Hyatt Gold Passport Program Changes

Dear Milepoint Members,

We wanted to make you aware of some upcoming changes to the Hyatt Gold Passport program.

We are excited to introduce new Diamond membership benefits which we truly hope our Diamond members will enjoy at any of our 450 hotels around the world.

Effective July 28th, Diamond members can experience the following enhancements:
· Extend your stay until 4:00 p.m. Because early flights aren’t always available, meetings don’t always end in the early afternoon and sometimes you just want to relax a little bit longer, we invite our Diamond members to stay later. (Subject to availability at Hyatt resorts and casino hotels.)

· Receive a nightly room refresh. To ensure your stay is as comfortable and luxurious as possible, Diamond members will receive a nightly room refresh, including light housekeeping and bedroom turndown service.

· Experience a new welcome amenity. Based on member feedback, Diamond members can now enjoy a USD$5 credit in the Guest Market at Hyatt Summerfield Suites or a complimentary beverage at Hyatt Place. Or, continue to choose 500 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points for stays at either brand.

Effective September 1st, Award Chart adjustments will be implemented:

On September 1, 2011, 18 hotels will move to a lower award category and 25 hotels will move to a higher award category.

Rest assured, we will continue to make free night award redemption as easy as possible with no blackout dates. If we have a standard room available, you’re more than welcome to reserve it with your Hyatt Gold Passport points.

Between now and September 1, 2011, all award bookings can be made using the current award chart. Existing reservations for stays subsequent to September 1, 2011, will receive a refund for the point difference if the hotel moved to a lower category.

These Award Chart changes will be communicated and listed on hyatt.com on August 4th, 2011.

As always, we appreciate your loyalty and look forward to welcoming you back to Hyatt soon.

Warmest regards,

Brock S.

Brock,

Thanks so much for sharing this information. As a veteran SPG member, I have run into complications with the properties honoring the 4pm checkout. Is there a clear list of what constitutes a Hyatt resort, so we know what properties are excluded from this benefit?

Is there any benefit consideration for Platinum members, maybe a 2pm late check-out?
Hope also that same kind of promotion returns for all members, like eg. double points for stays or bonus points!
Any infos on this?

I hope some of my favorite 5k hotels aren't in the increased categories.

- No news on Gx bonus
- award chart changes TBA
- welcome amenity - meh!
- turn-down service - huh? Wasn't that standard at most higher-end properties? (I often put out the DND sign anyway)

and

- PLA fired for "leaking" award change early

Overall... Not too pleased.

+1

+1, the only concrete positive was the 4pm checkout. Jury is out as far as award chart changes.

4pm late checkout is a huge benefit. It's not revolutionary, SPG does it pretty well and so does Intercontinental. But it's been a real problem area for Hyatt IMHO. So it solves a problem, and of course they're better than Hilton on this now.

The turndown service and choice of a beverage instead of points are pretty darned minor.

The award chart changes will no doubt include some properties we'd love to stay at for fewer points and will be bummed to pay more for, but on the whole I take what's been announced at face value... 25 up, 18 down, pretty close to netting even.

And I still expect more announcements to come.

I choose see this a little differently. The ONLY thing SPG was better at, Hyatt now matches. 4PM guaranteed check out is huge. They are adding important benefits for us Diamonds, without removing anything, I think that's pretty nice. (you now have free internet, full breakfast. club access, welcome amenity etc etc. what else do you expect??)

A lot of us enjoy turn down service and A LOT of properties don't offer this.

Also, 25 properties going up, 18 going down is not even close to being the biggest change I've ever seen. It's almost even Stephen.

At the end of the day, Diamond got a lot better and is now by far the best top tier level out there

But come on.. Let's get a nice promo already...

My "not too pleased" was heavily influenced by my last point - the firing of the PLA. Maybe could have made that more clear.

Personally, I rarely need 4pm checkout. Next month I could use it at the GH Kauai... Alas it's a resort, so we'll see how that turns out.

Turndown service... Well, I just don't value someone turning down my bed. And I don't tend to mess up my room that much over the course of the day, so I generally would rather not be disturbed. But to each their own. I'm willing to trade a life-time of turn-down services for the reinstatement of the PLA.

Yes, award chart changes are TBA, as I said. Could be a bunch of HPs going down a level and a bunch of nicer properties going up. We'll see. Any thoughts on why the haven't published the list now if they already know the numbers (and thus the properties presumably)? Maybe to shorten the window in which those properties can be targeted with award bookings? (though it seems long enough)

I disagree with the "a lot better" -- seems marginal to me. But agree with the second part... For me it is the best top tier level.

I'm for this too. I'm a new Hyatt person and well? Better promo's for the Plats will help us to forge on to our diamond too

I like the flexibility of choosing a little something at a Hyatt Place -- but I'd like a hot entree for breakfast, as well.

See the thread I started a while ago about the hot breakfast items they are testing in select properties.

We do not know what happened with the PLA for sure yet! Would be better that some Hyatt official makes a statement here on MP soon to let us know, however and I hope seriously that the PLA stays at Hyatt, because she told us only what was already known within the organization and yes, someone like this is awesome because she is a true helper to keep us at Hyatt too! Such people make Hyatt greater each day and give it a better image too!

It is important to keep Platinums happy too in my humble opinion and yes, it would be very nice of Hyatt when a promotion came soon eg. bonus points // double points and faster free nights would be great!

Let's only hope that not all HP going down and all others mentioned numer of properties goes up! There will be hope when Hyatt let's some Park // Grand // Regency properties to step down a tier so that they will be achievable for us too!

I don't expect Hyatt to comment -- one way or another -- on an HR issue. But I hope our lobbying on behalf of the agent will have an impact.

This depends which properties!

I used to be in this camp as well; I didn't like random hotel staff entering my room. But I've actually come to appreciate it (especially at resort properties) after trying it out in Waikiki a year or two ago. After a long day at the beach/hiking/whatever, I like to have a shower and get changed before dinner. Normally I would just leave the bathroom messy till leaving the next day, but a proper turndown service will spruce up everything, replenishing toiletries, replacing towels, emptying the trash. It makes for a much more relaxing return after dinner. Coming back to a clean room doesn't sound like much, but it makes more of a difference than I expected. At home I expect to deal with the used towels all over; on vacation it's a pleasant surprise to have fresh neat ones. And if you're sharing a bed with your travelling companion, a clean, softly lit room does wonders to set the right mood for the evening.

That said, I'm still of the camp that questions what this Diamond benefit is exactly. Every full-service property I've stayed at offers some form of a turndown service, although some don't include or go very far on the housekeeping portion. I'm curious to know what exactly will change or be different for Diamonds.

For most guests, SPG is still one better in that the late check-out perk is for all elite levels -- not just for their highest status level. At least a 2pm extension for other elite levels would be nice.

Now that the award chart change details have been, uh, leaked (?), I'd say it's pretty much a bit anti-climactic. Bit disappointed about another jump for Hua Hin, but while we liked our stay there in March, I doubt we'll have the time to return any time soon.

Thanks Gleff for all the breaking news updates!
I am relieved that the early news that the sky was falling at Gold Passport regarding redemption increases was simply overblown by others.As others have stated the majority of these aren't such cherry properties.Though it will certainly effect some.More importantly I have been very vocal for many years anywhere I could with the Hyatt folks in Omaha and Chicago Anywhere they would listen for a 4 PM check out.Looks like all our voices have been heard!
This is a game changer for me personally and just adds to my pleasure and future incentive in choosing Hyatt more often.My congratulations to the Hyatt folks for really getting this one right and finally getting this up to speed!
Better late than never as they say.

Hyatt Place/Summerfield Suites continues to be the wink link and ongoing disappointment IMO.
Gold Passport benefits when staying at limited service properties,the breakfast quality and overall brand assurance.Its my hope these areas too will be a future ten somewhere down the road.
I am a happy man today at full service Hyatts and there has never been a better time to be an Diamond elite member in Gold Passport in the history of the program.Gold Passport "The Little Program That Could" has finally grown up to be a world class program overall!
Well done.........Now about some excitement in the promotions dept I am falling asleep
That said the rest has been needed to some extent. I am no longer staying in hotels I don't want or need too!Let the late check outs begin.............Sure hope the properties embrace this new late check out benefit smoothly..........
Cheers

Finally a 4pm checkout no more negotiating with the Front Desk.

It would be nice when Hyatt would not forget Platinums with a 2 pm late check-out on offer!

Thank you, Brock!