Problems with Guest of Honor
 

Last weekend was my first attempt at using Guest of Honor benefits. My friend and his family were going to St. Louis for the weekend so I booked a room at the Hyatt at the Arch. I made the reservation through the diamond line. The agent seemed like he didnt know what to do at first but after putting me on hold, he said everything was set. When I got the reservation, "Guest of Honor" was noted in the preference section of the reservation. When my guests arrived at the hotel, they were denied any benefits. The front desk clerk said that they had never heard of Guest of Honor. They got the manager on duty who repeated that there was no such program and he would determine what benefits they would receive (none). My friend asked them to call Hyatt for clarification and the manager refused. So, my friend called Hyatt and asked them to reach out to the manager. Only then, did her relent and provide them with the benefits. They were very embarrassed by the whole episode but kept calm and tried to explain to the best of their ability what I told them they would receive. I am very suprised by the lack of training of both the phone agent and the hotel about this benefit. Anyone else have problems with this program? Is there anyone at Hyatt I should contact so I can make sure this doesn't happen again?

Hello smitty06,

I'm sorry to hear of your experience with Guest of Honor. If you can please PM us the stay details, I'm more than happy to look into this for you and follow up with hotel management as well.

Thanks!

Sarah

Had exactly the same experience at the HR Crystal City (VA). The front desk treated my "Guest of Honor" as though he was speaking a different language. It was personally embarassing to me, and I can't imagine how my guest felt. The next time I offer it to him, it will probably be "thanks, but no thanks."

hmm hope this doesn't happen to my sister's upcoming stay I booked for her in seattle. Can people post positive experiences?

You will do yourself and your guests a favor to call the actual property prior to check in to make sure they are aware of the program and to expect your guests. This will make it much easier....

We did that for the HR Vancouver, but they still failed to deliver the check in amenity.....:td:

I think this is great advice, but I would challenge why this is the Diamond member's responsibility. This program has been live for months, surely there have been memos, emails, whatever communication device exists for these sorts of things.

And each hotel has a GM...theoretically someone who can get the message out.

In my case, the "Guest of Honor," after prodding from me, escalated the issue to the Manager on Duty, and was still told that there was no such program and that he was not going to receive a welcome amenity.

Only my call to the Diamond desk resulted in begrudging, after the fact fulfillment of some of the terms of the program :td::td::td:

My family is booked for the Park Hyatt Busan in June (without me travelling) and I'm worried that his will happen as well. The reservation doesn't show up in my account nor my wife's but the Hyatt confirmation email came to my email with my wife's name as the addressee. Called Hyatt GP to confirm if the GOH was applied properly I was told yes it is. But still worried.

Like the OP, mine shows: Preferences: GUEST OF HONOR.

System-wise, is this the correct application of GOH? And is it normal for me to get the email (of course but had to ask) confirmation with the GOH's name as the addressee? My wife is a plat but the reservation does not show up in her account (did not provide GP number).

It may be a good idea for your guests bringing a printout of this page to check in.
http://hyatthotels.hyatt.com/content/partnerlandingpage/en/guest-of-honor.html

email the director of rooms, [email protected] or front end manager, [email protected] and ensure GOH will be honored.

I'm in no way excusing what happened, but it does not surprise me. Some hotels which lounges still don't know the 2500pt with lounge closure.

I am not at all suprised that some North American properties haven't trained their employees to handle GOH bookings, but if a property like Park Hyatt Busan can't handle this that would be very disconcerting.

My guess is that GOH requires a manual override of the system to extend the benefits to the guest.

I had a positive experience at the HR Calgary. They didn't know about GoH but just assumed my friend was a Diamond member (She was confused when they thanked her for her loyalty) and gave her all the benefits.

That works well too!

Problems with Guest of Honor
 

Worked like charm for my family at HR Waikaki

Dear FlyerTalkers,

Our sincere apologies that the Guest of Honor experience has not been consistently delivered. Obviously, there is an opportunity to do better, and we will continue our on-going training and education to ensure that these issues are properly addressed. As always we appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!