Originally Posted by
MarkOK
Well, we had this discussion somewhere about how dollars spend probably correlates somewhat poorly to profitability, as certain 'cheap' properties with low costs may have better margins than more expensively priced properties that are very costly to run. I would be -more- in favor of having a $ spent qualification than having a 'number of stays' qualification. 100%. But I think number of nights is also a legitimate way to roughly delineate 'excellent', 'great', and 'good' customers. Having qualification on number of stays only provides a 'fast track' qualification to people who average less than 2 nights per trip, which I completely fail to see how that type of traveler benefits the company more than people who average more than 2 nights per trip and is thus deserving of a special path towards status.
And points are a liability for the company. Spending them reduces their liability. Further, if I buy points from Hyatt, doesn't Hyatt get paid? If I get pts from CC usage, isn't Hyatt getting a cut of those merchant fees with Chase? Including them simply reduces the threshold a few nights -- and just a few nights more for people who bought points or earned them through a CC program where Hyatt is getting something out of it.
I don't consider myself a low-end HP/HH traveler. I am actually rather 'new' to significant travel altogether. I only had 8 nights with Hyatt in 2015 and 4 nights in 2016. (of those 12 nights, 8 were at a HRs where I spent cash for an exec suite and 2 of the other nights were at a HP at a rack rate of 200 bucks). I had about twice that many nights at other hotels (all full service properties too -- Omni in New Haven CT, Parc55 by hilton in San Fran, etc.). This year, I have 23 nights so far with 15 nights more booked. Next year, I have 69 nights booked. All told, my Hyatt breakdown is: PH: 3 nights. GH: 19 nights. HC: 3 nights, HR: 57 nights, HH: 14 nights (10 of those at HH new orleans, which I think is a very nice property), HP: 23 nights.
30 of these 119 nights are on OPM (which in my case, is budgeted components of highly competitive research grants -- honestly, I could have budgeted more in all cases towards augmenting my personal salary, so I could argue that it isn't OPM as much as it is pre-tax routing of what could be my money for work related travel). 10 of these 30 nights on OPM are at HH/HPs, the rest at HRs.
29 of my planned/past nights I am paying for suites outright with cash.
So, there it all is, all about my travels -- Does all this make me a HH/HP traveller? I hardly think so. Other than a couple choice HH/HPs, I avoid them if a full service is in the same area. I don't like, generally speaking, the suburban HHs and HPs (room service and on-site restaurants are important to me).
This year, with an uptick in work travel that naturally led me to Hyatt properties, I finally figured out that it may be worth giving two cents about the rewards program. I originally based my analysis between SPG, Hilton, Marriot and Hyatt on a travel pattern of 5-10 stays at 30-45 nights. I wouldn't qualify for status on stays anywhere, and quite frankly, I find it rather insulting to spend 45 nights with a program that gave me lesser status than someone staying fewer nights but over 25 stays. At 40 nights, WoH offers more than any other program -- explorists is better than equivalent mid-tiers anywhere else in my opinion. And I have to compare 40 nights at Hyatt to 40 nights elsewhere. Perhaps, you can compare mid tier with 40 nights at Hyatt with 25 stays for top status somewhere else and come to a different conclusion. Maybe you travel so much that while shifting 25 stays to Hyatt for top status was worthwhile, but shifting 60 nights threatens keeping status at other programs. Good for you. Make your decision for what works for you. In my case, I don't qualify based on stays anywhere, I don't have enough travel to in any way get status at multiple brands based on nights, and 95% of my natural personal and work travel patterns are within Hyatt's footprint (which in just the last few months have announced new hotels in a few key locations). So, you can call me a fan, but indeed, I am because the program works for me and is fair to me.
Now, I am going to get glob this year on the CC promo and will get a legit 60 night glob next year. Comparing top status at Hyatt with SPG-75 and Marriot and Hilton, and I think Hyatt is still the best all around program out there, for me, primarily because the guaranteed TSU's at booking allows for planning out those longer 1 or 2 week long summer vacation stays with the family where we need a suite (and where I have always paid for suites anyways).