A new interview with the head of Hyatt’s loyalty program sheds a bit of light on where they’re going next, after recently devaluing their points.
They’ve put the new structure in place for higher points prices, with 5 different prices at each award category level (78 price levels, some properties having gone up in price 67%) but the first year effect was intentionally modest as they didn’t fully move hotels up those price price points. They’ve told us the effect next year will be more dramatic.
Hyatt Senior Vice President Laurie Blair, who runs the World of Hyatt, says in an interview with former American Airlines AAdvantage President Bridget Blaise-Shamai that they’re not done making changes to the program itself. She reports listening to customer focus groups recently because “We’re thinking about the next evolution of our program.” We know they’ve been surveying a refresh of elite benefits.
And she shares again that so far they’ve only gone a small part of the way towards the full devaluation that their award chart changes will capture.
I wanted to make sure we were giving our members enough time to prepare and plan.. while there will be changes, those changes will be an evolution over years to come. So I don’t expect that members with the new award chart will wake up and suddenly feel different about the value of World of Hyatt points and in fact I think that will be pleasantlysurprised by the evolution that we will publish.
She also teased some “expanded partners in the travel ecosystem” and that “we do plan to expand our credit card portfolio” – so expect a new premium credit card with Chase.
How An Award Chart Still Matters
At some level, it’s easy to say that when there are 78 different price levels on Hyatt’s free night award charts (and some hotels that aren’t even part of the chart) that all meaning has been taken away from the idea of an award chart – that it’s effectively the same as Hilton, Marriott and IHG that have abolished award charts entirely.
And I almost want to say that when Hyatt touts, as Laurie Blair does here, that there are:
Some non-negotiables that we have from a brand standpoint…on the structural side, we have the highest value of points in the hotel industry. And that’s by design. we have to because we are still not everywhere… the only global hotel loyalty program that still has a fixed award chart… we are committed to that transparency and simplicity.
Hyatt does have to work harder to deliver an experience to members who are going out of their way to choose Hyatt, because it takes more effort to remain loyal given their footprint.
And an award chart does still matter, even if I would dispute her claim that the current 78 price levels and off-chart properties represents simplicity.
- Hyatt still provides price predictability. They set a price for each night’s stay at a hotel for the year and that price doesn’t change (the way it fluctuates in programs like Marriott’s). Hyat isn’t doing dynamic pricing.
- That means you’ll know exactly which hotels your free night certificates (earned via the credit card, nights stayed, and for staying across various Hyatt brands) can be used for. At Marriott we’ll often see prices just over the number of points where those certificates are valid, or just over what a member might be able to top off those certificates for.
- And an award chart makes Hyatt more honest and transparent. Hyatt actually has to announce when they’re making changes to redemption pricing. Other chains without charts just make changes and don’t tell memebers. We might notice hotels are more expensive, and we don’t have enough points, when we actually try to redeem. And when we do notice changes, we have no easy way to even determine scale. Abolishing the award chart isn’t just a pricing promise, it’s the need to actually identify changes to the program instead of hiding them from members the way that other chains do.
Hyatt’s redemption program is less valuable than it used to be. Structurally, though, it’s still better than other programs. And the unique selling proposition of the program is its elite program. That hasn’t changed… yet.
Park Hyatt Sydney
Clues For What Changes Are Coming To Hyatt’s Elite Program
Some of the ideas that Hyatt has surveyed members about include:
- Premium suite upgrade awards. Hyatt is the only major chain that lets you confirm a standard suite at the time of booking (‘suite upgrade awards’). They also offer awards with points for premium suites, but elites don’t earn the ability to book into these premium suites the way they can with standard suites. I’ve long wanted the option to redeem two suite upgrade awards for a premium suite. Hyatt does appear to be considering a path to upgrade into these ‘special’ suites beyond just redeeming more points.
Georgetown Suite, Park Hyatt DC - An award to avoid peak pricing on redemptions. With Hyatt revamping its award charts to offer five price levels per category including prices that are up to 67% higher than today, it sounds like they’re at least considering an award that would let members earn the ability to cap the damage occasionally.
Seabird Resort - An award to force standard room availability if booked at least six months in advance, which is ideal for booking free night awards at the most in-demand hotels at peak times like New Years in the Caribbean or Hawaii.
Hyatt Regency Aruba - An elite tier above Globalist although the benefits offered reportedly seemed remarkably similar to current Globalist benefits, so might amount to an increased qualification requirement.
- Cutting benefits by turning them into Milestone Rewards that you would redeem for a single stay, rather than being able to use on all stays. This includes how Globalists currently receive free parking on awards and waived resort fees on paid stays.Members would instead earn these at stay milestones, similar to the change they made away from unlimited Guest of Honor. That would be much less expensive to offer, as Hyatt provides compensation to hotels for providing these benefits.
Alila Marea - Other Milestone Rewards like a buy one get one night at Thompson hotels, $20 off a spa treatment, and other ‘coupon book’-style options plus elite qualifying nights as a choice.
- Preferred Parking for elites at Hyatt Place properties. That’s easy to do. I’ve seen it most often at Hilton properties in the same competitive set. It’s not something hotels generally enforce.
- Playing catch-up topping off category 1-4 free night certificates with additional points to be used on more expensive stays (this is a second-best to actually maintaining the value of the certificates, that are mostly earned via their Chase credit card partnership).
- New partner-earning Hyatt offers surprisingly few ways to earn points beyond hotel stays and credit card. The survey raised the possibility of earning Hyatt points at Costco, gas stations and Uber.
Hyatt’s elite program is the best in hotel loyalty. With a smaller footprint, they’ve had to try harder because it takes effort for a guest to stay loyal. And since their properties tend to skew more premium, there’s margin in the room rates where it can make sense to make that benefits investment.
Today, Hyatt has the strongest suite upgrade benefit and the strongest breakfast benefit (which isn’t just ‘continental’ and actually spells out what counts as a breakfast). They’re weak on elite points bonuses for spend during a hotel stay. And while experiences with Hyatt concierges is mixed (at best) it’s a benefit that has been earned after 60 nights, rather than 100 nights and $23,000 spend as at Marriott.
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Globalist Room Service Breakfast
Park Hyatt London Globalist Room Service Breakfast
Since Hyatt does treat me better as a Globalist, their points devaluation doesn’t really change my stay behavior although it is changing my credit card spend behavior.
The tenor of these contemplated changes appears to mix some good ideas – like premium suite upgrades – with real costs cuts, at the same time they may start asking more of customers to get the same or watered-down benefits.
The Franchise Model Makes Use Of Data And Personalization Hard
Blair comments that “Data helps us to anticipate our guest needs and understand them more… if we’re going to deliver an amenity to you but you don’t drink alcohol, that’s a miss on our part.”
That one struck me funny because it underscores the real challenge that the hotel franchise model has with data.
- Does anyone actually ever input the data?
- Does anyone ever actually look at the data they have?
- And do they have any real incentive to action it?
Park Hyatt Paris
A hotel chain may know that a guest is having a special stay. That guest may choose a Hyatt property because of their loyalty to the program. But the individual hotel may never see that guest again. They benefit from the loyalty ecosystem, but have very little incentive to feed that ecosystem. It’s a free rider problem.
I was part of a test program Hyatt had a decade ago, trying to customize stays. At a few hotels I got extra bottles of water (something I really value) and enhanced in-room coffee setups (what I actually wanted was real creamer not shelf stable stuff).
That pilot just stopped one day and they never picked it up. Laurie Blair’s discussion of wine as an amenity struck me because I do drink alcohol, but I never drink the bottles of Canvas they sometimes leave me. Because it’s terrible. In contrast, the Park Hyatt Chicago once left me glass of sauternes in the evening. That was lovely.
What I’ve started doing on D.C. stays is bringing the cheap bottle of wine I’m sometimes left in the room into the office to give to a junior employee there. I’m not going to drink the bottle, certainly not going to drink it alone in my room after work, and I’m not going to check a bag in order to bring it home. But Hyatt never learned, after all these years, that I won’t drink the Canvas.
And it’s because there are real bottlenecks in the use of data – getting front line employees of franchises to actually input the data in the first place, and then to extract and action the data on future stays.
Consistency Matters, And Hyatt Is Inconsistent With It
Benefits need to be consistently delivered if they’re promised. Even surprise and delight is stronger if you know you’re likely to be delivghted. Philosophically, Blair makes a point that:
A brand is only as good as every touchpoint that it has. If we have benefits that aren’t actually felt, or get missed in the check-in experience, that’s worse than never having the benefit at all.
Hyatt does a better job than anyone else at proactively offering late checkout to elites, for instance. I almost never need to ask. It’s just part of the check-in process at most hotels.
In contrast, the ‘My Hyatt Concierge’ benefit is really lacking, or at least it’s highly variable. There are some good concierges (I’m told) and others who may not answer emails for a week if they respond at all.
Hyatt knows about the concierge issue. When they announced (generally positive) program changes in November 2023, it was the number one challenge with the elite program that was shared with Laurie Blair and with Hyatt Chief Commercial Officer Mark Vondrasek. But they’ve appeared to do nothing about it. Instead laid off U.S. call center employees.
It’s been a rough month for Hyatt loyalists… between the May devaluations and the Chase transfer nut-tap. But sure, let’s all get excited about a new $550-a-year Chase premium card and ‘preferred parking’ at a Hyatt Place in Toledo (@This comes to mind, see an Ohio-reference, just for you!) This feels very Bonvoy’d.
So in addition to massive devaluations and no 4th or 5th night free compared to other major programs that makes the current “World of Greed” Hyatt loyalty program about if not the most expensive program in the industry to earn and redeem in.Their capped credit card free nights pales to Hilton uncapped.They have ruined the program so badly I do better off peak in programs with the hated dynamic pricing on award and revenue
The Hyatt free breakfast and resort fees for globalists has helped help but breakfast generally sucks in North America as they have cut back massively in quality and variety.Now they want to eliminate that too?
They have accomplished one major achievement booking on 3rd party sites and being a free agent despite decades as a loyal customer spending hundreds of thousands dollars and previously booking through their direct channels.
I’m doing better in other programs and will avoid Hyatt much more as they only care about punishing their best long term customers over time and seeing who/what sticks post detonation.Hopefully its not their jobs that stick after creating the new improved ‘Hyatt’s World of Destruction”
Hyatt was once a legend in loyalty IMO they have crashed and burned with the worst to come apparently.
This is the same person who said there was no change in the value of the points, or something to that effect, while they were gutting the value of points.
Now, if she is saying they have only gone a small part of the way towards full devaluation, you can expect it’s going to be very, very, very drastic.
I actually participated in one of those focus groups. At the end, they gave us the opportunity to “speak our mind” about anything we wanted to say. Not sure anyone was listening though…every member of our group mentioned a consistent annoyance…that Category 1-7 or 1-8 awards expire 6 months after you earn them, unlike every other program. So, if you stay at a Category 7 in March, for example, become Globalist and earn your certificate in June, you can’t use it for a repeat stay next March. Stupid, petty and uncompetitive. Hope they wake up and fix this, though my expectations are low.
Here’s a tightened, grammatically polished version that preserves your argument and tone:
Hyatt’s problem is that its corporate leadership has an inflated sense of the chain’s position in the market.
The reality is that Hyatt lacks a true five-star luxury brand capable of competing with St. Regis, Four Seasons, or Waldorf Astoria.
It is also worth noting that very few, if any, Hyatt Regencies and Grand Hyatts are being built today. In North America, owners and developers increasingly prefer the more profitable Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands, often in markets that already have full-service, four-star options under Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, Renaissance, Hilton, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza flags. That’s a significant problem because spending 40-plys nights a year at a suburban Hyatt Place isn’t especially appealing when virtually every U.S. market with more than 100,000 residents already has a better option in the Marriott, IHG or Hilton ecosystems.
Hyatt has attempted to offset this weakness through a massive expansion of all-inclusive resorts and leisure-oriented properties. However, that strategy ignores a fundamental issue: in many markets, there simply is no Hyatt option. Even the acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith has not been fully integrated in a way that makes it a practical solution, particularly in Europe, where the brand has a relatively strong presence.
@dwondermeant — “World of Greed” is pretty accurate. I’d also accept “World of Hype” of “Word of Hurt” (if we’re trying to stick to the original ‘WoH’ acronym.) Or, for those who’ve had enough… “World of Bye-att.”
Second verse, same as the first.
Down to do the corporate speak of “exciting new changes” to come!
Hyatt has joined its brethren in the same manner Southwest has joined theirs. When you are the final holdout of only 3 or 4 in the market, the shame is on you for trying to remain a “standout” while Rome burns. Nobody is going to defect anywhere else, the market has been allowed to consolidate way past (or even a shill of pretense) perfect competition.
Hyatt is bad but marriott and hilton are worse. use your points when it is in your best interest.
The most recent vintages of Canvas had actually improved – you might want to give it a second look.
If they went with “Cutting benefits by turning them into Milestone Rewards” there’s a good chance that would tank my involvement with the program. Being immunized from “resort fee” antics as a Globalist has been a major driver of my loyalty to Hyatt over the last few years, so losing that would be…unfortunate…for my engagement with the program.
@ fatetta
The six month expiration of Chase issued awards produces “breakage” that benefits both Chase and Hyatt.
> Preferred Parking for elites at Hyatt Place properties.
Walk 6 yards rather than 12?
@Gary, THANKS! for working hard to help the Hyatt program remain a winner. Hyatt should preserve trust not add complexity.
Hyatt has long stood out because World of Hyatt felt clear, predictable, and rewarding. For frequent guests, that consistency is not a small detail; it is the reason loyalty feels worthwhile.
Recent award-chart changes risk weakening that trust. More tiers, higher redemption prices, and the possibility of further changes make it harder for members to plan and easier for them to question the value of their points.
Change is inevitable, but it should be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Hyatt should avoid the path taken by programs like Marriott and Hilton, where award pricing and elite benefits have often become less predictable and more confusing.
The last thing a loyal guest wants is to argue with a hotel manager or front desk agent about benefits that should be clear and consistently honored. Hyatt’s advantage has always been trust. Future changes should protect that advantage, not undermine it.
Two Hyatt changes I’d really like to see:
1) Stop the gameplaying with “standard rooms” and “standard suites”. If it doesn’t always sell for a 10% premium over the next lower room, it’s standard. None of this “city view/sky view/high floor/plus trundle bed” that means that a lot of in-demand properties have very few rooms bookable on points.
2) Bump the Cat 1-4 FNA up to something that has meaningful options in major markets, which is probably 1-6. At this point, there’s nothing in Paris, nothing in Manhattan, one option in SFO, etc
@ Paul I somewhat disagree with that overview which has been a cliche amongst some bloggers and some Hyatt addicted guests due to breakfast, parking on award nights and resort fee waivers.Their new price points now essentially make you pay for much of that.
Quality and consistency down especially in North America.
I find select great value in all programs and abroad frequently avoiding Hyatt. Hilton and Marriott can way outperform Hyatt at lower costs overseas especially.Its important to not get brainwashed but to do the math and compare the actual experiences on and off line.
If you look at the select properties that perform well in any given program that assessment is reasonably incorrect.You simply cant brush all loyalty programs with one stroke even if we all favor one program over another. I was a Hyatt fan until I wasn’t though I still like some of their properties but negative on everything they are doing over the past number of years
Sounds like the nails in the coffin scenario. They seem to be too full of themselves, the program and their properties.
Hyatt is over here pretending like Wyndham doesn’t even exist. No you are NOT the “only global loyalty program with an award chart.” That is quite simply not true.
So glad I stuck with IHG…
@FNT Delta Diamond
If you are going to use ChatGPT or Copilot to write for you, you might want to remove the part that says what it did for you.
Just a “Thot”
@D Fray — @Gene’s with you on IHG! (And, Gary is our “Thot” leader.)
You are all way too polite. This is not a typical article outlining an interview that led Gary to write that Hyatt will soon “enhance” its program as other chains have…… It is nothing less than a corporate declaration of war against their supposedly most-loyal most frequent customers, who someone has decided are to be the next wave of cost cuts, damned what they have been promised.
First things first, NO ONE gets 60+ nights in this program without significant ENGAGEMENT and LOYALTY to Hyatt, and virtually every Globalist has made a consistent decision to throw numerous marginally inconvenient stays to the Hyatt chain simply to obtain or retain the benefits that level provides (which are formerly hotel standard options like a somewhat proper hot breakfast with coffee, juice and tip included; consideration for legitimate suite upgrades for truly loyal frequent guests; a couple of low-cost comps per year; and the only thing that keeps me in the Globalist ranks: actually usable suite upgrade awards at aspirational hotels when with my family.)
Apparently although I managed 100 nights’ credit last year, Hyatt sees me as too entitled, too costly a customer to care about keeping, and though they hardly begrudge me a free Hyatt Place comp occasionally they seem to propose an imminent end to frequency-status-based entitlement to suites; massively devaluing our points-balances; lowering earning opportunities; decontenting the breakfast; and essentially think this is somehow a great way of improving Hyatt’s bottom line because *they’ve apparently mis-targeted my annual nights as the impediment to their proper financial performance.* Wrong-o, bean counters.
I’ve got news for them: First, the only reason I stay at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House or other tired properties like the Hyatt LAX, Hyatt Regency Grand Central, the Churchill or the Regency Washington is because this program lets me occasionally stay with my wife at a proper Park Hyatt or a well-located expensive city hotel. Kill the benefit, they can forget the suburban nights and older business hotels. So much for a huge number of those 100 night credits.
Secondly, if the modest breakfast entitlement is breaking you, just up the room rates a few bucks to make it pay. This is one of the only unique elements of the program, and though I don’t always collect my breakfast it’s great to know it’s there and it will not be a croissant in cellophane made in Dubuque a week ago and warmed up.
And finally, if your points and upgrades are no more usable than the now-practically worthless Hilton points, IC points, and Bonvoy pesos, and you impede or dumb down the experience of staying at the first class hotels, it’s just time to emancipate myself as a free-agent, throw off the loyalty and measure every single stay by what THAT particular hotel will do for ME, now, and become ruthlessly loyal to MY WALLET (as my business is MINE), and to hell with chain loyalty. In fact, to add even worse news to your day, Hyatt, I find that probably HALF my hotel stays each year are truly entirely OPTIONAL, and most can be handled by phone/video/personal contact planned well in advance, instead of costly 1-3 night trips booked at the last minute (meaning, expensively). Why, I might just suggest to our staff that they emulate me and save Hyatt the trouble of worrying at all about my 100 nights. This is especially true since I carry a grudge at having my benefits cut — ask Radisson, Hilton, Langham and St Regis how many of those nights I used to spend there which I’ve cut out: they haven’t seen me again, and that includes vacations. Again, since I’m going to pay individually for everything why would I want to stay anywhere standard or not fully luxurious and expect what I have paid for?
Somebody needs to reign in this urge to race for the bottom. Life is too short for those of us counting on hospitality when traveling to be disappointed. I have a lovely home, I live in a wonderful community, I work in an exciting field with great people in a great office, and you know, after all these years I think Hyatt may just point me toward a new world in which I get exactly what I’ve paid for, I never feel obligated to consider Hyatt’s program, and I explore all the great independent hotels I’ve wanted to book for years and years but have been hooked by Hyatt Gold Passport, World of Hyatt, and the delayed gratification that their program provided.
“Free at last, thank god I’ll be free at last”…..
@SST — I love your passion here. Please come around more often!!
It’s not even true that Hyatt has a predictable award chart anymore. They did some immediate no-notice category devaluations earlier this year. This is functionally no different than Hilton stealth changing the dynamic pricing range. I would argue that Hyatt is now the worst of the Big 4 chains. Its properties are too generic and minimalist (even at the Park Hyatt level). Its pricing is excessive. Its portfolio is limited in most markets.
What Hyatt’s management doesn’t seem to understand is that unlike Southwest (which has been somewhat able to get away with its customer-unfriendly changes due to its fortress hubs like Baltimore where customers lack much choice) it can’t get away with dramatic deterioration because the hotel market is much less concentrated than the airline market due to dramatically lower barriers to entry (no chokepoint like slot-controlled airports). Most customers can simply switch to booking independent or mini-chain hotels through Expedia. Without a generous loyalty program Hyatt is a hollowed-out husk that can be blown away by the wind of the market.
@1990
In the ten years + I have been loyal, they have rarely disappointed me. I absolutely get treated as “Inner Circle” at 95% of the hotels I stay at and when I book for my kids or family (even on points) they get the same upgrades, free breakfast etc…. So far (and I mean, so far) they have been great to me.
@D Fray — I’m becoming an IHG-evangelist myself, lately, especially after Marriott gutted itself, and now that Hyatt is toast. I’m only ‘into’ Hilton so much as I think their Aspire FNC is still worth the one-night-per-year. I kinda got hooked on IHG once they acquired Six Senses (I know, snob). Since then, I’ve stayed at countless InterContinentals and Kimptons (the secret password thing is fun!), and rarely am disappointed. Sure, the occasional HIE is aight, too. I’ve had their Chase Premier card for several years. Spent $75K on CSR, so got Diamond from that. Have tried their $200/20K points for Ambassador once; it was fine.
Arguing over whether this is a dynamic program is semantics. the difference in points from a low night to a high night is up to 3x the price of a low night (cat 1) and at least 2x in every other category. If the fact that its consistently 3x difference instead of sometimes 3.01 and sometimes 2.99 is so meaningful to you, than pop the champagne and enjoy. In my experience, the vast majority of Hilton/Marriott properties dont charge 3x difference between low points and high points for a saver room.
Which program is really dynamic after all?
@ SST
Not to rain on your rant, but it’s rein and not ‘reign’…a thot: lurn to spel
[That’s humor kids.]
@Principal Lewis — *ba dum tss*
@Principal Lewis
Yes, it does result in breakage, and that is exactly my issue. If one gets to 60 nights early in the calendar year, you immediately re-qualify for Globalist, and you have the next Calendar Year to enjoy Globalist benefits. The Cat 1-4s are valid for a year. So why should the CAT 1-7 you get at the same time or CAT 1-8 certificate (issued at 100 nights) only have 6 months of validity? . The reason? Greed and shortsightedness.. And it’s even worse for those that struggle to hit their 60 nights for a year…same issue: they get only 6 mo to use them. Customer service says “But you can transfer them to someone else if you run short of validity”. Seriously? I earned them, why should I be forced to give them away. This is on Hyatt, not Chase, IMO.
@ 1990
Agree with u on ihg. I buy points and use 4th nite free for ez maximization.
Wyndham is underrated when they sell points at 0.65 cpp. Any hotel for $195 = yes pleeze.
@Principal Lewis — 4th night free is as good as it gets (better than 5th night free on Bonvoy or Hilty, and Hyatt never even had a X-night free thing going on anyway). Only other entity with a similar situation was Citi Prestige, but it’s been closed to new applications for a while now (and Strata Elite replaced it). Wyndham has been steadily improving, especially in the Americas. Interestingly, they’re opening new properties in places like the new terminal at LIM airport. I know, a little odd, but still. Practical!
@ ecr12
Like the analysis re Hyatt dynamism vs other lch (large chain hotels). 3.5+ cpp redeems are largely over. NU personal hi benchmark is 2.6+ cpp starting June ’27. H points sales going from 1.68 cpp to min 1.95 cpp has hurt. The 2.14 cpp present sale isn’t appealing.
While my calculation was independent of the number, just realized Hyatt sells points at 2.6 cpp all the time. On me. I will amend to 2.9 cpp as my minimum HI value redemption watermark starting June ’27. Min redeem value is 1.8 cpp if anyone cares. I mean, we all like to share…
I took the dumb survey – was like something I’d tell my kids: Do you want the apple or the banana (no ice cream is not an option). If they kill the golden goose then i’m just going to start staying at four seasons or Inspirato.
@SST – well said. Agreed 200%
– Actually, HHonors still has standard awards in most of the properties and and those do offer excellent values. Intercontinental could also be excellent in terms of location and service. Hyatt is likely to make a big misstate by changing he program too much.
What this article says to me is that they are looking to find ways to keep their award chart and make the same profit as dynamic pricing only to figure out they can’t and are eventually going to dynamic pricing.
Step 1: devalue award chart
Step 2: devalue points transfers
Step 3: trot out the turd polisher
Not sure if Hyatt will be my long term program. Ditched Marriott for WoH for their top tier program, and now seeing the way it’s trending it might not be worth it.
I’ve been noticing that most Hyatts cost between 15-25% higher than most of their competitors in similar categories in major cities. So in a way, I’m paying more to stay at a similar hotel, being further than my intended location, and the hotels are usually just not that wow just to get the Globalist tier. I have almost 50 nights within five months this year, but after this change, I might as well go free agent.
The breakfast is nice when I travel with Family since I just drink a black coffee for breakfast, the confirmed suite upgrade is nice but now my kids are grown, we always need to book multiple rooms, and the properties are just not as upscale as other chains.
Park Hyatt is their best, but honestly, it’s meh.
I got lifetime status with Marriott and I recently stayed in South America for a night, requested for a early check in and the team got the room ready by 9am, and proactively asked if I needed late checkout, and I hardly stay with them anymore. I recently stayed with Park Hyatt Saigon and asked for early check in and it was not that much earlier, and in a top tier customer.
I think with the points devalued it might be time to ditch loyalty altogether for all programs. There is no point in loyalty programs when you are paying 10-25% more, might as well just go to the other hotel that you really like and pay for it instead of staying in crappy hotels you don’t like for more.
Hyatt, I was ranting for awhile and then I checked the profile for Laurie Blair. ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY!!!! WHY WOULD YOU HIRE SOME FROM WALGREENS WHO WAS JUST A Sr. DIRECTOR DURING COVID AND A COUPLE YEARS IN WEED SELLING BUSINESS TO LEAD YOUR LOYALTY PROGRAM? Do you guys know the culture of Walgreens? Do you know what brand and product marketing in Walgreens is like? Similar to CVS, they basically gut their patients for margin since they have a captive product, your know, prescription drugs you cannot get off of! You think we have doctor orders to go to your hotel!??!!!!! The other products are useless front store junk. OMG, you guys made a huge mistake in hire, she will brun your brand down to the ground. HAHAHAHA GOOD LUCK Y’ALL!
@Mantis — Dr. Toboggan… I think you’re onto something, sir… *polishing harder*
@Jim — For a loyalty program that doesn’t hate you, please consider IHG… (@L737, where’s @Matt been?)
@ Gary — No doubt Hyatt’s points are more valuable then their competitors, but surely this woman doesn’t think people are stupid enough to not realize that Hyatt also rewards customers with far less points than all of their competitors. World of Hyatt is now just another greedy, piece of crap program like Hilton amd Marriott.
@Jin love your comment about the HCIC’s resume but I don’t think “loyalty programs” have any special educational training and fast track towards the profession like a doctor or pilot does. At bare minimum it would require someone taught to spin & like a lawyer does…
I think this all leads back to the endless Chase Ultimate Rewards points that flooded into WoH. That started with the endless Chase INK train. When you have 100Ks of points flooding in, there are going to be problems. But instead of handling that huge inflow, Hyatt devalues! Thereby screwing their “head in bed” customers who actually earn their points. If Hyatt had regulated the transfer of UR points, some of these devaluations could have been put off, or at least delayed. Now Hyatt pisses everyone off! I was never a Hyatt a fanboi. Even before the devaluations.
In the end I think Hyatt is very mismanaged and very shortsighted. They drove WoH off a cliff. Hyatt must think their customers are stupid. Being retired, I think using Amex FHR or Chase Edit gives me what I need without being a loyalist. Maybe, the new Hyatt CC will offer something worthwhile but I am not counting on it.
@Mantis
Love “Turd Polisher.”
@ docntx — The new Hyatt premium credit card will likely just replace benefits taken from Gloablists with same for $695 per year. Not happening over here, without a massive increase in earnings rate, like 20x for Gloabilsts when paying for Hyatt stays (up from 10.5x now) and 5x on all other spending (up from 1x now) Otherwise, I won’t be going out of my way to book with Hyatt anymore or use their credit card anymore. Even that would become earn and burn situation for us since they are now devaluation thieves just like the others.
After i use my existing points im canceling my hyatt card. When i first joined the program i did so because there was no blackout dates. If there was a room available and you had the points it was yours. Now its impossible to even get a room even a year out at the places we want to go. And even then the basic rooms are gone and i need to spend a ton of points on some arbitrary “view” room that i do not care about. There does not need to be 800 room catagories. There have been a ton of examples in history of companies that thought they were big deals and exploited there customers and then pretty much lost everything. Mark my words hyatt is next. This whole “our customers actually were fine with it” thing is a complete lie. People are pissed