Originally Posted by
SHLTP
Well, Hyatt has to crack down and make the program work for those of us in China. I just sent a long email to the head of loyalty in Asia - my experience with Hyatt in China this year has been terrible.
Too many properties only sell suites and now even regular rooms only on Ctrip or only sell regular rooms w club access. It's becoming impossible to book a regular room in China, use points or use TSUs.
I have 6-7 tSUs expiring because I haven't been able to use them in China. I have 30 nights at one park Hyatt and basically nother Hyatt in China stays. I blew 500,000 points this yr but all out of China, and still have 400,000 points left. It's hard to use points and TSUs in China.
Guests are gaming the system but so are properties. Too many properties never offer standard suites on the Hyatt app - park Hyatt Hangzhou, pH Shanghai, hr Suzhou never have standard suites available.
Over Oct 1 holidays many properties only sold on Ctrip until week of. I tried to book in September and nothing was available for cash on Hyatt app, only via Ctrip.
The program is becoming worthless in China. I might just have to go back to Marriott unless they can fix this
Fully agree with you.
I could easily have done 100 nights at China Hyatts this year, with a good portion of that in Shanghai. However, suite upgrade certs have been impossible to use for the past 1-2 years, and are getting worse. (I hope that PH Shanghai is reading this.) Thus, I am at 59 nights so far, and will hit the 60th night in early-November. I probably will not go past 65 nights by 31 Dec.
Since I find Marriott worthless (as a Lifetime Platinum), I have turned to Shangri-La Circle as my second hotel frequent guest program. So far, at 48 nights (a Jade member), and will hit 50 nights by early-November (to get their Diamond status). With Diamond status comes Lounge access and other perks. One hotel I have been frequenting is the Pudong Shangri-La. Ever since my ~35th night until now, I have been booking their basic River Wing Deluxe Room, but the hotel has consistently (@ 100%) upgraded me to their Grand Tower Wing Premier Bund View Room with Horizon Club access. That is such a nice upgrade. (Take that, PH Shanghai...I am never coming back to you!)
The Shangri-La footprint in China is good enough for me. For Xmas and New Years, I will be travelling to Europe, and have booked Shangri-La Paris and Shangri-La London The Shard; I am interested to see how they will treat their Diamond members....