Hilton Honors Membership - how to obtain Gold or Diamond in 2021 the easy way?

In my previous articles, we talked about the promotions for Hilton Honors programme in Year 2021 and the different perks attached to the different Elite levels. In this article, we will discuss the strategy to achieve your goals and take benefit of Hilton Honors membership programme.

Strategies:
1. Book basic and cheap rooms - If you read the requirements of obtaining Gold and Diamond Elite, they only mention stays. Qualifying stays include rooms booked with points and rooms with any price point. Look at the snapshot taken below. Doubletree KL will cost 2x of Hilton Garden Inn. If your aim is to qualify for the membership upgrade, initially you should book and stay at cheaper basic rooms (i.e. RM 76 x 10 nights = RM760). The strategy is to get to Gold Elite status first.

2. Always book direct via Hilton Honors app or website. Any nights that are booked and stayed via other platform like Agoda, Traveloka would not be counted.

3. Once you hit Gold Elite, you can start to enjoy better hotels (Hilton PJ, Double Tree KL). This is because they will provide room upgrade and free continental breakfast which easily costs RM50++/pax or even if you book breakfast together with the stay, breakfast will easily cost you RM25-30 per pax. Not to mention a better room like Deluxe or Suite room will cost you even more. The value of the upgrades normally ranges from RM70-150 per night.

The Snapshot shows that it's RM148+ (room only) vs RM204+(2 breakfasts) for Hilton PJ 1 night's stay.

4. Once you achieve Gold or Diamond in Year 2021, your Elite status be rowed over into Year 2022 automatically and you can still enjoy all these perks by paying minimal for the rest of 2022.

5. Book for friends or family members under your name if they come down and stay nearby you. Any stay will be considered as yours although it's not you staying there.

So, if you're looking at achieving Gold or Diamond, Year 2021 might be the perfect chance for you to do so. Start planning if you're keen.

Hilton Honors Membership - What are the perks for different Elite Tiers

In my previous article, we discuss about the big Promo for Year 2021 which Hilton Honors is running. Here we are going to discuss the different Elite Ties of benefits that you're going to have with Hilton Honors membership programme.

I am not going to mention the basic member but will straight jump into Silver Elite. Head over to Hilton Honors website for details of the Perks

1. Silver Elite
Key highlights: You'll Earn 20% extra Bonus Points and 5th Night Free when you book a room with points.

2. Gold Elite
Key highlights: On top of Silver Elite's perks, you'll Earn 80% Bonus Points, Larger room (Space Available room upgrades), Free Continental Breakfast.

3. Diamond Elite
Key highlights: On top of Gold Elite's perks, you'll Earn 100% Bonus Points, Executive Lounge Access and Premium Internet (normally faster connections).

So, let's ask ourselves, what is the most valuable during a hotel stay? 
1. For me, the main attraction of the programme is free Breakfast for two
2. Secondly will be the Room Upgrade where you can book a basic room and get upgraded to a bigger room including suites etc. 
3. Thirdly, access to Executive Lounge is an added benefit where you can get free drinks and food (and probably dinner) at hotels with a lounge.

In view of the above, with the promo, you will just need 20 nights or 10 stays to get Gold Elite status where you can start enjoying free room upgrades and Free Continental Breakfast. Just split out your stays (i.e. one night every other weekend and you'll be getting all your perks).

Hilton Honors Membership - Special Promo for Year 2021

Since COVID19 hit the world, the hotel industry suffers great losses in revenue and visitor traffic. I have been a long term member of Marriot Bonvoy (used to be Starwood Preferred Guest and Marriott Rewards separately) and am their lifetime Silver Elite. 

Recently, what caught my attention is the promotion that they are running for Year 2021 in their COVID19 Response Website. In a nutshell, below is the summary of the additional promo that they provide due to COVID19.

1. You will only need HALF the nights, stays and base points to earn a Elite Status. Which means that you will need only 5 nights to reach Silver, 20 nights to reach Gold and 30 nights to reach Diamond (or 2 stays to reach Silver, 10 stays to reach Gold and 15 stays to reach Diamond) in 2021.

2. Points will not be expired in 2021 and will be extended automatically to 2022. Previously it's 12 months from your last stay hence you'll have to stay once every 12 months in order to continue your membership.

3. Maintain your status until March 31, 2022. For those already with Gold or Diamond, it'll continue until March 31, 2022.

The above promo are a big one as it literally makes it so much easier for those who wanted the Elite status to earn them (very cheaply also). Next, I will discuss the perks of Hilton Honors membership.