We have frequently reported on the contents of the Lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond kit since the lifetime program’s inception nearly a decade ago, around 2014/2015 (read more here and here).
I’ve also chronicled my journey to Lifetime Hilton Honors status here on LoyaltyLobby, based on my early correspondence with the Diamond Desk. This helped me track and record my progress, as the counts for nights, base points, and Diamond years are not visible on Hilton’s website. They had promised to introduce these features in 2020 (read more here).
You can access Hilton’s website here.
READ MORE: Hilton Honors Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Marriott Bonvoy’s Lifetime Titanium Package
Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Kit Finally Arrives
Starwood SPG’s Lifetime Platinum Package
Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Lifetime Platinum Kit With Map
I previously shared some reflections on my Hilton Diamond journey in August, which you can access below:
My Journey To Lifetime Hilton Honors Diamond Status
Hilton Honors Diamond Lifetime Kit 2023
The lifetime kit comes in this cardboard box and has the shipping labels outside. It was sent to an address in HK, but I had it forwarded to Japan.
The inner box is really nicely done.
The lifetime card is made of metal.
It started to get interesting here because I knew that they were going to share some starts of my Hilton travels. The 19 years of being a Hilton Honors member is correct because I started living out from hotels 20 years ago and mainly stayed at Marriott and Hyatt properties.
You may wonder how it states here 944 nights when the lifetime requirement is 1,000. There are two possible explanations: it doesn’t correctly count the award nights OR nights doubled during the pandemic. The number of hotels may sound high (315), but I estimate that I have stayed at more than 2,000 different hotels over the past 20 years.
My Hilton travels have taken me to places like Seychelles, Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia (Moorea & Bora Bora), Maldives, and quite a few others, but Hilton here decided to list two “exciting” destinations of Santa Ana and Foothill Ranch (I cannot make this up). I remember staying at an HGI or Hampton Inn in Foothill Ranch, and there was some weird DoubleTree Club in Santa Ana (awful).
Remember when Hilton briefly owned the Scandic hotels in the Nordics? Scandic still manages the three Hilton hotels in Finland.
There is a prompt that the front desk agent sees when a lifetime member checks in. The only difference between a regular and a credit card Diamond, is potentially better upgrades at higher-end Hilton hotels and brands.
These Bose QuietComfort Earbuds IIs are indeed lovely and sell for $279 on Amazon.
Hilton Honors Diamond Lifetime Kit Evolution
Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Gift Choice (Disappointing?)
Hilton Honors Updates Lifetime Diamond Welcome Pack For 2018
Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Welcome Pack In 2019
Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond Welcome Pack In 2020
Hilton Lifetime Diamond Requirements
Diamond status for 10 years (don’t need to be consecutive
and
+ 1,000 nights (both awards and paid count)
or
2,000,000 base points
My Lifetime Diamond Progress
- 2015 = 361 nights & 7 years of Diamond status
- 2019 = 534 nights, 699K base points, and 12 years of Diamond
- 2020 = 603 nights, 804K base points, and 13 years of Diamond
- 2021 = 700 nights, 880K base points, and 14 years of Diamond
- 2022 = 815 nights, 990K base points, and 15 years of Diamond
- 2023 = 955 nights, 1.2M base points, and 16 years of Diamond (8 nights from 2023)
Conclusion
I must say, I am pretty impressed with the kit Hilton sent; it was very well presented. However, I wish they had included more statistics, similar to the Starwood map I really appreciate, which shows where I’ve spent my nights around the globe.
Although Hilton intends for this package to be a surprise, I believe it would be preferable to offer a choice in the gift, as was the case in the past. I have already regifted the earbuds they sent, as I prefer not to carry items I don’t need. I already own a pair of Apple earbuds that I am quite happy with.
Sebastian recently questioned the value of these lifetime tiers in an article (read more here).
In my opinion, they are worthwhile if they don’t require too much additional effort. Initially, I never imagined I would spend 1,000 nights at Hilton properties. However, attractive promotions and a preference for their hotels outside of the U.S. have encouraged me to continue staying with them frequently.
Another lifetime tier I once considered out of reach is the Hyatt Lifetime Tier, based solely on spending ($200K). Surprisingly, I find myself approximately 65% of the way there, which could mean achieving this status in another two to three years if I maintain my current trajectory.
Do you have any lifetime tiers, and what is your opinion about them? Do they make you stay at certain hotels more often or fly certain airlines? Please comment below.
