Matching Diamond Status
 

4 years ago, I received Diamond Status as part of a matching status request. I stayed at the Hyatt for 10 months - every week, Monday through Friday. At the end of my stay, I started travelling to a city that did not have a Hyatt.

I really enjoyed staying at Hyatts and am now finally working in a city for the next 15 months that has a Hyatt. I requested a Diamond status once again and was told that they wouldn't upgrade me again since they've already done so once.

So, I understand making the status something someone has to earn and such - -but as a result of this, I'll just continue staying at Starwood and Hyatt will get NONE of the estimated 250 nights I'll be travelling over the next 15 months. Yes, I realize this won't do much to the hotel's bottom line, but I think this is a foolish business practice on their part.

Please tell me where I'm wrong.

Airlines, hotels, everyone gets threatened that if they don't cave in to every request they will loose hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue. I'm sure Starwood gets the same threats and their customers say they will take their 250 nights to Hyatt. It all balances out in the end. I hope Hyatt would not give status in response to a threat. All the frequent traveler programs are based on business completed, not business contemplated. Hyatt is kind enough to make a one time exception to those who state they will give their business to them. They did this once for you and as a result you had Diamond status for two years instead of just the one you earned.

I really agree....the reality is Hyatt or any other hotel company cannot give into all the threats they receive to lose business. The reality is you or anyone else is committed to receiving the wonderful benefits will all know from Hyatt (best service in the industry, FFN, constant attention) you will simply stay the necessary 25 stays and very shortly you will join the Diamond club. We all (except for Amex Centurion members) put the time in the bed and now enjoy the exclusive benefits.

Once you start, you will NOT be back to ***wood!

Cheers,

I agree with you. I think if Hyatt was smart they'd comp you Diamond. Especially if you explained what happened and that the reason you stopped staying at Hyatt 4 years ago was only because you went to a new city that didn't have a Hyatt. Hyatt should at least take the time to research back and see that in fact you did stay ~200 nights 4 year ago after requesting a status match. I think Hyatt did pretty well off your last status match and they would be smart to give you another status match if you said you intend to stay with them again. You may want to contact Julia, she's EXTREMELY helpful and might be able to help you out.

Four years and not even five stays per year for Platinum status...don't think that is the best candidate for a match. Remember, the rule is once in a lifetime. We are doing ourselves a disservice but lowering the standards of the best hotel program in the industry. I hope Julia recongizes the value of us staying in the bed for actual stays and denies this and all future requests.

Dulles Flyer --

BAS, above, makes a good point. Not everyone has the option of making elite status at a hotel chain or for that matter an airline, etc., solely on their buisness stays.

One could rightly ask why you did not attempt to make elite status -- even if it was a lower tier -- in the last 4 years. From that standpoint, the powers that be may believe that you are just too unreliable for them to comp you such status. On the other hand, you would provide them a great deal of business in the interim.

The problem may be in attitude, or perceived attitude, as reflected by no attempt on your part to continue using the Hyatt brands other when it suited you on busines -- which may or may not have been a negotiated rate -- you have left out that information.

From the standpoint of one who is able to make Diamond due to some of his own leisure stays out of his own pocket, you cannot expect much sympathy from those individuals with your take it or leave it ultimatum. Quite frankly, they would just as soon as see you go elsewhere.

Hyatt may have considered that quite likely, based on your past non-performance, that you only consider them when their is no suitable alternative, and they are not interested in a "fair weather friend," especially since your engagement may end sooner than you tell them.

The better reasoned approach is to sign a contract with the hotel itself, negotiating special privileges at least until your elite status kicks in from Hyatt.

If you had not noticed, business inventories are shrinking re hotel rooms, and Hyatt may, indeed stand by its word, and not provide you with another comp.
However, since you have gotten upset about their stance, they might also conclude that there are a number of business and leisure travellers out there who would likewise get upset about their extending you another comp. In fact, if you were not the one asking for this comp, and not looking from the outside in, but the reverse, you might be posting a contrary statement to that which you are doing now -- at least it would seem to be consistent with your getting upset with their not providing you with the comp.

I think that you need to examine this situation from another viewpoint before getting quite upset with Hyatt. After all, each chain thinks of them without a peer, and your viewing them as fungible items, especially as demonstrated from your stay patterns, makes it diffiuclt for them -- and many on this board -- to have any sympathy towards your request.

I am just trying to take a neutral position here, not prostelytize on behalf of one position or the other.

I'm not trying to tear down your frustrations, as I can see where you're coming from with your post.

However, with 250 planned nights, it wouldn't take much to re-earn your Diamond status...you'd still be Diamond for 200 of those 250 nights.

If you really want to move your business back to Hyatt, then I say you're in a good position to re-earn your Diamond status. Otherwise, if you've already got status elsewhere that you're just as happy with, then just continue to stay there.

I say this because that's the whole point of loyalty programmes. If you could comp status as many times as you wanted based on wherever you wanted to put your business (no matter how large an amount that business may be), then the loyality part of the loyalty programmes isn't working. The whole point of one-time comps is so that you can't hop around.

If your other elite status keeps you staying with them because Hyatt won't re-comp your Diamond membership, then the programmes are working as they were designed.

I'm not saying that Hyatt shouldn't examine your case again and perhaps help you out here to get some more revenue. But, if they don't, then it may be that they just get the short end of your business because of their lack of locations...not because they didn't try to keep it. The comped you once, you gave them business, then because of a lack of Hyatt locations you had to switch brands, you got status with the new brand, and they may end up with your business in the end.

IMO, that's life...and I'm sure Hyatt benefits similarly on other cases.

Regardless, good luck to you in your request should you appeal their decision. I really like the customer service I've received from Hyatt as Diamond, and I'd hate to see them loose potential revenue. If nothing else, though, as I mentioned earlier...just 50 of the 250 nights will get your Diamond status back, and in my opinion, 200 nights as Hyatt Diamond beats 250 nights as anything else. :D

try another approach
 

I'd try to negotiate directly with the hotel by promising them X # of nights in a certain period for certain upgrades whether its a RC floor, free breakfast or something. Once you hit either 3 weeks or if you really want, Hyatt hop your first week (5 nights, five Hyatt switches) you will have your Plat Status and since Hyatt posts really quick, you won't have to wait long to have your status (plat) but really I'd call the sales manager and ask for certain perks and before you know it you will have your diamond status anyway.

Negotiating with the hotel property itself is a sound idea. Have you also checked to see if the place you're working at/for has a contract with the hotel? If they do, the hotel will probably bend over backwards to accomodate you the best they can. In 1991, part of my relocation involved living in a Hyatt for 2 months - they gave me a huge corner room for the whole time at a very low rate.

No threats...
 

First of all, I never threatened Hyatt. I asked if they'd match me and they told me to fax in my *wood statement. I did and they replied by e-mail that they wouldn't match me since they'd already done it once. So, I deleted the e-mail and started booking my Westin reservations. Not sure why y'all would assume I made a threat. I guess that must be the culture of the business traveler :D . I actually posted this message to get some thoughts on whether or not it is reasonable to ask Hyatt to reconsider.

Thanks to those who shared their insight with me and I'm sure there's a *wood member switching to Hyatt right now so all will be one in the Hotel universe. I won't waste Julia's time with my request and I'll somehow suffer through nights on the Heavenly Bed.

What better time than during an FFN promotion to bite the bullet and qualify the old fashioned way? At your rate of hotel stays, you have 125 nights left this year. Do the first 50 at Hyatt, and you may give up your unreliable *Wood perks but you could get as many as 25 free nights at almost any Hyatt in the world. If that is not enough encouragement, then I doubt another comp to Diamond would pull you from *Wood anyway.

I could not agree with the Diva more...this is the time to qualify and be apart of the greatest hotel company in the world!

Time for a mattress run
 

DullesFlyer,

If your new location has both *wood and Hyatt you could do a mattress run for ~8 weeks, alternating between chains. This would allow you to get Diamond at Hyatt and rack up Starpoints with the 500 pt Plat amenity.

J

Isn't This an Opportunity? Don't Get Mad-Get a Free Trip
 

What am I missing? FFN's are on! Rack up top-tier status soon enough with both Hyatt and Starwood. Check in and out and give Hyatt two separate short stays a week instead of just living there. You'll be Platinum in no time and getting the certificates that are almost as good as the black card anyway. Laugh all the way to Hawaii about how they could have had more business by comping you.

Ditto! I had 28 nights/26 stays in June. Switching between properties I earned 13 FFN's and about 40000 BA FF miles and 10000 Hyatt Goldpassport points and few Platinum certificates.