It Costs $18,000 to Get the New Hilton Diamond Reserve Status. Is It Worth It?

Hilton Honors is adding a new Diamond Reserve tier in 2026, promising premium perks for $18,000 a year—but is the splurge worth it?

For the most loyal fans of Hilton Hotels, their loyalty program just got a lot more rewarding–especially if you are a big spender with plenty of stays.

Starting in 2026, Hilton Honors will move from four loyalty tiers to five, reducing the required nights to earn Gold and Diamond status while adding a new highest tier. The Diamond Reserve level will grant even more luxury benefits for the company’s most loyal guests. But does the new loyalty tier offer value commensurate with its price tag? 

What’s Changing With Hilton Honors?

The changes take effect on January 1, 2026. Guests will still earn Silver status after staying 10 nights, which comes with a free bottle of water and 20% points earning bonus on stays. 

In 2026, Members reach the Gold level with one of the following:

– Staying 25 nights (down from 40 nights)
– Complete 15 stays (25% fewer compared to previous requirements)
– $6,000 in annual spend

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To get to Diamond level, guests must complete one of the following: 

– Staying 50 nights (10 fewer than before)
– Complete 25 stays (17% fewer stays)
– $11,500 in annual spend

Neither the Gold or Diamond levels come with new benefits. While both levels come with space-available room upgrades and milestone bonuses, Diamond level comes with Executive Lounge access and the ability to gift elite status to another Hilton Honors member. 

The new Diamond Reserve level is only achievable with a combination of stays and spending. To earn the level, members need 80 nights or 40 stays and $18,000 in annual eligible spend. In addition to all the Diamond benefits, Diamond Reserve members also get: 

– 120% bonus points on every stay
– One Confirmable Upgrade Reward to instantly upgrade rooms for cash or award bookings, including a one-bedroom suite, for a stay of up to seven nights. Members must book through Hilton’s channels, including the Hilton Honors app
– Diamond Reserves can earn another Confirmable Upgrade Reward after staying a total of 120 nights or earning 30,000 base points
– Guaranteed late checkout of 4 p.m.
– Complimentary access to Premium Clubs at select luxury, lifestyle, and full-service hotels.

Is Hilton Diamond Reserve Worth the Price Tag? 

Status is only valuable if you use it to its fullest. Diamond Reserve is designed to reward those who either spend more at Hilton properties or stay a high number of nights. If you earn Diamond Reserve with only 40 stays, expect to spend an average of $450 per one-night stay. Should you decide to earn status by only staying 80 nights, your average daily rate drops to $225. Those values may change based on where you stay and your total number of annual nights.

How much value do the new benefits equate to? We can determine the total value through a rough quantification of each upgraded benefit. 

120% Points Bonus: The standard earning rate for Hilton Honors points is 10 points per $1 spent at most hotels. With the 120% points bonus, guests will earn 22 points per $1 spent at participating hotels. Assuming an average daily rate of $225, guests will earn 4,950 Hilton Honors points per night (before credit card bonuses). At a conservative redemption value of 0.3 cents per point, members can roughly expect $14.85 in value per night. Across 80 nights, that turns into 396,000 points with an estimated $1,188 of value. Members can get even more value based on where they are staying and the average daily rate of the room: Redeeming at 0.6 cents per point drives the estimated value up to $2,376.   

Upgrade Rewards: Having a guaranteed upgrade to use across Hilton’s network, including luxury brands Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR Hotels & Resorts, is an excellent and money-saving reward. But even without it, Diamond Reserve guests still have the highest priority for upgrades. According to hotel technology service provider Duve (which lists the Curio Collection by Hilton as one of its clients), hotels will charge around a 15% premium for a one-tier upgrade, which isn’t necessarily a suite. It’s impossible to quantify the exact value of upgrades because it will fluctuate based on where and when you stay, and if you get the coveted suite upgrade. But if we take the seven-day guaranteed upgrade and assume a 20% upgrade success rate (16 out of 80 nights) based only on the average daily rate, a (very) conservative value is around $775 over the year. That value increases significantly if a Diamond Reserve member earns the second guaranteed upgrade after staying 120 nights, or if they receive full suite upgrades each time. 

Late Checkout: Diamond Reserve is the only tier that gets a guaranteed late checkout of 4 p.m. For all other tiers, it’s based on availability. Other guests can buy a late checkout for a fee of $40 to $60 if it is available. If a Diamond Reserve guest has a late checkout on each of the 40 stays, their yearly savings could be as much as $2,400. 

Hilton Premium Club Access: Again, it’s very difficult to quantify the exact value of this benefit. Unlike regular executive lounges, Hilton says these clubs offer “elevated food and beverage offerings, quiet workspaces, and other coveted features.” If two guests in one room could skip paying for one meal and drinks by visiting the Premium Club, they are looking at an estimated savings of between $80 and $120 per night (a liberal estimate that can drop based on your dining habits). Across 80 nights, that could equate to $9,600 in savings–possibly the biggest value of all.    

Is the “New” Hilton Honors Rewarding for My Travel Habits? 

Hilton Honors’ new Diamond Reserve status is designed to reward the most loyal guests who prioritize all of their hotel stays across its 25 hotel brands. While most travelers will not achieve this level of rewards, those who are constantly on the road will see even more benefits for their loyalty. If we assume that this level of traveler has a Hilton Honors American Express card, the value they receive from the new Diamond Reserve status is multiplied. Combined, the new high-tier Diamond Reserve status may return almost all of the value from the $18,000 required spending if travelers take advantage of all the benefits. 

Although the lower requirements for Gold status is a definite win for guests, I’m less excited about the mid-tier status as it can be earned at a lower price point from credit cards. With the lower requirements for earning Diamond status and the new Diamond Reserve status, Hilton is making a bold argument for winning the regular traveler’s business with bolder rewards for more stays. Considering their footprint of over 9,000 worldwide locations–a very close second to Marriott’s 9,200 branded properties–there may be a lot of value to be earned through consolidating stays with Hilton. 

But of course, as is true with any loyalty program: Your value will vary.