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The Hilton Rewards Program is called Hilton Honors and provides three levels of Hilton Elite Status: Silver, Gold and Diamond. Upon signing up, you will be given “Member” status, which essentially allows you access to the program and free WiFi, plus a few more features.
Hilton offers the ability to earn status from either “Stays” or “Nights”, which will make it possible for travelers with a lot of single night stays to earn top-tier elite status, just as well as those that spend several consecutive nights a hotel.
Hilton Honors: Elite Status and Benefits
The Hilton Honors program has three levels of elite status: Silver, Gold and Diamond. When you first enroll in the Honors program, you will be at the Honors Member status, which does count as “Status” with Hilton, but not “elite status” since it is awarded automatically.
Hotel Stays/Nights Required for Hilton Honors Elite Status
- Member – Just sign up and you’re at the Member Level
- Silver – 4 stays or 10 nights or 25,000 Honors Base Points
- Gold – 20 stays or 40 nights or 75,000 Honors Base Points
- Diamond – 30 stays or 60 nights or 120,000 Honors Base Points
Hilton Honors Levels & Benefits of each Elite Tier
When you sign up for the program you will receive Hilton Blue status. This will give you the ability to earn Hilton points, free Wi-Fi and mobile check in.
Silver Elite Benefits
The first level of Hilton Honors elite status is Silver. Silver status provides the following benefits:
- 20% Elite Status Honors points bonus
- Late Check-out
- Complimentary access to hotel owned fitness centers and Health Clubs
- Two complimentary bottles of water
Gold Elite Benefits
Hilton’s mid-tier elite status is Gold. Gold status provides all the benefits of Silver, plus the following
- 80% Elite Status Honors points bonus
- Two complimentary bottles of water
- Gold “My Way” Benefit
Diamond Elite Benefits
Hilton’s highest level of elite status is Diamond. Diamond status provides all the benefits of Gold, plus the following:
- 100% Elite Status Honors points bonus
- 48 hour Guaranteed room (even if the hotel is sold out)
- Diamond “My Way” Benefit
4 Ways to Earn Hilton Honors Elite Status
Here are a couple of options to elevate yourself to the Elite level of the Hilton Honors Rewards Program. Read them all and see which one will work for you….
1. Hilton Status Match
Hilton currently offers a status match that you can access here. It’s a great offer! The details of the offer can change from time to time, so make sure you click the link to see the latest Hilton status match offer.
2. Earn Hilton Honors Elite status with a Credit Card
Yes, you can get Hilton elite status without ever actually staying at a Hilton with certain Hilton affiliated credit cards. Some will give you instant status, some will allow you to spend your way to Gold or Diamond status.

Actually, Hilton offers more ways to earn elite status from credit cards than any other hotel company.
Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express:
The Honors Surpass Card will give you automatic Honors Gold status as long as you have the card. You can also receive Hilton Honors Diamond status if you spend $40,000 in a calendar year.
Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express:
The Hilton Honors Aspire card from American Express gives you automatic Honors Diamond status every year for as long as you are a Card member. There is a fairly hefty annual fee with this card, but it can be offset with a variety of the benefits included with the card.
3. Register for Hilton Elite Status Promotions
Hilton sometimes offers “fast track” promotions to earn elite status faster check our Hilton Honors Promotion Page to see if there are any current Elite Status Promo Offers

Hilton Honors Promotion
4. Staying at Hilton Properties
As always, you can also earn Hilton status the old fashioned way… by staying at their properties. The nice thing about Hilton, is that you can earn their highest status with a minimal amount of stays. For someone like me, who typically only stays one night at a time, this is a good program for getting top status “the hard way”.
Hilton Honors Points Expiration
Be careful. Hilton Honors points will expire after 12 months of inactivity. To keep them active you only need one qualifying point activity in the 12 month period – either through acquiring or using points. The easiest way to keep your points active is to sign up for the Hilton Dining Program.
Hilton Honors Elite Status Review
Like Marriott, a big benefit of the Hilton program is the number of properties in their Portfolio (6,000 properties in over 100 countries). This means you will be able to find a Hilton property almost any time you travel.
If you are more interested in the select service and extended stay properties, then Hilton has plenty of options. However, elite status does not do much for you at those type of properties, so again Hilton elite status will fall a little short.
The best part of the Hilton Honors Elite Status offering is that you can attain top-tier status easier through credit card offers than any program. Getting Hilton Gold or Diamond status through credit cards would make sense if you have a lot of Hilton stays coming up for business or if there is a dream vacation you are planning on to a place like the Grand Wailea in Maui (a Waldorf property) or the Conrad Koh Samui. Otherwise, consider the Elite programs of Marriott or Hyatt.
More Content for Hilton Honors Fans:
If you like what you are reading now, here are some more great articles every Hilton Honors member should check out!
- Detailed Guide and Review of the Hilton Honors Loyalty Program
- How to Easily get Hilton Diamond and Gold Status
- Hilton Corporate Discount Codes
- The latest Hilton Honors Promotion and other ways to save on your Hilton stays
- How to save 20% with the Hilton MVP rate
- The Hilton Go Team Member Rate: How Hilton team members and their family and friends can save big!
Hilton Properties
Hilton has over 6,000 properties in 100 countries, across 17 brands