EWRfflyer

Or is it just the way it is now. It seems that ever since they introduced the Visa card the this program has become very lame. I think it was once the best, but now just a shade of which it once was. No more FFN or stays count double. No more "G" bonuses. Even if you look at this site. The top 23 out of 25 postings are about hotel reviews. I know of at least 6 of my friends who will not make diamond. And the only way half of them make platinum is because it comes with the Visa Card. I only would ever stay at Hyatts in the past. It would be treason to think otherwise. But as a pleasure traveler mostly I have to be loyal to my family and wallet. So this year we have moved on to other hotels that have given out better, not great, just better bonuses. Just my opinion.

austin_modern

Hotels earn their loyalty by good service for long term customers not buying their loyalty with bonuses, FFN, and double nights.

I think the bonuses @ Hyatt over the past 12 months have been pretty good looking at my earnings statement in that period. When combined with the diamond bonuses - I don't really see one out there that's a whole lot better over that period.

EWRfflyer

Sorry, but I personally have to disagree with you. Customer loyalty is one thing. I really don't see much difference in Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, and Marriott. They all have some great properties and some not so great or lower end hotels. Service is pretty much the same. If you read all these threads you will find them littered with stories, both good and bad about every one of them about equally. So I know for me and many others they will follow the most bonus for the buck. And yes you may have some nice points this year but it is not better than any of the others I have listed.

peteropny

There aren't really any chain that is offering great promotions right now - seems like it's either the business climate or they're all following each other.

Starwood, the other program that I'm most familiar with, is running the "choices" promo right now that is considerably less lucrative for the customer than the Free Weekend and Free Resort Nights that they ran the last 3 years where you get a free night after every 2 (or 3 in the last round) stays - kind of equivalent to Hyatt's FFN. I could reasonably argue that the "choices" choice of a free night after 10 nights at Starwood has close to the same value as the Hyatt airline miles promo that is running right now.

On regular point earning and redemption, Hyatt is still way ahead. Hyatt Diamonds earn 6.5 points per $ while Starwood Platinum earn 3 points per $. On the redemption side, Hyatt's top category is cat 6 which is 22,000 points while Starwood's cat 6 is 20,000 points (many of the properties have a peak period which rises to 25,000 points) and a few of their top properties are cat 7. So the ratio of spend to get to a redemption is still better at Hyatt.

I'm not as familiar with Hilton and nearly clueless about Marriott.

austin_modern

Hyatt still has one of the highest points/$ for elites of any of the hotel chains along with one of the easiest redemptions. Their program is still really strong.

Of course, there will always be people who follow the bonus points to other chains - if you travel enough to maintain status while doing that - I would advise you to go ahead. There's always a short term better deal, but then again - you'll probably lose diamond stay bonuses and 30% bonuses in favor of the others. *shrug*

izzik

If your "loyalty" is just chasing bonuses and promotions, then yes.. Hyatt is probably not the place for you. Time to move on.

HaryoS

Spot ON!

I often confused why so many (excuse me); "cheap" frequent travelers concentrating on bonus/promotion to make them loyal to one brand.

Loyalty is not simply based on bonus but more on customer service and (execution) perfection.

mecabq

The apologists have really come out of the woodwork here. How dare you consider yourself "loyal" and yet observe a massive dropoff in bonus promotions!

FFN was definitely a promotion that placed Hyatt above the competition, and we haven't seen that this year, nor have we seen the generous "G" bonuses. As other posters have mentioned, it could be that all of the chains are less competitive this year, since no one's bonuses are too great. But I agree that the dropoff seems to be greatest with Hyatt.

Many of us lamented the new Visa card, since, in any loyalty program, massive proliferation of points by credit card users will hurt truly loyal members, leading inevitably to points inflation (increased award levels and decreased award availability). I suppose that this hasn't come about yet, but will eventually.

austin_modern

Apologists? Or perhaps just people with a different opinion.

sophiegirl

Adding onto Peter's thread....I am quite familiar with Marriott, and their bonuses this year HAVE remained identical to previous years. However, as the actual points promo's were never their strong suit, this is not an endorsement of their program! They have cut back on basic program benefits for top tier; BOGO Dining as well as BOGO Nights are long gone, and even as a Lifetime Plat I do not receive breakfast on the weekends at any FS or resort - a very nice benefit of Hyatt Diamond, and one my family most enjoys. Conc Lounges (similar to Regency Clubs) are almost never open on the weekends, and rarely as nice as RC's when they are open. Marriott does not count stays, only nights...so you need 75 Marriott nights to hit top tier, while only 25 are needed at Hyatt.

I believe the recent strong emphasis placed soley on points earnings by travelers has actually reduced points & bonus's offered by hotels. If travelers consistently prove their loyalty is only to accruing points - the programs become meaningless, as they no longer meet the goal of driving loyalty and are merely an expense. As most corporations are looking for ways to drive costs down, a program not meeting it's intended goal is the first to be evaluated and reduced!

IMO, Hyatt's only shortcoming in the points earning proposition is not the program - but lack of locations. YMMV.

Ducatibiker

And the Hyatt Visa Card promotions are not offered to non U.S. residents...which completely dilutes the program and the points earned the hard way. Why use 22K points for a Park Hyatt when some people can stay for 75 dollars through the credit card...or why pay more than 600 euros than Park Hyatt Vendome. Many people do agree with you, especially outside the U.S., the Hyatt Visa Card is in the way of some good great promotions like Hyatt use to have. Platinum for just applying for the card is just ridiculous and completely dilutes the platinum status.

AJLondon

I no longer think of HGP as a global program with a global target market. It is, IMHO, a very good program for US residents, who travel mostly domestically, along with trips to major international cities in Europe and Asia.

It is however a very poor program for those based in Europe and Asia. Both from a benefits perspective as well as from a property footprint perspective.

mecabq

No, I used the term "apologist" to describe a post that is non sequitur criticizing the OP without really addressing his point, e.g.:

As I said before, I think that it's fair to note that the points benefits of Gold Passport have degraded. I consider myself "loyal" to Hyatt -- I always look at Hyatt first in a given destination and am not influenced by price all that much -- but, still, at the margin, haven't found Hyatt as competitive this year as in past years.

JAFU007

+1

I switched from Hilton to Hyatt a few years back not because of promotions but because of service. I found that Hyatt went above and beyond far more often that Hilton and Hyatt rewarded me much better for my loyalty.

Do I miss all the promotions - YES! Are they a deal breaker for me? NO!
Do I wish there were more Hyatts around the world - YES!!

I hate it when I have to travel somewhere and there is no Hyatt. I let them know. But, I truly appreciate it all that they do for me, the very pleasant and professional manner in which they do it.

Quick example: I recently stayed at HR New Orleans. I was having a problem at the FD and she went to get a supervisor. The supervisor used to work at HR Chicago and remembered me from a year ago (when I stayed several times over a year) and gave me a big hug, remembered my name, asked about my business, etc. I was blown away. That is service. That is why I stay with Hyatt as much as possible.

Cheers!

sensei

I couldn't agree more. ^ Service is Hyatt's big differentiator, points are gravy. If upgrades were a little more forthcoming and there were more properties, it would be close to an ideal program.