kanerf

69 Nights with one more planned for New Years Eve, so will take the 10K bonus.

bknets88

From what I've read on FT that night will count for next year

MarkOK

Like 25 stays? Because I like WoH without that. Similarly, I also like that the airlines went towards qualifications based on money spent instead of miles flown. In my book, reward programs should give back to those who spend the most, and qualifications based on things like 'miles flows' and 'number of stays' are just things that get gamed (and oh, I could play the game, but dragging my family to 7 hotels over a week across dallas is something I don't even want the option/temptation of doing). Or, if not gamed, they are still things that create disparity between customer types (a 45-night person should be treated better than a 25-night-25-stay person; that is only fair).

Or, do you mean things like counting award redemption nights? Because that I agree would be common sense and should be done.

Hot Pocket

Award nights would be logical, and going back to 25 stays isn't necessary (or likely). The simple fact remains that 60 nights is a lot to ask from a chain with a limited footprint.

If your travel reliably takes you to only major urban centers in the US, you're probably in good shape. However, many of us routinely find ourselves in areas with no Hyatt option at all, which is why I prioritize SPG/Marriott, despite generally preferring Hyatt properties.

SF1K

So checked-out yesterday which added 2 nights to my account and put me at 70 nights. Credited today and received the email for choice of 10,000 points or Suite Upgrade.

I had read in some post that the person was given 30-days to make the choice and that by making the choice close to the end of the period the suite upgrade would expire 1-year from the date of making the choice. My email actually says I have 90-days to choose the reward, so hoping that I can actually make that choice in about 89 days and then have an upgrade the expires 365 days after making the choice.

As I'm in no need of the points of the upgrade at this time I'll wait and then report back on on how the expiration date works.

ryan754

At 45 nights. Unfortunately will be short of Globalist this year. Over 100 nights with IHG, 70+ with Hilton. Sadly there aren't Hyatts where I spend most my time (Bogota etc) I'm very disappointed to lose my status, and not pleased with the changes of the program.. Preaching to the chorus.

SportsTech

So - you'd be in favor of dropping the nights altogether and just requiring you to hit $20K of spend/100,000 base points? No? Didn't think so. Counting award nights is common sense? No, it's not; it benefits Hyatt not at all.

It's ironic that WoH's two biggest fans in this forum are self-identified as low end Hyatt Place/House travelers who think 60 nights is great (for them) but 25 stays is bad (for them) for some reason. 60 nights at a Hyatt Place in East Oklahoma or wherever won't generate anywhere near $20K in revenue - probably not exactly what Hyatt was looking for when they put this plan in place.

I don't get the math, fellas - my 30 stays/40 nights last year gave Hyatt a little over $11K in revenue, but my 9 stays/11 nights so far this year gave them next to nothing because they were all burning off points. Apparently Mark and Portly can't do the math either, or they'd cease and desist. Meanwhile, Hyatt CAN do the math, and they've done something about it; expect more in 2018.

josephstern

Well, counting award nights seems to make sense to their competitors somehow, and even if it doesn't for Hyatt directly, it may make sense to put them on a level playing field and attract more aspirational customers.

Your comment implies that point redemptions are bad for Hyatt, but when a customer uses points, those points come off Hyatt's books. That's good for Hyatt.

MarkOK

Well, we had this discussion somewhere about how dollars spend probably correlates somewhat poorly to profitability, as certain 'cheap' properties with low costs may have better margins than more expensively priced properties that are very costly to run. I would be -more- in favor of having a $ spent qualification than having a 'number of stays' qualification. 100%. But I think number of nights is also a legitimate way to roughly delineate 'excellent', 'great', and 'good' customers. Having qualification on number of stays only provides a 'fast track' qualification to people who average less than 2 nights per trip, which I completely fail to see how that type of traveler benefits the company more than people who average more than 2 nights per trip and is thus deserving of a special path towards status.

And points are a liability for the company. Spending them reduces their liability. Further, if I buy points from Hyatt, doesn't Hyatt get paid? If I get pts from CC usage, isn't Hyatt getting a cut of those merchant fees with Chase? Including them simply reduces the threshold a few nights -- and just a few nights more for people who bought points or earned them through a CC program where Hyatt is getting something out of it.


I don't consider myself a low-end HP/HH traveler. I am actually rather 'new' to significant travel altogether. I only had 8 nights with Hyatt in 2015 and 4 nights in 2016. (of those 12 nights, 8 were at a HRs where I spent cash for an exec suite and 2 of the other nights were at a HP at a rack rate of 200 bucks). I had about twice that many nights at other hotels (all full service properties too -- Omni in New Haven CT, Parc55 by hilton in San Fran, etc.). This year, I have 23 nights so far with 15 nights more booked. Next year, I have 69 nights booked. All told, my Hyatt breakdown is: PH: 3 nights. GH: 19 nights. HC: 3 nights, HR: 57 nights, HH: 14 nights (10 of those at HH new orleans, which I think is a very nice property), HP: 23 nights.

30 of these 119 nights are on OPM (which in my case, is budgeted components of highly competitive research grants -- honestly, I could have budgeted more in all cases towards augmenting my personal salary, so I could argue that it isn't OPM as much as it is pre-tax routing of what could be my money for work related travel). 10 of these 30 nights on OPM are at HH/HPs, the rest at HRs.

29 of my planned/past nights I am paying for suites outright with cash.

So, there it all is, all about my travels -- Does all this make me a HH/HP traveller? I hardly think so. Other than a couple choice HH/HPs, I avoid them if a full service is in the same area. I don't like, generally speaking, the suburban HHs and HPs (room service and on-site restaurants are important to me).

This year, with an uptick in work travel that naturally led me to Hyatt properties, I finally figured out that it may be worth giving two cents about the rewards program. I originally based my analysis between SPG, Hilton, Marriot and Hyatt on a travel pattern of 5-10 stays at 30-45 nights. I wouldn't qualify for status on stays anywhere, and quite frankly, I find it rather insulting to spend 45 nights with a program that gave me lesser status than someone staying fewer nights but over 25 stays. At 40 nights, WoH offers more than any other program -- explorists is better than equivalent mid-tiers anywhere else in my opinion. And I have to compare 40 nights at Hyatt to 40 nights elsewhere. Perhaps, you can compare mid tier with 40 nights at Hyatt with 25 stays for top status somewhere else and come to a different conclusion. Maybe you travel so much that while shifting 25 stays to Hyatt for top status was worthwhile, but shifting 60 nights threatens keeping status at other programs. Good for you. Make your decision for what works for you. In my case, I don't qualify based on stays anywhere, I don't have enough travel to in any way get status at multiple brands based on nights, and 95% of my natural personal and work travel patterns are within Hyatt's footprint (which in just the last few months have announced new hotels in a few key locations). So, you can call me a fan, but indeed, I am because the program works for me and is fair to me.

Now, I am going to get glob this year on the CC promo and will get a legit 60 night glob next year. Comparing top status at Hyatt with SPG-75 and Marriot and Hilton, and I think Hyatt is still the best all around program out there, for me, primarily because the guaranteed TSU's at booking allows for planning out those longer 1 or 2 week long summer vacation stays with the family where we need a suite (and where I have always paid for suites anyways).

PortlySpartacus

Counting award nights would be consistent with competition. If Hyatt implements this and subsequently raises the total number of nights to reach Glob to 70 so be it. They can tweak the program to make it work, they don't have to just provide this benefit and keep things the same. You all seem to think these loyalty programs should just keep giving more and more but each year they all get devalued in some way so expect it without so much anger towards the change. If I don't like their changes then fine, I'll take my business elsewhere as you have done.

Can you please get past the 25 night stay Diamond qualification? Its gone and I don't expect that it will come back.

I agree with MarkOK description of the value of the Hyatt program and how it fits for him, it works for me as well. And to be clear, i don't stay at a majority of HH/HP but when I have to travel to god forsaken KC 10 times a year I have no choice but to stay at HP. If there was a HR downtown, I would stay there. I'm loaded up with 4 more TSU's, a bunch of points, free night awards (3 of them to use) and the Concierge. I'm good to go for next year so bring it on man.

edgewood49

Remember your CC "Glob" is lite not full Globalist it's sans concierge unless you do 60 full nights.

MarkOK

Yes, it's glob-lite next year. I only wish it was full, because I have 4 stays and 26 nights next year I really could make good use of TSU's but will be paying cash for suites instead (the differential being about $2,200 altogether). And, I think that is fair. I don't deserve as much doing only 38 nights this year as someone doing 60 nights.

Hot Pocket

On second thought, I now concur with the above posters and agree that Globalist status should be more exclusive and harder to obtain. It should require 365 nights. Don't complain, slackers, every fourth year has 366 days so you've got plenty of flexibility and options.

MarkOK

Sure!

Though, certainly you see the point that lines need drawn somewhere -- if everyone got 4 free TSU's, nobody would be able to have expectation to use them (there is a thread complaining of that as is). If everyone got waived resort fees, then they would just be a part of the room's rate. I know it can be hard to have a program change for some who have gotten 'used' to running up just enough stays for status at Hyatt and SPG and Marriot and wherever else they decide to chase status every-year. As much as I would love AAdvantage Exec Plat status and be on top of the first class upgrade list, bottom line is though I fly every time with American (courtesy of living within 10 miles of an airport only they serve), I just don't spend $12,000 plus taxes a year in airline tickets for myself. Heck, I don't quite spend $3,000 pre taxes to be given any status because I nearly always book 11th or 12th tier discount fares and only fly maybe 8-10 times a year. But that is that.

I think for a hotel program to give strong benefits, they have to reserve them for a relative small group. Is 60 nights the right cutoff for Hyatt? I don't know. Maybe 50 is, maybe 75 is. Hyatt has to figure out for themselves if they are capturing enough attention (or loyalty) from the program or are giving too many too much. Last year, they obviously chose that they were giving too much to too many with short, frequent stays (hence the drop in welcome amenities and qualification on stays -- really the biggest 'devaluation' of the program is targetted specifically towards that group). They decided 60 was a good metric (slightly more than they had before) for top status and upped some perks with that as well as give extra perks to anyone staying more than that up to 100 nights. Maybe they'll adjust these things, maybe not. But the expectation should be that it is 'hard' to get the highest level of recognition that comes with the most lucrative benefits.

krispykrme

I am one night away.

Have a 7 days business trip coming up.

looks like will end up with around 66 nights