Hilton Honors made changes to its program in early this year (read more here) and one of the enhancements was the ability of certain Diamond members to gift Gold and Diamond status.
Members that reach 60 nights during their membership year can gift Gold status and once they hit 100 nights Diamond (if they gifted God previously this status will be upgraded).
You can access Hilton Honors Gifting status here.
READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Note that per the program T&Cs the gifted status is valid for 365 days only from the date that it was applied to the member’s account. This won’t follow the usual calendar year period.
You cannot change the recipient during the membership year. If you have already gifted the Gold and after reaching 100 nights would like to gift the Diamond to someone else, not possible.
Form to fill:
Seems that these are processed manually as you need to fill out an online form with your and the recipient’s information.
Here’s the reminder of the Gold and Diamond benefits (read more here):
Hilton also offer Gold & Diamond status match:
Hilton Honors Gold & Diamond Status Match
Conclusion
The gifting status banner started to show on my account few days after passing the 60 nights for the year.
The Gold status is useful that comes with complimentary breakfast and space available upgrades, although Club level is not an official benefit (some properties may give access).
It is nice that Hilton Honors gives this perks for members that spend considerable time at their hotels. I will probably end the night somewhere between 70 to 80 nights. Won’t hit the 100 night mark.
Here are the terms and conditions of this Gifting status program:
1. How do I qualify to gift Gold or Diamond Status to another Hilton Honors Member?
Qualifications to gift Gold to another member are 60 qualifying nights in one calendar year. Once a member reaches 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year, their gift is automatically upgraded to Diamond status for that same member who received the gift of Gold status.
2. How many gifts of Gold or Diamond status can I earn and provide within one calendar year?
A member can only earn one gift of Gold or one gift of Diamond within one calendar year. If a member is gifting Diamond status, the gift must be given to the same member who received the gift of Gold status per calendar year.
If the member did not elect to gift Gold status after they hit 60 nights and before they reached 100 nights, then the member can simply gift Diamond status to any member of their choice once they achieve 100 nights.
Example: Once you reach 60 nights in 2018, then you can gift Gold status to one other member.
Example: Once you reach 100+ nights in 2018, the member that received the Gold status will automatically be upgraded to Diamond status. If no gift of Gold status was provided in 2018, then you can simply gift Diamond status to any member of your choice after hitting 100 nights.
3. For one stay, how many rooms will count toward achieving eligible nights to unlock the ability to gift elite status?
Earning nights toward gifting status will follow the same rules as earning nights toward elite tier status — i.e. a member will only receive credit for the nights stayed for one room, not multiple rooms booked for the same duration by the same Hilton Honors Member.
Example: If you book two rooms at the same hotel for a one night stay — you will earn Hilton Honors Points on both of the rooms, but you will only receive one night credit total toward achieving the ability to gift elite status.
4. Can I gift status to the same member every year?
Yes, if members qualify to gift status the following year then they can give it to the same member each year. Members will have to re-elect that specific member who is receiving the status each year, as the gift will not automatically carry over.
5. Can I gift status to myself?
No, customers can only have one Hilton Honors account, so you can only gift status to another Hilton Honors Member.
6. Does the member who received gifted Diamond status automatically get the ability to gift status to another member?
No, members with gifted Diamond status are not automatically eligible to gift status. The qualification to gift status is to reach 60 or 100 elite qualifying nights within the calendar year and only those who achieve that many nights are eligible.
7. Will my 2017 total qualifying nights allow me to gift Gold or Diamond Status in January 2018?
As this is a new benefit for our elite members, the qualification for this benefit will begin in the 2018 calendar year and be available for gifting immediately once a member reaches 60 nights (for gifting Gold) or 100 nights (for gifting Diamond).
8. How do I gift my status to another member and when can I begin gifting status?
Once members achieve the gifting status qualifications, they are immediately able to elect which member will receive the gifted status by visiting this page (www.hiltonhonors.com/giftstatus) and completing the gifting status form.
If the status was successfully gifted, a confirmation email will be sent to the recipient and the gifting member within 5 business days. If a member has already gifted Gold status and achieves 100 nights, they should not complete an additional submission — the gifted status will automatically be upgraded to Diamond within 5 business days of hitting 100 nights. Gifting members and recipients will receive an email once the recipient has been upgraded to Diamond status.
9. What information is required to gift status?
To gift status, members need to enter the First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Hilton Honors Account Number for themselves and the receiving member. Members must receive consent from the recipient to provide their information to receive gifted elite status. The receiving member must be a Hilton Honors Member. Enrolling is quick and simple by visiting this page or calling 1-800-4HONORS.
10. Is there a specified time period to gift status?
After earning a gift of Gold or Diamond status, members will have until January 31st of the following calendar year to use that gift of elite status. Members will be able to use the gift of status as soon as they reach the required amount of qualified nights in a calendar year.
Example: If you reach 60 nights in July 2018, then you will have until January 31, 2019 to elect which Member receives Gold status.
11. Can I switch my choice if I want to change who receives the gifted status?
Once a status has been gifted to another member, no change can be made during the same year to remove or change that status. If a member completes the gifting status submission form multiple times, the first submission processed will determine who receives the gifted status – so each member will need to consider who to upgrade prior to submitting the form.
12. How long does a gifted status last for a Member who receives the gifted status?
The gifted status will last 365 days from the date the gift was applied to the recipient’s account. If a member receives Gold status and then is upgraded to Diamond status, the 365-day expiration period resets to the date the Diamond status was applied to the member’s account.
Example: If a member receives a gift of Gold status on June 1st, 2018, then the Gold status would expire on June 1st, 2019. If that same member was automatically upgraded to Diamond status on August 1st, 2018, then the Diamond status would expire on August 1st, 2019.
13. Can status be gifted to a current Gold or Diamond Member?
Status can be gifted to a current Gold or Diamond Member. If a member did not qualify to maintain their current Gold or Diamond status for the next calendar year, the gifted status will extend beyond the requalification period in April.
Example: If you are a current Gold member who achieved 25 nights in 2018 and you receive a gift of Gold status on October 1st, 2018, you would maintain Gold status until October 1st, 2019 instead of being downgraded to Silver status during the April requalification period.
14. What will happen once the gifted status period ends for the receiving Member?
After the gifted status expires, the recipient’s status will change to the tier status that they would have earned based on the member activity from the previous calendar year.
Example: If you were gifted Gold status on August 1st, 2018, and completed 30 qualifying nights in 2018, enough to qualify for Silver status in 2019, the downgrade to Silver status will be shown in your account on August 2nd, 2019.