joe_miami

Haha. Well, Hyatt’s online check-in simply can move you up the queue. In almost all cases, you’ll still need to visit the front desk to get your key, etc.

Vangrovsky

well... it beats checking in at the Marriott in [unnamed country] when I was asked "sir, you two can't stay in the same room unless she's your legally married wife"

59Impala

i first noticed rhe new feature showing upgraded rooms when I checked in last year at PH Zurich.
This is now a common feature.

OMAAT is now posting this too, plus the feature of chosing the room - limited to some 30+ hotels initially. good changes coming!



https://onemileatatime.com/hyatt-pay-my-way/FEBRUARY 5, 2020 BY BEN (LUCKY) 8HYATTHyatt has been making some improvements to their website and app recently.

For example, the World of Hyatt app now shows when your room has been upgraded. Hyatt is also piloting a new digital check-in experience at 34 Hyatt properties, allowing members to select their room, offering more transparency with room upgrades, and more. Previously Hyatt’s online check-in was completely worthless, so that’s a welcome development.

Now Hyatt has announced another potential improvement to the booking process, which is currently being piloted.

World of Hyatt’s new “Pay My Way” feature

Starting today, Hyatt is launching a “Pay My Way” booking pilot for all Hyatt properties. This is initially only available to a small audience of World of Hyatt members.

The plan is to test and refine this over the next several weeks, and then to roll it out on hyatt.com by the end of the month, and on the World of Hyatt app a few weeks after that.
This new “Pay My Way” feature allows World of Hyatt members to book their stays using multiple payment types in a single transaction.

In other words, in the past if you wanted to book a two night stay and pay for points with one night and cash the other night, you’d have to make two separate reservations.

This new feature allows members to book multiple rate types under a single reservation. Currently members would have to book by phone in order to be able to do this.

With the Pay My Way feature:

• Members can book a combination of cash, points, free night awards, or Points + Cash rates, on a single booking
• This will initially focus on rate plans without restrictions, including the World of Hyatt member rate, standard rate, and other flexible rate plans; other rate plans (like advance purchase rates) may be added at a later point

I asked a Hyatt spokesperson if a Globalist confirmed suite upgrade could be used for a booking with this new feature. A Globalist suite upgrade covers a single stay of up to seven nights, though historically if you’ve needed to make multiple reservations, you would also need multiple suite upgrades.
Unfortunately suite upgrades are not in the scope for the first pilot release, but it’s something they may roll out at a future point.

Bottom line

It’s nice to see Hyatt enabling an online feature that allows guests to book multiple rate types on a single reservation. There are all kinds of circumstances where you may otherwise find yourself booking back-to-back stays, and having everything under one reservation sure makes it easier, for both the hotel and the guest.

It doesn’t look like my World of Hyatt account is targeted, though I look forward to seeing it “live” on my account later this month. I also hope that they roll out more features associated with this, like the ability to apply a single Globalist suite upgrade to a reservation containing multiple rate types.

Gertjaars

I actually had a conversation about this with the Front Desk at my recent stay at The Cape - A Thompson hotel.

They confirmed OLCI allowed the following:
- Preparing my room ahead of time
- notifying the security/concierge (gated resort) about when to expect my car to drive me in so they can assist with bags etc
- more tailored stay
- early dibs on securing preferred room and room picking
- and of course..upgrades

There was a lot more they mentioned, but it gave a pretty good insight that the OLCI isn't to trick you, but to make the stay more catered towards you.

Aventine

No point in South Korea because the front desk still needed to issue your keys. Something about needing to check the name of the credit card holder that prevents digital key from working from online check-in.

59Impala

I use OLCI to check if I have been upgraded. if my preferred room type is there, I check in to lock in the room. at least in my experience the room type never changed after OLCI.