Who says opportunity doesn't knock twice? Try Hyatt Diamond and HHonors Diamond status

Seems like Christmas may have come a tad early this year! Here's your chance to cash in on two fantastic opportunities to get Hyatt Diamond level membership. Or Hilton HHonors Diamond level. Or why not both?

Following Starwood's acquisition by Marriott that was announced a few weeks back, and SPG members' general disenchantment with that due to the expectation that a lot of SPG benefits would no longer be available, Hyatt and Hilton seem to have gotten into the act to "recruit" more elite members into their ranks.


Hyatt Diamond Membership

To be honest, I've not written much about Hyatt on this blog, because I don't get to stay much at Hyatt properties. Having said that, this opportunity for Hyatt Diamond Membership could change that. 

It all started with this tweet from Hyatt Concierge on 20 November 2015:


A lot of folks (estimated over 10,000) applied for this, including both of us here at M&EM. For the record, all I had to offer in terms of existing elite status, was IHG Gold Elite (which is not exceptionally rewarding, to be honest). Nonetheless, after a couple of weeks following up, I received this in an email from Hyatt:

Congratulations! You have now been upgraded to our Diamond Tier status which is valid through February 2017. As a Diamond member, you will be instantly recognized as one of our valued guests at any Hyatt worldwide.

Diamond membership entitles you to a wide range of exclusive services and benefits. In order to continue to receive exclusive Diamond membership benefits, simply complete 25 stays or 50 nights at any Hyatt hotel or resort worldwide during the course of the calendar year.

We hope you enjoy the privileges of Diamond membership when staying at any Hyatt worldwide. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any other assistance with your Hyatt Gold Passport account.

And just to re-confirm this, another email confirming this, along with the key benefits of Diamond, being:

  • Earn rewards faster with a 30% point bonus, and you'll be on your way to your next great getaway
  • Receive exclusive access to the Regency Club® or Grand Club®, featuring complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres
  • Enjoy a 4 p.m. late checkout, because meetings don’t always end early and sometimes you just want to relax a little longer
  • Treat yourself to a suite upgrade four times a year on eligible paid stays


Each suite upgrade is valid for a single stay of up to 7 nights, and will be renewed at the end of February 2016 (unused upgrades lapse). The Diamond status itself is valid till February 2017. 

And what's more, this offer seems to continue to be open, though they only match to Diamond, from another program's highest level. Matches to Platinum seem to be more common now. Nonetheless, this is probably not a bad time to jump into the fray and request for status match. You'll need to show proof of status with another hotel program and at least one stay in the last year with a hotel in that program. Mail these to goldpassport@hyatt.com. And cross your fingers.

Hilton HHonors Diamond membership

There's also an opportunity to earn Hilton HHonors Diamond status, till 11 January 2016. Again, all you need is:
  • something that shows your elite tier in another program and an HHonors number
  • send an email of that proof to HHonorMyStatus@hilton.com

In my case, I used the Hyatt Diamond status I'd acquired from the previous section of this post, and was immediately (took a day or so) matched to HHonors Diamond. 


HHonors Diamond benefits include room upgrades, more bonus points per stay and complimentary breakfast at most Hilton hotels (though some might say that HHonors Diamond isn't much more rewarding than HHonors Gold). The HHonors Diamond status is valid till March 2017.

Conclusion

Ever since my role at my employer organisation changed nearly a year back, my travels have come down quite significantly. Which means I've not really had much opportunity to retain either hotel or airline status solely by stays or flights/miles flown. Which is why these two status matches helped.

Reports are suggesting that the Hyatt status match (at least to Platinum, if not Diamond) opportunity continues to be available. And HHonors has openly acknowledged that their status match offer is valid till 11 January 2016. Therefore, if you already have elite status of some sort, you could try your luck with these opportunities right away. No harm in giving it a shot, I suppose.

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