NJUPINTHEAIR

I think I have figured out a way to earn Gold Passport credit for Travelzoo rates. This method should work as you are booking directly on Hyatt.com and you are NOT using the Travelzoo rate code of TVL.....


Here goes. This summer, I was looking at the Travelzoo rates for the Grand Hyatt DC and after going through the link, I decided to double back -- since I was now on the Hyatt booking page -- to the home page of the Grand Hyatt DC.

Once I was on that first page -- and this is key -- I pressed the link on the first page named "Special Offers" on the upper left of the home page.

Now many of you might not know that one finds various special offers that the hotel offers during a given time period in addition to the national offers such as the BREAKF promotions using the AAA rate.

In any event, by doing so, there was a special offer entitled "LIMITED TIME OFFER." By pressing that link, you are brought to a Hyatt booking page with the terms and conditions of that special offer. And you know what?

Those terms and conditions -- such as operative dates, price, etc. -- are identical (as far as I can tell) to the terms and conditions of the Travelzoo offers, except for one salient point -- THEY DO NOT REQUIRE THE "TVL" BOOKING CODE IN THE SPECIAL OFFERS BOX THAT DENOTES A TRAVELZOO RATE.

Instead, each hotel utilizes the same GROUP/CORPORATE # -- 13147 in that designated box for the booking process. Tellingly, as noted above -- the offer is not designated as a Travelzoo rate with a rate code in the Special Offer box.

Moreover, since this rate is actually listed on the Hyatt.com website for the applicable hotel, and since it is booked through Hyatt.com with a different rate code in the group/corporate rate box, and since it is not limited to a certain class of people, and since anyone could stumble over it and "find" it on Hyatt.com independent of any knowledge of the same mirror Travelzoo rate, then it should pass muster of the Hyatt police as a rate that would earn stay/points and FFN credit.

Ahh, but you say that Travelzoo might actually be the group/corporate holder of rate code # 13147. That may be true (or not, I have no idea), but nothing using this rate code gives any hint of that, nor do the terms and coditions of this rate code indicate in any way, shape or form that you would not earn applicable Gold Passport credit.

Now, I have not personally benefited from this, for the weekends I tried to book the rate with the Grand Hyatt DC, there was no corresponding Travelzoo rate discount for those weekends, and therefore, the limited time offer was unsurprisingly not available, as well.

In any event, if you should test this method, I urge you to contact GP in writing to formally ascertain whether or not you will earn GP credit using this rate code. Should they attempt to deny same, however, I suggest that you make them go through the wringer just why this rate, which is advertised on the Hyatt.com website, and which makes no mention of it not earning GP credit, should be denied GP credit.

As noted in another thread, there are a number of Travelzoo rates that you may find desirable listed on Travelzoo this week, and I have checked each and every one, and they each have a corresponding limited time offer paralleling those rates. To find out which hotels have the limited time offer rates, just wait for the Travelzoo rates to be posted each week beginning on Wednesday of that week -- it is that simple.

So, best of luck to you all and please report back your findings so that others may hopefully likewise take advantage of these quasi-Travelzoo rates that should earn GP credit for you!

Bondiboy

A really nice piece of detective work. Well done

Onewhoknows

Problem here: Hyatt def. has read this..... i think this option will soon vanish....

NJUPINTHEAIR

I am not so sure. There must be a reason why such rates are offered separately from Travelzoo. If Hyatt's intention was to just use those Travelzoo rates, it never would have placed these rates on their website.

Now, if that was truly their intention, then no doubt some people will not come across these rates anymore, as they will have been pulled, and therefore, they just might not book those hotels, finding that the displayed rates are just too high for their liking. Therefore, Hyatt will reduce their revenue stream somewhat.

Remember also, that most hotel companies -- unlike the airlines -- pay a 10% comission to travel agents who book rooms at their properties, so there is still an incentive for Hyatt to allow a self-contained and inexpensive booking channel on its own website for properties that experience a slow season at certain times of the year.

If they do remove it, they are cutting off their nose even more than they had done so previously.

Remember, also, most people who book thru Travelzoo are not points maniacs like we are. That website never promises any points to the customer, and furthermore many people think of hotel rewards program as the poor stepchild to freuquent flyer rewards progam -- in fact, many either never heard of such programs or just don't care to join them as they have no brand loyalty, to any degree, at all.

peteropny

There has been posts in the forum here - that Travelzoo rates qualify for stay credit - If someone has actually received them, please let us know!!! Thanks!!!

Renard

Sure enough one finds the same thing on the special offers page of the Arlington Hyatt--and it is the same thing as the Travelzoo special

NJUPINTHEAIR

Well, that was the point of this thred!

Currently, I beleive the Hyatt in Indy, San Antonio and Arlington offer the rates this week for future stays.

Onewhoknows

Grand Hyatt NY has them too, as very good rates ( but found nothing bookable , yet) 199- 229 on their site....

JohnnyP

The dates when those prices are available are very restricted.

GUWonder

Interesting. One I pulled up had this:

.... with the rate being much cheaper than any (non-PCLN/non-Hotwire) rate I can find for the same property.

I'd get breakfast anyway as a Diamond, but this is really useful. Thanks again NJUPINTHEAIR. ^^

Renard

Which hotel? NY? or one of the other ones

GUWonder

Hyatt Arlington.

Renard

I'm in DC next week and am trolling for FFN stays...did this offer have a name? I saw one that included breakfast but was pretty expensive relative to the 'limited time offer' for 99

GUWonder

It won't work for stays before something like November 3rd and the $99 is applicable for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights IIRC.

It was under "Limited Time Offer" or something like that, as the OP noted.

nub2travel

I was lucky to find "limited time offer" available at two properties. The first time in Lake Las Vegas in June and then in Aug at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta. I received the points and stay credit for both. I was very pleased.