There are 2 ways to look at it. Alternatively, you must discover new areas before you can explore them (although obviously no new discoveries are occurring in areas with Hyatts)

Yes, I'm surprised the program brand strategists are this tone deaf. I will hit the 60 night mark this year and qualify for "Globalist", but I'm only going to be able to say that word with heavy irony/detachment. Another thing that seems off is the intense emphasis on "empathy" and "engagement", without any backup of what that even means? People don't put the time/money in to reward programs to get 'empathy', they do it to get tangible rewards. When corporations use the word 'empathy' it oftens means that they are trying to garner some kind of emotional loyalty from users without providing a logical reason/benefit. I imagine most people doing 60 nights a year are too wise to corporate ways to fall for this. Maybe the 'empathy' language is designed to try to create an emotional attachment from infrequent travelers, but how?

Imagine how Globalist is going to be pronounced at ESL countries. I think there's going to be a myriad of people who are detached.

Personally, I'm considering picking up my giraffe and moving.

Those that status matched to Diamond and almost never stayed will still be an Explorist next year, with several nights of free club access.

Loyal Platinums putting in ~20 nights this year will be demoted to lower Discoverist rank and will be paying for good internet access.

THIS is exactly why you never pass up a status match opportunity. "Ooh, but what if it's once in a lifetime, I don't want to waste it now!" No. Nothing is guaranteed for the future. Take whatever you can in the here and now.

Don't quite like the name...

But I'm already at 60+ night this year. And seems like there is still suite upgrade certificate and even better they can be use on all point nights.

That alone is good enough to me.

If the info is true, this is such a drastic change that leaves me scratching my head. Why not introduce the changes in phases? Why overthrow the entire program? It almost feels like a merger happened without an actual merger.

I think the point of these names is to be discreet and down to earth. You're not meant to brag about your tier; you're encouraged to be empathetic rather than pretentious.

Right they're going to reward my empathy. This means if I donate my points (i.e. I don't use them) they're going to give me some trivial gift. That is worth less than the points. So basically they're going to clap for me as I devalue myself.

Sorry no. I was at 59 nights when this announcement came out and I booked one more since it would me at the top just in case.

Now, finding out the stuff about no suite upgrades, this was the primary reason I liked this program. What the dumb people don't know who run the program is that every time you get one of these "best room" guarantees you don't get it.

As usual, I am in a Hyatt and put me into the dreaded "club room" upgrade. It's the exact same room that I booked. Except it's a "club room" that gives me access to the club. Great. I already had access to the club.

Everything else is going to be always "sorry we don't have available space." Meanwhile I'm on my mobile phone booking the room they say is not available.

I am prepared now for that fight entering every single damn Hyatt in the world. I am going to get denied every time too I am sure.

Well Hyatt is going to see me go from 60 nights to 10 really fast. First couple stays if they block me from suites, screw you. Time for you to prove it Hyatt.

The problem is, where to go. I left SPG bc the Platinum treatment seemed weak (in terms of bonus points and breakfast amenity) in comparison to Hyatt Diamond. I generally find the Hyatt Diamond treatment to be more 'solid' for whatever it's worth than SPG Plat was-- often as an SPG Plat I'd feel like I was getting only the barest minimum return on investment. The only exception was one stay in San Sebastian when the SPG Luxury Collection hotel there gave me the Royal Suite (best suite in the hotel, with circular living room-- was definitely my best hotel upgrade ever). Other than that being SPG Plat never amounted to much. Not sure if that has changed for the better in the past year.

Not happy with this. Sounds almost like they modelled this after HHonors. HHonors rarely ever provides suite upgrades. Breakfast for my large family was a large reason why I pursued Hyatt on my stays. Not too happy with these changes.

Empathetic... to whom? Hyatt? Other people at the hotel?

I'm going to suddenly become a better person because the name of the status changed? Are they saying I'm a bad human being now and I will be better once I get to 60 nights?

No it's just bad nomenclature. They do this to obfuscate on the one hand and to sound like they're being hip and up to date on the other. The obfuscation is what they really like because it becomes harder to compare apples to apples when everyone comes up with their own nomenclature.

I'm wondering if those of us who got in on that old credit card "mistake" who now have permanent Diamond will going forward be permanent Globalists?

I am:

Hyatt Diamond by spend
Hilton Diamond by card
SPG Platinum 100 by spend
Fairmont Platinum by card
Accor Platinum by card
Marriott Platinum by merger

Hilton has not been bad but all of them like to advertise things they don't have to give. This is why we see certificates vanishing everywhere in the last 15 years. Because a certificate is a promise. You can exchange this for something. Now it's all best efforts stuff that the hotels actively lie to your face when you arrive to prevent you from getting. So every checkin is a fight. I loved this with Hyatt that I could use these easily and get in.

And now it's an SPG level flight. They were the absolute worst, I went years without ever getting a suite until as a P100 I complained and boom the one hotel that never ever ever gave me a suite in 10 years gave me a suite.

Hyatt Diamond was pretty solid but what this feels like to me is the classic thing with the airlines. The guy with the best program looks around, notices he's the best, and then devalues himself.

I say this year we teach all these guys a lesson at the Freddies and vote inverted or random.

These are the metrics they use to know if they are so good they can destroy something. So, let's not give them the information anymore.

Here's the other thing: they all destroyed the room upgrading by microtiering the rooms. So you pay $10 more for a corner and you pay $15 more for this other stupid thing. So your two class upgrade is the equivalent of $15.

Again: they all want to be in a position of having the illusion of giving you something back, while not doing it. That's modern marketing. Old marketing said give them something for their loyalty. Modern marketers said perception is reality, so GIVE THEM THE PERCEPTION OF SOMETHING.

That's what gives you automatic upgrades that never work because "oh sorry we're full."

A small handful of times it's happened. I remember 12 years ago I got a 3 class upgrade via an FHR booking with a Four Seasons. Once and never again. FHR now is something where they charge you extra and you have to go and check to see if all the things you're "getting for free" can be bought a-la-carte from the hotel for cheaper. 9 times out of 10 it's so. Booking with FHR then is just a con job. Look at all those "amenities" ... yeah they are things I bought and paid extra for so you could get your cut.

When the next recession hits this corporate greed is going to go into reverse fast.

Guys who can keep doing 60 nights when the economy tanks are going to be gods.

Well put, and you speak for me, too.

Sure, empathetic to the hotel. I'll bet front desk agents who hear of these new names are cheering that they will no longer deal with, "but I'm a Diamond!"

You may not become a "better person" from the name change but Hyatt guests will in aggregate. To the extent these names influence consumer behavior, the popped-collar Polo Ralph Lauren-type guests will be waving their Diamond cards at competitor hotels, leaving Hyatt hotels with the more pleasant guests, thereby enhancing Hyatt employee morale.