GrayAnderson

Ok, so with Platinum status I'm informed via the website that there's the following benefit to status:
"Ensure a room is always available with our 72-hour guarantee (4)

(4) Guarantee not valid at Hyatt resorts, Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva properties , Hyatt Residence Club resorts, or during extraordinary room demand."

Ok, so there's a hotel (the Concourse by LAX) which I'd like to stay at between flights next week. The hotel is showing sold out; while I understand the "extraordinary room demand" line is a weasel-out for them, is there some way to invoke the guarantee? Or is that line there to more or less mean "this guarantee doesn't mean crap if the hotel happens to be busy" (at which point I have to wonder why it is even listed)?

CodeAdam10

You can call Hyatt and invoke the guarantee. I believe if you're logged into your account and then do your search, it does show the guaranteed availability at the BAR rate. Sadly, the BAR offered for such instances is too much for my wallet ... so I've never, ever invoked this guarantee.

Peatisback

This.

GrayAnderson

With likely disrespect to Hyatt (I'm in a sore mood since I apparently can't redeem my credit card free night and haven't been able to sort a trip out for approaching a week now)...what is the point of offering a guarantee if it don't mean crap?

mikew99

All too often, offers of a "gurantee" are just marketing, to make things sound better than they are. I always look for the asterisk and the accompanying small print to find out what (if anything) is actually guaranteed.

Also, as CodeAdam10 noted, even if/when Hyatt does guarantee availability, they don't guarantee price. IME, no AAA discounts or corporate rates apply, so unless you really need to stay at a particular hotel -- and somebody else is paying for it -- you'll likely get much more for your money by staying almost anywhere else.

RTW1

The guarantee can be nice when you want to stay at that specific property... not when you have the option of staying somewhere else.

And even if they have the option of opting out in certain periods (like they do at special events like NYE) it can still be helpful at other times. I've used it a few time when the hotel was booked and got a rate that was high (that was to be expected) but still significantly lower than what the competition were charging for their last availability.

So use it when it's useful and stop complaining about when it isn't. It's meant as a last resort not to get you a cheap room when everything is packed.

FD1971

It is not crap, it is a very useful tool for many travellers, however relatively useless for FT maximizers who usually stay at the local Hyatt Place 25 times a year at a weekend rate of $59.

Highy appreciated by Pro´s, mostly useless for the fans.

TerryK

+1. ^


Hotels can only op-out for special events such as NYE or major conventions. It is available most part of the year. You should be able to check if you are logged in while doing search or you can call. As FD1971 mentioned, it is really for someone who has to stay at that hotel due to meetings, not for normal FTers. Guaranteed availability rate is rack rate which will be double or triple normal BAR.

See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt...-starwood.html

Mary2e

I used the diamond guarantee at a hotel last summer. The rates were NOT inexpensive, but at least I got the room.

After making the reservation I went back a week or so later to see if I could make another one, and it was not available, even with the diamond guarantee.

So it's entirely possible they can overbook by only so many rooms before cutting diamonds off.

Dsm2m2

FWIW, I am both Hyatt and Hilton Diamond, and I have had 100% success rate this year using Hyatt's room guarantee (approx 5x) where as with Hilton I have been unsuccessful 3 different times this year. The rooms were never cheap but I have always been able to get in with Hyatt.

Also, you must be on the hotels direct website and logged in for the room guarantee to show up. If you Just search for 'LA' with all of Hyatt's hotel options in that area popping up, it will still show as 'sold-out'.

Productivity

Used it at the Grand Tokyo, not cheap but it got me a room. Very useful - it's not for getting the only room in a city when there's a major event going on.

mikew99

The point is that, in all my travels, I've never once found it useful, and it's very likely that the one time I'm desperate enough to want to pay out of my own pocket the high price for it (say, during periods of "extraordinary demand" where hotels are booked for miles around), the hotel will have exempted itself from the benefit, anyway.