59Impala

No, lounge still closed.

PTahCha

It's pretty consistent across the industry that you don't get elite benefits when you use an airline voucher or distressed passenger rate. You can ask for a favor, but the hotel is not obliged to provide one.

Charging for internet on points stays? That's bad ju-ju.

Aventine

Aren’t Hyatt’s supposed to be providing all members with complimentary internet and Premium internet for Globalists. That’s more than bad ju-ju right there. Blatant T&C violations.

ElevatorEnthusiast

Guess airline voucher guests aren't even considered members! Makes no sense to make people mad just for incremental revenue for no marginal cost.

Aventine

This.

I found the WOH member points stay internet charges to be pretty egregious.

PTahCha

Incorrect - benefits are provided when an eligible rate is paid. Airline voucher rates are not eligible rates. Same if you booked your stay via an ITA. Here are the T&C:





Whether you agree with the practice or not, the hotel is following WOH terms and conditions. After all, you are already getting the hotel room for free. Alternatively, you can pay the going rate and get free internet. It's your choice.

Aventine

I was referring to the WOH member points stays that they were charging internet fees for. I acknowledge airline vouchers puts your status aside but it seems they have been doing it for points bookings. This shouldn’t be happening.

ElevatorEnthusiast

That's what I said by saying that airline voucher guests aren't considered members. I'm not sure why you're aggressively defending them. Like I said, if I was running a business, I wouldn't try to anger potentially frequent guests like WOH elite members who are already angry at the airlines for whatever reason put them in a voucher situation by charging them for a service with no marginal cost for delivery just to extract incremental revenue. I understand that they can do this, but should they as a long-term business strategy?

Aventine

My guess is enough of their standby guests end up paying for wifi and they think they can get away with it. Or they have gotten away with it?

GUWonder

The hotel’s culture of wanting to charge even Globalists for internet on airline-paid stays set up the tone where this hotel’s staff has also too often deemed it okay to stick Explorists and Globalists with internet charges even on Hyatt point stays where the points came from the Hyatt accounts of non-status Hyatt program members. Between that internet charging (on Hyatt point stays) and some bizarre lounge “rule” they had tried to apply in the run-up to closing the hotel lounge, this hotel went from being my most preferred ORD area hotel for many years to being just something to consider but no longer preferring like before.

I’ve had far more sympathetic staff encounters with the Hyatt Place ORD during 2021 and 2022 than I’ve had from the HR ORD during this period too; but the Globalist breakfast at the HR ORD has been superior to what I would get included from the other hotels around ORD and so I still keep the HR ORD in the mix. With the ATS back in service at ORD, I may once again start adding the aged and cheapo Hilton ORD back into the mix more often — but only if I don’t care about breakfast for the stay.

PTahCha

Once you draw the line at internet, what about other Globalist benefits? You can use the same argument for suite upgrades. What about folks booking on ITA, who fall under the same situation? Should they get all the benefits, despite of the fact that the T&C clearly do not require them to do so.

Yes, the hotel can do more. But giving away stuff sets up a precedence where the guests will be further disappointed at other properties in the same situation. Maybe what you are suggesting is for Hyatt corporate to remove the entire ineligible rate section of the T&C for consistency.

ElevatorEnthusiast

I don't understand why you have this "all or nothing" attitude. It seems obvious that benefits like Internet access (no marginal cost for delivery) are different from benefits like suite upgrades. Frankly, I'm not worried about "setting a precedent" as that line of thinking just causes a race to the bottom. Plenty of properties go above and beyond stated T&Cs and are rewarded with repeat business and positive reviews that draw in new clients.

What situation sounds better as a business owner?

• Charge WOH Globalist on an airline voucher for Internet to obtain $10 in revenue, anger them, and cause them to write a low-scoring review on a public review site
• Don't charge WOH Globalist for Internet, lose $0 (marginal cost is $0), remove the risk of negative reviews, and foster positive sentiment

I'd pick the 2nd option - plenty of properties don't charge for Internet at all and do just fine financially. Let's not forget that Internet is often a necessity, especially for international travelers who might have an active data plan and have been stranded on a connection at ORD. That Wi-Fi is their lifeline for communication - charging for it will make them mad.

PTahCha

So people are complaining and writing a negative review on something they are not entitled to? I believe there is a term for that.

And I think we need to agree to disagree. Vote with your feet and pick another hotel when you get a voucher, and find yourself in the same place, unless you end up at a lower end property where internet is free for everyone.

GUWonder

Any word on when or if the hotel is going to reopen the Regency Club (if it hasn’t already this fall)?

FriendlySkies

I was supposed to stay last night after attending the Captain Denny DO, though ATC delays at ORD led to a long enough delay that I just canceled my flights. When I called to cancel my reservation, the front desk agent told me the regency club was not going to reopen. Perhaps take it with a grain of salt, but it wouldn’t surprise me given how long it’s been closed.