All Hilton Honors Diamond members can now gift Gold or Diamond status

Give the gift of a year of free Hilton Honors status to a family member, friend or colleague.

By Chris C., December 29 2020
All Hilton Honors Diamond members can now gift Gold or Diamond status

Hilton Honors’ Diamond and Lifetime Diamond members are now able to give the gift of Diamond or Gold status to any other Hilton Honors member under a special promotion which runs through to January 31, 2021.

The instant upgrade comes with all the perks you'd associate with top-tier status – including complimentary breakfast, room upgrades and lounge access – for a full year.

Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond cardholders can give Diamond status to any other Honors member, while Diamond members can give the gift of Gold status.

Gold status is often considered the 'sweet spot' of the Hilton Honors program, including complimentary daily breakfast and space-available room upgrades among its suite of perks.

Diamond status goes one better, with guaranteed access to hotel Executive Lounges, including for evening drinks and canapés – a perk Gold members only receive if upgraded to an Executive-level room.

“Hilton Honors is extending a one-time special gift to its global Diamond and Lifetime Diamond members... through January 2021, these elite members will be able to gift status for one year to a family member or friend,” a spokesperson for the company advised Executive Traveller.

Although the initial plan was for all eligible Diamond and Gold members to receive an email from Hilton Honors explaining how the status gift can be activated, members who have not received this email are being asked to email Hilton directly.

The chain advises to "just email [email protected] with your name and Hilton Honors number, plus the name and Hilton Honors number of the lucky traveler who will receive Gold status."

Executive Lounge access is among the best perks of Hilton Honors Diamond status.
Executive Lounge access is among the best perks of Hilton Honors Diamond status.

Hilton Honors usually allows Diamond members to gift Gold status after staying for 60 nights, which is upgraded to complimentary Diamond status if the original Diamond member hits 100 nights.

That offer remains in place, with the Christmas gift above being in addition to this, and open to all Diamond and Lifetime Diamond members: including those who haven’t stayed 60+ nights this year.

For those who did manage to travel in 2020 and had already unlocked that standard status gift, the Christmas offer is separate to this.

“This is an extra opportunity to gift to someone new,” the Hilton Honors spokesperson explains.

As an example, a Diamond member who has notched up 60 nights this membership year could already gift Gold status under the program’s normal policies.

In addition, via the Christmas offer, they’d be able to gift a second Gold card to another person of their choosing.

Hilton reduces status requirements in 2021

This week’s news from Hilton Honors follows on the chain’s plans to make elite status easier to achieve in 2021, as previously reported.

Next year, the number of nights required to unlock Hilton Honors Silver, Gold and Diamond status will be halved – and with any nights earned in 2020 rolling over into 2021 as well, to kick-start that progress and bring higher status even closer.

As well, the year-round status gift offer for Diamond members will also become easier to reach.

Diamond members who notch up 30 nights in 2021 can gift Hilton Honors Gold – and if the Diamond member earns a total of 60 nights in the same year, the giftee is upgraded to Diamond themselves.

Normally, those gifts are unlocked after 60 nights and 100 nights, respectively.

All Hilton Honors members with elite status will also find their tier valid until March 31 2022, including those who had been set to lose their status in early 2021.

Hilton Honors points will also remain valid until at least December 31 2021. Normally, points expire if a member fails to earn or spend points over a 15-month period.

Read more: Hilton status extensions now run through to March 2022

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.

United Airlines - Mileage Plus

12 Sep 2011

Total posts 335

All I can say is go Hilton   -Free Suite upgrades at Hilton SYDNEY ,Hilton Tel Aviv (even in high season  where a free upgrade from the cheapest room  to a Plaza Executive Suite is not unknown, but sadly no VISTA Upgrade - this is one of the few properties with a separate  VISTA lounge and rooms, but frankly they are not needed since this hotel EXCELS in everything for everyone,  with super freindly staff, still US$15 parking unlimited in/out ad its own compound and therefore security in Tel Aviv) , Hilton MILANO , Waldorf Jerusalem , Hilton Berlin, Waldorf Berlin, Hilton NEWARK, Hilton SFO, Hilton SFO Financial District

05 Mar 2015

Total posts 420

Great news, read about this on some US blogs but there was no sign of it being available here, glad you guys looked in to this. I have Diamond membership so will give somebody the 'Gift of Gold' and hope that 2021 means we can all travel again and use it!

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer - Chairmans Lounge

01 Sep 2011

Total posts 416

Im lifetime diamond, hopefully the email about the "gift" comes through soon. Will be a nice additional gift for my brother.

22 Jun 2018

Total posts 7

What value do you assign to this Gold status? I have to decide who to gift it too .. but that means valuing it first! Perhaps it will be an eBay sale!

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

04 Nov 2011

Total posts 359

Trying to work out who to gift Gold to is hard. Would prefer its someone that would travel enough to warrant it, not just a family member or friend that wont use it. 

22 Jun 2018

Total posts 7

Well said @russell .. that is what I am looking for too

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

21 Jan 2014

Total posts 319

Well done to Hilton, meanwhile the other hotel chains just tinker around the edges with small insignificant promotions that amount to nothing whilst no one is travelling. 

01 Jan 2014

Total posts 18

My partner and I have always loved Hilton and we are both Diamond members. Re this promotion though - I got their offer via email, but my partner did not. For the past couple of weeks we have been emailing [email protected] and [email protected] to ask why my partner did not get the offer (though eligible), but have received no reply. Their call centres are also unable to assist and just refer you to the ‘priorityletter’ email address. For Diamond members, we have found Hilton’s lack of service exasperating and incredibly disappointing.


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