dw

I don't believe this is a new change that is suddenly making its way through the Hyatt system, but I have noticed as of late that several of the properties I stay at frequently have, over the past year or so, introduced new room categories one level up from the base or "standard" room category. This is something that has been going on at Starwood properties for years... and while one benefit to properties is the ability to upsell people to these rooms (especially when the standard rooms are sold out, so that's the minimum option for new bookings), the other effect (and the cynic in me thinks that is the real reason behind this change) is to reduce the inventory of standard rooms available for redemption.

Some changes I've noticed as of late:

- HR Boston always used to have standard rooms and then the next category up was a corner room (and every one I've ever stayed in was really sized like a junior suite). A few months ago they introduced a new "high floor" room category that is not available for award inventory.

- I am not 100% positive, but I thought the HR SF used to categorize all non-Regency Club rooms facing Market St and Drumm St as standard rooms, with the next category up being the Bay View rooms with Balconies facing 4 Embarcadero Center. (I even recall a few instances where, having booked a standard room, the front desk tried to upsell me a Bay View Balcony room for $40). I now see that there is a "Bay View" room category without Balconies for approx. $25 more which include the rooms with views of the Ferry Building and Bay, which, as far as I can tell, would encompass the majority of rooms facing Market Street. Of course, these rooms are not in the pool for points redemption.

Even the HP El Segundo by LAX now has a "High Floor" room category now that is $10 more than a regular King room and is not available for points redemption. Considering this is a 4-5 story HP in what is basically an office park, I find that characterization rather disingenuous.

Has anyone noticed this at other properties as of late?

spgplat21

Hyatt Lost Pines Resort significantly reduced its standard award availability with the creation of a new standard room category "Standard Room King". The difference is the Standard Room King is only on the higher floors and the Resort Room King is on floors 2 and 3 of the North Wing. Anyone who has stayed here knows that distinction is pure crap. Previously all Resort Room King and Resort Room Queens were available for points and this new category didn't exist. Availability on most weekends in high season has all but disappeared as a result.

MSPeconomist

The HP at MSP airport now has king and double queen rooms distingusihed by high floor or not, although for many dates I checked they are the same price. This is a six story building with one side facing a parking ramp and the other side a big airport parking lot.

I've also noticed some other HPs starting to charge different rates for two queen (cheaper) versus one king rooms and then refusing to give the rooms with one king bed to Diamonds even if they're obviously available at check in. Maybe it's time to use two beds every night.

synd

GH BKK has been doing that well and it really gets under my skin. They introduced :

- a deluxe room category while the renovation were going on to get a new room. but now its been over for a while not sure the difference.

- a view room category facing the sports club, about the same time as the deluxe. i can understand where that one is coming from.

- a grand executive suite, whihc is pretty much all the grand suites on 16-17-18-19-20-21-22 floor, leaving the grand suites on floor 10-11.

MDWCommuter

I would hate it if this were to spread across the Hyatt system. This practice is ultimately what drove me away from Starwood. I don't consider it a room upgrade to go from two queens to one king, it's simply a different sleeping configuration.

Please Hyatt say it ain't so!

Mommy Points

I have also had the impression this is a growing trend at Hyatt - we hit it at the Hyatt Regency Boston, too. Sorry to hear if Lost Pines has adopted this approach as well. The upside to the way SPG handles it is that the deluxe room types are typically only 1,000 - 2,000 more points per night (and some of them are worth the up-charge), but I am not aware of a way to book those "deluxe rooms" (but not suites or club rooms) at all via Hyatt Gold Passport points.

Thankfully I have only really had a big problem where it prevented a stay once or twice, but I do believe it is on the rise, not the decline with some Hyatt properties.

chavala

HP La Paz has a separate, more expensive category with balconies.
The new HP Buffalo (opening Aug 5) will have suites.
They should start allowing DSUs at HPs if this is the new standard.

dw

Thankfully it seems like properties are still making both standard King and standard double Queen rooms available for redemption, though I do see a price differential a lot nowadays... oddly there's no consistency (sometimes properties will charge more for a King, sometimes it's the double Queen that is more).

The new "high floor" category which seems to be spreading across non-city center HP properties seems ridiculous, though. At MSPeconomist's mention of the HP MSP, I also checked a variety of dates and the "high floor" rooms were always the same price as the standard rooms. So either someone loaded the rates improperly, or the sole purpose was to take some rooms out of award inventory.

If we assume there is a HP with five floors and floors 4 and 5 are designated as "high floor", and floor 1 only has 50% of the rooms as the other floors, that would be over 40% of rooms designated as "high floor".

RTW1

I doubt it is happening to prevent award bookings.... Most likely explanation in my view is that properties want to differentiate on revenue when certain types if rooms are in higher demand than others. If people are willing to pay a bit extra for a room on a high floor or a recently renovated one it would make perfect sense to me.

But it shouldn't make a difference in award availability, and now sometimes it does....