Globehopper

to Hyatt again!

FFN from 6/1 to 9/30/04. (In case anyone missed this.)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317706

Alas, Starwood comes up lacking in non-targeted, non-weekly resort, free hotel stay promotions this year.

auh2o

Yep. I am going to get a Mastercard and switch to Hyatt durning this promo unless Starwood comes up with something. Heck, I made Platinum for 2005 already anyway.

Starwood? Hello?

auh2o - generally very loyal to Starwood but this is just too good to pass up....

ldsant

Ditto. . .After 90 nights already at *wood and I have yet to even earn one free night or any good promo?

jonlibby

Maybe I'll get another spend $4500 for a free weekend Promo from Starwood
Hello Hyatt!

Pietro

...or whatever fruit you prefer. I like most of the Hyatt properties where I have stayed, but comparing Starwood properties and SPG with Hyatts and the Hyatt program is comparing two very different things IMO. Hyatt has fewer or no properties in many small- or mid-sized markets, so it's not an option for many travelers. And yes, the Hyatt program has offered more in the way of free nights promotions, but I find SPG more appealing in general.

Everyone has their preferences, so Hyatt is a great option if that works better for you. In fact, I wish Hyatt had a more mid-priced option equivalent to Sheraton or Hilton Garden Inn, as I don't prefer the Hilton Honors program and most Hiltons. But overall SPG seems to be a very different program that's hard to compare diirectly with Hyatt.

Another thought: As I understand them, hotel promotions such as free nights or weekends are targeted to build new business or attract new customers - not necessarily to reward existing customers for spending many nights with the program. I've been pretty faithful to SPG in recent years - although I have nowhere near 90 or 100 nights per year - and I have still been able to accumulate enough "free nights" by banking tens of thousands of points. These aren't "free weekends" per se but I find SPG pretty generous.

1K_From_SNA

This is a pretty good deal if you happen to be in a place where there is a Hyatt, its a reasonable price, and you only stay one night (two times).

I stayed at a Sheraton the other night for $109 per night. With the Plat amenity I ended up with a total of 927 points for one night including all bonuses and the amenity. Two different stays (comparing it to Hyatt) I'd get 1854 Starpoints. That's almost 1/2 way to a Cat 2 award on a weekday or 2/3 to a weekend free night.

Now that is assuming there isn't a light bulb burnt out, or something else where they'd like to give me some extra points, or I'm at a higher priced hotel.

So on the surface it looks good, but I wouldn't say its great unless you have particular travel patterns that fit into Hyatt and certain pricing.

I have to say it irks me about all the targeted free weekends that don't include me, so indeed Starwood should throw us at least a small bone, or a few crumbs because I will take advantage of this Hyatt deal if it fits and I can ensure I get two individual nights (or a multiple of two). Mrs. 1K_From_SNA loved the free weekends, if I tell her about Hyatt she'll be telling me to stay there.

PremEx

Precisely why I just booked my first Hyatt stay a few minutes ago. Didn't really want to. Plenty of Starwood options. I did it not so much that Starwood doesn't have a good promo going. For me, it's more about being ticked that some are offered great promos and I'm not.

Someday they're going to come to realize the powerful negative effects that targeted marketing can foster with their already established and qualified best customers.

Treat me right and you get all my business whenever possible. Often even if you're asking more money. Or maybe aren't as competitive on the promotional front. That's loyalty.

But single me out for exclusion, and I'll give you only enough business as I want to, to "get by." They can "marketing-speak" it all they want. But as a customer I have the right (and heck, duty) to feel slighted and left out. IMHO.

TravelScholar

PremEx, from my experience, that's the way to do it. You need to STOP giving Starwood your business and then you might get a decent promo sent your way.

Hyatt does have a disadvantage in terms of locations a lot of times (i.e., there are no Hyatts where there are plenty of Starwoods). However, my experience has been that if you do stay with them where possible, then they treat you very well. I've NEVER had to beg for room upgrades or promised amenities, I've never had to worry about being targetted for promotions (all Hyatt promos I've come across are open to everyone), I've never had to worry about where I book my stays (3rd party and even Priceline bookings...heck even free night redemptions...earn full benefits, including credit towards elite status with some incedental charges), I've never had to wait more than 10 seconds on hold to reach a friendly and helpful customer service representative, and I've always seen Hyatt go the extra mile many times without me even asking. Plus, as I mentioned, giving all this business to Hyatt has got me targetted for some nice Starwood promos, which I'm sure I would not have received had I been actually staying with Starwood. The best of both worlds, really.

Now, that said, Starwood does have William, very comfy beds, and a fundamentally pretty good frequent stay programme--no blackouts, plenty of good hotel redemption options, 5K airline transfer bonus, etc. But, as others have said, Starwood are tacking on the targetting, limitations, and silly rules that drive business away, whereas Hyatt is obviously trying to keep their happy customers happy. I remember when Starwood had much the same attitude, but I think those days have passed for now.

divaof travel

Not great? This is outstanding!

Two Priceline stays at Hyatt for about $40/night will get me a free night at Hyatt Regency Kauai. While I am on my PL stays, and in Kauai, I will be given the same perquisites as if I were paying the rack rate.

In addition, I will have accrued several thousand Hyatt points for incidentals and other bonuses during the Priceline stays, probably resulting in another free night at a Hyatt category 1. So for my $80 in room revenue, I could have two free nights - one of them in Kauai. This compares to your example where $109 yields only a fraction of a categort 2 night.

Football Fan

Pssst!

venk

If I didn't get the 500 Platinum amenity points at each stay, then the SPG loyalty program is not at all worth it for me. Most hotels give you a better room (if not a suite) if you have elite status with them.

Without the amenity points (or alternatively using the affinity card and buying groceries), getting a free room in any decent SPG is quite an expensive process and the fact that there are no capacity controls for standard rooms is irrelevent.

All programs have their pluses and minuses but SPG needs to attract new customers as well as retain their customers (because all programs are enticing them). SPG seems to be doing (targetted) promos to get people to spend more but NOT to retain them. Hence the reaction to offers from other hotels.

If I was only doing Europe this year where you don't get any amenity points, I would not frequent SPG at all with the lack of any promos compared to last year. Spending a whole year on SPG to earn one or two nights with points at most on a decent hotel isn't worth the loyalty to any chain let alone SPG.

fly co to see the yanks

bingo.

Tummy

Let me say first that I like SPG. Last year I spent 170 nights with SPG and only 34 with Hyatt, but FFNs has to be the best promotion ever.

To put this in perspective, I spent about $100 X 10 nights = ~$1,000 to get 5 Hyatt Faster Free Nights. I used these FFNs at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome a few weeks ago, which was going for an internet only prepaid rate of 495 euros per night. At this conversion rate, FFNs are many times more valuable to us than SPG points. We now plan our vacations around the promotion dates. Even the $28 SFO Hyatt Priceline rate qualifies if you charge incidentals to your room.

Also, as a Hyatt Diamond, they provide free continental breakfast (or club access) with every stay, including Priceline / Hotwire, award, FFN and regular payed stays. In Paris, they allow you to order from room service 24 hours a day (32 euros) and pay 10 euro difference for a hot breakfast. For two that was 84 euros, nearly as much as we spent to get the free nights in the first place.

I posted some photos of the hotel on the Hyatt forum recently:
Photos from Park Hyatt Paris

Since there were only two Hyatts where I was working, and only one in our budget, I had to suffer for 10 stays at a really crappy category 1 airport Hyatt, but the payoff was worth it. Though even at the category 1 Hyatt, they provided a buffet breakfast, bottle of wine, and fruit plate with every stay.

Last year we also used our FFNs to go to the Hyatt Regency Maui (5 nt), Park Hyatt Washington DC (3 nt), Park Hyatt San Francisco (3 nt), and Hyatt Grand Cypress Orlando (1 nt).

bp888

Good advice. ^ I'll heed it and stay elsewhere for now until a decent promo comes my way.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Well, no one twists your arm to stay at Category 1 properties to qualify for the FFNs that you used at the Park Hyatt Paris. Many people, as you know, stay wherever they wish -- at whatever category -- to qualify for FFNs.

However, my favorite quote comes from Fter 1K_From_SNA, above, who said the following:



Don't worry, we won't tell your wife..... or will we??

However, if you had not guessed by now, us Hyatt folks have found this thread quite entertaining, so much so, that I have provided a link to it in the Hyatt forum!