TheNextBigThing (FFN 2009)-T&Cs & FAQs - 10/1/09-1/31/10 Earn - 10/15/09-3/31/10 Redm

[Gold Passport Concierge]

Dear FlyerTalk Members,

Please allow us to address the questions that were recently posted regarding The Next Big Thing promotion, which launches on October 1.

1. Do I have to choose between Free Nights and the 3,000 points or is it Free Nights plus 3,000 points?
You will need to choose between free nights OR bonus points. All of your eligible stays will count double toward tier status.

2. When is the redemption period for Free Nights?
Free night awards can be redeemed between October 15, 2009 and March 31, 2010.

3. If I have received a targeted offer can I combine that offer with The Next Big Thing?
Yes, if you are the recipient of a targeted offer you can earn this bonus in addition to your chosen preference of free nights or bonus points.

4. Do Nights Count Double as well as Stays?
No. Stays count double toward tier status; nights do not count double.

5. If I choose miles instead of points will my stay still count towards Free Nights or 3,000 bonus points?
Per the Terms of the promotion, you must choose points for your eligible stay in order to receive credit for free nights with double stay credit OR 3,000 bonus points with double stay credit.
[EDIT: You may choose either points or miles and the stay will count towards this promotion - see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/12458336-post47.html

6. Are Hyatt Gift Checks/Gift Card a valid form of payment for The Next Big Thing promotion?
Yes, Hyatt gift checks and Hyatt gift cards are valid forms of payment in order to receive promotion credit.

7. Do bookings made prior to registration count towards The Next Big Thing or do I need to cancel and rebook those after registration?
Previously made bookings will count as long as the Hyatt Gold Passport number is on the stay record and the account has been registered for the promotion.

8. What is the impact of double stays on Platinum extra points?
Double stay credit does not affect the amount of Platinum Extras awards a member will receive. The number of Platinum extras awards is based on the actual number of stays.

9. Must I wait until the free night award has posted to my account or may I call reservations now and reserve the room in advance?
Yes, you are able to make reservations utilizing these awards anytime after October 1, 2009. Please mention that you will be using The Next Big Thing free night award.

10. Could I make a reservation now using points and then amend the reservation to a FFN down the road?
Yes.

11. If I check-in for a 1 night stay on Sep 30 and check out on Oct 1 will this qualify as a stay?
Yes.

In addition, below you will find the complete Terms and Conditions for this promotion. As always, we appreciate your support of Hyatt Gold Passport and hope you enjoy our new promotion.

Best regards,
Jeff Zidell
Vice President, Hyatt Gold Passport


Dear FlyerTalk Members,

After speaking with our Gold Passport customer service representatives and reviewing the several posts regarding the confusion on whether choosing 500 base miles for your stay will count toward earning either free nights or bonus points in The Next Big Thing promotion, we have decided to remove the restriction that you must choose points for your stay. Therefore, Hyatt Gold Passport members can choose points or miles for their base stay and will earn either free nights or bonus points, as long as they register in The Next Big Thing and choose the reward they want to earn.

I hope this information assists you in your travels. Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Karen Smith
Gold Passport Concierge




The Next Big Thing (“Promotion”)
TERMS AND CONDITIONS

ELIGIBILITY/HOW TO REGISTER: To be eligible to participate in this Promotion, you must be a Hyatt Gold Passport member. To register for this Promotion, visit {Edit: Correct Link - http://goldpassport.hyatt.com/gp/en/...oose-offer.jsp } ("Web Site") during the Promotion Period, and follow the instructions or call 1 800 228 3360 or your nearest Worldwide Reservation Centre. You will receive an option to register for one (1) of the following Offers described below: (a) Free Nights Offer or (b) 3,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Bonus Points Offer (collectively “Offers”). You may not register for both offers and you will not be permitted to change your Offer selection at any time during the Promotion Period. Void where prohibited.

PROMOTION PERIOD: Promotion begins October 1, 2009 and ends on January 31, 2010 (“Promotion Period”).

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FREE NIGHT OFFER: During the Promotion Period, complete at least two (2) Eligible Stays at any participating Hyatt hotel or resort, Andaz™, Hyatt Place™ , Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ or Hyatt Vacation Club™ Resort worldwide. After your second Eligible Stay, you will receive one (1) free night award credited to your Hyatt Gold Passport account. You may receive one (1) additional free night award for each two (2) subsequent Eligible Stays during the Promotion Period. To receive one (1) free night you must be a Hyatt Gold Passport member, register for the promotion provide your Hyatt Gold Passport account number at reservation/check-in, be a registered guest physically occupying the room to which you are registered and pay an Eligible Rate. For the purposes of this Promotion, an "Eligible Rate" shall be defined as any hotel published room rate, including, but not limited to rates found on hyatt.com, the Hyatt Daily Rate, volume, AAA and senior citizen rates, etc. "Ineligible Rates" are discounted rates, including, but not limited to, any free night stays, Internet wholesale rates (such as priceline.com, hotels.com, etc.), traditional wholesale rates (such as GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, etc.), airline crew rates, airline employee rates, travel agency employee rates, Club at the Hyatt discount certificate stays, Hyatt employee or employee family discount rates, airline interrupted-trip vouchers or contracted rooms (a contract room is a room that has been reserved pursuant to a written and executed agreement between a hotel and a corporation, government agency or individual for a negotiated room rate in exchange for an agreed upon number of rooms to be rented for an extended period of time).

For the purposes of these Offers, a “Eligible Stay” shall be defined as one (1) or more consecutive nights at any participating hotel or resort when paying an Eligible Rate, whether or not the guest checks out and back in during such period; award stays shall not constitute a Eligible Stay. Gold Passport members will only receive credit for one room, per Eligible Stay, regardless of the number of paid rooms during the Eligible Stay.

FREE NIGHT AWARD RESTRICTIONS: Please allow ten (10) days after each of your second Eligible Stays for Free Night Award(s) to be posted to your Hyatt Gold Passport account (allow 2-3 weeks for awards from stays outside the U.S.). Free Night Award(s) must be posted to your account prior to redemption.

Reservations for Free Night Award(s) redemption are subject to availability and must be made in advance by visiting goldpassport.com, My Promotional Awards or by calling 1 800 228 3360 or your nearest Hyatt Worldwide Reservation Centre. Free Night Award(s) can only be redeemed for stays between October 15, 2009 and March 31, 2010 and are not transferable. Free Night Award(s) are valid with standard room accommodations only and do not include incidental expenses, gratuities, service charges or other hotel-specific charges. Free Night Award(s) are valid for single or double occupancy. Additional guests are subject to additional hotel charges. Stays at hotels outside the U.S. may be subject to government approvals, regulations, restrictions and taxes. Other restrictions may apply.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HYATT GOLD PASSPORT BONUS POINT OFFER: During the Promotion Period complete at least two (2) Eligible Stays at any participating Hyatt hotel or resort, Andaz™, Hyatt Place™, Hyatt Summerfield Suites™ or Hyatt Vacation Club™ Resorts worldwide. After your second Eligible Stay, you will receive three thousand (3,000) Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points credited to your Hyatt Gold Passport account. You may receive three thousand (3,000) Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points credited to your Hyatt Gold Passport account for each subsequent Eligible Stay during the Promotion Period. To receive bonus points, you must be a Hyatt Gold Passport member during the Promotion Period, register for the promotion, provide your Hyatt Gold Passport account number at reservation/check-in, be a registered guest physically occupying the room to which you are registered, choose points for your stay and pay an Eligible Rate for your stay. For the purposes of this Promotion, an "Eligible Rate" shall be defined as any hotel published room rate, including, but not limited to rates found on hyatt.com, the Hyatt Daily Rate, volume, AAA and senior citizen rates, etc. "Ineligible Rates" are discounted rates, including, but not limited to, any free night stays, Internet wholesale rates (such as priceline.com, hotels.com, etc.), traditional wholesale rates (such as GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, etc.), airline crew rates, airline employee rates, travel agency employee rates, Club at the Hyatt discount certificate stays, Hyatt employee or employee family discount rates, airline interrupted-trip vouchers or contracted rooms (a contract room is a room that has been reserved pursuant to a written and executed agreement between a hotel and a corporation, government agency or individual for a negotiated room rate in exchange for an agreed upon number of rooms to be rented for an extended period of time).

BONUS POINT RESTRICTIONS: Please allow two to three (2 -3) weeks after your second Eligible Stay (and each Eligible Stay thereafter) for bonus points to be posted to your Hyatt Gold Passport account (allow 4-6 weeks for bonus points from stays outside the U.S.).

STAYS COUNT DOUBLE TOWARD STATUS: Eligible Stays during the Promotion Period will also count twice toward tier qualification for Platinum and Diamond status. Only Eligible Stays count double toward tier qualification, not nights. Hyatt Gold Passport will track all Eligible Stays in which a Hyatt Gold Passport account number is provided.

Platinum status requires five (5) Eligible Stays in a calendar year. Diamond status requires twenty five (25) Eligible Stays in a calendar year. Platinum and Diamond Hyatt Gold Passport point bonus will be awarded for stays after which the Platinum or Diamond tier has been met.

If you qualify for Platinum or Diamond membership during the 2009 calendar year, you will receive a new membership card, valid through February 2011, within 3-4 weeks of qualifying. If you qualify for Platinum or Diamond membership during the 2010 calendar year, you will receive a new membership card, valid through February 2012, within 3-4 weeks of qualifying. Platinum and Diamond membership benefits will be available to you when your present your new membership card at check-in.

GENERAL CONDITIONS: Hyatt Gold Passport reserves the right to alter or withdraw this promotion at any time without notice. This promotion is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program. For complete program terms and conditions visit goldpassport.com.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts™ encompasses hotels managed, franchised or leased by subsidiaries and affiliates of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The trademarks Hyatt™, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts™, Park Hyatt™, Andaz™, Grand Hyatt™, Hyatt Regency™, Hyatt Place™, Hyatt Summerfield Suites™, Hyatt Vacation Club™ Resort, Hyatt Gold Passport™, and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. © 2009 Hyatt Hotels Corporation. All rights reserved.

[peteropny]

PLEASE READ THESE FAQs - MOST OF THE COMMON QUESTIONS WILL PROBABLY BE ANSWERED HERE

These FAQs were originally written by LIH Prem , thank you for your efforts. I will be editing these FAQs for a while to incorporate new information etc.

This round the promotion is called “THE NEXT BIG THING” – which gives you a choice of a free night after every 2 stays (traditional FFN) of 3,000 bonus points for every stay after the 2nd one. This FAQ refers to the traditional FFN but many of the FAQs would also apply to the bonus point choice also.

This post is intended to be the FFN FAQ. It will contain information about FFN and links to other threads about FFN. This post is based on all FT members posts. I'm sorry we're not able to name all the members that contributed, but we can thank everybody for all the information here. Also, we're just trying to aggregate what we've learned from all the other FT members here in this one post. I'm not the expert, I'm just trying to repeat what I've learned on FT.

Please do not post off-topic questions in this thread. Start another thread for that. Keep this thread focused on keeping this post up to date.

Please do post suggested additions/corrections/links to this thread as member assistance in keeping this first post in the thread up to date. Suggested additions/changes are always welcome.

You will be able to tell when this post is updated by looking at the "last edited" date at the bottom of the post. You can also "subscribe" to changes in this thread by selecting "Thread Tools"/"Subscribe" at the top of the thread. "Subscribe" will notify you when the thread changes.

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FFN FAQs

What is FFN? FFN is Hyatt's promotion called Faster Free Nights. In the typical FFN promotion, 2 eligible stays earns you one free FFN night.

What is the earning and redemption period? The FFN promotion has an earning period and a redemption period. For the current promotion, the earning period is October 1, 2009 – January 31, 2010. The redemption period for this version is October 15, 2009 – March 31, 2010.

What if my stay overlaps a date prior or after the promotion earning period? A member has asked the Diamond Desk this question and the answer was that the stay must include a NIGHT within the promotion period to be eligible. However, you may need to request a manual adjustment from CS if this happens.

Is registration required for the promotion? Yes, registration is required, and is available at http://goldpassport.hyatt.com/gp/en/...oose-offer.jsp . In the past, you may already be pre-registered if you were registered for the last FFN promotion, however, with the choice part of this promotion, you have to register anyways.

Do AAA, Government, and Coporate rate stays count towards FFN? In the past they have not been a problem. Generally any stay that generates a stay credit will generate a FFN credit.

Do other "promotional" rate (eg Travelzoo) rate stays count towards FFN? Generally no since those rates do not generate a stay credit. YMMV though - in the last round of FFNs "travelzoo" rates booked directly on www.hyatt.com qualified.

Do "phantom stays" (check-in via 800-checkin or web checkin but never actually go to the property) count towards FFN? Hyatt has revised its T&Cs so that "phantom stays" no longer count for stay credit (therefore also FFN credit). However, there has been no reports one way or the other. YMMV.

Do Priceline/Hotwire, award, and Stay Certificate stays count towards FFN? Officially, these are excluded from FFN. Occasionally, members have reported that they've earned stay credit (and therefore FFN credit) if they've had an eligible charge but don't count on it.

Do back-to-back stays count for more stay credits? No. Even if you have them on separate reservations and/or do a check out / in without at least one night in between. However, if there is more than one Hyatt property in the locale you’re staying in, switching between the properties will earn you multiple stay credits. (eg for a 2 night stay property A for first night then property B for second night, for a 3 night stay property A for first night, property B for second night, property A again (or C) for third night). This is known as hotel hopping.

What is an eligible charge? A phone call (even a local call if they charge you for it) or room service. Sometimes the restaurant if it's hotel-owned. Parking charges, taxes, third party charges are generally not considered an eligible charge. Your mileage may vary on this.

How many FFN nights can I earn? As many as you can during the earning period. There is no limit on the number that can be earned.

Are any properties exempt from redemption? According to the new T&Cs, all properties now participate in redemption including (the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego, CA USA and the Hyatt Regency Madeleine in Paris, France). Properties brand new to the Hyatt family may opt not to participate however.

Are there capacity controls on FFN awards? FFN awards are capacity controlled awards. In general, if you know you want to use one, make an award booking now, and later you can switch your award from points to an FFN award. Elite members especially can usually book an award stay even if they don't have the required number of points in their account. In the past, FFN award inventory was the same as point award inventory. However, this is the first round after the change in April 2009 which eliminated capacity control for awards where if a basic category room is available for revenue booking, it is available for award redemption. As such, we’re not sure if FFN inventory remains exactly the same as point award inventory.

Are there day of week restrictions on FFN awards? This round has no restrictions - all properties can be reserved for stays as short as one night on any day of the week.

How long does it take for a stay (and FFN credit) to post? For stays at US domestic properties, they usually post within a week or so - Full service property stays should post in the afternoon of the day after you checkout - Hyatt Place / Summerfield properties tend to post on Tuesdays although we are not sure what the cutoff is before it goes in a week later. For stays at international properties, it can take up to four weeks or longer for a stay to post. The FFNs are usually posted in sweeps, so it can take several days or even up to a week longer for your FFN night to post after your even numbered stays.

How do I find out how many FFNs I've earned? Look in your account: under Awards then My promotional awards.
If you are a diamond, you will see your suite awards listed first, then the HP award we were recently given. Below that is the accounting for FFNs.

How do I book an FFN award? If you've had FFNs awards posted to your account (see above), there will be a blue box saying BOOK NOW when you have FFNs available. Click it, then chose your location and your date. If there is a FFN award available, you will see something like this:

The Next Big Thing Rede Twin Room
BOOK
Rate Details
The Next Big Thing Rede King Room View Room
BOOK
Rate Details

You will need to call to book if your FFN (or any award) stay is less than one week prior to date of arrival.

Can FFN nights be extended? Elite members (including me) have been able to get a one month extension on the use of their FFN nights in the past. YMMV

Do the "suite" products (Summerfield Suites and Hyatt Place) earn FFN credit? Yes you should earn you stay credit and therefore FFN credit either - pretty much assured if the property is on this list - http://goldpassport.hyatt.com/gp/en/...ist_Properties - if the property is not, please confirm eligibility with Hyatt if FFN qualification is important to you. Amerisuites are not eligible.

Where can I get more information? Well, the usual place is www.goldpassport.com and follow the link to the t&c for FFN, if there is one.

[peteropny]

Some information may be contained in the predecessor thread The Next Big Thing which I've locked to eliminate confusion.

Also, I would like to ask that you limit your posts in this thread to questions that you may have about the T&Cs or interpretation of them. "Other" posts will make this thread very lengthy and unmanagable.

Thank you!!!!

[sfvoyage]

Originally Posted by Gold Passport Concierge

11. If I check-in for a 1 night stay on Sep 30 and check out on Oct 1 will this qualify as a stay?
Yes.

Can this be generalized to "a valid paid stay with a check-out date of Oct 1, regardless of the number of nights for the stay, will qualify as a stay"?

[CanuckinKL]

Jeff and all at HGP thanks for clarifying. We're all looking forward to a great promotion!

[peteropny]

Originally Posted by sfvoyage

Can this be generalized to "a valid paid stay with a check-out date of Oct 1, regardless of the number of nights for the stay, will qualify as a stay"?

Yes - Hyatt computers go by check-out date.

[Explore]

Hyatt Gold Passport did everything we crankily asked for, provided flexibility, and also clarity. It's again the number one program, outshining SPG and the others by a country mile. Thanks Jeff.....

[unavaca]

So if I'm staying two days in a row and book that as two separate reservations, does that count as two stays?

[SanDiego1K]

Originally Posted by unavaca

So if I'm staying two days in a row and book that as two separate reservations, does that count as two stays?

No, stays on sequential nights will be merged and counted as one stay.

[unavaca]

Boo! I've always hated that rule. If I'm throwing down change for X (X > 2) nights, why the heck should I be penalized more than the guy who stayed twice that week? Lame.

Sorta makes me want to stay at night at Marriott in the middle of the week just out of spite.

[BlissWorld]

Originally Posted by Gold Passport Concierge

5. If I choose miles instead of points will my stay still count towards Free Nights or 3,000 bonus points?
Per the Terms of the promotion, you must choose points for your eligible stay in order to receive credit for free nights with double stay credit OR 3,000 bonus points with double stay credit...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do NOT see this clause in the terms and condition

[Smart Shopper]

Originally Posted by BlissWorld

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do NOT see this clause in the terms and condition

Yes, you are: You have to choose either FFN or bonus points as your reward. Please look here.

[crystak]

So the FFN can be redeemed at any hotel including the 400 euro per night Park Hyatt in Paris or is it only valid for certain tier hotels?

[peteropny]

Originally Posted by crystak

So the FFN can be redeemed at any hotel including the 400 euro per night Park Hyatt in Paris or is it only valid for certain tier hotels?

Valid at all hotels - with the possible exception of properties that are brand new to the company.

Not a criticism to crystak (welcome to the Hyatt forum) but please help us keep this thread useful and managable by reading the FAQs (in post #2 of this thread) first - I'm willing to bet that most of the more common questions will be answered.

Thank you - I really hope that this thread doesn't balloon to 10 pages at which point it becomes useless.

[rdchen]

Quick question: can I use FFN to book 2 rooms for the same stay, one for myself and give the 2nd one to family members?