How much would you value Hyatt Diamond?
Feb 26, 2014, 1:06 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
How much would you value Hyatt Diamond?
Theoretically, assuming you today "purchase" Hyatt Diamond status outright without any stays (i.e you had the option to purchase a status match), how much would you pay?
I'm working out a bunch of mattress runs + cash and points runs and I'm not quite sure of the value. I've worked out the absolute value of Hyatt Diamond to be $655, but I'm hesitant on that value too and would hear the opinions from y'all.
*No, hyatt diamond is not purchasable outright but I'm saying purely as a valuation exercise.
Thanks
I'm working out a bunch of mattress runs + cash and points runs and I'm not quite sure of the value. I've worked out the absolute value of Hyatt Diamond to be $655, but I'm hesitant on that value too and would hear the opinions from y'all.
*No, hyatt diamond is not purchasable outright but I'm saying purely as a valuation exercise.
Thanks
Feb 26, 2014, 2:15 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: BKK
Posts: 6,741
It is probably worth about $1000 IMO, similar to Leaders Club unlimited. With my current stay patterns, I would be reluctant to pay anything out of pocket for it. I can already get breakfast, upgrades, and $100 spa or f&b credit at many hotels through FHR, virtuoso etc. At Hyatts that do not participate in these programs, using points to upgrade to suites often gets me the same benefits I used to get with Diamond status.
If I had a lot more stays with Hyatt, I would be willing to make extra stays to hit Diamond, or (hypothetically speaking) pay a certain amount to buy the status.
If I had a lot more stays with Hyatt, I would be willing to make extra stays to hit Diamond, or (hypothetically speaking) pay a certain amount to buy the status.
Last edited by MikeFromTokyo; Feb 26, 2014 at 2:26 am
Feb 26, 2014, 3:02 am
#3
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, Hilton GLD, Marriott Plat, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 2,872
Theoretically, assuming you today "purchase" Hyatt Diamond status outright without any stays (i.e you had the option to purchase a status match), how much would you pay?
I'm working out a bunch of mattress runs + cash and points runs and I'm not quite sure of the value. I've worked out the absolute value of Hyatt Diamond to be $655, but I'm hesitant on that value too and would hear the opinions from y'all.
*No, hyatt diamond is not purchasable outright but I'm saying purely as a valuation exercise.
Thanks
I'm working out a bunch of mattress runs + cash and points runs and I'm not quite sure of the value. I've worked out the absolute value of Hyatt Diamond to be $655, but I'm hesitant on that value too and would hear the opinions from y'all.
*No, hyatt diamond is not purchasable outright but I'm saying purely as a valuation exercise.
Thanks
- How much you value upgrades...
- How much you spend... for purposes of the marginal extra points over the Hyatt Platinum tier from the credit card.
- How much you value breakfast... $10 bowls of oatmeal aren't normally my cup of tea if I'm paying list, so this adds up to a few dollars per night of "value."
Feb 26, 2014, 3:02 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
So forgive the skepticism, but these somewhat ridiculous calculations always make me laugh and annoy me at the same time.... especially when you don't even take the time to provide even a glimpse of your assumptions. But as you probably already know, the value of having status in a program is largely in the eye of the beholder. But for sure it's dependent on the actual use of a program, and therefore there is no one size fits all answer. But since I'll have half an hour to kill before a meeting I'll play.
First the hard benefits:
- Bonus points, both the 30% and the amenity. Enough posts about valuing these without a decent price even for this. Priceless if you don't have any money and need to stay the night. Money saved for pleasure trips when gotten on paid reservations by others. A lot less value when it entices you to stay where you normally wouldn't or pay more than you should. But overall nice to get and somewhat valuable.
- Lounge access/free breakfast, about a $10-50 value for me per night stayed. But more valuable in a decent location and when staying with others.
- Possible upgrades, depending on the locations and duration of the stay. But I would on average value on something like 5-10% of room rate paid, mostly for the savings when I would normally have paid for a better room but now take the chance on getting for free.
- The 4 suite upgrades, also a bit of value there. But again rather dependent on stay pattern and since availability can be hard to find less valuable then it might seem. But for me something of a $250-500 value a year (rather low because in most places I would have stayed in a regular room if I had to pay). But together with the "best non-suite room upgrades" this is probably the most valuable feature of the program for most.
- Late checkout, some value when needed. But since I rarely do need it valued at about one free night for me I guess a year.
- Guaranteed room availability, can be worth a lot when you need it... but I don't.
Then the rest:
- Better treatment and probably a better response to any "complaints", very nice to have but difficult to value.
- My Elite Rate, not specific to Diamonds but they get it anyway. For me valued at about $20 a night on average this year so far.
Tallying it all up, about a $1500-3000 value for me on an average year with about 30-40 nights, >90% for pleasure.
But if I was really honest I could save more by not staying at Hyatt's at most places. I now regularly go for the more expensive option....
So in reality I look at it as a way to spend a little more for my hotels than I normally would, but get a lot of extras for that money that I otherwise wouldn't get or stay at much nicer places that I normally would.
Last edited by RTW1; Feb 26, 2014 at 3:28 am
Feb 26, 2014, 3:35 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Austin, TX, USA
Posts: 283
Five hundo
From my personal experience - I'm not a big breakfast eater, travel for work mainly who pay for everything, and have not received any special rooms for being diamond ... I value the 4 suite upgrades and 4 pm check out at about $500 all-in.
The main reason why is that there are few Hyatts where I want to vacation, and the ones that are in places are typically big convention hotels and not resorts. I also deduct a lot in my valuation because of the scarcity of Hyatts when traveling for business adds an inconvenience factor.
I love the hotels and love what they are doing. But I dropped from Diamond to platinum last year as I split time with SPG properties.
If I paid for my own travel or had a small business this equation might change slightly.
The main reason why is that there are few Hyatts where I want to vacation, and the ones that are in places are typically big convention hotels and not resorts. I also deduct a lot in my valuation because of the scarcity of Hyatts when traveling for business adds an inconvenience factor.
I love the hotels and love what they are doing. But I dropped from Diamond to platinum last year as I split time with SPG properties.
If I paid for my own travel or had a small business this equation might change slightly.
Feb 26, 2014, 5:38 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: 2.4mm++ AA Plat, Hlt Diam, Hyt Globaist, Mrrt Gold, Gold Pts, MilesForDreams.com, etc.. etal..
Posts: 428
I pay for my own travel. Here are my valuations;
Bonus Points - nice but with my credit card spend not a big deal
Lounge/Breakfast - $100 a night (traveling with a family this pays big with snacks and breakfast). Yes you can bet snacks and breakfast for less but realistically we default back to convenience which means $30 per person breakfasts on property - club keeps me out of the restaurants - Travel with the family about 10 nights a year so I will call this $1,000
Suites - $2,000 ++ - Traveling with a family of 5 this keeps me from having to get an extra room. In the case of our Maui stay it is going to save me $1500 just for that stay. Yes you could use points but I prefer to use those for rooms (10 nights a year with family @ $200 a night for second room on average)
Upgrades - I probably get $500 or so a year in upgraded rooms (next level up or suites)
Late check out - $50 that I would spend on tips for the bellman to hold bags
VIP Treatment - Hard to value but they do work hard to attend to items and getting someone on the phone fairly quickly is nice
My total value is about $3,550 per year
As mentioned previously I could save quite a bit by taking whichever Priceline deal comes up however I am tired of jumping around to save $100. I prefer a nice comfortable place that provides overall value from the relationship.
Bonus Points - nice but with my credit card spend not a big deal
Lounge/Breakfast - $100 a night (traveling with a family this pays big with snacks and breakfast). Yes you can bet snacks and breakfast for less but realistically we default back to convenience which means $30 per person breakfasts on property - club keeps me out of the restaurants - Travel with the family about 10 nights a year so I will call this $1,000
Suites - $2,000 ++ - Traveling with a family of 5 this keeps me from having to get an extra room. In the case of our Maui stay it is going to save me $1500 just for that stay. Yes you could use points but I prefer to use those for rooms (10 nights a year with family @ $200 a night for second room on average)
Upgrades - I probably get $500 or so a year in upgraded rooms (next level up or suites)
Late check out - $50 that I would spend on tips for the bellman to hold bags
VIP Treatment - Hard to value but they do work hard to attend to items and getting someone on the phone fairly quickly is nice
My total value is about $3,550 per year
As mentioned previously I could save quite a bit by taking whichever Priceline deal comes up however I am tired of jumping around to save $100. I prefer a nice comfortable place that provides overall value from the relationship.
Feb 26, 2014, 7:26 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NJ
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Fairmont Lifetime Plat, UA Silver, dirt elsewhere
Posts: 46,919
I only place the value on the benefits I would have paid for without status.
I do not value the suite upgrades at all.
Since all of my travel lately is leisure, I'm talking about full ocean front rooms in resort destinations. I would pay for, at least, a partial ocean view which is generally $100 per night more than the least expensive room I buy now.
I also value lounge access at about $30-$50 per day. I generally don't eat very much for breakfast, and will stop in for hors douvres a few times during a stay. I will take water/beverages during the day.
MyEliteRate is nice, and it just saved me $25 per night.
So depending upon how often I'm in a Hyatt property, my valuation differs. This year, I'm probably valuing it at around $3k.
I do not value the suite upgrades at all.
Since all of my travel lately is leisure, I'm talking about full ocean front rooms in resort destinations. I would pay for, at least, a partial ocean view which is generally $100 per night more than the least expensive room I buy now.
I also value lounge access at about $30-$50 per day. I generally don't eat very much for breakfast, and will stop in for hors douvres a few times during a stay. I will take water/beverages during the day.
MyEliteRate is nice, and it just saved me $25 per night.
So depending upon how often I'm in a Hyatt property, my valuation differs. This year, I'm probably valuing it at around $3k.
Feb 26, 2014, 10:13 am
#8
Join Date: May 2008
Location: WAS
Programs: AA Ex Plt
Posts: 1,630
The late checkout and the "vip" service make the few mattress run I make a year well worth the added cost. The vip service manifests itself more outside of the US and that is where it is most appreciated, i.e., while on vacation 
. However, I don't think I could put a price tag on it or set a specific dollar amount. The concierge going across the city to retrieve a pair of glasses was as they say, priceless. Same for the agent that showed me the food stalls around the hotel and made sure everyone knew I was a hotel guest (in other
words, don't rip him off too much
).
Cheers -
. However, I don't think I could put a price tag on it or set a specific dollar amount. The concierge going across the city to retrieve a pair of glasses was as they say, priceless. Same for the agent that showed me the food stalls around the hotel and made sure everyone knew I was a hotel guest (in other words, don't rip him off too much
). Cheers -
Feb 26, 2014, 10:27 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
My value of 655 USD comes from the money I would "pay" for a benefit - so this includes how much I would "pay" for bonus points and free breakfast. I wrote this post here:
[See subsequent post for details.]
You think it's too low? I'm seeing valuations of 4 figures from most of you here.
[See subsequent post for details.]
You think it's too low? I'm seeing valuations of 4 figures from most of you here.
Last edited by peteropny; Feb 26, 2014 at 4:14 pm Reason: Removal of blog link
Feb 26, 2014, 2:43 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: ex-Delta DM (NWA was nice while it lasted), Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 213
Regency clubs - besides using them to pick up a soda or water, what else do they offer these days? And for all the folks raving about the offerings for breakfast or dinner at this or that club, if you are on vacation, do you really want to compete with dozens of folks grabbing at best Costco reheated stuff in most locations? Goodness, I'm on vacation, so I am going out to dinner.
DSU's and full breakfast (especially at PH's) makes this worth it for me, easily.
Feb 26, 2014, 3:39 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: Hyatt diamond
Posts: 645
Based on 70 nights in Category 4,5,6 & 7
1) Breakfast for two taken 80% of time in restaurants: 56x$50 avg= 2,800
2) Suite Upgrades taken in two-room suites 100% of time: 28 daysx$100= 2,800
3) Club privileges: breakfast (14x $20)+day/evening use (50x$10)= 780
4) Points: 30%+1k amenity= 720
--------
Total: $ 7,100
1) Breakfast for two taken 80% of time in restaurants: 56x$50 avg= 2,800
2) Suite Upgrades taken in two-room suites 100% of time: 28 daysx$100= 2,800
3) Club privileges: breakfast (14x $20)+day/evening use (50x$10)= 780
4) Points: 30%+1k amenity= 720
--------
Total: $ 7,100
Feb 26, 2014, 4:09 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
Here's my valuation, which is much much more conservative. I'll explain why later on, but let me give you some values first:
Achieve rewards even faster with a 30% point bonus when choosing points
I very conservatively value Hyatt points at 1.15 cents, which conservatively places a value of $345 on how much I would be willing to pay for the 30,000 point Park Hyatts of the world, which seems reasonable to me. The only difference is that I'm fairly sure that my spend would be much, much lower. I'm estimating that I'm spending around $3000 to complete the challenge. It seems very high I'm sure, but given that I'd be burning points if I didn't pay the cash rate and that points are worth something too, I'm sure (or I hope!) that the actual spend from foregoing other brands and points stays will result in a much lower "pure" cost to achieve Diamond status.
I'm almost 100% sure that after completing the challenge I'll have another 5-10 stays/nights at Hyatts, given my crazy burning of points given all the devaluations this year. At $270 on average per night (since I do a lot of FHR stays), that's an additional 6,095 points. At 1.15 cents, this is worth around $90 to me.
Enjoy the best room available upon arrival, excluding suites
$50, because on FHR rates and/or with other elite statuses which I can acquire and maintain for free also have some sort of an upgrade. I do understand that top-tier status is always better than mid/top-tier status that's essentially given away but I don't value that honestly. Maybe once in a while I'll get an incredible upgrade, but outside of that, I wouldn't value this as more than $50.
Receive exclusive access to the Regency Club or Grand Club lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy daily complimentary full breakfast in hotels without a club lounge
I'm cheap. So I would value the regency club at fast food (or slightly above that) prices and breakfast prices at starbucks prices for coffee and a pastry, because that's what I would actually pay. If I did a Diamond challenge that would mean 12 nights with at least another ~8 paid stays during the qualification period. Or maybe I wouldn't have any more paid stays but I'd have 8 award stays. In any case, in total this benefit for me is worth $160.
Treat yourself to a suite upgrade at the time of reservation four times annually on eligible paid nights
I actually don't value extra space that much. Maybe it's because I'm young, or I don't have a lot of stuff and I don't need a lot of space, but to me each night in a suite if I had to pay for it would be worth around $15 per night, which might be super low, but that's what I would pay if I was given the option to upgrade at a hotel like the Andaz West Hollywood from a standard room to a suite. At 16 nights, that's worth $240.
Receive a special welcome point bonus or food and beverage amenity during each stay
1,000 points times 10 guaranteed stays (20 nights) at 1.15 cents is worth $115 for me.
Receive a nightly room refresh
Negligible. I place no value on this benefit.
Receive the confirmed bed type at check-in
Negligible. I sleep as well on any bed as long as it is wider than a first class bed and is a real mattress
Stay connected with complimentary in-room Internet access
Negligible. I can get internet from most other chains and I'm sure many non-chain hotels would offer this for free.
Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members
Negligible.
Ensure a room is always available with our 48-hour guarantee
Negligible. I would never pay rack rate for a room and I definitely have no need to.
Extend your stay until 4:00 p.m. with a late check out request
Negligible. AMEX FHR and Virtuoso rates have this as well as elite status from the other loyalty programs.
Book reservations through an exclusive Diamond line
Negligible.
Achieve rewards even faster with a 30% point bonus when choosing points
I very conservatively value Hyatt points at 1.15 cents, which conservatively places a value of $345 on how much I would be willing to pay for the 30,000 point Park Hyatts of the world, which seems reasonable to me. The only difference is that I'm fairly sure that my spend would be much, much lower. I'm estimating that I'm spending around $3000 to complete the challenge. It seems very high I'm sure, but given that I'd be burning points if I didn't pay the cash rate and that points are worth something too, I'm sure (or I hope!) that the actual spend from foregoing other brands and points stays will result in a much lower "pure" cost to achieve Diamond status.
I'm almost 100% sure that after completing the challenge I'll have another 5-10 stays/nights at Hyatts, given my crazy burning of points given all the devaluations this year. At $270 on average per night (since I do a lot of FHR stays), that's an additional 6,095 points. At 1.15 cents, this is worth around $90 to me.
Enjoy the best room available upon arrival, excluding suites
$50, because on FHR rates and/or with other elite statuses which I can acquire and maintain for free also have some sort of an upgrade. I do understand that top-tier status is always better than mid/top-tier status that's essentially given away but I don't value that honestly. Maybe once in a while I'll get an incredible upgrade, but outside of that, I wouldn't value this as more than $50.
Receive exclusive access to the Regency Club or Grand Club lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres. Enjoy daily complimentary full breakfast in hotels without a club lounge
I'm cheap. So I would value the regency club at fast food (or slightly above that) prices and breakfast prices at starbucks prices for coffee and a pastry, because that's what I would actually pay. If I did a Diamond challenge that would mean 12 nights with at least another ~8 paid stays during the qualification period. Or maybe I wouldn't have any more paid stays but I'd have 8 award stays. In any case, in total this benefit for me is worth $160.
Treat yourself to a suite upgrade at the time of reservation four times annually on eligible paid nights
I actually don't value extra space that much. Maybe it's because I'm young, or I don't have a lot of stuff and I don't need a lot of space, but to me each night in a suite if I had to pay for it would be worth around $15 per night, which might be super low, but that's what I would pay if I was given the option to upgrade at a hotel like the Andaz West Hollywood from a standard room to a suite. At 16 nights, that's worth $240.
Receive a special welcome point bonus or food and beverage amenity during each stay
1,000 points times 10 guaranteed stays (20 nights) at 1.15 cents is worth $115 for me.
Receive a nightly room refresh
Negligible. I place no value on this benefit.
Receive the confirmed bed type at check-in
Negligible. I sleep as well on any bed as long as it is wider than a first class bed and is a real mattress
Stay connected with complimentary in-room Internet access
Negligible. I can get internet from most other chains and I'm sure many non-chain hotels would offer this for free.
Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members
Negligible.
Ensure a room is always available with our 48-hour guarantee
Negligible. I would never pay rack rate for a room and I definitely have no need to.
Extend your stay until 4:00 p.m. with a late check out request
Negligible. AMEX FHR and Virtuoso rates have this as well as elite status from the other loyalty programs.
Book reservations through an exclusive Diamond line
Negligible.
