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Which hotel chains offer lifetime status?

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Lifetime status is a popular perk among the hotel chains.

In general, lifetime status usually requires such a high threshold that you would wonder why such a person would ever want to set foot in another hotel ever again if they did not have to.

Despite that, I thought it was worth running through the various options. I have, without really planning it, just become Lifetime Gold (woo!) with Marriott Bonvoy so it can creep up on you.

Which hotel chains offer lifetime status?

At present, only Hyatt, Marriott and Hilton offer lifetime status.  Accor Live Limitless, Radisson Rewards and IHG One Rewards do not.

How do you get lifetime status with Hilton Honors?

Hilton Honors launched Lifetime Diamond (top tier) status in 2015.  You can find the – sparse – details in the Hilton Honors rules here – search for the word ‘lifetime’ in your browser.  You need to have been a Diamond member for 10 years, not necessarily consecutive, whilst earning:

  • two million Hilton Honors base points, representing $200,000 of spending OR
  • a whopping 1,000 nights in Hilton properties

Even tougher, the 10 years of Diamond status must be full calendar years. If you earn Diamond status in April 2022, after a very busy first six months of the year, you have the status for the rest of 2022 and all of 2023.  However, only 2023 counts towards the 10 years you require.

How do you get lifetime status with World of Hyatt?

World of Hyatt offers Lifetime Globalist (top tier) status to anyone who has earned 1 million base points.  This would require $200,000 of spending.  Details are here.

There is a good additional perk for Lifetime Globalist members.  Every year, you will receive four Suite Upgrade Awards and a Category 1-7 Free Night Award.  There is real value here.

How do you get lifetime status with Marriott Bonvoy?

Marriott Bonvoy has three levels of lifetime status:

  • Lifetime Silver Elite – 250 nights plus 5 years of Silver elite status or higher
  • Lifetime Gold Elite – 400 nights  plus 7 years of Gold elite status or higher
  • Lifetime Platinum Elite – 600 nights plus 10 years of Platinum elite status

There is no longer a base points requirement, as there was under the old Marriott Rewards lifetime status criteria.  Existing members with lifetime status with the legacy Marriott Rewards or SPG scheme were merged into Bonvoy.

Interestingly, the 15 free elite night credits you receive each year with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card cound towards lifetime status. This means that I can see a path to hitting Lifetime Platinum from my current Lifetime Gold despite not doing huge numbers of Marriott nights.

Further details can be found on the Marriott Bonvoy site here.

Which hotel chains offer lifetime status?

Or just get yourself the right payment card ….

The rationale for pushing for lifetime status is undermined by the fact that both Marriott and Hilton give out status via UK payment cards.

As you can obtain year-by-year Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy for free with American Express Platinum – for as long as you keep your Platinum card – Lifetime Silver Elite and Lifetime Gold Elite are less valuable than they could be.

You can also achieve Gold Elite status by spending £15,000 per year on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express card.

Similarly, Amex Platinum also comes with Hilton Honors Gold status.  This is not as good as Lifetime Hilton Diamond, of course, but you still get the free breakfast benefit and potentially an upgrade.

You also get free MeliaRewards Gold and Radisson Rewards Gold status with American Express Platinum.  We wrote about the hotel status benefits here.

Whose lifetime are we talking about anyway?

To be honest, lifetime status with airline or hotel chains has never appealed to me.  I am happy to accept Lifetime Marriott Bonvoy Gold as a by-product of stays I was doing anyway but would not have chased it. That said, Lifetime Platinum would be more interesting due to the benefits and due to the fact that I can’t get Platinum via a credit card.

Ask the former ‘Lifetime Gold’ members of bmi Diamond Club if it was worth spending money chasing that status, which British Airways promptly scrapped after the takeover of British Midland.

Even when the company survives, your lifetime status can be downgraded.  American Airlines added a new status level, Platinum Pro, from 2017.  This pushed Lifetime Platinum status holders down the pecking order for upgrades. My only potential interest in Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum is free breakfast and free lounge access and these benefits could be removed at any point, given that Titanium and Ambassador tiers exist above Platinum.

Hotel offers update – April 2024:

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Want to buy hotel points?

  • Hilton Honors is offering a 100% bonus when you buy points by 14th May 2024. Click here.
Category

British Airways and Avios, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt

Comments (35)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Ian says:
    16 Jul16 July 06:39

    The biggest issue with Hilton is knowing your night or spend count.

    The only way is to ask them.

    I am now 10 years diamond, but only around 650 nights.

    Most people get Lifetime in nights and not spend as spend assumes $200 per night before taxes etc.

    Whilst this spend might be more common now 10 years ago it wasn’t.

    However despite this don’t expect any special treatment. In the USA you will be just as ignored as any other Diamond member.

    This chain really needs a new top level that can’t be obtained via a US credit card.

    Until then enjoy your status in Europe or Asia.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:
      16 Jul16 July 11:36

      I’ve not been to the US yet since reaching lifetime diamond but in UK and Europe I have had hotels acknowledge me as a lifetime diamond and offered a better upgrade or a gift in the room. On the other hand some just treat you like a regular diamond and this is usually the ones that just get a minimum level upgrade anyway.

      When I finally get to the US later this year I can try out my global entry and also see if I get any better treatment in Hilton as a lifetime diamond. I’ll be travelling with other (not lifetime) diamonds so will be interesting to compare.

      I agree that Hilton needs a super tier only available with staying at the hotel. When you’re staying over 100 nights a year in hotels it feels wrong to be on the same tier as someone who has a US credit card. I think 60 nights would be ok if it wasn’t possible to get the status elsewhere. Maybe gold, a decent status in itself, should be the highest status obtainable with a credit card.

      • Harry T says:
        16 Jul16 July 14:38

        All hotel status is essentially meaningless in any major US city these days. Hilton diamond is very weak for benefits anyway. Top tier Marriott status won’t get you much of an upgrade either but at least you can get a late checkout.

  • Neal says:
    16 Jul16 July 10:14

    Meliá also offers lifetime Platinum if stay platinum for 10 consecutive years

  • Novice says:
    16 Jul16 July 10:24

    @Rob &Rhys, it would be helpful if you did some articles on each hotel chain regarding how to best spend the points?

    For example, if you have 100 k points which properties are great value instead of using cash, 250k, then 500k etc so like aspirational list of places.

    I have read that Conrad rangali island seems to be where Hilton points are usually blown but I don’t have time to go through each hotel chains’ websites to try to come up with places and a lot of places I go I end up paying cash because to me it seems same or can’t tell.

    • Peter K says:
      16 Jul16 July 10:35

      With dynamic pricing that list varies. That’s why you need to consider a price per point where you are willing spend your points.

      • Novice says:
        16 Jul16 July 14:08

        But there must be some kind of an aspirational list of hotels where a person should keep an eye on otherwise you need to have a lot of time on your hands to work out everything.

        It’s not as simple as avios or airlines points.

        • Harry T says:
          16 Jul16 July 14:40

          You can’t expect to be spoon fed, that’s not how this game works!

          • Novice says:
            16 Jul16 July 15:49

            That is exactly what I expect because this website is about hotels and airlines; not just airlines. If I had a ‘head for points’ then what would the purpose of such a website be?

            I learnt everything I know from reading stuff here. And, as regulars may remember I was well known and mocked for always pointing out how young I am. So, it might be easy for people like you to work out where the best options are but not everyone has the same level of expertise.

          • Rob says:
            16 Jul16 July 16:20

            In general, outsize value with IHG, Marriott and Hilton only comes at the very top, where a property is so expensive that the max possible points price is still decent value.

            Below this rarified level, the best deals are usually at new hotels which deliberately offer cheap redemptions to drive traffic. Everything else is fairly evenly priced due to the move to (roughly) revenue based redemptions.

            Hyatt is the best option for outsize value at all price levels because it retains award charts and you can always get a deal when a property is highly priced vs its category. That said the top end is still where the best deals are since no hotel can go beyond 45k points. Given our base 1.3p valuation, anything over £600 per night cannot fail to offer a good deal.

          • Peter K says:
            16 Jul16 July 16:24

            I’m confused why you always book cash and never points? Your points are worthless if you never use them.
            Even if it’s not the best deal, then at least you know you’re saving something.

            As for aspirational, that depends on what you like. City centres in Western Europe? Eastern Europe? USA? Middle East? Far East? Africa?
            Island hotels in the various places?
            Random stately home style hotels?

            The actual task you suggest would be huge and never ending as hotels move around brands, standards go to and down meaning a previously aspirational hotel no longer is etc

            The best way to do it is yourself. Work out what sort of holiday you like, what destinations you fancy, and see what is there. You surely do that anyway so a few clicks on a holiday hotel website, and maybe TripAdvisor, would have more meaning for you.

        • The Savage Squirrel says:
          16 Jul16 July 16:22

          Eh? It’s far simpler than Airlines – no cash component to mess around with and fewer availability restrictions – you can basically use points with major chains in most major cities or tourist-coast areas. So….

          1) Where do i want to go
          2) What does a room there cost in points
          3) What do I value that amount of points at in cash (just use HfP’s suggested valuations if you want to keep it simple)
          4) Is that more or less than the (refundable) rate for the room just paying cash.
          5) Use cash or points accordingly.

          What are you finding not so simple?
          I wouldn’t base my travel plans just on where I can get the most £/point value – i.e. don’t go to the Maldives on points for the sole reason that cash rates there are high. Let question 1 drive your decision making – where do I want to go?

          • Novice says:
            16 Jul16 July 17:07

            @Rob, thanks for the response.

            And, @ Savage squirrel.

            This is the sort of information a person like me needs because I always get confused if it’s even worth using or getting points.

            I’ll be honest the only points I have are IHG and I initially got the first batch when they had the IT glitch everything being at discounted level at IC and Kimpton but my points didn’t arrive in time so I missed out on that and now had to buy in the 100% bonus deal because they were about to expire.

            So, I’ve got 322,500 points and every hotel I was trying to look at would not have the dates available.

            Honestly, it must be my luck or something because every time I look for somewhere I’m going. There is nothing good available.

            I’ve mostly stuck to Hotels.com because that works better for me in terms of every destination has something decent and I don’t travel for business. I just do 4/5 trips a year so there’s no point being loyal to a chain.

            However, the points sales are great sometimes and there are some places I’d like to stay which I don’t want to pay cash.

            @SS I have never gone anywhere just to save money or for a bargain deal or whatever. I think what I meant by not being simple was point no 3; the valuation of each point.

            Eg; I paid exactly £1500 for my 322,500 img points. So am I supposed to divide the 1500 by 322,500 = 0.00465116

            What is annoying is I’m not bad at maths and now I feel dumb seriously.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:
            16 Jul16 July 17:58

            The problem is thinking about what you paid for points. What you paid for an item is irrelevant to its current value (see the Sunk Cost Falllacy). You’ll normally lose a bit of value buying points unless you’re doing to take advantage of a pricing error or unusual redemption so we wouldn’t expect them to be “worth” what you paid for them.

            People can argue about exact figures but IHG points are worth around 0.4p each according to HfP here: https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/09/10/what-are-ihg-one-rewards-hotel-points-worth/ so let’s go with that.

            So your stash of 322500 points is worth about £1290 (just multiply your points total by 0.4 to get its value in pence. Divide that by 100 to get value in pounds).

            So if you want to keep things REALLY simple: just find a trip you’d like to take where your hotel bill would be at or over £1290. If you are able to book this using your points without buying more then that’s good enough value so book using points.

            Or to put it another way as a universal rule: each 250 points you burn should save you at least £1. If you can achieve this then use points; if you can’t then pay cash.

          • Novice says:
            16 Jul16 July 23:11

            Thanks 🙏 @SS.

            Finally I understand the valuations hfp give and everyone talks about if only it had been explained like this.

            I learn new things every day here and usually it’s from commenters like you. Thanks 🙏

  • Chris says:
    16 Jul16 July 10:27

    Thanks for the article Rob. I’ve Hilton lifetime Diamond and, frankly the achievement is a bit of an anti- climax!
    I achieved it through personal spend but, also managed 900 plus nights.
    As commented it’s completely devalued by the plethora of Diamonds in USA – largely through paid credit cards. Elsewhere it has more kudos and value, though as I understand it the lifetime aspect doesn’t appear on your profile. So unless you inform the hotel or present your metal membership card you are treated as a Diamond. Incidentally I’ve been told by long standing receptionists in the UK they’ve never heard of lifetime membership and one Front office manager at a WA told me they only see a couple a year. What would be interesting to know is how many USA members have lifetime status – I suspect not many, why would you?
    Would I do it again – probably not!

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:
      16 Jul16 July 11:48

      They definitely can see lifetime status because I’ve never mentioned it to any hotels I’ve stayed in and some have acknowledged it.
      Based on memory:
      Hilton Prague – greeted by duty manager as a lifetime diamond and was promised a great upgrade if I wanted it but the room wasn’t ready yet. Offered either temporary use of a room or they could store luggage and use the lounge. Got a decent sized suite and a gift of some Czech spirits
      Hilton T5 – got a bottle of wine in my room in addition to the usual smoothie and chocolates
      Doubletree Rotherhithe (London Docklands) – upgrade, card in my room acknowledging status, an additional drinks voucher (usually only get one) plus two snacks at the bar.
      Hilton Gatwick – I was arriving late and departing early so didn’t use the bar but I got an upgrade and a card in the room acknowledging lifetime status
      Doubletree Excel – most time the same as a regular diamond but one stay got a better upgrade and extra drinks voucher and cookies at both arrival and departure!
      HGI Abingdon – upgraded to a suite (HGIs don’t have to offer upgrades according to the T&Cs and I didn’t ask. The upgrade appeared online before I checked in)
      Hilton Schiphol – four free drinks vouchers as I arrived after lounge closed.

      I never ask for these things so what I got above is what they offered me.

      • AlanC says:
        17 Jul17 July 18:53

        Better with the Lifetime gift at Newcastle Gateshead – 2 bottles of Broon and a paper bag of choccies!

  • Øystein says:
    16 Jul16 July 10:51

    And Strawberry does, in the Nordics.

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:
    16 Jul16 July 11:20

    I qualified for lifetime Hilton Diamond at the end of the year and you get a gift box. Mine included a lifetime diamond metal membership card, luggage tag and Bose wireless headphones. Also included were some facts about my Hilton history (first hotel stayed at, most popular brand, number of countries stayed at)

    Some hotels specifically acknowledge lifetime diamond and put you ahead of the queue for better upgrades while in some others you’re treated like any other diamond.

    I also appear to have lifetime status with a hotel chain listed on here that supposedly never offers lifetime status. I did stay with them a lot for over 10 years before gradually moving towards Hilton as my preferred chain. I was surprised that my status with them has never dropped (although it’s not listed as lifetime anywhere). I’m not naming the chain here as it might be a computer glitch rather than any undocumented lifetime status.

    • Neal says:
      16 Jul16 July 14:32

      Accor?

      If you had Fairmont lifetime status before and merged accounts then you get lifetime with Accor

  • Mohamed Basma says:
    16 Jul16 July 11:29

    I just wish IHG had this as I ve been Royal ambassador for over 10 years, not anymore, I have platinum for life with Air France and honestly this detter me from flying with them as I have no more worries keeping status and just use them when really needed.
    Life time status decrease your business with any company.

    • Save East Coast Rewards says:
      16 Jul16 July 11:50

      Are you now base tier with IHG or do you still maintain status with them just not enough IC stays to achieve Royal Ambassador?

  • RussellH says:
    16 Jul16 July 13:01

    I am amazed to find that I am not that far off Lifetime Silver with Marriott.
    The article prompted me to check my record, although we seldom use Marriott.
    Apparently I have 194 nights, of which I seem to have paid for 14 – I have been Silver for 18 years, thanks to Marriott Credit cards – currently the Creation version, and this has given me 10 nights per year.
    Probably another 10 nights done, but in Vienna, Linz or Leipzig where the rooms were booked by the Austrian or Saxon Tourist board and were not qualifying.
    Am I going to stive for lifetime status? No.

    • Harry T says:
      16 Jul16 July 14:42

      Sounds smart cos it’s only really handy to have status if you do in bed nights with Marriott.

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