Back in January, we published one of the first detailed articles about Hilton Diamond Reserve, taking a closer look at Hilton’s newest elite status and all of its published benefits. If you’re not yet familiar with the program, or would like to see the complete list of benefits, you can read our original guide here:
👉 Hilton Diamond Reserve: These Are the Premium Clubs You Can Access Worldwide
Six months later, it’s finally time for something even more interesting – our own experience.
Alex has now been a Hilton Diamond Reserve member for three weeks, and during that time we’ve already stayed at several Hilton hotels, contacted the dedicated Diamond Reserve customer service, and started planning our first Confirmable Upgrade Reward.
Three weeks certainly isn’t enough to fully evaluate the program, but we’ve already learned a few things. Some benefits have impressed us immediately, while others still need more time – and more hotel stays – to prove their value.
Our First Impressions So Far
120% Bonus Points – A Benefit That Really Adds Up
When people think about Diamond Reserve, they usually focus on suite upgrades or Premium Clubs. We did too.
However, after using the status for a few weeks, we’ve realised that one of the most valuable benefits may actually be the 120% Hilton Honors bonus points.
Yes, Hilton Honors points have unfortunately been devalued several times over the past few years. Nevertheless, earning more than double the base points on every eligible stay still makes a significant difference.
For us, this benefit becomes even more valuable when combined with:
- Hilton credit card bonus points,
- Hilton for Luxury double points benefit booked through GajaDreams Hotels.
- and Hilton promotions.
The result? We earn free nights at luxury Hilton properties much faster than before. If you stay with Hilton regularly, this benefit alone can be worth thousands of additional points every year.
Guaranteed 4 PM Late Check-Out, Our Unexpected Favourite
Honestly, we didn’t expect this to become one of our favourite Diamond Reserve benefits, but it has.
If you’ve ever travelled through the United States and changed hotels every few days, you probably know the problem.
Most hotels require check-out at 11 AM, while your next hotel doesn’t allow check-in until 4 PM. We’ve spent more afternoons than we’d like sitting in hotel lobbies or cafés, waiting for our room to become available.
With Diamond Reserve, that problem simply disappears.
Knowing that we can stay comfortably in our room until 4 PM makes travel days much smoother and removes a surprising amount of stress.
Sometimes it’s the less glamorous benefits that make the biggest difference.
A Few Changes to the Premium Club List
Even after only a few months, we’ve already seen changes to Hilton’s Premium Club program.
The good news is that two new Premium Clubs have joined the list:
- Club 66 at Resorts World Las Vegas
- The Club at Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Unfortunately, one lounge has disappeared from the program:
- The Lounge at Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay
Ironically, we only discovered this after arriving at the hotel. When we asked about Premium Club access, the front desk even told us that the property had never offered a paid lounge and that such a lounge is not part of the Waldorf Astoria brand standard. Since we knew this wasn’t the case, we spoke with the manager to clarify the situation.
The conversation took a much more positive turn. As a thoughtful gesture, he invited us to enjoy lunch at the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Yun, as well as brunch at MURU, their Latin American restaurant. Both dining experiences were excellent and made up for our initial disappointment. We genuinely appreciated the hotel’s effort to turn the situation into a positive experience.
At the moment, Diamond Reserve members have access to just 12 Premium Clubs worldwide. You can find the official list on the Hilton website here.
While it’s a good start, we believe this is one area where Hilton could further strengthen the programme. Of course, we don’t expect hotels to build dedicated lounges exclusively for Diamond Reserve members. However, there are already several existing premium lounges across the Hilton portfolio that could naturally become part of the programme.
Examples include the Enclave Lounges at Hilton All-Inclusive Resorts and the Ikaros Club at Waldorf Astoria Kuwait.
Expanding the Premium Club network would make the programme far more attractive for frequent travellers. We hope this is only the beginning and that Hilton will continue adding participating hotels as the programme matures.
We’re especially looking forward to our upcoming trips, where we’ll finally have the opportunity to experience several of them ourselves, including:
- Club 66 – Resorts World Las Vegas
- Citrus Club – Arizona Biltmore, LXR Hotels & Resorts
- Sakura Club – Conrad Washington DC
- Ceiba Club – Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya
Before that, we’ll also be staying at Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah and Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, where we’ll naturally be checking how Diamond Reserve members are recognised.
We’ll report back!
Our First Confirmable Upgrade Reward
One of the benefits we were most excited about is the Confirmable Upgrade Reward (CUR).
Unlike a complimentary elite upgrade – which is always subject to availability – the Confirmable Upgrade Reward allows you to secure an eligible premium room or suite already during booking.
There’s no wondering whether you’ll be upgraded at check-in.
Our first redemption will be during our upcoming four-night stay at Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, where we’ve already confirmed a one-bedroom suite with ocean view in advance. Even better, the benefit can also be used for reward stays booked with Hilton Honors points or, as in our case, with Free Night Rewards.
We’re incredibly excited about that stay.
However, after exploring the available hotels in the Hilton Honors app, we quickly realised something important.
Not every hotel offers this benefit, and the value of the upgrade can vary significantly.
Some participating hotels allow confirmation into beautiful one-bedroom suites, while others only offer premium rooms that the Diamond Reserve members might already receive as complimentary upgrades.
Our advice?
Don’t rush to use your Confirmable Upgrade Reward.
Spend a little time comparing hotels and save it for properties where the upgrade provides exceptional value – or for busy holiday periods when guaranteeing a premium room or suite gives you real peace of mind.
Can You Combine CUR with Hilton for Luxury?
Absolutely and we’ve already confirmed that with one of our clients.
Simply book your Hilton for Luxury stay through GajaDreams Hotels. As soon as the reservation appears in your Hilton Honors account, you can contact Hilton via chat and apply your Confirmable Upgrade Reward while keeping all your Hilton for Luxury benefits, including complimentary breakfast, hotel credit and other exclusive privileges.
It’s a great way to combine two excellent programs into one exceptional stay.
Diamond Reserve Customer Service - Our First Experience
So far, we’ve had a very positive experience with the dedicated Diamond Reserve customer service.
Since the status is still relatively new, we’ve noticed that some hotels are still learning how certain benefits work, particularly those using Hilton’s automated pre-arrival upgrade system.
One situation at Hilton Frankfurt really caught our attention.
About 72 hours before arrival, Alex opened the Hilton Honors app and couldn’t believe what he saw.
Penthouse Suite.
Needless to say, we were pretty excited.
A little later, he checked the app again…
The Penthouse Suite had disappeared and had been replaced by a standard suite.
To be clear, we don’t expect to receive the hotel’s highest-category suite simply because of our Diamond Reserve status. However once such an exceptional upgrade appears in the app, it’s only natural that guests become excited. Removing it shortly afterwards inevitably creates disappointment, even if the final upgrade is still generous.
We contacted the Diamond Reserve customer service to better understand what had happened. Within a very short time, Hilton had already contacted the hotel.
During our stay, the Front Office Manager personally explained that the Penthouse Suite was unavailable because of maintenance, apologised for the confusion, credited 10,000 Hilton Honors points, and even promised Alex the Presidential Suite during a future stay.
More importantly, this experience showed us that the Diamond Reserve support team doesn’t simply send standard replies. They contacted the hotel immediately and worked quickly to resolve the situation.
That’s exactly what we’d expect from Hilton’s highest elite tier.
So, Is Diamond Reserve Worth It?
After only three weeks, it’s still far too early to give a final verdict.
Some benefits have already become favourites, especially the 120% bonus points and the guaranteed 4 PM late check-out.
Others, such as Premium Clubs and Confirmable Upgrade Rewards, require a little more planning to unlock their full value. Expanding these benefits to more Hilton properties would make Diamond Reserve even more compelling for frequent guests.
We’ve also noticed that Diamond Reserve is still evolving. New Premium Clubs are being added, others may disappear, and not every hotel is yet completely familiar with the program.
The next few months will be particularly exciting for us.
We’ll be travelling through the UAE, the United States and Mexico, visiting several Premium Clubs, using our first Confirmable Upgrade Reward and continuing to test how Diamond Reserve is recognised across Hilton’s luxury brands.
We’ll keep sharing both the highlights and the disappointments, because that’s what GajaDreams has always been about: real travel experiences, honest opinions and practical advice to help you get the most out of your Hilton stays.
If Diamond Reserve surprises us – in a good way or a bad one – you’ll read about it here first.
Happy travels!
