are going to spend $18,000 with ONE hotel chain for so FEW additional benefits they are offering??? And finally – how many people are going to do this when Hilton continues to devalue the overall program? People like me (900 nights in) that have been suckered before won’t be suckered again. Hilton doesn’t care (at least long-term) about its loyal customers……
Can you really call yourself loyal if you went free agent 5 years ago?
YES! Did you read ‘900’ nights at Hiltons over the years – that’s not nothing! And staying those nights (at the time) was a mutual loyalty ‘obligation’. I was giving Hilton the revenue I could have taken elsewhere, in return for a ‘promise’ from Hilton of what they would provide to Lifetime Diamonds. Since that time Hilton has devalued, taken benefits away, etc. Shamed on me for being ‘played’. Thats ‘loyalty’ on my part but NOT on Hilton’s part….. Hilton is NOT to be trusted – now or in the future…. BUYER BEWARE!
What the hotel programs are after are revenues. What they miss is cultivating the high-end guest who will spend 20 nights in a $2500 suite for $50k a year. Such a guest would (technically) only qualify for Hilton Silver and Marriott Silver. LHW recognizes this and would grant such a guest its invite-only Aurelian status.
It sounds like Hilton now has an invite-only status as well, or is about to create one. I think many folks assume that it’s only for ultra-high-stay customers, but I think it probably is meant to address low-stay, high-revenue customers, like you suggest.
Tim, I think the top paragraph mentioning the spend threshold needs to say hotel spend. It reads like credit card spend.
It’s so amazing that you were able to get all this typed up and analyzed so quickly when they just released this info a few hours ago. You need to take a nap!
Agree that it’s a very thorough analysis that Tim should be complemented on. But just FYI, journalists and blogs like FM are often given this information in advance with an embargo, ie it can’t be released to the public until a specific date/time.
It’s called good prompting skills 🙂
Thanks!
Darin is correct. We were briefed yesterday by the Hilton team so that we’d be able to ask questions and have time to write up an analysis before today.
That said, I do need a nap. 🙂
This isn’t as bad as I feared it could be. For an Aspire card holder like me, I wanted to hear that there was no dilution of the present Diamond benefits and the free night certificates would not be devalued. Getting upgrades as a Diamond member has always been hit or miss domestically. Therefore, in the past I never had much expectation of an upgrade (especially at domestic properties). I really don’t see how much, if anything, changes for regular Diamond elites who obtain that status via the Aspire card. Hence, the free night certificates my wife and I get from our 4 Aspire accounts will continue to have great value, despite the repeated points devaluations.
Any idea when we can get diamond reserve? If we met the new qualification requirements for reserve this year will we automatically get reserve status in January? Or have to hit the nights/spend next year?
Ah, thanks, good question. I’ll add that to the FAQ.
Both Diamond Reserve status and the lower elite status thresholds will start on 1/1/26 and be earned based on 2026 activity. Your 2025 activity will only earn the current Diamond status.
So, outside of those who have extended stays that start in 2025 and end in 2026 (which would then be credited in 2026), the earliest that folks will start earning Diamond Reserve would be late-March to early-April 2026.
As long as I can get my free breakfast as gold member when I travel internationally I am happy. Other than FHR and Hyatt GOH are my goto options.
This makes Diamond status kind of a joke. Gold Status (Hilton Surpass / Amex Plat) offers almost identical benefits as Diamond (Hilton Aspire). It feels like Hilton was forced to keep that tier due to credit card agreements.
I don’t feel as though I am in on the joke. Diamond status via Aspire seems to have the same value proposition that it did before (as per @jamal, above), with international hotels being the sweetspot (as per @Daniel, below). It is what it
iswas.Good rundown, thanks.
The fact that the Food and Beverage credit hasn’t been increased after years of high inflation is really telling. At least it hasn’t spread to international hotels, yet…
And may it stay forever confined to our shores.