jmgriffin

I would suggest replying to the original email they sent confirming that you were enrolled a few weeks ago. Ask them to confirm that you have completed the requirements. This is what I did and I received a reply within a few hours and they made the update to my account to reflect the new Diamond Status end date.

As soon as they make the update, you can request a Diamond card online. I think mine took about 2-3 weeks to arrive so you might have them in time.

As I outlined in detail here, I found that the Hyatt email support was lightning fast:

Ancien Maestro

Let us know if it works the second time for a Diamond Challenge. I understand that Hyatt will require proof of elite status in a competing loyalty program and that they were sticky about this. Also in the terms and conditions, IIRC I've read that the Diamond Challenge is offered once per member (not lifetime). Perhaps one can cancel and sign up for GP membership and be able to to sign up for the Diamond Challenge once again? Perhaps lifetime assumption was derived from the once per member clause.

The carrot for me to be involved in the Gold Passport program is the lifetime Diamond status. This will require solid travel for the next ten years if all things remain the same.


Edit: The following are Terms and Conditions for the Hyatt Diamond Challenge. Please note in bold the once per membership in terms and conditions.

HYATT GOLD PASSPORT® DIAMOND TRIAL
Terms and Conditions

To qualify for this promotion, member must contact Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service at 800.304.9288 or [email protected] between June 1, 2013, and April 30, 2014, reference Offer Code DMD14 and provide a statement with their account activity from a competitor. Upon enrollment, member will receive trial Diamond membership for 60 days. To maintain Diamond membership through February 2015, member must complete 12 eligible nights at any Hyatt worldwide within 60 days of enrollment. Member will also receive 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points on their first six (6) eligible nights within 60 days. Maximum 6,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points may be earned. Diamond 30% point bonus will be awarded for all eligible stays during the 60-day trial membership period when member chooses points for their stay. If member completes the stay requirements they will receive a new membership card, valid through February 2015, within 3-4 weeks of qualifying. Membership benefits will be available when member provides their Hyatt Gold Passport number at time of reservation and check-in.

Limit one trial tier offer per member. Hyatt Gold Passport will track all eligible nights in which a Hyatt Gold Passport account number is provided. An eligible night is defined as a single night at any Hyatt in which an eligible rate is paid. For the purposes of this Promotion, an “Eligible Rate” shall be defined as any hotel published room rate, including, but not limited to, rates found on hyatt.com, the Hyatt Daily Rate, Volume Account Rates, AAA and Senior Citizen rates. “Ineligible Rates” are discounted rates, including, but not limited to, any free night stays, Third Party Internet Rates (examples include priceline.com, hotels.com, Expedia, and Travelocity), traditional wholesale rates (examples include GOGO Worldwide Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, etc.), airline crew rates, airline employee rates, travel agency employee rates, Club at the Hyatt discount certificate stays, Hyatt employee or employee family discount rates, airline interrupted-trip vouchers or contracted rooms (a contract room is a room that has been reserved pursuant to a written and executed agreement between a hotel and a corporation, government agency or individual for a negotiated room rate in exchange for an agreed upon number of rooms to be rented for an extended period of time). Back-to-back stays at a single Hyatt are considered one stay. Hyatt Gold Passport reserves the right to alter or withdraw this promotion at any time without notice.

This promotion is subject to the complete Terms and Conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program. For complete program terms and conditions, visit goldpassport.com. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts® encompasses hotels managed, franchised or leased by subsidiaries and affiliates of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The trademarks Hyatt®, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, HYATT house®, Hyatt Residence Club®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation and its affiliates. ©2013 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

OsakaWino

I too would be very interested to hear about someone actually doing a Diamond Challenge twice. I'm pretty confident of re-qualifying this year, and will do my best next year as well, but with only leisure travel, I doubt I can keep it up indefinitely, and to know that I can re-challenge again some time in the future if necessary would make things less stressful.

I heard the "One trial offer per member" statement explained as meaning one Challenge per trial period (i.e. once in the first half of the year, but possible to try again in the second half); no idea if that is true.

On the other hand, GP T&C are often so poorly written as to be open to a wide range of interpretation.

Ancien Maestro

I have a feeling that the "One trial offer per member" means one Diamond Challenge per member. As the T&C is specifically about the Diamond Challenge, I wouldn't read into it anymore than at its literal face.

Now, are there exceptions possibly granted by GP? Doesn't hurt to ask, that's for sure.

Can membership be terminated, and another signed up for, and a Diamond Challenge be done once again? I wouldn't know if GP would be obligated to grant another Diamond Challenge to that same individual if this was the case.

Diamond Challenge could be renamed something else in the future, such as Diamond Status match. But again the T&C here is written specifically for this Diamond Challenge, and its quite definite in its meaning "One trial offer per member."

OsakaWino

I would normally agree with your interpretation, "one per member" meaning one per account, which would essentially be intended to mean one per lifetime.

However, virtually every communication I have ever seen from GP, especially their T&C, have been rife with grammar and syntax errors and misleading statements.

So it would not be that difficult to interpret the "one trial tier offer" to mean only "this promotion" (for the limited period stated, and the specific Offer Code listed).

Some people have claimed on FlyerTalk that they were told they would be eligible to try another Challenge during the "next offer period" after failing their first Challenge. It would be nice to have some more evidence of that being done successfully (or even better, for a Concierge to comment on the validity of such claims).

Of course, past policy is no proof of current policy, and current policy is no guarantee of future policy.

azepine00

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing anything "lifetime" that's 10 yrs and many $$$ away...

ma91pmh

Folks let me make it a little clearer - you can do more than one Diamond Trial per member. The language presumably means you can only do one Diamond Trial in any given promo period. I have just been offered the Diamond Trial, with eligibility confirmed, after having done a previous trial last year. So please, no more mis-interpretation of the T&C to confuse others.

Nick311

Thank you for confirming this. ^

Ancien Maestro

As I've learned with many loyalty programs receiving enhancements. Live in the present and forget about the future. I'm enjoying Hyatt benefits and am glad to experience the offerings of its programs.

I'm glad it worked out.

Were you able to make use of suite upgrades afforded you last year for doing the Diamond Trial? Which hotels?

ma91pmh

Last year I was able to use some of the suite upgrades but some were left unexpired. I did get what was possibly one of the coolest suites I've ever had at DFW of all places on my very first stay of last year's challenge, this was a regular upgrade not a confirmed one: http://milesabound.com/hyatt-diamond-amazing-upgrade/

My HGP account is down to <500 points right now so if I don't actually try to qualify for this one (frankly I am signing up for the benefits at an upcoming stay) then I can always open a new account next year and try again if and when the need arises

Ancien Maestro

Thats an absolutely amazing suite you've got there. And looks like you are travel blogger, so the hotels will definitely want to treat you nice to get a positive review.

Thinking about it for a couple of hours and having everything settle in my mind, I can see why some long time Diamonds are dissapointed. Coming from 10 years as a Fairmont President's Club Platinum member and staying so many nights, only to see the program become inundated from non-loyal customers, I can empathize how current Diamond members feel.

So I said, ok.. instead of fighting it.. enjoy the market forces, and I'm here now. So on a go forward as an FT member, I'm going to be more open minded about where travels take my family. Going to the same hotel for 10 years is nice, but why not travel to the same places (or different places for that matter) and try different hotels. My wife has been asking about Grand Wailea and Hilton Waikoloa. So I'm looking into the Hilton program just in case our Hawaii travels can take us there.

I like Hyatt because of the suites. Never mind about the free nights. As a Canadian I don't have a Hyatt cc I can go to. But I get put up in a suite. Suites are affordable even at full price at some hotels (HR Orange County), and accessible on points (not just diamond upgrades).

Another viewpoint. Hyatt used to Status Match. In a way Diamond Challenges, and the ability to redo Challenges if they continue to exist, puts up more of a barrier to entry, because the new member on a Challenge is only Diamond for 60 days as opposed to open ended balance of the year and next if an elite member from another hotel chain. Only paying customers who are willing to stay at Hyatt seriously would sign up for the challenge. This gives Hyatt the opportunity to win over business with superior offerings during the Challenge for 60 days. Status Match, would just inundate the program with non loyal customers throughout the program year.

So far, I can conclude that Diamond Challenge is far superior for Hyatt than an all out status match they used to do. Sure some properties get inundated, and sacrificed. If its for the suite upgrades, then a member would have to qualify the 12 nights to remain diamond to enjoy diamond amenities, not just the suite upgrade. Besides, its only 6,000 points for a suite upgrade of 4 nights.

As far as I can assume, Hyatt used to do Status Matches without restrictions all the time. It would make sense that the Diamond Challenge would weed out customers who are not serious, although a few benefits are left over for a positive experience after a Diamond Challenge.

OsakaWino

If you were able to do a second diamond trial this year without problem, why would you have to open a new account to try again in the future?

RTW1

The suite upgrades are far more attractive than upgrading with points. The upgrades can be used with any paid rate, the points mostly only when paying the daily rate.

So it wouldn't be a bad thing if the suite upgrades would be only be awarded after completion of the challenge. Now people who only intend to have a few nights are using them diminishing capacity for the really loyal GP members. And it's most likely also one of the reasons places like Kauai have downgraded the type of suite to be gotten when using an upgrade.

Ancien Maestro

I just applied 6 point suite upgrades to an extended stay. AAA rate and the daily rate is $23 daily difference. Needless to say, I saved my Diamond Suite Upgrades for a nicer property. But I also saved a couple hundred bucks a night with the points upgrade. So well worth it for us because we like the extra space. In fact great value for us.

It just depends on the property how valuable a suite upgrade and point upgrade is worth. For me, having stayed at Fairmonts for ten years with room rates fluctuating and in the range of $250 to $500 per night. $23 per night is nothing really to sneeze at. Now, say I paid full shot for the suites over 21 nights, well that's $4,200 difference.

The Diamond inclusions are excellent and that's apart from the suite upgrades. They are bonus to us as our motivation for the program are suites. This cherry on top of the sundae is winning me over. Lounge access with small kids are a godsend.

Just checked into HR Maui and parking got comped, free cabana for the entire stay, free full or lounge breakfast, ocean front suite.. The grounds are perfect for the kids. Diamond treatment is special. If a few are in it for a short while, I think they've missed part of the point in the experience.

ma91pmh

because the only constant in this game is change!