leontief

Official announcement:
https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/e...ouncement.html

OMAAT article:
https://onemileatatime.com/news/worl...uest-of-honor/

New Milestone Rewards chart:


Guest Of Honor perk will have to be earned through nights or base points. Current Globalist members will receive five GOH awards expiring February 2025 (yes, even Globalist members with status expiring in February 2024) and will retain the "legacy" unlimited GOH benefit through status expiration:

antonius66

I love how Hyatt likes to significantly change benefits and then always say, well, no one uses it, so we decided to basically gut it. If no one uses GoH more than 2x a year, why put a cap and make it so you have to give up other stuff to "choose" GoH? Because that is a lie like always and you want to make the cost of using GoH much higher. Obviously if the "average" person uses it 2x, there is zero reason to go to all this change to then give you 3x automatic uses. Clearly some significant outsized use of GoH they want to curb just like the great escapes packages (I think that was the name) that magically disappeared at the same moment the PH Maldives came into existence because they were useless for years until that hotel (where they were suddenly SUPER valuable) and then suddenly they vanished almost immediately because "no one ever uses them...uhh well, until this hotel where everyone is using them, but don't look at that!"

Overall could be worse but then again, god forbid companies just stop constantly *expletive-ing* around with the benefits all the time. No one really believes they ever decide, hey lets change this because it is better for customers! The whole, hey here is one EQN for a GoH booking is a cute little throw in. Don't bother actually improving stuff like the increasingly useless 1-4 or 1-7 certs to something like 1-5 and 1-8....no can't do that. We CAN however, take away the $100 certificate and replace it with more limited time gated breakage induced crap like 6 month 2k point bonuses on a HP stay! Exciting! Love the blog slobber on this like it is some great improvement. So, currently I get unlimited GoH, 1-4 cert, 4 DSU, 1-7 cert and $100 for hitting 60 nights. Now I get, 3 GoH, the same DSU, the same certs, and instead of the $100, I get 1 extra DSU or 10k points and 1 2k 6 mo HP bonus point. Hardly a massive boost like the blogs make it out to be. Sure, the whole 1 night for a GoH is nice and all but does not move the needle, certainly not at 1 night three times a year.

It IS nice they finally added something for people who stay over 100 nights a year (never applied to me but still). Clearly good to drive more business there for super night stayers. THAT is actual improved value for sure. I mean, overall are they a net positive? Sure. Are they this massive improvement in customer value? For anyone who is currently staying <100 nights a year? No, since the bulk of the new value added is with the +100 night stays. I know plenty of people will say some version of "you should worship at the feet of your corporate overlords who deigned to not increase every hotel to a cat 10 and eliminate all benefits! Praise be to them and be happy with the crumbs you get, peasant!" None of these companies do a single thing that they have not crunched the numbers on so they believe it will yield them more value and less to the consumer. Reading the fawning praise from the various blogs like Hyatt is paying for your christmas shopping this year or reading to orphans is sickening. No altruism here and hardly a big generous gift to the customer. To quote the OMAAT blog..."The people currently running World of Hyatt are absolute rockstars, in my eyes." Where is my vomit emoji...

notquiteaff

According to FM globs receive 5 GoH award in January 2024:

”Those who have earned Globalist status in 2023 for the 2024 elite year (or have lifetime Globalist status) will start 2024 with 5 Guest of Honor Awards. Additionally, those with lifetime Globalist status will receive 5 Guest of Honor Awards on March 1 of every year beginning in 2025.”

https://frequentmiler.com/huge-mostl...estone-rewards

Seems unclear to me if the 5 GoH “certs” for non-LT Globs will continue in 2025 and beyond, but it’s really of no relevance to me personally.

As a non-Glob who always considered Discoverist and Explorist non-goals because of the weak benefits, I think these changes are a step in the right direction.

Visconti

What's the FT truism? Any change that doesn't adversely affect me is good, otherwise it's crap. Personally, I'm tired of people around me asking to make them GOH. So, I like this change. Not that I need any more reasons to be an a**, but at least now I'll have an excuse, "oh, sorry, can' do the GOH anymore." I wonder if I can trade in my 5 GOH passes for to upgrade my Cat 7 free promo night to an 8?

leontief

Allowing GOH to be used on cash stays is a tangible and significant improvement.

Giving five GOH awards (expiring February 2025) to Globalist members with status expiring in February 2024 will inflate the Globalist ranks even more next year.

antonius66

A good example of exactly your own statement. A weird reason to be happy about limiting GoH but for you, clearly a benefit ..especially since you are clearly uncomfortable just telling people no. Hey by the way, how's about transferring me some points!

Yeah sure, the cash on GoH is nice enough....3 times a year I guess. Obviously they want to avoid people brokering their status en masse, but enough with all these limited, high breakage, one or two time use "benefits". God I miss Gold Passport.

antonius66

No, the 5 GoH is a one time thing after this year...then it is 3 a year for hitting 60 nights unless you choose more/go past 60 nights.

notquiteaff

3 ought be to enough for everyone ™

Matt4200

Okay so a few questions -

1) I’m guessing the 2k Next stay award would not be able to used in conjunction with a TSU since they are both awards, that’s why Hyatt specifically says they’re only usable at HP, HH and URCove which for the most part don’t allow TSU use. Correct?

2) It looks like now at 40 Nights they will no longer give the option for a $100 WOH Gift Card. I am guessing that this has less to do with it being a $100 Gift Card and more to do with it only being valid in the Americas. Am I correct? As they also have the FIND credit option at $150.

3) The 50 Night Milestone is offering 5k points or 2 TSU’s meanwhile the 40k Milestone is offering 5k points or 1 TSU. How does that make sense? (Same with 70-90).

4) As far as I know GoH has no limit on days so you can book say 8 nights for a GoH, with the new program you can only go up to 7 nights. Correct on both parts?

5) A 60 Night Globalist going forward would be limited to only 3 Guest of Honor bookings per year? Not including the Gifted 5 for 2024 as a soft landing.

6) Since the Guest of Honor Awards begin at 40 nights how does that work as non-Globalists would receive them as well? Could a non-Globalist then Gift a friend or their spouse a Globalist vacation?

Here are a few thoughts as well -

I think overall it’s a good thing, definitely good for the less than 1% who stay 100-150+ nights. I do think though that the Ultimate Free Night Award should’ve been at 100 Nights rather than 150. I do like the BOGO Miraval, but IIRC I’ve seen Miraval run a couple promos for a BOGO stay so it’s not amazing.

I definitely think the new 100-150 Milestones may attract some to move over to Hyatt which is was likely the goal.

The thing I think all Globalists will appreciate is being able to choose something other than Club Access Awards!

Visconti

Initially, I didn't mind it; but it's almost 6 or 7 years now? I just tire of dealing with, "well, you did for this person or you did it for me last year, why not this time?"

I'm with you here! Had no idea how great this program really was when I first joined. My first several suite upgrades were in SE Asia all the Executive Suites, not just the "standard" one. Probably, at least for me, never experience that again.

antonius66

For the post from Matt4200
1- Yes that is how it seems. Also it is within 6 months on that 2k.
2- Yup. The FIND of course is designed to give you a few peanuts towards spending more money on stuff you weren't going to book already. The $100 had to go because it was the highest value, non expiring easy to use thing they offered. No breakage and a 1-1 face value-redemption value, so bye bye.
3- They added a DSU at 40 so "enhancement". Stop questioning.
4- I believe so, at least I read it like that. Currently no night limit because, well no cap. That goes away and goes to 7 nights like every other limitation. So currently, you could GoH a 10 night stay, a 3 night stay, and an 8 night stay but under the new system, you could do a 10 and then 3 but not the 8 as you would need 2 more GoH bookings.
5- Yes.
6- Yes.

Like I said already...for a small number of people in specific scenarios, this has the potential to add significant value (read, 100+ nights a year). That is a miniscule number. For MOST people, there appears to likely be a small range between minor loss and small gain, with the majority of people probably mathematically being somewhere around 0 or a small gain I would wager. Hardly a big deval or anything for sure, but customers are so beaten down that they think anytime they don't get spit on by the airline/hotel "loyalty" program that they should be grateful. Outside of the 100+ stayers, it is really not that much of an improvement mathematically, unless you can super optimize the new structure and even then...

Matt4200

Re- 3 and 6

3) I mean yes they added it but you’re already getting 2 at 50 and 2 at 60 so I’m content with 4. I’d much rather have my $100 WOH card, it definitely brought value for me. Alas, now I’ll have to just get the 5k.

6) Are you sure that’s possible or would it be only able to be used when one attains Globalist? It wouldn’t make much sense to allow use if both parties are non-Globalists.

Also, it’s a slight enhancement that you now get 1 EQN after a GoH stay is completed using a GoH award. So for 2024 if you gift all 5 or 8 that’s an extra 5-8 EQN’s.

soy

I think one potential downside is this could make suite upgrades harder to get, as there will be less chance that any expire unused.

Also this could create a market in milestone rewards since you can gift to anyone, for sure there will be some who attempt to monetize.

antonius66

I have read it as (and the blogs seem to agree) that you can give yourself the Glob benefits once at 40 nights even if you are not Glob. As for the $100...of course you want that because it "definitely" brought value...that is why it went away...but look at the shiny baubles!!

Matt4200

If you sell it and are caught you’re banned from WoH and forfeit your status, and points. I wouldn’t exactly advertise it. I’ve offered it to friends and family as a courtesy many times, but never to be monetized.