Earlier in the month I sought clarity from Hyatt on whether American Express Fine Hotels ad Resorts reservations at participating M Life hotels in Las Vegas would be eligible for accruing Hyatt Gold Passport points and stay credit. (Fine Hotels and Resorts rates are available to American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders.)

I was told at the time that the rate would not be eligible. However, this was mistaken.

I had been told that eligible stays are defined by MGM’s program (if a stay is eligible for credit in M Life, it’ll be eligible with Gold Passport) and American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts rates were not eligible stays with M Life.

A reader pointed out that the Hyatt FAQ on their partnership with MGM defines an eligible stay as “Any stay where payment is made directly to a participating MGM Resorts International property” Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings are paid to the hotel. So I pushed back.

MGM Resorts’ Public Relations Director got back to me this afternoon,

I wanted to confirm that American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings at participating M life resorts are eligible for earning Hyatt Gold Passport points and count towards tier status in Hyatt Gold Passport.

Whenever there is a new partnership there’s learning to be done, on all sides, and it’s great to know that what initially seemed like bad news turns out to be better than expected.

It is now clarified and confirmed: American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts rates at participating MGM M Life properties in Las Vegas are eligible for Hyatt Gold Passport points accrual and stay credit.

Here’s why I cared — Generally speaking Fine Hotels and Resorts bookings provide:

• A room upgrade at check-in if available
  
• Noon check-in if available
  
• 4pm late checkout
  
• Daily continental breakfast for 2 people
  
• An additional benefit that varies by property, such as a $100 food and beverage credit

(Centurion cardholders often receive an additional amenity as well.)

MGM properties in Las Vegas which currently offer Fine Hotels and Resorts participation are Bellagio, SKYLOFTS at MGM Grand, and THEHotel at Mandalay Bay.

And often the above benefits can be bundled for the same rates you’d otherwise pay.

Although I wouldn’t expect benefits to be stackable, which is to say that a Hyatt elite member that receives status in the MGM M Life program and thus is entitled to a space-available upgrade isn’t likely to get a status-based upgrade and a rate-based upgrade. (Some hotels occasionally will do this, but it isn’t standard practice across any chain.)

I like this though because Hyatt Diamond status will equate to MGM M Life Platinum — a valuable status in its own right, if only for flashing to card to skip the taxi queue. But it’s M Life’s elite benefits that are honored on an MGM stay, not Hyatt’s. That means no complimentary breakfast (I suspect most Platinums and invite-only Noirs in the program who earn the status through MGM gambling won’t ever pay for breakfast! But Platinums do not get breakfast as a benefit of the program).

So booking an American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts rate means getting breakfast-included as a Diamond. And non-elite guests see the full range of advantages accrue, of course.

Of course there are also plenty of promotions booked directly through the hotel, where room rate is paid to the hotel (rather than prepaid through a third party) and which may sometimes be even better than American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts offers and similar bookings. But it’s good to know they’re not excluding this class of booking from credit.

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