Announcement: Gold Passport Hotel Award Category Upgrades (Changes til 9/2/10)

musikdude · Apr 28, 10, 11:57 pm

Not required after merge

Gold Passport Concierge · Apr 29, 10, 12:03 am

Dear Flyer Talk Members,

As you begin to plan your travel for summer and beyond, I wanted you to be the first Hyatt Gold Passport members to learn about some upcoming changes to the Hyatt Gold Passport Award Chart.

On June 4, 2010, the Hyatt Gold Passport Award Chart will change. Rest assured, we will continue to make redemption as easy as possible with no blackout dates. If we have a standard room available at any location on any day of the year, you’re more than welcome to reserve it with your Hyatt Gold Passport points.

Likewise, all existing award categories and their current point levels will not change. However, we will introduce a new Category 6, which will require 22,000 points and include only 20 properties in cities such as Moscow, Tokyo, Paris and New York.

Further, we will redistribute our hotels across the six award categories. This shift will include 65 hotels moving to a lower category and 89 hotels moving to a higher category (including the 20 that will move to Category 6).

In addition, existing award reservations for stays subsequent to June 4th will receive a refund for the point difference if the hotel moved to a lower category. We will also allow award reservations made by June 4th to be modified by September 2nd under the terms of the original award chart.

Additional details and a list of Frequently Asked Questions, will be posted on goldpassport.com on Thursday, April 29th U.S. CDT. We will notify you when the information is available on goldpassport.com.

We appreciate your continued support of Hyatt Gold Passport and look forward to welcoming you again very soon.

Warmest regards,

Karen Smith

Edit by peteropny - the new award chart can be found at http://goldpassport.hyatt.com/gp/en/...soon_cat_6.jsp (along with tabs for other categories).

JonathanIT · Apr 29, 10, 12:08 am

Wow, this is big. Let me digest. I'm still in shock.

I was just discussing with another member recently that we were in for a point devaluation... I just wasn't expecting it so soon!

darrenhe · Apr 29, 10, 12:14 am

The details aren't out yet, but this is a devaluation.

The honeymoon with Gold Passport is over...back to reality.

musikdude · Apr 29, 10, 12:15 am

What can you do??

Things change in life, hopefully this won't be as ugly as the HHonors changes from Jan.

kuponuts · Apr 29, 10, 12:16 am

Moving Tokyo, Moscow, Paris and New York to a cat 6 sounds fair... I am guessing most PH will also move to cat 6?

I am also guessing the 20 hotels that are moving to a lower category will be mostly US properties, and the hotels that are moving to a higher category will be mostly overseas properties.

I just hope the point change won't be too big. If this is the only change for the next few years, I think I can still swallow it.

musikdude · Apr 29, 10, 12:19 am

Just saw Karen's annoucement..I really enjoyed my 3 minutes of "nah, it probably won't be that bad" feeling

That feeling is gone now

JonathanIT · Apr 29, 10, 12:21 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gold Passport Concierge

Likewise, all existing award categories and their current point levels will not change. However, we will introduce a new Category 6, which will require 22,000 points and include only 20 properties in cities such as Moscow, Tokyo, Paris and New York.

It's not all bad news... I just counted 28 properties that are currently Category 5. Which means that eight properties will be left behind and not make it into the new Category 6, remaining at the same 18,000 pt redemption level.

Any guesses as to which properties won't make the cut?

Right off the bat I will say the Hotel Victor in Miami simply because it's future is in doubt. Also the new Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad isn't listed yet at all. Part of the new elite 20? (which leaves room for one more from the list to be left behind)

crystak · Apr 29, 10, 12:25 am

Bye bye GH Bali

. We've all been expecting this, I just hope it won't be too bad.

darrenhe · Apr 29, 10, 12:27 am

I'd think many of the Andazes will not make it. On average, they are not at the Park Hyatt level. I'd always thought that Hyatt would need to add a level to distinguish between Park and Andaz....just hoped it wouldn't be this soon...

I'm surprised that the New York properties will be moved to category 6. The Andaz Wall Street can be booked for about $200 (weekends), unless they are referring to the new Andazes there.

The Hyatt Regency Aruba is a category 4, but its rates make it worth of category 6. The Park Washington that I stay at regularly will surely be bumped to 6. Any other guessers?

Edit: At least the new credit card will lead to some new points flooding that will soften the blow.

m0hamed · Apr 29, 10, 12:30 am

I don't see the big deal. SPG move properties up and down every year. As above I have found it strange that redemptions at the Park Hyatt level as the same as an Andaz.

Hyatt GP is still far superior to SPG.

musikdude · Apr 29, 10, 12:30 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by darrenhe

I'd think many of the Andazes will not make it. On average, they are not at the Park Hyatt level. I'd always thought that Hyatt would need to add a level to distinguish between Park and Andaz....just hoped it wouldn't be this soon...

I'm surprised that the New York properties will be moved to category 6. The Andaz Wall Street can be booked for about $200 (weekends), unless they are referring to the new Andazes there.

The Hyatt Regency Aruba is a category 4, but its rates make it worth of category 6. The Park Washington that I stay at regularly will surely be bumped to 6. Any other guessers?

Edit: At least the new credit card will lead to some new points flooding that will soften the blow.

I predict the Andaz ones will stay 5 for sure as well as the HR Kiev, HR Paris and HR London Churchill. Hopefully Highlands Inn will stay at 5 as well.

Hope the HR Vancouver stays at level 2. I think that is an AMAZING deal, especially in summer. I just know it will windup at 3 (I can feel it...)

WBurcham · Apr 29, 10, 12:31 am

*sigh* oh well. Time to burn some points (proactively) for EZE.

darrenhe · Apr 29, 10, 12:34 am

I'd wager that Karen had the announcement ready, but a technical glitch on the famous Hyatt website led to your post, and thus her quick post to quell the spread of rumors.

attorney28 · Apr 29, 10, 12:45 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuponuts

I am also guessing the 20 hotels that are moving to a lower category will be mostly US properties, and the hotels that are moving to a higher category will be mostly overseas properties.

Quote:

Originally Posted by darrenhe

Edit: At least the new credit card will lead to some new points flooding that will soften the blow.

Hyatt will really need to think about how to address what this means for the international, especially European members of the Gold Passport program. Unless they want to lose us, they will need to offer us more targeted "stays count double" promotions or something like that - think about it, in our region, there are a lot fewer hotels which makes it much harder to requalify, plus, the few hotels that are there are a lot more expensive (e.g., no Hyatt Place), both on paid stays and many more points are required, PLUS U.S. members will be able to collect points much more easily with the new credit card, which skews the picture even more to the European members' disadvantage.