smilee

I agree with many of the people here.

Things that they could change that would make me happier and wouldn't cost Hyatt a cent would include:

- no target promotions - word spreads quickly on the internet and makes me feel like I am not an important customer too.

- don't advertise best room available at check in including suites. For the past 15 years Hyatt has surprised me with lovely suites every once in a while without asking. I presume that all regular rooms were booked and they chose me because of my Diamond status... Nice. But don't promise this as a perk. Let hotels give it a way if they choose.

Last week I was in the Regency Club at the Hyatt SFO, and watched a customer using the computer in the lounge to look up rooms available at that hotel. I am willing to bet he was looking to see that suites were indeed for sale, and that he didn't get one. Don't make us beg for the perk you advertise. Just don't advertise it and let each hotel offer it if they wish.

Things that I wish they would do that would cost them some $$

- bring back the diamond amenity
- give me something for staying at a Ziva, Hyatt Place, Summerfield Suites. Like others have said maybe every 5 nights or 10 nights get some bonus points.
- Make the 30 night Explorer program better by offering 4 stays with guaranteed RC or free breakfast if lounge to busy etc. benefit just like Globalists get.
- get rid of expiring 120 day certificates

I find it very interesting the conversations I have overheard in the Regency Clubs about the loyalty program. Although all the bloggers say that the new WOH is a much better program for those that stay 60+ nights a year, I would argue from what I have overheard in the RC lounges, the general feeling of the new program is poor.

The smallest state

The bloggers are usually comp'ed lots of familiarization trips and/or credit card kickbacks and/or adverts. I like some of the bloggers but they usually migrate to shills.

I also have heard the grumbles and complaints. Problem is, Hyatt doesn't care what I think, and it doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

itsallgood

Thank you. I was a bit disappointed that The Smallest State didn't weave in Hoplamazian-speak aka the highly desirable irrational customer into his post.

craigthemif

I get the impression Hyatt doesn't even care what their (now former) head of loyalty thinks, as it strikes me as rather odd that Jeff would resign shortly after implementing WoH, unless the changes were forced on him as well...

The smallest state

Its all good..........

uppereastsider

All I want is for award nights to count for status + diamond amenity back.

The best benefit of WoH for me has been DSUs on award nights.

JackE

>Quote:
Originally Posted by JackE View Post
I hadn't put the 20-night offer in the context of a promotion, but OK, let's do that. Then my problem with it is not that anyone gets the benefits easier; my problem would be if it makes my getting benefits harder.


I stated it as "my problem with it", not your problem with it. As a consumer, you can be as outraged as you wish that someone else is targeted with a better deal than you are and choose accordingly. Someone else's good fortune doesn't bother me unless it impacts me negatively.

JackE

Or it was his idea and it bombed miserably. I'm not saying that is the case; only that it is a possibility.

59Impala

I doubt any new "improvements" will come starting 1 March 2018. Like with the frequent flyer programs, there will be devaluation in the hotel loyalty programs as well.
e.g. I once had written to Jeff (I think in 2015), what improvements I'd like to see in _Gold Passport_ at that time. One was "Roll over nights".

other loyalty programs will follow the devaluation path... Marriott yesterday announced that the "roll over nights" concept will no longer be continued for 2019 requalification.

craigthemif

I suspect that Marriott is killing roll over nights in order to simplify the process of merging the two programmes and/or because the new programme will have lower qualification requirements to avoid losing those SPG elites for whom 75 nights is impossible.

However, Hyatt could clearly fix their stupid "let's dis-incentivise Globalists from staying during the autumn" policy by having roll-over nights and extending DSUs for the full calendar year after being earned.

antonius66

I personally hate the idea of rollover nights. For me, Hyatt would be the best program period if they did the following:

- make hotels honor benefits and actually do something when they do things like play games with awards.

- make the 30 and 60 night awards expire 1 year from earning.

- make the brand loyalty awards 1 time per year and make them a category 4 night at 5 brands and a category 7 night at 10 and make them last 1 year.

- add a benefit to hp/hh for diamonds. 500 point per stay amenity or 200 per night up to 1k points per stay, or 5k points per 10 nights in a hh/hp.

- make awards count for qualification and leave 60 nights as the threshold.

- make the qualifiers 60 nights or 35 stays and 8k spend or 15k spend.

- make DSU expire end of next year when earned. Qualify in March of 18 for 2019? DSU good until December 19.

- give night credit for 2 or even 3 rooms paid directly by member when staying with friends and family.

- change t and c to extend breakfast benefit to 2 or 3 (to match above) rooms paid by member. Makes ZERO sense to let me pay points for my mother or my friend's room when we travel together and I bring the business to Hyatt and they get breakfast, but when I pay cash for both rooms, they can't have breakfast with me.

MarkOK

Why? I think rollover nights are a great idea, but with Marriott getting rid of it, I don't think it is 'realistic' to think Hyatt would do it.

Yes,

As for the cat 7 for 10 brands, yes, I like that, But having the rewards every year I will have to disagree if that means that you 'start over' every year. Getting to many of those brands is quite hard to do -- there are very few UBC hotels, for example, and HRCs that are easily bookable are rather sparse too. Maybe once you hit 10 you can start over?.

I think it is benefit enough that you don't have to stay at hp/hh to get a free breakfast anymore! (Seriously though, other than a few choice HH/HPs that I like, my only HH/HP stays will be from lack of any other choice). The main problem with this suggestion though, is that it isn't something Hyatt probably has to do for any reason. Hilton, for example, gives you LESS bonus pts when you stay at (a typically cheaper) non-full service brands. I get from our perspective, we just want something to recognize our specialness at HH/HPs but I am not sure what the message is if you have to 'give more' pts to get people to stay at already (typically cheaper) hotel brands in your portfolio.

This, this is the biggest thing and more REASONABLE thing that Hyatt can do to improve their program. And, if they don't want to include all award stays, at least count all pts stays. People get pts only from spending money at Hyatt hotels, buying them, or using the credit card, -- all methods from which Hyatt benefits financially. When those pts are redeemed, people should get credit.

I think qualification on stays is lame. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, it makes no sense to me to give a higher status to something that might spend 35 nights than to someone that spends 50 nights just because of how many times they are checking in/out. Even with putting an "AND" with a minimum spent, it doesn't help. Should someone spending 14K and 50 nights really be given a lesser status than someone spending 35 nights/stays and 8K ? I don't think so. But, I do think the 100,000 base points threshold is a little high in comparison to 60 nights. 75,000 base points is more reasonable. That puts it to where if you average more than 250 a night, you will 'track' to status faster than your night count which I think is about fair. Right now, I imagine the only people reaching 100K pts before 60 stays must stay at expensive properties AND eat at the hotel AND be spa'ing at a participating spa (which is rather rare).

No, it should expire the same time the status does! - February the year after (Qualify in March of 2018 for 2019, the 4 TSU's should be good until February 2020). No reason to put a different expiry date between status and the gifts the status comes with.

Ohhhh, I feel like this may open the door to some abuse. GoH is a nice perk as is. The main problem with the concept of 'my cash paid for the night' is that money can easily exchange hands. Lets say that my immediate family gets 5 rooms (mom/dad, my brother/spouse, my other brother/spouse, my room, and a kids room). I would be all about claiming night credit for all 5 rooms and 'treating' everyone to free breakfast, while having them pay me back for the rooms. Also, when I travel with a student group, I will usually put all 3-10 rooms on my credit card and get the reimbursement from work, just because many kids don't have much credit and reimbursement takes time. Should I really get the 30 nights credit and free breakfasts for everyone?? I mean, I get it, it would be nice and could be reasonable, but would be difficult to craft something like this in the T/Cs in a way that wouldn't open the door to serious abuse. It's much harder to craft these schemes out when you require a stay bought on pts.

For me, the main changes to the T/Cs are

1. Again, counting all pts nights (and perhaps all awards nights). 60 nights is a high limit, which I accept because I think getting top status should be 'hard', but all pt stays I think are legit stays. Pts are often referred to as 'funny money', but you only get pts in ways that Hyatt makes money.
2. Adjust the Explorist status Club awards to be able to include free breakfast at any full service location (per the discussion on another thread complaining of this).
3. Increase the bonus pt levels. Disc - 15%, Exp - 30%, Glob 45%.
4. Introduce a lifetime Explorists level at 500,000 base points, that comes with 4 additional vouchers for free breakfasts/clubs a year. This, again, is really to give an enhancement of explorist status to consistent mid-level travelers or to multi-year globs that have a dropped off travel. Someone that does 30 stays (or 30 nights in any division) and has 500,000 lifetime base points will thus be given 8 vouchers for free breakfasts/club access a year. This costs Hyatt money, but it would give a much better benefit for non-60 night travelers to stick with Hyatt.
5. Lengthen expiry dates for free nights/vouchers.

antonius66

Because I do not think your loyalty in 2018 should matter for 2019. I stayed 120 nights this year and next year I stayed 0 but I get the benefits? No thanks. There should be perks like more points/DSUs/etc as you hit 70 80 and so on. 70 nights = 5th DSU. 80 nights = 10k bonus points. 90 nights = 6th DSU and 5k points. 100 nights = Free Cat 4 night and 7th DSU. 125 and every 25 beyond = 20k bonus points and another DSU. 200 nights = Cat 7 night, DSU, 25k bonus points. That should be enough.



No, I think a category 7 night for doing 10 brands in one year is a very valuable reward and is hard enough to do but attainable enough that you should get that each year without building up to it. As it is now, the brand benefit is all but useless.



Problem is, there is ZERO benefit beyond getting night credit at HP/HH for Diamonds and MANY of them are NOT cheap at all. I have seen numerous HP/HH as much, or MORE than full service Hyatts and often at 300+ a night.



Obviously no argument from me.



I agree that stays is not as valuable as nights, but I do think there should be a happy medium. If you have to travel for work and do 25 two night weekend stays, and get 50 nights, you should get rewarded. Not everyone can do 60 nights or travels with pure night heavy travel. I think that requiring someone who does 35 stays (or as one argues, basically 35 one night stays for 35 nights) to pay 8k (an average of $229 a night at 35 nights) is still pretty fair. That would eliminate most absurd gaming of stays to get status I think. If you only do $100 nights, 35 would not be even half enough. However, if you spend a healthy amount, 35 stays would be fair. Think about it. 35 stays and 38 nights at 200 a night? Not enough. 25 stays and 25 nights at 400 a night? Not enough. 34 stays and 55 nights and 120 a night? Not enough. I think that is a pretty balanced requirement. Also, 20k is absurd. 15k flat out should be enough.



Maybe you misunderstand. I mean, once you requalify, your DSUs last as long as the status. If in March 2018, you hit 60 nights, your status is now good until Feb 2020. I think your DSU should be good until the end of the next year you qualified for. So, DSU good until Dec 2019 if you requal in March of 2018 for the upcoming year.



Well, I said with a limit of 2 or 3 rooms max. That is a normal situation where people travel with a friend or family, and prevents entire tour groups or wedding parties etc. I agree on there needing to be a limit. SPG gives 3 rooms credit and that is reasonable. I REGULARLY travel with friends or family and have 1 or sometimes 2 extra rooms. Not being given my benefits makes it so that my friends and family would often choose to stay at another hotel, which would often save them money and complicate things for everyone. Further, since you can do exactly what I am saying with POINTS, there is absolutely NO reason to not allow it if I am spending hundreds of dollars per room. I give you MORE money and get less? Idiotic. Now, many hotels extend benefits anyway...usually....but not knowing or being sure or not being in the technical right on the T&C just makes it uncomfortable and uncertain where it should not be. If I bring you $1000s more in business you would not have, you can give me breakfast with my family and give them a better room if you have it open.

CorporateTourist

1. T&C's of the program
There is too much ambiguity. Is it 55 or 60 nights for requalification in the 2017/2018 membership year? What is a standard suite? Make the T&C's clearer, so that there is no room for misinterpretation.

2. WoH guest relations - timely responses
I've sent a couple of emails to WoH regarding serious service failures (e.g. Dirty rooms, refusal to provide WoH benefits etc) but never received a response from them. It seems that they forward the emails to the relevant property, and let the hotel send a generic apology email. Under the HGP program, they would investigate, provide a response and sometimes service recovery. Please bring back the previous service standards.

As mentioned by others, I also received an email from WoH requesting additional feedback on the new program, to which I provided very detailed feedback. The WoH representative followed up with additional emails. However, when I sent a follow up email regarding the 20 night fast track qualification, the representative never responded.

3. Points and TSU redemptions
I find it difficult to redeem points for stays. Even more so when using a TSU. I had the same issue with HGP. Most years I have 3-4 left in my account. Under the new WoH, it seems to me that the hotels are gaming the system. Not WoH specific as SPG Suite Night Awards are also very hard to redeem. Make it easier to redeem the hard earned points and provide more transparency on Suite availability.

IMO, all of the loyalty programs (hotels and airlines) are cutting back on the published benefits and increasing the qualification requirements. What is frustrating is that they don't always deliver on the published benefits.

DCA-Flyer

Agree with the majority of other posts above, especially:

1. Extending/standardizing certificate expiration dates (e.g. end of next membership year, like it was in the past)
2. Standardizing application of elite benefits across properties
3. Limiting the "gaming" of standard room/suite categorizations used by properties to block point/certificate redemptions
4. Counting award stays towards as qualifying nights

Of the above though, extending certificate expiration dates would be my #1 request. I know it's been posted many times, but count me in the group that is delaying requalifying for Globalist until late December. I've been at 59 nights and 98.4k base points since November. SPG/Marriott have been the benefactor as a result.