Gold Passport Concierge

Dear FlyerTalk Members,

On July 18, 2008, Global Hyatt finalized the sale of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc., the parent company of Hawthorn Suites. As a result of the sale, Hawthorn Suites will no longer be a hotel partner in the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

As of July 18, 2008 stays at Hawthorn Suites will not be eligible to earn Hyatt Gold Passport points. Free night awards booked prior to July 18, 2008 for nights through October 18, 2008 will be honored.

An e-mail communication will be sent out shortly to our members informing them of the final sale of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc.

If you have any additional questions regarding Hyatt Gold Passport, please feel free to contact me directly. Thank you for your continued support of the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

Best regards,

Karen Smith
Gold Passport Concierge

SASfan

On July 18, 2008, Global Hyatt Corporation finalized the sale of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc., the parent company of Hawthorn Suites™. As a result of the sale, Hawthorn Suites will no longer be a hotel partner in the Hyatt Gold Passport™ program.

As of July 18, 2008, stays at Hawthorn Suites will not be eligible to earn Hyatt Gold Passport points. Free night awards booked prior to July 18, 2008, for nights through October 18, 2008, will be honored. For booked award stays beyond October 18, 2008, the redeemed points will be returned to your Hyatt Gold Passport account. Hawthorn Suites hotels will continue to honor those reservations at the hotels' customary rates. If you have any questions, please call Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service at 1-800-30 HYATT (outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-402-593-8615 ).

We appreciate your continued business at Hyatt properties worldwide and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

derby44

Every award stay made prior to this sale should be honored. I'm not a happy camper. Perhaps Hyatt would like to reimburse my flight costs. Not good customer service.

gohorns

That really stinks! Maybe if you contact Goldpassport they may be able to get you a stay at another property for the same amount of points that you used? I don't know. I guess it doesn't hurt to ask unless there was only a hawthorne property in the vicinity of where you needed to be.

bob95409

I've only stayed once at one of these properties, santa clara, ca., and I was impressed. The hotel was being completely renovated at the time. 3000 points, it was a steal.
Sorry to see them sold.
Bob

agrater

Unless this contingency is in the T&C, I don't see how it is even legal. When a company acquires the assets of another company, it also acquires its liabilities. In this case, that liability is a paid-for or contracted room rental.

Lulu

"Free night awards booked prior to July 18, 2008 for nights through October 18, 2008 will be honored. "

Karen, what happens to my booking that is slightly outside those dates that are being honored? Are there any exceptions being made? My dates of redemption is for Oct. 22-24.

csufabel

My only stay was at the same property (a year ago this week) and I concur. A steal if you needed a bed, hot food (if you cared) and nothing more. As far as those who have already booked, the new operation need to have a clean break from GP. I just went to the website and it is revamped for the better, but i wish you the best in your attempts.

Gold Passport Concierge

Dear FlyerTalk Members:

I understand there are some questions regarding Gold Passport award reservations and the recent sale of Hawthorn Suites to Wyndham Hotels. This week Gold Passport Customer Service is contacting Gold Passport members who have award reservations October 18, 2008 and beyond. We are making every attempt to accommodate members with award bookings at a nearby Hyatt property. Each reservation will be handled on a case-by-case basis, as to best accommodate our valued members.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Karen Smith
Gold Passport Concierge

PhillyPhlyer40

I have to say that this is NOT customer service. So if I had a booking, based upon EARNING points...it would not EARN points? If I had a reward stay, based upon USING points, Hyatt would make "every attempt to accommodate" me?


BOOOOO TO HYATT ON THIS!





This is how it SHOULD READ:

"Hyatt is pleased to announce that we have sold Hawthorne, BUT, all stays booked prior to 7/18 will EARN points and be eliglible to USE points!"

peteropny

This situation is not that unusual when a property (or chain) is sold to a new owner.

I don't know exactly what "every attempt to accommodate" means exactly, but if it means that Hyatt will try to accomodate these award bookings at another Hyatt property at the same "cost", then they are being quite generous. If it doesn't mean that, then I guess not unexpected.

derby44

When Sheraton PWM was purchased by Wyndham they honored all previously booked Priceline reservation---I know I had three. Hyatt should have made sure that award stays booked before the sale date would be honored. There are no Hyatt properties at my destination---and I paid a lot of money for flights--even having to travel about three hundred miles round trip to get a better price. This stinks. I'm anxiously waiting for a call from Gold Passport.

PhillyPhlyer40

Peter...not meaning to bang on you...buuuuuut...


If Hyatt raises the level of points for a cat hotel by 2000pts per night, and you already have a reservation, would you EXPECT to pay the additional pts?

If Hyatt raises the $$$$ rate, would you expect to pay the HIGHER rate if you already HAD a reservation?

If airlines decide to charge extra for a checked bag...do you expect to PAY, if you already had a ticket? (we KNOW what the ruling on this was!!!)


So...I have to say that I think the devil would need snow shoes before I had another stay at Hyatt if a stay I had PREVIOUSLY reserved...whether with points for $$$$ would NOT BE HONORED!!

Markie

I am not sure they are specifically saying that they will NOT accommodate people, but it seems likely it may be at a nearby hotel.
I am afraid that in this world, this sort of change is quite likely, and as peteropny has pointed out, SPG and Hilton have sold properties before.

peteropny

I would agree with you if the ownership had not changed. I got "caught" in the same situation a few years ago when the Park Hyatt SF became a LeMeridien - they honored the AAA rate but not the Hyatt Stay Certificates. The accounting mechanics of non-revenue stays are probably too difficult to account for with a different ownership / accounting system.

If Hyatt was still associated with the property, I would fully expect them to honor rates (cash or points), and they have with stays reserved before category changes etc.