Rowyourboat

Hi,

I'm a SPG Plat currently on a corporate Hyatt challenge to Globalist. I mainly travel to big cities so no issues with Hyatt footprint. A lot of posters and blogs say "Hyatt treats top tier elites the best" but I just don't get why. With Marriott/SPG, you earn more points/stay relatively. Top tier hyatt hotels are cheaper points wise than top-tier Marriott/SPG hotels. Otherwise, where is the better elite treatment?

1. Suite upgrades: SPG does a good job here. Hyatt does a good job too. I read through the Globalist upgrade thread and it sounds like people get upgraded more than SPG, but not way more.
2. TSU: Much much better with Hyatt since they apply 4x a week vs. 5 nights total.
3. 4PM checkout/internet/water/breakfast/lounge access: All comparable. I guess Hyatt has it at every property vs. SPG/Marriott certain properties?

It just seems pretty comparable to me, except you need 55 nights/year with Hyatt (+5 nights credit card) vs. 35 nights/year with SPG/Marriott (+15 nights with credit card).

For people who have seen elite status in both programs, could you clarify why Hyatt Globalist treats elites better than SPG/Marriott? If you ignore suite upgrades, it seems identical to me.

txhyattlvr

Former SPG Plat with buddies that remain SPG/Marriott Plat....

I think Hyatt is vastly better.

1. This year I get free suite upgrades (no TSU required) about 85% of the time. Many many gorgeous rooms. For short business stays this might not matter, but I'm 80% leisure and love it. My buddy at SPG/Marriott is running less than 10% suite upgrades this year.

2. Hyatt offers free FULL breakfast rather than "continental" if no lounge. I love how they do it - no coupons or vouchers. Just charge breakfast to your room and order whatever you want. I've NEVER been charged an overage.

3. Subjective, but I think Hyatt properties are nicer, and more consistent in terms of service over former SPG properties in particular. Some of those old Sheratons are real dogs. I have yet to experience a truly dirty or run down Hyatt property.

4. Anecdotal, but I feel there are FAR fewer Globalists, proportionally speaking, at most typical Hyatts over platinums at SPG/Marriotts. This results in better treatment. Goodies are regularly delivered to my room, drink coupons, etc. I've heard stories of being one of "only a handful Globalists" staying at the Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen, HR San Antonio, among others. My extremely high upgrade rate is evidence of this.... I feel much more recognized as a Globalist at Hyatt than I ever did as a Platinum at SPG.

3. In terms of points - I value Hyatt points as being worth two cents each to ME - your value might vary. This is an average for me, and really it's more like 2.5 cents. Thus at a base of 6.5 points per dollar for Globalists I am looking at a 13% return on all stays, then another 8 points from the Hyatt card. Total for me is around 20% return before promos/incentives - is the new Marriott really much better than that? I have a hard time believing it is... PLUS I find use of points/availability to be fairly good and easy.

4. Don't forget no resort fees/destination fees or other nickle and dime crap fees. These fees don't exist for Globalists!

5. On award stays the free parking benefit can be substantial savings in big cities... especially when paired with no resort/destination fees.

6. Guest of Honor. Love it. Share your benefits with friends/family.... great way for them to feel like VIPs and I gotta say, I feel like I get VIP treatment from Hyatt a lot. I never felt that as an SPG Platinum.... can't emphasize this one enough.

7. Easy to contact Hyatt customer service. I never wait on hold for more than a minute or two, and they are typically very competent and helpful on the Globalist line.

8. Responsive to feedback. Nothing is perfect, and when I have complained about something, Hyatt folks are typically very interested in listening and responding appropriately.

9. The Marriott SPG Suite Night Award is a joke. Basically it just gets you on the top of the waiting list should a suite be available very close to when you check in. The Hyatt benefit lets you RESERVE a suite for free months in advance. Huge difference. I know people moan and groan but in my experience suites ARE available to reserve at the vast majority of properties. I've successfully used TSU's many many times.

Is it a bed of roses? No. Are there things I don't like? Sure. But I think that if you can make the Hyatt portfolio work, there is a ton of value in being a Globalist. I don't miss SPG one bit.

MSPeconomist

txhyattlvr

It all depends on where you go and where you stay. For me, Hyatt exists in 90% of the places I go so the foot print is simply not an issue. For those of us that get it done, Globalist offers wonderful perks. The only thing I miss is the old "welcome" amenity.

Kacee

There are quite a few differentiators. TSUs are better than SNAs because they confirm at booking. The Globalist breakfast benefit is clearer and more generous than SPG's. There are no resort fees - ever - for Globalists, as well as free parking on award stays. And Guest of Honor when you book a room on points for someone else (e.g., family members). Finally, Hyatt awards are cheaper, with the most expensive only 30k per night, and many excellent properties available for 20 or 25k. Next year, SPG/Marriott properties will cost as much as 100k. While Marriott earn is better, it's not >3x better.

That said, I think most of the comparisons are forward looking. Pre-merger, SPG and Hyatt were reasonably close. There's an awful lot of concern about Marriott silently gutting the program, so disenchanted SPG/Marriott elites are looking elsewhere.

Where Marriott/SPG had Hyatt beat (IMO) was fewer properties gaming the system to deny elite benefits. Whether that continues to be true remains to be seen.

Yes, you can redeem at 2 cpp (or higher) but that's not the value in the abstract. A more accurate valuation is in the range of 1.5 cpp. Just as a good theoretical Marriott valuation is .9 cpp (though I've redeemed much higher).

txhyattlvr

Also, just checked and it appears the new Marriott Points are worth half or less than half of what Hyatt points are worth to most people, thus there's really no difference in the return you get as a Platinum vs. Globalist.

jameswes

Another random point if you are into Credit Cards/signup bonus/churning:
Hyatt and Marriott are both direct transfers of Chase Ultimate Rewards. But Hyatt points are worth significantly more, so it is much easier to augment your Hyatt points balance with Chase points.


Breakfast difference when traveling with Family:
Marriott is for up to two people (lounge, or continental if no lounge).
Hyatt is for up to two adults, plus two children. And in practice, they pretty much always seem to reimburse all children.

jameswes

I actually think that 2 is pretty fair. 1.5 is really the bare minimum for Hyatt points. I typically get more like 2-3 cpp from Hyatt.

For example, last month I spent a few nights at Hyatt Centric San Francisco. 15K points/night, the nightly rate was $600 + $115 in taxes/fees + $60 parking (Included on points). That's just over 5 cents per point. And admittedly it's a little extreme, but it's not hard at all to find examples that are 3+.
In San Francisco there are a couple of Courtyards at 35K. Everything else if 50K+ points/night. And going up on expensive dates due to peak pricing that starts next year.

Reward Stock: Values at 1.97 cpp
TPG: Values at 1.8 cpp

Again, point values are extremely subjective. But as a general rule-of-thumb, Hyatt points are worth about twice as much as a Marriott point. Especially since the huge values from Marriott/SPG points was the Marriott Travel Package and SPG transfers to airlines. With those being diluted, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Marriott point value go down a little bit.

Kacee

And Lucky values Hyatt at 1.5 cpp, which I feel is accurate. Just because you can redeem at over 2 cpp doesn't mean that's their value for comparative purposes. I've run into plenty of potential Hyatt redemptions that are below 1 cpp. (And IMO TPG valuations are simply not credible. That site has become nothing but shameless credit card marketing.)

Um, you might want to rethink that analysis. There's been no dilution at all in SPG airline point transfers. They still transfer at the same ratio, with the same 25% bonus if redeemed in blocks of 60k (i.e., 20k SPG). That transfer opportunity has substantial value, particularly since you can no longer transfer UR to KE, which means that Marriott points are now the only currencies that transfer to LH and KE.

boolean64

I'm a lifetime SPG Plat and have had Hyatt Diamond for 3 or 4 years now. I lapsed last year because i was travelling to a place without a Hyatt. But am now trying to requalify for diamond. For me the benefits of Hyatt...

1. The ability to confirm suite upgrades at booking when travelling with family is huge (vs between five days out and never with SPG SNAs). And as mentioned by OP, these are stay-based not night based. The only property where i've seen games played on this front is the Andaz Maui and I still managed to stag a suite over thanksgiving for five nights.

2. As stated elsewhere there are no games with breakfast. Breakfast is free. period. None of this "well you can do the buffet but if you want hot items you have to buy up to it" or "you can get a bagel, coffee, and yoghurt at the coffee shop as your plat amenity" nonsense that happens way too often with starwood. And to my knowledge, there is also no games with "excluding resorts."

3. Some of the aspirational properties for Hyatt are very much our style. The Andaz Maui is easily our favorite property in Hawaii. Love the Park Hyatt in Buenos Aires. Lots of great SPG properties too but nice to have options.

4. For the most part, i just feel like i'm treated better. The phone agents tend to be friendlier and more effective at cutting through hotel hiccups. The properties tend to treat globalist as a bigger deal. And one example of the perks mentioned above... that stay at the Andaz in Maui. Breakfast was i think 45 per person, valet parking was i think 35 a day, and resort fee was 35 a day. All of that was free, no questions asked. So for five nights, we saved $800! Starwood we would have only gotten the breakfast...maybe.

5. One last note on earning and burning. There are very few properties in Hyatt's top tier. Maybe 7. This is how SPG's top category started out when they introduced it but the number of hotels that are in SPG's top tier have grown rapidly over the years.

The footprint for hyatt is small so it definitely doesn't work for everyone. But if your travel patterns allow, it has worked really well for me. Other than footprint the only thing i can think of that SPG has over hyatt is fifth night free. But in the grand scheme of things, certainly not a deal breaker. Which is why hyatt probably has not bothered matching it.

MarkOK

I just stayed at HR Lake Tahoe for 4 nights. These were the benefits I received:

1. Waive resort fees: $36 per night ($144 value)
2. Waived valet parking: $28 per night ($112 value)
3. Two Spa day passes (0$ value because I ended up not using them)
4. Free upgrade with a TSU to a 750 sq ft 1 bedroom suite. (cash upgrade value that week was only $116 per night or $464 total)
5. Redeemed the two most expensive nights for points (at a 2.3 cent/pt redemption for the base line room) (and paid cash the cheapest two nights).
6. Free Lounge access for my family of three with breakfast (including hot egg dishes every morning), evening hors d'oeuvres (which included on various nights sliders, steak teriyaki, tacos) with free wine/beer and a few desserts. (not all lounges are equal, but this one would rate solidly typical in my experience)
7. Personal email a week before my stay and a follow up text message the day before my stay from the General Manager and VIP managers (and I texted back three times for special requests that were honored within minutes).
8. Roll-away bed for 1 night when a family member joined us (which wasn't charged -- I don't think it is an official policy, but I have gotten roll-aways at three different properties now and haven't been charged once for them. I also got a couple phone call charges removed at check out without asking).
9. Earned base and bonus pts on food/liquor and on kayak rental charges in addition to the cash nights.
10. A Later check out (not the standard 4PM but since it was a resort/casino property the benefit was 'as available', -- they allowed 1PM which was 2 hours later than normal checkout time and apologized profusely that they couldn't do better.)
11. And my combined reservation and suite upgrade booking was secured through two quick email exchanges with my excellent Hyatt Concierge within a few hours of first contact.

In other words, if I wasn't globalist, I would have had to pay $2500 for the hard direct cash value benefits and gotten none of the soft benefits. My costs-- 40,000 pts and $450. And nothing was out of the ordinary (other than the unused spa passes maybe). I always get free parking on award stays, waived resort fees, free breakfasts/lounge access (which varies in quality, but I am very satisfied in all but a few cases), usually get late checkout (not 100% consistent, but 4PM is usually given proactively), have four TSUs a year, good pt redemptions, and about half the full service properties reach out with an email pre-arrival. The only thing I don't get very often is complementary upgrades to suites at check in -- I have gotten a few real gems, but usually I am staying for 4-10 days at a time and a suite has rarely been available for my entire stay, though I practically always get a tangible upgraded room type or at least a great view.

I have never been top tier at SPG, but I have doubts from their stated benefits or the anecdotes FT page that I would have been able to get this kind of benefit value from them pre- or post-merger.

General comments --
The CC elite night earning benefit of Hyatt should be clearly stated as 5 nights PLUS 2 earned night credits per 5K spend. I fully expect to get 15-30 nights earned a year from normal casual use on my WoH credit card. And let's not forget that WoH globalist comes with a free cat1-4 and a free cat1-7 per year, and the CC can give you two cat 1-4s a year (annual with the anniversary and after 15K in spend). That is four free nights a year.

I don't exactly take any bloggers pt valuation seriously. I've never redeemed a Hyatt pt for less than 2 cent per point (after 386,000 redeemed points during the last 18 months). I average about 2.5 cents a point, and I have redeemed as high as 5.5 cents per point. I keep thinking that I will saturate out good redemption options and be pushed to burn at a lower rate, but thus far I haven't. Meanwhile, I have yet to be able to find a way that works for me to get anywhere near the blogger's inflated evaluation for my airline miles ("Lucky" values AAdvantage miles at 1.3 cents per mile -- I haven't been able to find a redemption for more than 1.0 cent per mile so far, and getting even that took hours of searching for dates that would give me the 'saaver' redemptions. In my opinion, he (and others) seem to inflate the value of airline miles on what you 'could' get while valuing Hyatt pts for what you would get using a shotgun approach; and/or , they are too heavily biasing their valuations for international resort travel (where hotel redemptions aren't always as good, and where there is a better likelihood of scoring a higher on-paper valuation for some international mid-week pt-saver J/F ticket).

krispykrme

My own experience.

1. Hyatt lounge are significantly better than SPG.
2. SPG redemption point is way too high compare to Hyatt.

s0ssos

Actually Marriott points now are more valuable (than before, when they weren't transferable to SPG). The only prior way of getting a good value on transferring points was to get a travel package, now you can just transfer.

princesakura

Wow, that is a great suite upgrade rate! I am far, far below that, at around 2 out of 25 stays this year, and they were both the suite-lite Large King at Andaz Tokyo. Feel disappointed, though I was already disappointed before I read yours. Maybe it's the type of properties I'm staying at, or maybe they've pegged me at a lower-level Globalist. I travel for leisure too (well, more like working holiday) and would love to have close to an 85% upgrade rate. Keep enjoying it!

Rowyourboat

Thanks for the feedback. The parking/expanded lounge/bfast access isn't valuable to me since I don't have kids, but I do appreciate the points about TSU/suite upgrade rates, better customer service, and better lounges (I've experienced this first hand as well). I think the Chase to Hyatt point transfers is an excellent point as well that I hadn't thought about - much better deal than Marriott. I also didn't realize Hyatt only had a few Cat 7's, whereas next year a ton of great hotels with Marriott/SPG will be Cat 8 (70k-100k points, so equivalent of 35k-50k Hyatt points).

I will complete my challenge this year and keep building up Hyatt stays next year to compare as a Globalist. I think I can get SPG plat + Globalist next year so that's what I'll build towards and just compare. Excited to eventually get TSUs though, those seem insanely valuable for vacations.

Thanks for the perspective everyone.