Slightly over a year ago I shared about why I thought Hilton Honors Gold was a solid mid-tier hotel status. I still think so, but even back then we had commenters asking why go the chain route instead of the cheaper OTA route. Similar sentiments arose more recently in response to Jonโs article comparing OTAs with direct hotel bookings.
The number one reason Iโm currently concentrating on Hilton properties is really to maximise the use of my Diamond status obtained through the insanely generous but now-defunct status match offer.
Given that Iโd admitted to going โfull Hiltonโ mainly because Iโd managed to rather effortlessly launch myself to the top tier, I figured that I owed it to myself to do a stock take and evaluate if the perks Iโd gained were actually worthwhile.

What Iโve done is to reflect on the benefits Iโd enjoyed in 2017 as a Hilton Diamond member (also considering what a Gold member would receive, since thatโs the tier thatโs more easily accessible by the average mile hacker), attempt to quantify them somehow, and finally evaluate if Iโm really okay foregoing the potential savings of booking via OTAs.
(Spoiler alert: Yes, I very much am.)
Methodology
I found it pretty difficult to meaningfully quantify all the benefits Iโd received over the course of the year in a manner that would also mean something to a large audience, each of whom would have different spending behaviour on hotels. What Iโve endeavoured to do is to consider what I think Iโll be willing to pay out of pocket for each of them, expressing this as a percentage of the room price so that the value of this benefit can be applied to a wide range of room types.
Thereโve been a number of assumptions and generalisations made in this article, and you may disagree (greatly) with the exact valuations Iโve assigned, but Iโve also attempted to show the reasoning behind all of this so you can swap in your own figures as well.
One figure Iโd needed before embarking on this review โ based on my records, the average price of my stays at Hilton properties was about S$280/night (including taxes).
The Perks
The Hilton website gives a nice lengthy list of benefits for each tier of elite membership. For simplicity, Iโll focus on the three I really value โ complimentary breakfast, executive lounge access, and room upgrades.
Complimentary breakfast (7% value)
Depending on where you stay, complimentary breakfast might look something like thisโฆ

โฆbut hopefully you get something more like this:

Now I know that hotel breakfasts are typically crazily overpriced (satisfying as it was, I highly doubt Iโd cough up S$45 for a breakfast buffet even at Conrad Tokyo), but when made available to you for no additional cost they can truly be a delight to have.
Iโd assign this the conservative value of $10/person (thatโs a figure I can imagine paying out of pocket across the board). You get complimentary breakfast for up to two guests as a Gold/Diamond, so that represents an approximate 2x$10/280 -> 7% value to me.
Executive lounge access (5%/1% value)
This is another property-dependent benefit โ the bulk of the Hilton properties donโt actually have a lounge, but most higher-end properties (e.g. Conrads and city Hiltons/DoubleTrees) will have an exclusive space that are accessible only to Diamond members and guests staying on executive floors.

Other than providing a separate (often beautiful) space for you to lounge at, these spaces usually serve afternoon tea and evening cocktails.

Depending on the property, the food served could sometimes even suffice for dinner (or at least supplement it). I think $20 per person is a fair price to pay for this benefit, so Iโll value this at approximately 2x$20/280 -> 14% for properties with a lounge. Only about 39% of my nights were spent at such a property, so that brings it down to about a 5% value.
This is probably the one perk of Diamond membership that Iโll miss when I finally lapse back to Gold status. Gold members usually only enjoy lounge access if upgraded to an executive room with lounge benefits. Since Gold members often receive only a one-class room upgrade, they usually will not enjoy lounge access if booking the cheapest available room at a property. This varies from property to property, though โ some are more generous than others. Iโll estimate myself getting lounge access in about 10% of my stays previously, which would bring this benefit down to about a 1% value for Gold members.
Room upgrades (12% / 1% value)
Room upgrades can come in different forms. Sometimes, upgraded rooms come in the form of the exact same room type on a higher floor. Other times, you might be upgraded to a suite, an immensely larger room that typically comes with its own living room space.


This is an area where Hilton pales in comparison to other chains like SPG which offer a more consistent upgrade experience, sometimes even guaranteeing suite upgrades. For a Hilton member, itโs more usual to get upgraded to a deluxe room (higher floor, slightly larger space) or an executive room (with executive lounge access โ I already consider this a win) than an actual suite.
In my experience Iโve been more successful netting suite upgrades by trying my luck and asking (nicely) during check in if a better room is available (you need a thick skin to maximise your benefits).
If asked to pay out of wallet for a suite, I might top up 50% of the basic room cost. I was upgraded to a suite at about 25% of my nights stayed in 2017; I donโt think Iโve ever received a suite upgrade as a Gold. That makes about 12% value for Diamonds and 1% for Golds (Iโve assigned a token value there in recognition of the nicer views and extra space I sometimes get).
The Points (18% / 12% value)
The points earning structure for Hilton members will soon be adjusted; in essence, starting Apr 2018 Diamond members get 20 points (and Gold 18) for every USD spent at a Hilton property (excluding taxes).
You can also buy points directly from Hilton at US 1ยข each, though you could sometimes buy them on discount at as low as US 0.5ยข each. The Points Guy currently values Hilton points at US 0.6ยข each, which would make it 0.8ยข in SGD, but I prefer to value them conservatively at SGD 0.6ยข as well.
Iโd gained a rather substantial amount of Hilton Honors points this year โ using the 0.6ยข valuation Iโd managed to net about 18% returns in value. As a Gold member I estimate the gains would have been closer to 12%.
So what can you do with these points? They can be used to redeem award nights at hotels, typically at rates close to the 0.6ยข value. At certain properties like Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, seen as the crown jewel of the Hilton points redemption scene, redemption value can be considerably higher (in this case, 95,000 points for one night that might retail for upwards of US$1000).

Iโd managed to accumulate a fair chunk of Hilton points in 2017, so I guess the Milelionโs going to be getting a Conrad Maldives review sometime later this yearโฆ
Promotions
The mathematically-minded among you might have noticed that 20 points per USD doesnโt quite add up to the 18% value Iโd quoted earlier โ itโs probably just half of that, actually. The reason for this is that throughout the whole of last year (also continuing this year), Hilton has been running promotions that allowed you to double/triple your point earn โ a number of these were even able to be used simultaneously and stacked. I wonโt go into too much detail of past promos here, but as you can imagine how that allowed points to have been accrued very much faster than the advertised rate.
This could also be chained with some other offers like using the Citi Prestige 4th night free feature, where the discount comes in the form of reimbursement and you still get the points earned for the 4th night, since the reimbursement is invisible to the property.
Peace of Mind (5%)
I have 2 issues with OTAs.
No walk policy and no upgrades.
That is not worth the savings.
One of friends had a booking at a hotel that went on strike, the OTA simply refunded the money and had my friend rebooked at another hotel, lower tier and at the higher prices.-Fred, 2016 comment
I wonโt belabour this point too much since Iโm sure that OTA screwups are statistically not that common, and that similar screwups do happen at chain hotels as well. That said, being an elite member of a chain would offer you some protection in that you can raise feedback directly to the chainโs help desk โ Iโve found this to be rather helpful since many properties donโt seem to man their email addresses particularly religiously.
If paying even 5% more for a hotel booking acts as a sort of hotel insurance, Iโll take it.
The Verdict
Even just counting the less subjective benefits (namely breakfast and points), I gained 25% extra value as a Diamond member (I estimate 19% for Gold) in 2017.
After including the more subjective benefits such as lounge access, room upgrades and peace of mind as an elite member, I find that I gained 47% extra value as a Diamond (I estimate 26% for Gold). This is actually way more than Iโd initially expected.
Sticking to a single chain is probably not going to get you the cheapest stays (Airbnb, OTAs and other avenues of finding discounted hotels exist), but for travel hackers whoโre willing to endure other opportunity costs to enjoy flying in premium cabins, Iโm surprised not more are exploring leveraging on hotel chain loyalty as well!
I hv ever considered status but in the end they are just not worth it for me. Most of the times, the destination is one which I want to explore so we end up leaving early and returning very late. Thereโs little to no time to enjoy the hotel food, amenities, facilities and privileges. On flights its another matter since I have no where else to go but trapped on the plane so might as well do it in style especially when the classes are so differentiated. Plus earning points is so much more difficult in SG since there areโฆ Read more ยป
Agree on the perspective about hotel stays and plane experience. Iโd be keen about hotel loyalty ONLY if the barriers to these things were lower than just stays (*cough*card perks*cough).
i think to benefit from the hotel perks, one has to be staying long term in the country. i.e. a businessman who would like to take potential customer to a posh location to โwooโ them over.
going up to the executive lounge, for drinks & table food, at no added cost is a great perk to have.
Thatโs true โ Iโve thought similarly sometimes. I guess for me, my travel pattern has shifted more towards revisiting places I like (and beach resorts), so I do enjoy the benefits offeredโฆ
My opinion might change with another shift of travel pattern, though!
I had the same perspective when I was a bachelor and had (sadly) a sense of adventure and trying new things everyday with friends.
But with a family, everything changes โ Airbnb is not just risky, but impractical if u need urgent food or get some shopping done or go somewhere urgently.
Obviously value differs for every person, but just saying It is easier to quantify cost, but difficult to value intangibles.
Thanks for the comprehensive and well illustrated writeup. For me what jumped out was the 280 dollars. Maybe I am too stingy but thatโs quite a lot of outlay. Personally I am in the OTA camp because generally, there is a price premium for international hotel chains. If one isnโt locked in by loyalty, one can pick according to value for money ( not necessarily the lowest price). Also depends on individual taste. For me, I donโt usually eat breakfast and I dislike patronising the same F&B outlet twice in a row. I also find extra space has diminishing returns.โฆ Read more ยป
Get the new American Express Hilton Honors Ascend card ($95 Annual Fee) and get:
โ free Gold status
โ free weekend night when spend $15,000 per year
โ 10 free Priority Pass visits.
Even better: get American Express Hilton Honors Aspire card ($450 annual fee) and get:
โ free Diamond status
โ free weekend night every year
โ free second weekend night when spend $60,000 per year
โ $250 airline incidental fee
โ $250 resort statement credit
โ unlimited free Priority Pass visits.
you must be new here.
Great article! By putting some numbers to the comforts, we get a sense of value, however subjective they might be. In addition, iโd like to highlight that late checkout is one of the benefits I love the most. Canโt count the number of times we were able to relax in the room until evening and leaving only when we actually head to the airport. Also the quick check in and instant checkout. Above all just some basic courtesy and smile from the reception desk / concierge keeps you in vacation mode โ rarely shown when one doesnโt have even theโฆ Read more ยป
Your preferred chain isnโt Hilton, is it? I must say that Iโve had very poor luck with late checkout at Hilton propertiesโฆ which is why I didnโt even think about it when doing my valuation of Hilton status. =P
I find this benefit can be supplanted by lounge access if we fly in a premium cabin. The safety of being at the airport, all the booze, food that can be accessed plus a nice warm bath and boarding priority gives more comfort and peace of mind. But I guess this may itself be a limitation if lounge options are limited in the airport of call.
For low budget travelers, ibis business and ihgโs (holiday inns) loyalty programs are something one can look at.
At the other end, would be great if someone can do a review of IC ambassador. Sounds like a good option for a less frequent traveler, but would like to hear some first hand experience.
Hi Louis, comparing Diamond and Gold status can I say in term of benefit the only difference is the Elite status bonus 50% vs 25%?
So if I hold a Diamond and already clocked 4 stays (Gold confirmed going forward), doesnโt really make sense to intentionally book another 4 stays to maintain the Diamond status?
The other benefit I appreciate is guaranteed lounge access โ at certain properties itโs pretty great booking cheapest room and still being able to get lounge access regardless of whether you get an executive level room.
Youโll have to evaluate yourself if thatโs worth 4 extra stays โ I might go for it, if I plan to stay in multiple Conrads the following year, but otherwise I probably wouldnโt bother.
[โฆ] At some point in 2019 I plan to bring the Milelioness to the Conrad Koh Samui (probably after I can load up on some Hilton points at 0.5 cents each), so having Gold status will come in handy there. Itโs hard to place an exact value on elite status, but Louis has made a gallant effort here. [โฆ]