I give Marriott a hard time about their failure to enforce elite benefits at their properties. They actually offer a benefits guarantee backed by cash – in theory – but in practice Marriott’s customer service will usually parrot whatever a hotel tells them and then say all they can do is pass concerns along to the hotel.
While I find Hyatt’s elite benefits much stronger – especially the ability to confirm suite upgrades at the time of booking, along with breakfast benefit that is well-defined (to include an entree, coffee and juice, and covering tax and gratuity) and late check-out that’s usually proactively offered rather than denied – customer service doesn’t always do a good job at keeping properties in line.
A reader was checking into the Hyatt Union Square and asked prior to arrival about possible suite upgrades. They were told:
- A standard suite was available
- It would be provided if they wanted to use a confirmed suite upgrade
- But they would not honor a complimentary elite upgrade to a suite.
Hello Mr. […], yes we do have the Empyreal Suite available for your stay but you would need to apply a suite upgrade award for that suite.
Hyatt Union Square
They sought help from Hyatt, but were told the hotel can do as it pleases:
We would have to follow the hotel’s decisions when honoring upgrades for guests. Again, I am sorry. I can certainly place an upgrade request on your reservation, but again, this would be at the hotels discretion. The only way to secure this for you at this time, would be to use an award.
Pushing back further that the program’s terms and conditions entitle Globalist members to a standard suite if available at time of check-in for the length of their stay, they were told no dice:
The awards are there because they are necessary. Without an award securing the suite, this would not be an option at this time as the hotel has stated, […]. We will need to follow the words by the hotel and use the award, if wanting to guarantee the upgrade. At this time, the hotel has provided their answer and this is final. We would not have the power to overrule the hotel. Again, I am sorry for any confusion there might have been.
They followed up with their concierge and were told that upgrades are at the discretion of the hotel.
Now, to be clear, the hotel does not have to provide a customer an upgrade in advance of check-in. And they prioritize upgrades across Gloablists and Lifetime Globalists. A suite for sale doesn’t mean it’ll go to a particular member. Here the suite was available, and offered to confirm in advance, but the member was told the hotel would not provide it as a complimentary upgrade even if it was available at check-in for the length of their stay.
Hotels have misunderstandings and need correction. Benefits need enforcement. The problem here is lack of enforcement where Hyatt stonewalls the customer and tells them the hotel can do as it pleases, rather than recognizing that the hotel is blatantly declaring an intention not to follow the rules of the program, and in fact failing to follow those rules.
If benefits aren’t delivered, they aren’t valuable, and won’t serve as a motivator for guests to chose the brands.
I am impressed with something from Hyatt here, however – it appears that this member’s concierge replied in less than a day. Mine generally takes 3-5, and I don’t remember how many years it’s been since I’ve received a same day response. Subpar service from Hyatt concierges was the number one top elite concern with the program expressed at a meeting with Mark Vondrasek and Amy Weinberg 15 months ago but I haven’t seen improvement.
The Hyatt Union Square is a franchised property, operated by HHM Hotels. You may want to look at avoiding their other hotels: https://www.hospitalityonline.com/hhm/locations
With Hyatt moving more and more toward franchising, it’s no surprise that Hyatt won’t enforce standards. Look at club lounges. Hyatt Regencies almost never have one anymore even though it’s supposed to be a brand standard.
As bad as Marriott is, at least some benefits have nominal cash compensation. The problem is not all benefits come with compensation.
I would be annoyed too but the hotel did provide the member an option if they wanted the suite upgrade. If these offenses by specific properties are so aggregious, stop staying. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Nowadays it seems like so many elite members are complaining but still providing revenue to the offender. Stop. There are other options out there, use them. Complain with your wallet/purse, then maybe these properties and loyalty programs will learn.
Hyatt Union Square is an excellent hotel. I used to stay there for work. (Now I live in Manhattan full time.)
I really don’t care to read any more articles about hotels of any brand denying upgrades, breakfast, what have you. We can all blame Marriott or whomever for starting the trend, but it’s a clear trend now, it cuts across brand lines, and there’s no going back. Hotels are increasingly franchised by greedy owners in capitalist America who wouldn’t know true hospitality if it were a rod that were implanted permanently in their posterior. Hotel guests of the current generation have long forgotten, if they ever knew, what it meant to be a loyal customer. The bottom line is the bottom line.
A good hotel is one that provides a clean, quiet room and one that has service staff that both appear and actually are polite, patient, and receptive to questions and requests.
Hotel elite benefits will not exist in 30 years.
Welcome to 2025. Abuse of power is the new normal (maybe always has been). We, the people, don’t have to put up with this, yet many of us will anyway. If a particular hotel is not honoring benefits, let’s name and shame them so they feel the pain. Sure, it would be better if these companies were honorable, but folks, this ain’t Japan, and no one is coming to save us. Sure, also, it’d be swell if our courts and regulators had a spine, because maybe then, someone might protect us. But, nope, we gave away all power, and the only remaining leverage we have is boycotting, which only works in the aggregate, and there will be some of us scab or shill for them anyway. This is probably why some right-wingers on here hate unions, because when the people get together and actually fight for better for themselves and others, that cuts back on the abuse of power by these oligarchs and their enablers and mercenaries. Wake up!
I certainly want to read about these denials since I choose to stay at Hyatt PRECISELY because of their published benefits which, should not be at discretion of hotel — either the benefits are honored or Hyatt is breaking its implied contract with its members.
Keep on Gary!
why are you taking the side of a Globalist who is complaining about requesting in advance of arrival for a free suite upgrade? the hotel’s response is 100% correct – if you want to secure a suite in advance of arrival, use a suite upgrade award. the Globalist here is attempting to game the system by queue jumping for the free suite upgrade when that available suite, should it still be available on check-in day, is to be correctly allocated as a free upgrade to an arriving Globalist based upon hotel discretion. Maybe the available suite has a 4pm checkout and the hotel knows a Globalist & past guest is arriving at 8pm. They are well within their rights to deny it to a beggar globalist in advance & to him if he arrives at 4pm.
I have a different read on this. The guy should have just used his cert if he wanted the upgrade. Why did he even bother calling in advance?!
Hey Listen,
You’re not listening. Read the article again. What you described is not what happened.
@ Gary — Simple solution is to stay elsewhere. I don’t even consider Hyatts in Manhattan as an option. I’ll take IC or Conrad over any of the stingy Manhattan Hyatts every time. Resorts World JFK and the Hyatt Jersey City are fine for one or two nights, as long as you don’t need to go into Manhattan.
I’ve been told the same thing by my concierge–that day-of upgrades to open suites are not something hotels have to honor.
@ 1990 – I’d rather stay home with my spouse and cat in my mansion anyway.
As I’ve said before…. Hyatt sucks. Avoid at all costs.
As a frequent business traveler I have witnessed customers being denied upgrades as I check in and overhear the conversations. Nine times out of ten when I see a customer denied a free upgrade it is because the guest is rude and demanding. I would deny them too.
Wake up and act like a polite adult and perhaps you will be offered better service and upgrades.
@ David Read — It is amazing what being nice will do. I’ve been denied the upgrade at check-in, told them thank you anyway, and amazingly they then have an upgrade. They deal with jerks all day, so I guess the upgrade goes to someone who is kind to them. That is how the world should work!
Yes, I love VFTW, but it’s tiresome to see so many examples of hotels fighting with their best customers.
Who wants breakfast at the Rio anyway? Better yet why stay there? I’d see Penn &Teller then leave. Too many better properties in a city with 175,000 hotel rooms.
As soon as you see the Indian-isms like saying “the words by the hotel” instead of “the hotel’s decision” and constantly using “we would” to mean “we are,” demand to speak to a fluent English speaker based in the U.S. As long as this is put off to third-worlders who are unable to comprehend concepts of law and rules, nothing will change.
As a Globalist I don’t have any problem with this. There is currently a suite open – if you want it guaranteed, use your certificate. All day of check-in upgrades are crapshoots, even more so than airline upgrades. The latter follow a defined policy, while hotel same day upgrades are logically at the discretion of management, regardless of the official rules. Maybe they’ll give it to the Globalist who stays with them repeatedly, maybe there’s a group staying there and they want to upgrade the person who booked a dozen rooms to thank them and give them a place to organize, maybe they’ll offer it up as a paid upgrade to the first taker, maybe they’ll leave it open to keep housekeeping costs lower, maybe the manager just wants to use it for a hook up. The possibilities are endless, some legit, some not, but bottom line a space available upgrade doesn’t mean “is there inventory at check-in”, it means “does the hotel have no other purpose for it over the course of your stay”. As a Globalist, I do expect an upgrade to higher room categories when the hotel is not sold out, but I don’t expect to be upgraded to a suite just because it’s sellable.