NEW! Early Confirmation of Hilton Upgrades

Hilton has just announced they are improving the upgrade process for their elite members. Currently, Hilton Diamond + Hilton Gold members receive an upgrade at check-in subject to availability. With this change to Hilton upgrades (from the 15th of November), Hilton will now be offering (where possible) early confirmation if you’ve received an upgrade.

When will I find out if I’ve been upgraded?

You will receive an email/app notification 72 hours in advance that you’ve been upgraded. Once offered an upgrade if the hotel you are visiting offers digital check-in you can choose a room within that category up to 36 hours prior to arrival. Interestingly, this is an automatic process that doesn’t involve any input from the hotel you’re staying at. Because of this, we’d assume that a hotel has a certain amount of rooms available by default for upgrades, this system then just automatically fills them.

Is my stay eligible for an automatic upgrade from Hilton?

Stays of up to one week are eligible for automatic upgrades. This will be offered at all Hilton hotels where complimentary upgrades are offered, including Waldorf Astoria, LXR, Conrad, Canopy by Hilton, Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Signia by Hilton, and Tapestry Collection by Hilton.

If I don’t get upgraded in advance can I still be upgraded at the hotel?

Possibly! Like before it will be subject to availability at check-in.

Do Hilton upgrades have a priority order?

According to Loyalty Lobby, this is the upgrade priority order…

1. Redemption Stays (Over 100,000 Points) This is not the nightly amount rather the TOTAL amount for the stay.

2. Lifetime Diamond

3. Diamond

4. Gold

Yes, you read that correctly! Redemption stays over 100,000 points are prioritised above elite status on CASH stays! Let’s be honest, if you are a hotel you’d want to reward a CASH booking over a point booking, right? Perhaps this is a move from Hilton to remove the feeling among some that those staying on points are treated as a second class guests compared to those paying cash…

Hotels can opt out of this new automatic feature with permission from Hilton.

Hilton Upgrades Conclusion

Will it be any good? We are reserving judgement on this one! In past stays we’ve had excellent upgrades at most hotels, it will be interesting to see if this feature changes that. It certainly will be a nice touch to find out in advance if you’ve been upgraded. What do you make of this new feature?