Last month, Hilton announced new benefits for Honors. One of the most exciting among them is their new upgrade system. Well, that system is finally here as Hilton confirmed upgrades begin today!
Back in October, Hilton announced three new benefits for Honors members. Those benefits include:
- Digital Key Sharing: share your digital key with up to four other people/devices via the Hilton app. Secondary guests must sign into the Hilton app and pass a security check to use the shared key. Guests that accept a shared key can access it for the duration of the stay, though they cannot further share it.
- Book and Confirm Connecting Rooms: when making your reservation, you can instantly confirm connecting rooms by checking the “connecting rooms” box when selecting your room type. Then, choose your room type and complete your booking to lock in your connecting rooms.
Hilton Confirmed Upgrades Begin Today
The third and final new benefit is Hilton’s new “enhanced” room upgrades. Under this new system, upgrades for Gold and Diamond members happen automatically 36 hours before arrival. From there, you can use the app to select your specific room, as is usually the case. That’s it.
Now, Hilton says that properties cannot opt out of this new upgrade system. How this will work in practice, however, remains to be seen. After all, Hilton doesn’t include suites as eligible upgrade rooms, even for Diamond Members. And we all know that Marriott’s Suite Night Awards typically don’t include suite options. What’s more, does the system bar you from receiving better upgrades on arrival?
Participating Brands
It’s worth noting that not all Hilton brands are included in this program. The only brands that fall under the confirmed upgrade system are:
- Waldorf Astoria
- LXR
- Conrad
- Canopy
- Hilton
- Curio
- DoubleTree
- Signia
- Tapestry
Notably, extended-stay brands such as Hampton Inn and Homewood Suites aren’t part of the program.
Final Thoughts
I’ve got a Hilton stay coming up soon. So, it’ll be interesting to see how this program works in practice, especially since I got my Hilton Aspire issues worked out with Amex and am now a Hilton Honors Diamond member. In fact, I’m splitting my time between Marriott and Hilton in the near future in the same market, so it’ll be interesting to compare and contrast my experience with the two.