smilee

After watching the I want to start out by saying I generally agree with many of Frequent Miler Greg's points of view but this video made me wonder why my alignment is not with his. I am thinking that Hyatt might be worth jumping off the band wagon. Where is your view?

I presume his video and was brought on by the recent point devaluation which is disappointing. I agree that the change is somewhat disappointing but that it is mainly the $800+ a night Hyatt’s that are now costing up to 20,000 more points. But valuing Hyatt points do I really want to spend $600, $700 or more in valued Hyatt points per night anyhow. Sure I enjoyed the Park Hyatt Milan or PH NYC as much as the next person but those hotels are not that great.

I also found his post misleading when Greg said Globalist get free parking. I thought that you only got free parking when it was a hotel owned parking lot and you were on an award stay. He made it sound like all parking if free for Globalists? Have I been ripped off when paying of parking?

Other points are Hyatt Concierge service which in the pandemic I realized how little I value that benefit. On Flyertalk people are all excited about the Concierge. The only minimal value the concierge has brought me was the ability to email to ask for a suite upgrade but it took days to get a reply. I generally just take a few seconds and call. The only time I have really needed some help was during the pandemic. I emailed my Concierge to inquire about my Cat 7 and suite upgrades expiring and didn't get a response for a few days and then told me nothing could be done about Category 7 cert or my 4 suite expiring upgrades. Fortunately I read on FT and learned a 5 minute chat on the app and points and 1 suite upgrade was extended. They even gave me points for the useless club awards. Again I don’t see much value in the Concierge.

The other Globalist benefits they say are so worthy of keeping are the suite upgrades. Sure they are better than Marriott but I still end up with many every year as I often don't plan speculative trips and cancel nights rather I plan trips when I know I will go and suites are not more often not available. Have I just been a top tier for 20 years and gotten too spoilt and used to the benefits???

So back to is it time to jump step off they Hyatt bandwagon? I look at the program and the Globalist and make the following points:

1. The Globalist program has severely changed with few Regency Clubs open. My number 1 reason for engaging in the program.
2. Hotels are much more expensive (I see 20-50% price increases)
3. Hyatt has made Globalist harder requiring 60 nights now vs 55 like in the past 4 years (so while the pandemic is raging on and have been advised to not travel I now need to spend even more nights to achieve Globalist)
4. Peak pricing – 10% increase often for me (not even including recent devaluation)
5. Less service - been a while since I got turn down service, or even daily cleaning service
6. No more points + cash at a fixed rate (I know this changed 4 years ago but it still is a thorn in my side)

So my question for anyone interested am I too critical of Hyatt or do I have the Covid cranks? What is your opinion is it time to step off the Hyatt bandwagon

AndyKehn

Just go away. I would appreciate it if there are fewer globalists staying at Hyatt properties. Good luck with bonvoy and hilton and ihg. Oh maybe best western will treat you well.

LondonElite

What wagon would you step onto?

js1993

Travel blogs are full of clickbait garbage.

/end

VegasGambler

Enjoy motel 6. They'll leave the light on.

js1993

Nah, Covid cutbacks. They turn them off at 10 pm.

antonius66

I think a more nuanced and accurate way to express the counter to most of your points and questions, rather than the petulant and snarky responses so far, would be to say that yes, Hyatt has severely reduced its positive marginal differentiation compared to other programs. Anyone who tries to say otherwise is not being honest. That being said, I still think it is objectively significantly ahead of the other major programs benefit and quality wise, but there have been some legitimately worrying moves to the downside that could easily augur poorly for the long term should they continue a downward trend. Some of the points raised are valid, like the wildly variant levels of usefulness from concierges, the reduction in Clubs/expansion of the brand largely being limited service that gives high end elites nothing meaningful in benefits, and the aggressive devaluation in points. However, the alternatives are still largely worse in most ways, other than footprint. That being said, I do think it is true that Hyatt has been shifting in the last 5 years or so from a "we have a small footprint but compensate with a dominant focus on customer loyalty and treatment" to a "the entire industry is getting worse, so we just have to be a few drops 'less bad' than everyone else" model. I would agree that there is not another program I still want to make my dominant one over Hyatt, but those who argue that you can get more and go farther with non chain based loyalty and seeking out the best values in any given stay and location often have some validity to their arguments.

xooz

Not sure what you were looking for as a response (probably not the above), but as someone who was enticed to come to Hyatt this year, I have been pleased compared to Marriott and Hilton. You don't have to move your mouse far to find a thread in those forums bemoaning the increased prices, decreased service, diminished value of points etc.

The real question is why not become a free agent? Your complaints about price go away, since you pick the price. Your complaints about useless benefits go away. You could simply book everything via Prive, STARS, Impresario etc. when you book a big chain. Seems like perhaps you should forget the programs and get things your way on your own terms, not theirs.

Visconti

LOL...Of course, it's a devaluation starting with that peak and off peak crap. Anyone who suggests otherwise, I'm not sure whom they're trying to convince. Maybe, themselves?

Anyway, of course those who run Hyatt had better offer rebates just marginally superior, not leaps and bounds better than their peers . Let's not forget, their obligation is to deliver that surplus to their shareholders, not guests. I realize an alarming number of FT'ers seem to think a private for profit enterprise is to deliver that surplus to the end consumer rather than increasing shareholder value. Well, at this current point in time, don't be dazzled by Hyatt's PC speak, it's still all about the bottom line--it'll be the only thing that matters to them during our lifetime.

Gertjaars

Anyone else saw the video length and closed the window?🤭

Anyways, the more these travel blogs tell people to "get off the hyatt bandwagon", the more award availability for people like me and others on here 😃 so please feel free to get off 😇

P.S. The other award programs like Marriott and Hilton are even worse than Hyatt 🥱

ElevatorEnthusiast

Post stupid thread, get stupid answers. Probably trying to mine for clicks on that video or to rage-bait people - I don't fail to see the irony in me responding.

If you want to leave, leave. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Personally, I wouldn't stick all my stones in one loyalty basket, anyway. Your complaints, however, aren't specific to Hyatt (prices increasing) or are just minor (you're really complaining about 5 extra nights to get Globalist?).

Still, I doubt this was posted in any sort of well-meaning way.

VegasGambler

No, I saw the idiotic picture in the link and didn't open it. I'm sure the guy who made it thinks he's hilarious though.

This whole discussion makes no sense. Yes, hotels are more expensive than they were in 2020. But that's not a price increase, it's a return towards normalcy. And it applies to every hotel so it's irrelevant when choosing Hyatt vs another brand.

I disagree that the recent award changes were a devaluation. Yes, some very high-end hotels moved up a category. But there were many more hotels that moved down than moved up, so, no, it's not a devaluation. I value Hyatt points the same as I did before. It's still easy to find 2c+ redemptions and there will still be the occasional 3c+ redemption.

You still get free breakfasts and waived resort and destination fees as Globalist. That's easily worth at least a thousand dollars a year (closer to $2k for me but it depends on your travel patterns). Breakfast for 2 plus a resort fee can easily be $100/night at some destinations. That adds up fast.

The only real downside is the footprint -- sometimes there is not a Hyatt in a place you are going, or there is not one in a good location. But, that has gotten significantly better (and continues to improve) as they build more and acquire more brands. So if it wasn't a reason to jump ship 4 years ago, it's certainly not a reason now.

When deciding whether to stick with Hyatt, it should be a comparison vs other brands. The OP did not mention a single comparison to another brand; he just mentioned some stuff he didn't like. Most of it is also true (or worse) at other brands. This whole discussion is just meaningless -- it's just a bunch of out of context complaining.

GrayAnderson

So, let's run down those points:
(1) The club situation is problematic at all chains. I do think that Corporate needs to put a bit of stick about...it's one thing if a club is closed because of either local restrictions (mostly gone by now) or low occupancy (which might be an issue at some properties seasonally regardless). It's another if it is down to "staffing" issues. However, it isn't like Marriott is covering themselves in glory here, either.
(2) Hotels are more expensive...with everyone. Not really something you're going to solve elsewhere.
(3) I'd argue that this is a "wash" given that the credit card now comes with 5 free nights towards status (versus, IIRC, "just" granting first-tier status). If you're a Globalist and you don't have it already, just get the bloody CC and this "washes". If you spend to get the second free night out of the CC, then you're getting 11 nights out of it. Also, the 55 was only for requalifying, not for initial qualification.
(4) I'd split this into two points:
(4a) Peak pricing is regrettable, but we've still got a chart to point to. Marriott is losing that in a few weeks, and losing even that as a sort-of reference point in another year or so.
(4b) The recent devaluation is a mixed bag. One of my favorite properties is getting bumped from Cat 3 to Cat 4 (along with, well, the other HRs in the Orlando area). But there are some properties getting dropped here as well. The big question is whether you ever planned to stay at one of the PHs getting bumped to Cat 8...and for me, that was never the case (though to be fair, I wouldn't really mind if Hyatt just didn't have the Cat 8 properties...they just don't "exist" for me).
(5) So, as a Globalist, I've almost always been offered daily cleaning service (or had it offered to me), at least at HR properties. On the other hand, I don't recall the last time I got "turndown" service...well, anywhere except on the Canadian.
(6) I think I only ran into looking at a P+C reservation at Hyatt once in my life...so not really a "thing" for me, either.

So frankly...on the one hand, our interests don't really line up. On the other hand...yeah, I think there's a case you're...I won't say you're spoiled (that has the wrong sense to it), but I think your view of how things are elsewhere is a bit blinkered.

m0hamed

FT is better without travel bloggers and their hot takes.

Every now and then one jumps into a thread with a Youtube they created. It's generally ignored.

BaconSF

I’ve heard some auto-register you to promos etc. Wish mine did that for me