Changes to the Hilton Honors program: Faster Gold & Diamond, New Diamond Reserve, and Key Changes
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We previously wrote about Hilton Honors Overhaul & “Diamond Reserve”: What’s Real, What’s Rumor, and now Hilton has announced the details on its official website. These Changes to the Hilton Honors program confirm that, from January 1, 2026, it’ll be simpler to hit Gold and Diamond status. Plus, they’re adding a new level above Diamond called Diamond Reserve.
Diamond Reserve gets some sweet perks like instant upgrade confirmations when you book, a guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, a 120% points bonus, access to the Premium Club, and special customer support.
There are a few other changes to keep in mind. Rollover nights are going away after 2026. Also, the points you get at Homewood and Spark hotels will be different. And instead of earning status through Base Points, they’re switching to eligible spend.
New Qualification Requirements (from 2026)
Hilton is formally replacing Base Points with dollar spend as a qualification path in 2026 and reducing Gold/Diamond thresholds — aligning status progression more closely with on-property spend.
Eligible spend is defined as room rate (excl. tax) and incidental charges billed to your room on direct/approved bookings; third-party bookings and charges not billed to your room don’t count.
New top tier: Diamond Reserve with 80 nights or 40 stays and $18,000 eligible spend; perks include Confirmable Upgrade Reward at booking, guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout, 120% bonus, Premium Club access, and priority upgrades.
| Tier | Through 12/31/2025 | From 1/1/2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 10 nights or 4 stays or 25,000 Base Points | 10 nights or 4 stays or $2,500 eligible spend |
| Gold | 40 nights or 20 stays or 75,000 Base Points | 25 nights or 15 stays or $6,000 eligible spend |
| Diamond | 60 nights or 30 stays or 120,000 Base Points | 50 nights or 25 stays or $11,500 eligible spend |
| Diamond Reserve | — | 80 nights or 40 stays + $18,000 eligible spend |
The New Elite Status, Diamond Reserve, and Its Benefits
Starting January 1, 2026, Hilton Honors is introducing a new top tier called Diamond Reserve, which will be even better than Diamond. To get it, you’ll need to do either 80 nights or 40 stays + spend $18,000 each year for your stay.
This Diamond Reserve level is made to give you more certainty and control over your trips. It comes with things that travelers really want, like confirmed room upgrades when you book! Plus, you’re guaranteed a 4 p.m. late checkout at any of their hotels. You also get to earn more points and experience an even better level of service.
Diamond Reserve Benefits
- Confirmable Upgrade Reward (CUR) at booking. Lock a premium room — up to a one-bedroom suite — for stays up to 7 nights, right when you book (including in the Hilton app). Receive one CUR when you qualify for Reserve, with an option for a second CUR at the 120-night milestone or 30,000 Points.
- Guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout on every eligible stay.
- 120% Points bonus on stays (Hilton’s richest earn rate).
- Executive lounge access and Premium Club access (at participating properties), plus highest-priority upgrades.
- Exclusive 24/7 customer service with a dedicated, specially trained team.
CUR and upgrades require availability at the time of booking and are subject to program terms and conditions; benefits and definitions (including “eligible expenses”) are outlined in the Tier Updates center and Hilton Help Center. Always check your hotel’s participation in Premium Clubs and any brand-specific exclusions before using CUR.
Other Program Tweaks You Should Know
1. Homewood Suites & Spark earn rate
50% decrease in base earnings at two brands: Homewood Suites and Spark by Hilton.
For new reservations made on or after January 8, 2026, Homewood Suites and Spark by Hilton will award 5 base points per dollar spent (previously 10). Elite multipliers still apply: Silver +20%, Gold +80%, Diamond +100%, Diamond Reserve +120%.
| Nightly eligible spend | Base (5 pts/$) | Silver (+20%) | Gold (+80%) | Diamond (+100%) | Reserve (+120%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | 500 | 600 | 900 | 1,000 | 1,100 |
| $150 | 750 | 900 | 1,350 | 1,500 | 1,650 |
| $200 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,800 | 2,000 | 2,200 |
Existing reservations at these brands retain the old earning rate of 10 points per $1.
2. Milestone Bonuses
Hilton continues to accumulate Milestone points up to 180 nights, with a hard cap of 210,000 points per calendar year. This is a higher cap than before (when most members actually reached the maximum cap for significantly fewer nights).
Hilton has not yet published a complete table with a breakdown by milestones in the tier update center; until they do, consider “up to 210K” as the maximum for the end of the year and plan your accumulation rate accordingly. We will update the information as soon as Hilton publishes the exact schedule.
3. Elite Rollover Nights
If you have previously accumulated excess nights to start the next year with an advantage, this advantage will disappear after 2026.
The carryover of nights ends on January 1, 2026. Nights earned in 2025 above your tier requirements will still carry over to 2026 (last carryover). Nights earned in 2026 will not carry over to 2027.
If you are close to exceeding your limit, make a little more effort to ensure that these nights are carried over to 2026 (for the last time). From 2026: plan your nights/stays/expenses quarterly; without carryovers, deadlines become more important to avoid a rush in the fourth quarter.
4. Lifetime Diamond
Starting in 2026, there will be a new path to Lifetime Diamond status for $200,000 in qualifying spending, alongside the existing path of 1,000 nights in a lifetime. The old path of $2,000,000 base points remains valid only until December 31, 2025 (from 2026, “base points” will be replaced by eligible spending as the qualification concept).
For members who focus on high-value stays (luxury brands, long business trips with high expenses), the $200,000 path may be more achievable than chasing a huge number of lifetime nights. This also ensures future Lifetime qualification as Hilton moves away from “base points”.
Plan your Hilton strategy for 2026
Review the official rules, then plan your nights, stays, and eligible spending by quarter.
Focus on high-impact hotels (Waldorf, Conrad, LXR, Signia) where Confirmable Upgrade Reward will transform your stay, and save those trips for post-qualification if you want to earn upgrade rewards.
