Tag Archives for hyatt.
The biggest return on credit card spending is earning a card’s initial bonus. After that it’s either benefits that may be earned at specific thresholds on a card, or earning more than one mile per dollar on specific categories of spending. For me it’s about earning the elite benefits I care about, and some special perks on top that let me travel with my family more than I otherwise would.
They’ve tried to grow through strategic partnerships with MGM and SLH hotels, and through acquisitions such as Two Roads Hospitality which has given them Alila, Destination Hotels, Joie de Vivre and Thompson Hotels (as well as the nascent tommie brand).
Hyatt has actually tried and failed at other acquisitions. They were in the running for Starwood, probably even offering more money than Marriott, but their complicated stock structure (the Pritzker family retains outsized control) got in the way. Hyatt tried at the last minute to acquire NH Hotels but that door was already shut. They were also a bidder for Kimpton, but IHG beat them out by $100 million. (Hyatt was right not to overpay the way IHG did.)
A hotel program books your room on points. They take the liability on their books for your point balance, and use it to pay the hotel.
Since hotels are mostly independently owned, they need to get real cash from the chain for your stay. Hotels actually benefit by filling unsold rooms with reward night guests, getting revenue from the loyalty program for a room that would have sat empty.
I don’t have an issue with limited-participation hotels, and it makes sense for timeshare hotels not to offer complimentary breakfast as an elite benefit. However it’s not really fair to say that Hyatt is growing and delivering more value to members by adding hotels where redemption is not possible.
And I think we can assume that moving five Destination Hotels into category 8 is just the beginning. We’ll eventually see more at the inflated 40,000 points per night level.
Hyatt’s ‘soft brand’ – the umbrella for independent hotels to join Hyatt without matching specific brand standards – is called “Unbound Collection.” The chain is offering double elite qualifying nights for stays at Unbound Collection hotels through end of year. (Registration required.)
There are 20 Unbound Collection properties.
The Hyatt Centric Waikiki says they have ‘fewer than 20’ standard rooms, which means that less than 9% of their rooms are standard rooms and eligible for World of Hyatt redemption. However I couldn’t find a single date where they were making rooms available at all.
I reached out to Hyatt to see whether the property was in compliance with program rules for making standard rooms available on points whenever they were offered on cash. I also asked whether Hyatt has rules for any minimum percentage of rooms that must be considered standard?
Hyatt launched their earning and redemption partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World a year ago. Initially they only brought about 10% of SLH’s 500+ properties into their portfolio.
Now they’re up to 250 of the roughly 500 SLH Hotels participating in World of Hyatt, including some amazing places to spend your Hyatt (or Chase) points.
World Of Hyatt Credit Card cardmembers (and those with the legacy Hyatt Credit Card) can receive a $50 statement credit for spending $300 or more directly with a Hyatt Place or Hyatt House property in the U.S. and Canada between October 1, 2019 and January 5, 2020. Registration required by November 30.
The six things I had to consider and three extra steps I had to take to book an upcoming trip to Paris with my wife and young daughter.
Hyatt is out with double points – triple for Hyatt Place properties – starting with your second stay. There are at least 5 different limited-time offers that this new promotion stacks with.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
