777 global mile hound

I'm not a fan of speculating but today I called MGM Reservations for MGM Reward members and the agent was pretty unhelpful quoting me 60% more than MGM online rates
Asked to speak with a reservations manager who booked the nights with a proper discount as expected.
I asked him how long my Gold Status runs and he let me know that it runs out at the end of this month.Said I would be in next month to rematch again.

He then went onto to say to my complete surprise that going forward MGM will no longer do Hyatt status matches to any MGM Rewards elite levels /status effective sometime in June
Elite status could only be had based on how much you played inside MGM hotels once all accounts are re-accessed this June.
Effective July 1 all elite members will be shown the door stripped of any MGM status they previously held unless meeting MGM requirements.
I challenged him saying there has been no public announcement nor has any of my circle of well known bloggers brought it up privately or publicly.

The story then evolved to this.And I quote him.
"The MGM Hyatt relationship was never intended to be a rematch or status match annually but it just kind of went that way".
As of this moment he went on to say" Its over officially as of for now"."
Could upper management change their minds again possibly they have in the past"

Personally I find this hard to believe but I am putting out this conversation regardless if accurate the entire truth or complete fiction
Time will see how this all plays out.However my guess is it will continue on just as is as other than points and a resort fee waiver (valuable) what does MGM really bring to the table?
Its a nice cash cow for them having Hyatt's guests.Think its hogwash but you heard it here first right or wrong

invalyd

There have been other reports about this as well, so it could be the case.

beltway

<weeps in Explorist>

Single_Flyer

I feel like this would be a bad move for MGM Resorts. Personally having Gold status and not having to pay resort fees at MGM properties has changed my Vegas hotel preferences. Seems like a poor decision to cut off the Hyatt elite revenue stream.

777 global mile hound

Are there any links to these reports threads blogs etc?
Gosh it looks like I will move all my business to Marriott & Hilton in that market if it ends up being true.

Doppy

I find it hard to believe that a CS agent knows all of these details, let alone shares them with a random caller. I find that most CS agents I talk to these days know less than what's on their company's website.

That said, MGM has clearly been trying to refocus the elite levels on gaming theoretical. They cut hotel and F&B tier credit earnings from 25x to 3x per dollar, and have even made it might harder to earn tier credits and comps from gaming itself! I ran my numbers at the end of 2022 and found that I earned ~25% of the tier credits in 2022 that I earned in 2021, despite having an almost identical coin-in, and my comps are going down even though I had the same theoretical on fewer nights in 2022 vs 2021.

So if they're cutting off people who actually spend a lot of money gaming and on rooms/F&B, I'm not surprised they would cut off the status reciprocity. Gold status before came with basically no hard benefits, now that it includes free resort fees, it actually has some real value (though folks on comps didn't have to pay resort fees in the past anyway).

You can do so, but the options are pretty limited if you want to be on the Strip. You have Cosmo which also includes a $45 resort fee and always seems to be one of the most expensive places on the Strip whenever I've looked at rates. Or the Waldorf or Resorts World for Hilton, where you're also still going to pay the resort fee, though you'll get gold/diamond daily credit which basically offsets it. Resorts World at the end of the strip and too far from everything for my taste. I like the Waldorf's location and the property itself, but since I get comps elsewhere, it doesn't make sense.

ElevatorEnthusiast

IMHO, this seems believable. I wonder if Hyatt points earning and booking will also be stopped as MGM appears to be cutting off a major point of the partnership. My guess is that Hyatt won't want to end the partnership right now (before the Rio thing happens), but I have a hard time believing Hyatt will allow status matches, at least, if MGM doesn't offer the same.

hotelfanatic

Wow! Just when I just started to enjoy the MGM Gold benefits then this news come alone... I hope this don't come to fruition.

777 global mile hound

Agree however
This was a lead support manager of reservations.The CS agent was clueless to the world before being transferred .
The only reason why I thought it might be true as he has been there many years and seems to
know the past history and original intentions of MGM.
I use points at HH properties and don't typically pay the fees and the Amex picks up resort fees on revenue rooms.Marriott yes the resort fees truly suck but Cosmo is nice

downinit

I miss staying downtown, so I guess I will view this as bittersweet, as being loyal to MLife has definitely had its ups and downs. Honestly, my last trip was already making me rethink it. Tired of outdated spartan rooms with absolutely zero amenities and "upgrades" to mid-level rooms facing away from the strip. The only time I was actually happy with an Mlife room was when I got an upgrade to a "suite" at the Nomad, but even that was comparable to a standard room in an Andaz or Kimpton. The person I was meeting up with last time got a room at the Jockey Club for less than I paid on a heavily discounted room at the Park MGM. In addition to having a direct connection and pool access at the Cosmo, his room was a full one bedroom apartment, complete with not only a coffee maker, but an actual fully equipped kitchen, as well as a separate living room that was about the same size as the entire room at the Park MGM. In addition to having no "resort fee," JC also has their own swimming pool that is open from 6am to 10pm, which is mostly empty and open during the hours I would actually want to go swimming. The view was of a giant wall, but the location is perfect.

I wandered the entire length of the strip at least once every day, but 90% of my gambling was Mlife casinos. Losing status will definitely change that for me. I am certainly no whale, but I definitely gave back more than enough in the casinos to cover the waived resort fees. I never even bothered with the players club BS in Vegas before the Hyatt/MGM partnership, and I will probably quit bothering with it after this, as there appears to be no benefit for us losers who don't merit a limo ride from the airport.

Steph58

I was told basically the same thing a few days ago when I called the special line for Preferred/VIP/Gold to make a change to a reservation. The gentleman I spoke with said a decision would be made in June, nothing definite yet. I can't remember how he even brought up the subject. His opinion was MGM should drop some of their other insignificant partners but keep Hyatt (for what it's worth). I value my MGM Gold status a lot and have been doing week-long stays about six times a year. I've grown to love Vdara, Aria and even Park MGM. I don't gamble but do spend on dining and entertainment. I'm here right now, in fact, and am looking forward to trying The Signature for the first time. If things change between Hyatt and MGM, I may go back to IHG Venetian/Palazzo although those perks have dwindled down to not much now. Won't be doing week-long stays there. The MGM Gold benefit was actually a factor in my maintaining Globalist for 2023. Have been seriously thinking about only going for Explorist in 2024. Maybe will need to think outside the box--thanks for the info on Jockey Club.

craigthemif

It is certainly plausible that MGM is having second thoughts about comp-ing resort fees to people who are fundamentally loyal to Hyatt rather than MGM gamblers.

But it certainly shouldn't be a difficult analysis. Previously the Hyatt relationship involved mostly points and elite night credits - on-property benefits were limited. So unless the comp-ing of resort fees has driven lots of additional Hyatt member stays, you can take away the status match and keep the points / elite night element.

fly2nrt

Kinda makes sense if Hyatt is gonna take over the Rio....

kabroui

I suppose it's all demand driven and I'm sure they have the numbers to back things up. If they can fill the casinos with resort-fee paying customers, then why should they comp to Hyatt patrons? I don't follow the market, but I'd bet they had quite a good year in 2022 with COVID bounce-back. If that keeps up with the looming recession or a potential debt-ceiling meltdown in 2023 is anyone's guess. Seems to me that it would make a lot more sense to maintain the relationship and adjust the bennies rather than axe the whole thing. Getting Hyatt stay credit would still make it attractive and they could offer promos during low season or in the event of an economic slowdown.

Rio becoming a Hyatt property on the other hand might mean Hyatt might not be interested in maintaining the relationship either.

StevenSeagalFan

The thing is, Vegas is back baby! They don’t need your patronage to be successful, they’ll get their scam resort fees from others. They want you to GAMBLE and if not, no status for you unfortunately.