Elite status battle: What happened when we tested Hilton's new Diamond Reserve versus Diamond status
Editor's Note
At the end of 2025, Hilton announced it would launch a new top-tier elite status dubbed Hilton Diamond Reserve.
Whereas, before you could get Hilton's former top-tier Diamond status simply by holding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, this new status is squarely targeted at high spenders who actually stay a good number of nights at Hilton-affiliated properties each year.
Forty stays or 80 nights and $18,000 in spend, to be exact. And there's no shortcut to this new status by holding the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, either.
Given those lofty requirements, we were curious just how much better Hilton Diamond Reserve benefits would be compared to those of regular old Hilton Diamond status.
So, we decided to test it out at one of Hilton's flagship resorts in the U.S., the historic Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
We made two separate bookings, one by Eric Rosen, a Hilton Diamond member courtesy of his Hilton Aspire Amex, and another by Ellie Nan Storck, our hotels and destinations editor, who was gifted a year's trial for Hilton Diamond Reserve status.
Here's how our two experiences at the same hotel on the same night stacked up.
Hilton Honors Diamond versus Diamond Reserve benefits
Just before we get to the hotel experience itself, here's a quick reminder of how Hilton Diamond benefits compare to those of the newly minted Hilton Diamond Reserve tier.
| Hilton Diamond | Hilton Diamond Reserve | |
|---|---|---|
Qualification requirements | 25 stays or 50 nights or $11,500 qualifying spend | 40 stays or 80 nights and $18,000 qualifying spend |
Automatically available with credit card? | Yes | No |
Bonus points earned on stays | 100% | 120% |
Complimentary club lounge access | Yes, to executive clubs | Yes, to executive and premium clubs |
Premium Wi-Fi during stays | Yes | Yes |
48-hour room guarantee | Yes | Yes |
Access to exclusive customer support | No | Yes |
Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout | No | Yes |
Room upgrades | Yes, up to 1-bedroom suite | Yes, up to 1-bedroom suite |
Highest priority for upgrades | No | Yes |
Confirmable Upgrade Rewards | No | Yes |
As you can see, so far, the benefits are not extremely differentiated. The main ones are that Hilton Diamond Reserve members get:
- Dedicated customer service phone line.
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
- Confirmable Upgrade Rewards where members can choose and confirm a premium room upgrade, up to a suite, at the time of booking for stays up to 7 nights.
- Higher priority for upgrades confirmable within 72 hours of check-in.
- 120% bonus points on stays versus just 100% for Hilton Diamonds.
With those subtle, but key, differentiators in mind, here's how our trip unfolded.
How we each booked our stay
We each reserved our stays through our corporate travel booking portal rather than directly with Hilton because this was a work trip. That said, we were able to make reservations that qualified us for our elite-status benefits and to earn points, just as we would have if we had booked directly through Hilton.
For the night of Saturday, April 25, we both reserved the same exact room category for the same exact price: A standard king bedroom in the hotel's historic Victorian wing for $690 per night, including taxes and fees. We made our bookings four weeks in advance and completed the process within an hour of each other.
Ellie did not use her Confirmable Upgrade Reward, deciding instead to chance an upgrade and see if her priority as a Diamond Reserve one-upped Eric's as a mere Diamond.
In addition to being a landmark historic hotel, the Hotel del Coronado is also something of a mishmash of resorts. You see, there's the 19th-century wing, which is part of Hilton's Curio Collection, as are some of its more recent additions, like the accommodations in the newer Views tower and the Cabanas building.
But there are also components of the resort that are part of Hilton's higher-end LXR Hotels & Resorts collection. Namely, the Shore House and the Beach Village of upscale villas.
Once our bookings were made, we were interested to see whether either or both of us would be upgraded — and to which part of the extensive resort.
Ahead of the stay
As mentioned, Ellie decided not to apply her Confirmable Upgrade Reward in order to make the playing field a little more even.
Both of us, however, were offered paid upgrades to better rooms within the Victorian and Views accommodations.
A Views room with a resort view would have been just $45 more per night, while Victorian partial ocean view and ocean view rooms in the Views tower would have been $108 and $162 more, respectively. Still, we held firm, waiting to see what would happen rather than pay for a better room.
While Ellie, with her newly minted Diamond Reserve status, got crickets ... five days before check-in, Eric received an email out of the blue informing him he would be checking into the Shore Club, part of the LXR component of the hotel.
Checking his reservation in the Hilton app, he found his new room would be a one-bedroom, hearing-accessible resort-view villa with a king bed in the Shore Club that would have cost $1,503 per night, including taxes and fees. That was like getting an $800 upgrade!
That same day, Ellie called Hilton's Diamond Reserve customer service number to ask whether she could expect an upgrade. The customer service rep told her that the resort was fully booked and that an upgrade might be available 72 hours before check-in or at check-in, but nothing was guaranteed.
So, she bided her time. Then, at check-in, Ellie was offered a complimentary upgrade to a room with two queen beds and an ocean view in the Views wing, so at least she had an ocean vista compared to Eric's view of the hotel driveway. But her upgrade value was worth less than $200, a far cry from what Eric had been assigned.
Eric's stay: Hilton Diamond delivers
My husband and I arrived at the resort at 2 p.m., hoping to check in ahead of the 4 p.m. check-in time, since we had only a single evening to spend there. Instead of the main hotel entrance, we pulled into the side driveway leading to the Shore Club, where we left our car with the valets and made our way inside.
The reception agents couldn't have been nicer ... or more apologetic that the previous guest in our room had booked via American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts and was thus using their guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout (the same benefit a Diamond Reserve elite would be entitled to).
It looked like they were going to take every last minute (and I didn't blame them), so we would only be able to get into our room at 5 p.m. at the earliest. While I was thrilled at the upgrade, the extra wait was a consideration. It also made me think that the villa had only been available because our stay was a single night. Still, we had full access to the resort's facilities while we waited.
The delay also gave me the opportunity to take a quick tour of the hotel. I was mostly impressed by the secluded, upscale feeling of the Shore Club's private pool. Unlike the main resort pool, which was overflowing with guests, this one was only accessible to Shore Club guests and was much quieter. It also looked out directly onto the beach, unlike the main pool, which was hemmed in by a restaurant on one side, the historic hotel building and the Cabanas wing on the others.
When we did get into the villa, it was truly impressive. The villas in the Shore Club seem to be part of the resort's residential area, some of which are bookable as hotel accommodations.
Ours was, in a word, huge. It included a full kitchen with a high counter, a dining room and a living room with a sectional sofa and a gas fireplace, plus a Juliet balcony overlooking the Shore Club's lawn and the historic wing. The decor was beachy and bright.
There was even a laundry room, which would come in handy on a longer beach trip, and a powder room, which could double as a second bathroom since the sofa doubled as a bed — so the villa could accommodate four guests total.
Through the door, the primary bedroom held a king-size bed with a dramatic wooden headboard, a wall-mounted television and French doors opening to another Juliet balcony.
The bathroom was palatial, with marble tiling, upgraded Molton Brown amenities and a separate tub and walk-in glass shower.
I was pretty darn impressed with the upgrade. I had booked a basic standard room in the oldest part of the hotel and had been given a villa in one of the newest wings, along with access to the more private pool. It's good to have status!
Speaking of which, as a Hilton Diamond staying at an LXR property, I also had a $50 daily food-and-beverage credit ($25 per registered guest). Rather than put it to use at the Shore Club's small buffet breakfast, which would have cost $48 per person, I treated Ellie and her travel companion to pastries and coffee at Eno Market, which essentially used up the whole credit anyway.
Now, before you surmise that my Hilton account was flagged as a member of The Points Guy team, I can only say that I have had several other recent Hilton stays, both immediately before and after my night at the Hotel del Coronado and at hotels ranging from basic Hampton Inns to Graduate Hotels and Hiltons, and nary an upgrade has come through, nor have I detected a whiff of special treatment, so I think this was merely luck of the draw.
Ellie's stay: Hilton Diamond Reserve doesn't quite add up
My boyfriend and I arrived at Hotel del Coronado around 4 p.m. and checked in after parking our car in the garage. (Note — especially if you're traveling with heavy luggage — it takes a bit of time to navigate from the underground parking garage over to the lobby.) We waited in line for about 10 minutes as the hotel was quite busy on a springtime Saturday afternoon.
Upon check-in, the receptionist thanked me warmly for being a Diamond Reserve member and presented me with a small card outlining all the benefits (which we've mentioned above in this article). I confirmed that we would have access to the on-site Premium Club, as Hotel del Coronado is one of just 12 Hilton properties worldwide that offer one, so this seemed like an important perk to test out (more on that in a moment).
We were offered complimentary water bottles, and the resort's general manager came out to the desk to say hello and thank me for my membership. As mentioned above, I was upgraded to an ocean-view room in the Views building with two queen beds (this would have been $162 more than my original booking, if I'd opted into the original upgrade that was emailed to me before our check-in date). Being given a room with two beds sort of surprised me, since I'd noted in the reservation that I'd be traveling with my partner — but alas, an upgrade is an upgrade. And while we were happy for an ocean-view accommodation, it was still a shock that between Eric and I, he received the LXR, suite-style upgrade. The battle had begun!
Located on the fourth floor of the ocean-facing Views building, which is set among a beautifully landscaped, lush swath of vegetation, the room itself was comfortable and crisp, with lots of blonde-wood accents, blue hues and sunlight aplenty. There were two comfortable queen beds, a small bathroom, a shelving area with a minifridge, coffee maker and ice bucket, a large flat-screen television over a sizable dresser, a writing desk below a mirror and one armchair.
A lovely balcony, featuring a table and two chairs overlooking a courtyard and the ocean beyond, was the best part of the room — and befitted its place in the hotel section called The Views.
There were no extra amenities that came with this room type, but it was comfortable enough for a one-night stay (though if I were spending what it takes to earn Diamond Reserve status, I'd likely expect a more...luxe upgrade option).
The Premium Club experience at Ocean Club, a historic cottage just steps from the sand, was where things got especially interesting. As noted above, I confirmed at check-in that I would be able to access the resort's Premium Club as a Diamond Reserve member. The front desk receptionist explained that I could visit the Ocean Club (and bring one registered guest) between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., when the club offered complimentary "evening light bites." That was all the information I was given, and I assumed the experience might be similar to an airport lounge, with complimentary snacks, soft drinks, wine and beer.
It wasn't quite like that, though. When my boyfriend and I arrived at the little gated cottage, the desk attendant checked for my name on a list and informed me that this was the "exclusive, members-only Ocean Club" and that my name was not on the list. I let her know that I was a Diamond Reserve member and clarified that this status was new but definitely included Premium Club access — I even let her know that the receptionist had ensured that I would have access during the "light bites" hours. I showed her the card, listing Diamond Reserve benefits, I'd been given at check-in. The Ocean Club desk attendant called over another colleague, who agreed with her: sorry, no luck. We were rejected!
I was miffed. I made the not-so-quick journey back across the property to the lobby and told the receptionist (a different person, now) the whole saga. They were friendly, apologetic and quick to confirm with the on-call manager that I did indeed have access to the Ocean Club, since it's a Hilton Premium Club. This receptionist called the Ocean Club desk attendant and let them know we'd be coming back. Alas, we made another trek across the property to the small beachfront cottage and entered. The desk attendant was surprisingly not so friendly, but did apologize and guided us to a pretty outdoor seating area with beachside views, comfortable seating and an outdoor bar.
Inside the cottage, replete with beachy-chic decor, we found an array of light bites (think cheese and crackers), an espresso machine and a fridge with water and soft drinks. This was all we had complimentary access to; when I ordered two glasses of wine at the outdoor bar, the total came to nearly $80 — before tip. That was far more than the $15 per person, per night food-and-beverage credit (so $30 total for this stay) that Diamond Reserve members get at Curio Collection hotels. In fact, the credit didn't even cover a single glass of wine at the Ocean Club.
Nonetheless, we enjoyed our wine, the fresh ocean breeze and the less crowded space for an hour before making our way to meet Eric and his husband for dinner at Nobu, wherein we had a bit of a chuckle about who got the better upgrade.
Checking out
With intense stay and spending requirements, and no shortcuts to status, Hilton's new Diamond Reserve tier promised to be a cut above Diamond with far fewer members and more tangible benefits. In practice, during our stay at a popular U.S. resort on a busy weekend, though, those benefits did not exactly play out as advertised.
In fact, one of the major perks — the highest priority for upgrades — did not come into effect at all, as the Diamond member in our cohort got the coveted Shore Club villa while the Diamond Reserve traveler got a much more modest upgrade. Throw in the uneven delivery of perks like Premium Club access, and folks who put in the time and money to earn Hilton Diamond Reserve might not find that their extra loyalty to Hilton pays off in worthwhile ways at all.
That said, Hilton Diamond Reserve is still a very new status, and, while it's disappointing, it's not surprising that Hilton properties are still figuring out how to apply benefits for Diamond Reserve versus Diamond. Hopefully that will change and we'll test it again later this year!
Related reading:
- The award traveler's guide to Hilton Honors
- How to choose the best Hilton credit card for you
- What is Hilton Honors elite status worth?
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Which credit cards offer the most lucrative rewards for hotel stays?
- The best hotel rewards programs in the world
- Best hotel credit cards