Whether or not you soft-land in 2020 and beyond, the new T&C make it clear that the only way to get lounge access is to earn it. Specifically, a Glob who stays zero nights in 2019 might (or might not) soft-land to Explorists. Either way, that individual will have zero lounge awards ... because they can only be earned staying 20 to 30 nights.
Originally Posted by
OsakaWino
Yes, Jeff is explicitly quoted here on FT at the launch of WoH that this was, and always had been, Hyatt policy. It can be found here:
World of Hyatt [Pre-Launch]
4. If a current 2016 Diamond will transition to be a 2017 Globalist, and completes 5-9 stays (but less than 10 nights) in Jan-Feb 2017 -- thus earning Platinum -- what will be their tier starting March 2018 (assuming no further stays)? Discoverist or Explorist?
Answer: As always, our members are transitioned down one tier if they fail to qualify to maintain their tier level. Therefore if someone is a Globalist and is set to downgrade at renewal, the member will become an Explorist.
After Jeff left I wanted confirmation and this is the response I received from the Hyatt concierge on FT on 11 OCT 2017:
I did get clarification and you are correct. Members only ever go down one tier at a time.
But I guess policy that is not documented in the T&C could be changed without notice...