Rio Las Vegas is transitioning to the Destination Hotels brand, instead of being unattached to a brand. And that makes not a bit of difference to the traveler, except that stays will count as checking the box for the Destination brand as part of earning a category 1 to 4 free night for every 5 different brands a member stays with the chain.

This is not a hotel that plays by brand standards anyway. Stories of how they’ve tried to game elite breakfast benefits to save money are legion. Now they have a new trick.

Rio is publishing that their lowest rates don’t earn Hyatt points, receive Hyatt benefits, or accrue night credit towards status either. And they don’t even disclose this in advance. It is in the confirmation email you receive after you book (which most guests do not read thoroughly). I am confident this is not consistent with current published Hyatt rules, but Rio has shown they play by their own rules.

Rio Hotel Vegas 50% Cyber Sale Rate – not eligible to earn qualifying nights?
byu/diatribalwarfare inhyatt

Rio Las Vegas is running a Cyber Sale.

50% OFF SUITE-SIZED ROOMS

For a limited-time, get 50% off already low room and suite rates at the new Rio Las Vegas.

2-night minimum stay. Book by December 9th. Stay November 19, 2024 through September 8, 2025.

Credit: HoppingRabbit34 via Wikimedia Commons

You can book the Cyber Sale rate right at Hyatt.com.

Here’s a rate of $93 per night including resort fee of $50 per night – $42.50 excluding resort fee, from which Globalists are exempt.

If you book through the property’s website directly, the rate is even lower! It’s just $22.50 per night, excluding resort fee (that a Globalist would not have to pay).

However, they warn you that if you do this you won’t earn with World of Hyatt. And they’d still charge even Globalists the resort fee because they’re ‘ineligible’ for benefits when booking direct.

I don’t think they’ll be able to get away with this as part of the Destination by Hyatt brand. Although I don’t see how they can do this now, since Hyatt’s terms define ineligible rates such as third party online sites and vacation package providers, as well as booking through Mr. and Mr. Smith rather than booking those hotels directly with Hyatt. Booking at a Hyatt property’s own website isn’t considered a third party.

According to the World of Hyatt terms and conditions, any rate you book at Hyatt.com without entering a discount code is an “eligible rate” and therefore earns points and stay credit towards elite status. Period.

An “Eligible Rate” is defined as any room rate for a participating hotel, resort, or other property that is published by Hyatt (including rates found on hyatt.com without the application of a discount code, and Hyatt’s “Standard Rate,” “Volume Account Rates,” “Senior Citizen Rate,” Hyatt Privé rate, the monetary portion of any Points + Cash Award (as defined in Appendix B, and Hyatt friends-and-family discount rates, but excluding rates published by ALG Vacations or by Mr & Mrs Smith (each defined below) unless Hyatt expressly indicates otherwise) or, for Miraval properties, published by Miraval.

Aside even from the violation of Hyatt’s rules (which I’ve shared with Hyatt, but not yet heard back), and the lack of disclosure, the message here is risible: we expect our most loyal guests to pay more. But at that point, why not just sell elite qualifying nights directly and cut out the middle man?

Then again you should not actually stay at the Rio. You should check in there midweek when there’s a great rate when you’re staying in Las Vegas anyway, in order to earn elite night credit, but from all the feedback on this hotel you probably want to actually spend the night somewhere else. Even guests who feel the rooms themselves are fine tend not to enjoy strolling through the property to and from those rooms it seems.