Hyatt Gold Passport - Upgrades on FFN and/or Award stays?

I was just wondering what benefits a Diamond receives when staying on FFN and/or Award stay? I'll be staying at the Hyatt in Maui for a couple of nights, anybody have any experience with that particular property?

Thanks.

For certain, none at the GHHK. I think only once have I gotten a harbourview room on FFNs or points. This last time, I didn't even get the fruit!

And forget about GC access, even if you pay for the room.

For compliant properties - yes you get all Diamond benefits on every stay.

This is a great perk of the Hyatt Diamond program. ^ According to the rules yes you are still entitled to your perks for being loyal. In fact, even if you are paying a discounted rate, or a Priceline rate, you still get the perks. I like how Hyatt makes you feel appreciated for being loyal, most other loyalty programs have a policy that unless you pay enough, you do not get your loyalty perks. Sort of a slap in the face I would say.

As far as GH Hong Kong, they do not roll out the carpet for Diamonds, even when you pay a regular rate. It is a beautiful hotel, but as a Diamond, I go there expecting nothing, and often choose other hotels in the area.

I was just wondering what benefits a Diamond receives when staying on FFN and/or Award stay? I'll be staying at the Hyatt in Maui for a couple of nights, anybody have any experience with that particular property?

Thanks.

I'll be interested in your treatment at this property as I will be there in mid-Nov with one paid + 2 FFN nights. While I don't need (or really want) a suite, I'd love to have an ocean view and access to the RC.

As for other properties and FFN's I believe most Hyatts are pretty good about Diamond benefits. Last year on a FFN at the Hyatt Churchill, I was given a beautiful suite with a terrace overlooking Portman Sq, a large fruit plate and a nice bottle of wine as well as access to the RC-- too bad I was only there for one night!

I was just wondering what benefits a Diamond receives when staying on FFN and/or Award stay? I'll be staying at the Hyatt in Maui for a couple of nights, anybody have any experience with that particular property?

Thanks.

Maui is known for being unpredictable, as has been beat to death in prior threads if you want to look for all the details. High rise building with limited Regency Club floor. The official line is fire code limits how many people get club access, and who knows its probably true. Some Diamonds have gotten free breakfast certs instead and prefer them.

Room upgrades are even less predictable and range from nothing with a view of the parking lot to fabulous. If the hotel is busy you should be emotionally prepared not to get an upgrade. I've been back once since Diamond and did not receive an upgrade despite much effort by the desk clerk to do better. It was a highly booked week, and I suppose the two company conventions sucked up the best stuff for their executives and meeting planners.

The first room was bad enough I was prepared to change to another island rather than continue to burn FFN's, but they found something with a bit of a view if not extrordinary the next day. If receiving the Diamond treatment is important to you Kauai is a better bet, but the snorkling is better on Maui.

I've been very lucky. Upgraded every single time at resorts, sometimes when the hotel is sold out. This is when using stay certificates, awards and FFN.

When we stayed in Maui in Nov 2 years ago we were upgraded to ocean front on the RC floor. We were using stay certifcates + 1 award night.

I can't complain about my treatment. (fingers crossed)

I was just wondering what benefits a Diamond receives when staying on FFN and/or Award stay? I'll be staying at the Hyatt in Maui for a couple of nights, anybody have any experience with that particular property?

Thanks.

Here are some notes we posted previously from our stay last December as Diamond members in Maui the week before Christmas (12/2004) - probably more information than you need but here it is:

Checkin

Our stay was a combination of FFNs and points and we used the 18k point option several of the nights to guarantee Regency Club (which may have been unnecesary). We arrived mid-afternoon for checkin and immediately received our flower and shell leis. I made sure to show the front desk staff my Diamond card hoping for a nice room and mentioned that the 18k point nights should guarantee Regency Club and at least a partial ocean view for those nights. He said no problem, assigned us to floor 19 of the Atrium tower and coded our cards for the Regency Club.

We went up to our room and were a little disappointed to find it was 1. right next to a very loud ice machine and 2. the only way you could see the partial ocean view was by leaning over the railing on the balconey. We went back downstairs and talked to someone else at the front who appeared to be a manager or something. She apologized for the first room and went in the back to try to find a better one for us. While she was in back, someone else came out and asked us if we wanted to upgrade to a suite that had just opened for $200 more per night. We decided to pass on this (since we were using free nights for this stay anyways) and the manager came back with our new room - still on the 19th floor. She said it was a "strange shaped" room but that since we were both thin she thought we would fit - sounded a little odd but we thanked her and said we would check it out.

The Room

When we arrived at the room we opened the door to a beatiful corner room with a double ocean view through each of the two balconies. We weren't as close to the water as the ocean front rooms in the non-Atrium towers but we loved the room and the view was breathtaking. The room was an odd V shape with a thin bathroom but it was a very nice size and almost felt like two rooms because of the shape (it was about the size of the park suite they usually give us in the LA and SF Park Hyatts). One half of the V was the entry way with a counter and mini bar and a sitting room with a pull out sofa and desk. The other half of the V was a king size bed, the closet and bathroom. A dresser with tv on top was at the point of the V.

Welcome Amenity

At checkin we were given a card to select our amenity and we chose the fruit basket and mineral water and told them they could bring it up immediately. When it hadn't arrived 6 hours later, I called down to the front desk and he said he would look into it and have it sent right up. We figured in the room change maybe it ended up at the first room we were assigned. It arrived about 2 hour later and was a nice basket of apples, oranges, bananas, kiwi and a small jar of macademia nuts. It was very nice but I was a little surprised it didn't include any of the wonderful local fruits (maybe it's too hard for guests to open their own papayas and pineapples).

Regency Club

The Regency Club is on the top floor (22) of the Atrium Tower. We were told at checkin that usually the 21st and 22nd floors were the Regency Club floors but that around the holidays they expanded them to 19, 20, 21 and 22. We didn't need our key to get to our room on 19 but we did need the key to get to 22 for the Regency Club.

The first few days of our stay the hotel and Regency Club were completely deserted, but by the 19th or 20th they were starting to fill up. The Regency Club has one large room in the middle and two smaller rooms on each side with 4 balconeys each with a table for two (where we had the most beautiful breakfasts each day). The food included:

6:30am - 10am Continential Breakfast
-One hot item starting the 19th (waffles, french toast, apple crepes, cheese blintz, etc.)
-Hot Oatmeal
-Cereals
-Breads, English Muffins & Bagels with a toaster
-Crossoiants, pastries, muffins
-Coffee Machine, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Milk, Water, 2 Juices (Orange plus either Pineapple or Guava)
-Fruit platter (pineapple, papaya, honeydew, cantelope, grapes, strawberries)

11:30am - 4:00pm Light Snacks and Refreshments
-Cookies (different variety each day: chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisen, white chocolate macadamea nut)
-sodas (pepsi/diet, sierra mist, ginger ale) and water

5pm - 7pm Hors d'oeuvres and Cocktails
-One hot item (fried coconut shrimp, potstickers, pasta, etc.)
-Cheeses and crackers
-munchies (tarrot chips, potato chips, snack mix, etc.)
-vegetable platter
-cookies from earlier in the day
-sodas, water, and cocktails

Swan Court Breakfast

About half way through the trip, we had a craving for some protein in the morning so we skipped the Regency Club breakfast one day and tried the Swan Court Breakfast. We were given a table right on the water with a great view of the swans. The buffet was very nice with all the usual Hyatt buffet items and more. In addition to the usual contintial items we had the other days in the RC, they had an omelate bar, bacon, sausage, eggs benedict, apple crepes, and even miso soup and rice.

Parking

Valet parking is available for $10 per day and ample self parking is available for free. We planned on just self parking for the week but the valet asked me if we wanted to valet park the first day or two for free to try it out while we were settling in then decide if we wanted to continue valeting. We thought this was very nice of him to offer and took him up on it - unfortunately at check out they said he wasn't allowed to do this and it was a minor hassle getting the charges removed for the first day (I wouldn't have minded paying the $10 - it just took away a little of the goodwill of telling us we could try it out for free a couple of days).

The Grounds

Overall we thought the grounds were as nice as any other property on Maui (I'm sure we'd get an argument from someone though). The hotel itself isn't particularly luxurious (Four Seasons, Grand Wailea, and Ritz Carlton are all more of the marble and gold gilding) but between the beautiful vegetation, fountains and waterfalls everywhere and amazing birds we liked it better than any of the other resorts. You could spend days just exploring the grounds (which we did).

Overall impression

Other than a few service snags here and there, overall we had a fantastic time and definitely recommend staying here especially with the room we ended up in. Regency Club is worth getting if at all possible both for the saved food costs as well as the peaceful pretty breakfasts (it was well worth the stomachaches from eating too many cookies later in the day). While not as luxurious as some of the other resorts especially in Wailea, it wasn't as crowded as some of them and we personally prefer Lahaina (since Wailea is more like going to Newport Beach).

I'm just back from a 2 night FFN stay here and have to report that as a Diamond I was treated well. I had not stayed here (or in Maui) before, and from some of the other comments I wasn't what to expect.
I drove up around 4pm and could find no available spots in the self parking near the front enterance, so I was directed to the rear/Luau parking where I finally found one. Check in went very smoothly and I was given room 2132 in the Main building with RC access. For my amenity I took the vodka & choclates and asked for them to be sent right up. My room was fine, partial ocean view (if you leaned out the balcony -- that is), but considering it was free I was not going to complain. After walking around the grounds a bit, I went up to the RC and found it very nice, not particiulary large-- but comfortable. Food was OK, with one hot dish, a salad and other finger food (cheeses, veggies, chips/nuts etc). What was nice was the hostess's bartending skills-- I had a very tasty mango martini :D , and saw others imbibing in various exotic coctails whipped up by them. Back to my room around 7:30, still no amenity-- I called down & was told it would be right up.
Went back out, walked around the lobby area (there's a branch of MACY's, right in the lobby) then outside for a bite to eat. Back in my room, I found my amenity and turned in for the night.
Next am, I was up at 6, and went to breakfast at the RC, where, as stated there was a nice spread laid out. Then I got in my car for a drive 'on the road to Hana' (and yes the 54 mile drive does take 2 1/2-3 hrs each way :eek: :eek: ). Back at the Hyatt later in the day, I explored the grounds a bit more, stopped back up at the RC, then proceed to check out around 7:30pm for my flight back to the mainland. At check out my entire bill was $12.11! Apparently I was not charged for 800#'s, nor the resort fee. Also the desk clerk noted that I should have been checking out the next day, I mentioned my 2 day res due to my late flight out, and he told me I should have just booked one day and requested very late check out :cool: . But as I wasn't paying anyone, it didn't matter to me.
All in all, a nice stay, although I wasn't overly enamoured of Maui, and do prefer Kauai (and their Hyatt).

I got the mother of all upgrades in Kauai on 6 FFN - to the one bedroom suite.

I posted a thread with links in case you'd like to see the pictures of it.

Re: Maui vs. Kauai - Hands down Kauai. What a gorgeous property and they treat their diamonds VERY well ^^