• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  Hyatt  >  BREAKING – No more Hyatt Diamond Challenges
Hyatt

BREAKING – No more Hyatt Diamond Challenges

Kyle Stewart Posted onNovember 3, 2014September 16, 2021 12 Comments
My dear readers, some links on this site pay us referral fees for sending business and sales. We value your time and money and will not waste it. For our complete advertising policy, click here. The content on this page is not provided by any companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone.

If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.


If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.

All Good Things Must End

I have been able to confirm with Hyatt that as of 10/31/14 they no longer offer Diamond Status challenges or status matches. That’s not to say that they absolutely won’t match again in the future or re-introduce a challenge, but in its current format, the Diamond Challenge is no more.   Hyatt’s Gold Passport Diamond status is one of the most lucrative in the hotel industry giving members (4) confirmed suite upgrades good for stays of up to 6 nights each.  Those are good on any status eligible rate including points + cash rates making them incredibly valuable.

The challenge required proof of an equal status level among other major competitors such as Hilton, SPG, or Intercontinental.  Once approved for the challenge you would complete 12 nights in 60 days (certainly a tight window) but you would also get 4 suite upgrades to use immediately and then another 4 in the new status year starting March 1st.

I have been fortunate to complete two challenges and I will certainly miss having this as something to fall back on, but then again, I can appreciate that where they were overly generous they now have corrected to being fair – you earn the status for which you stay.

That being said, I doubt that I will let my Hyatt Diamond status ever lapse.  If you have it now, hold on to it as long as you can, who knows when or if this will ever come back.

-Sherpa

Previous Article Another Costly Travel Screw-Up: Yellow Fever Vaccinations
Next Article Gambling With Status – Predicting the Future With American Airlines And Nailing It

About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Related Posts

  • Park Hyatt Paris Suite Review

    Review: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme (Suite)

    June 21, 2022
  • AAndaz Vienna Suite Review

    Review: Andaz Vienna Am Belvedere (Suite)

    June 9, 2022
  • Lilian Andaz Munich

    The Lovely Lilian At Andaz Munich

    June 1, 2022

12 Comments

  1. TravelMore Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 5:53 am

    Thanks for sharing. Only had Hyatt Diamond status once from doing the Star MegaDO 3 but I must say it was pretty amazing, especially the breakfast.

  2. Points With a Crew Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Thanks for letting us know. The thing that annoys me the most (besides the death of probably THE most lucrative status challenge out there) is that I literally JUST wrote a post (yesterday!) about how to do status matches and status challenges at every chain, and now it’s out of date 🙂

    I mean, I knew the post would eventually go out of date, but I was kind of hoping to get more than a DAY out of it 😛

  3. Rocky Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    wow I feel crazy lucky as I signed up for the challenge just two weeks ago!

  4. gp-plat Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 1:56 pm

    Kyle sez: “Hyatt’s Gold Passport Diamond status is one of the most lucrative in the hotel industry giving members (4) confirmed suite upgrades good for stays of up to 6 nights each. Those are good on any status eligible rate including points + cash rates making them incredibly valuable.”

    The Hyatt GP Diamond status is “the most lucrative” only in the hotel industry imagined by bloggers and in the blogosphere. In the real world, there are other programs that offer a much more lucrative Diamond status than GP. Take, for example, the case of the 4 “confirmed” suite upgrades that you gush about.

    The 4 upgrades may be “confirmed”, but, like suite upgrades for top elites at other programs, they still depend on availability because “there are limited numbers of suites available at each property.[GP T&C]” In addition, once the 4 upgrades are used up, that’s it; a GP Diamond has to wait until the following year before they can see the inside of a suite that they don’t pay for. Lastly, the 4 “confirmed” suite upgrades cannot be used on points-only reward stays; a room must be paid for with cash or with cash+points to be eligible for upgrade to a suite.

    Now compare that with the suite upgrade policy enjoyed by Hilton Honors Diamond, who are entitled to UNLIMITED suite upgrades, including on REWARD STAYS, depending only on availability, like for all hotel programs. In other words, suite upgrades are independent of the type of booking (cash, points-only reward stays, cash+points) and there is no limit to how many times a HHonors Diamond can be upgraded a year. The obvious question is: “How good is availability?” This Diamond has been upgraded 100% of the time so far in 2014 after a sufficient number of stays to requalify for 2015 Diamond. Now that is lucrative…

    Sorry to rain on this parade, but I would say that in terms of perks, the GP Diamond status is, at best, comparable to HHonors or Marriott Rewards Gold. While the GP Platinum status is equivalent to HHonors Silver, i.e., an elite status in name only. The demise of the Diamond Challenge is another sign of GP’s precipitous race to the bottom.

  5. AWTY Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    @Points With A Crew: I’m not calling you out specifically because you weren’t heavy-handed about it, but a lot of bloggers wrote about the Diamond challenge as a way to get 4 DSU’s with no intention of completing the challenge, or by completing it with very cheap stays to keep status. All of that was fair game as the rules went, but many did it as a cheap way to insert affiliate links for the Hyatt credit card. That kind of exposure meant that the demise of the Diamond Challenge shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at all.

    @gp-plat: You’re right that you only get 4 DSUs per year, but so far I’ve only burned 3 of mine this program year and have far more than 3 Hyatt stays. I’ve been in a suite 100% of the time. It may not be a published benefit, and therefore far from guaranteed, but I’ve found that in my year as a GP Diamond, the discretionary treatment has been what makes the program great. Not to pull up the ladder behind me, since I did originally gain status with a (completed) challenge, but it’s my guess that Hyatt has simply hit their internal quota of elite numbers and has stopped the challenge for that reason. That probably means that the discretionary benefits I’ve received stand a chance of continuing. I’ve never had better than HHonors Gold, so I can’t comment on HH Diamond. But do keep in mind that HH Gold and GP Diamond have roughly the same qualifying criteria, as Hyatt has far fewer properties and can’t command the premium. Ignoring credit card status, 50 nights at Hyatt result in better elite benefits than 50 nights at Hilton.

  6. p Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 8:31 pm

    Have to agree with gp-plat. My first Hyatt Diamond experience wasnt comparable to what I’ve received as a HH Diamond.

    SO and I have a series of stays booked at Hyatt and was planning to do the Diamond Challenge but now will rebook into Hilton’s. No reason to waste our money at the few Hyatts around if there isn’t a status plum to go after (there are significantly more Hilton’s to choose from).

  7. TravelBloggerBuzz Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 8:53 pm

    Nice find, saw it mentioned in your blog first. You made TBB (up on top, NOT the “angry” blog buzz section lol). Thanks.

  8. gp-plat Reply
    November 3, 2014 at 10:04 pm

    @AWTY: Your experience with complimentary upgrades as a GP Diamond is starkly different from that of the majority, unless your 100% success rate has been at properties where you are a frequent guest and are thus well known. Otherwise, most property managers hide behind this rule in the GP T&C in denying GP Diamonds suite upgrades: “3. Diamond members will receive the best available room (EXCLUDING suites), including Regency Club or Grand Club rooms, at the time of check-in.”

  9. Phil in ATL Reply
    November 4, 2014 at 2:06 am

    I am Diamond with both Hilton and Hyatt and my experience at Hilton is opposite of gp-plat. My suite upgrade experience with Hilton has been around 20% while Hyatt has been also been about 20% not counting my advanced confirmed Hyatt upgrades.

    Just one example- I stayed at the Conrad Tokyo recently and didn’t get a suite upgrade. Had I instead stayed at any of the fabulous Hyatt properties in Tokyo I could have confirmed a suite upgrade in advance which would have been out of this world!

    If you max out the confirmed Hyatt upgrades that means 24 nights of suite stays per year which is outstanding. Plus, the breakfast benefit for Hilton is laughable compared to Hyatt (free room service, sweet)! I also think the Hyatt lounges have better (and more) high quality food. I’ve also had much better luck with early and late check-ins and check-outs with Hyatt.

    About the best thing Hilton has going for it is the quantity of properties. Since Hilton gives out Gold status like candy on Halloween, I think I’ll just fall back on that (I don’t see a whole lot of difference between Hilton Diamond and Hilton Gold). In the meantime, my primary hotel loyalty will rest with Hyatt where I’ve been treated a whole lot better.

  10. gp-plat Reply
    November 4, 2014 at 3:02 am

    @Phil in ATL – My only advice is that you probably should smile more when requesting those suite upgrades, which are generally not automatic, because it does not sound like you are getting the most out of your HH Diamond status. My stays are almost exclusively in Asia, where breakfast at every property is nothing short of a royal feast, including at Waldorf-Astoria, which offers no breakfast in the US. Qualify of the lounges is YMMV…

    Bottom line is that me suite upgrades are top since my stays tend to be lengthy (4+ nights) and I love it that suite upgrades are unlimited at HHonors (on paid or rewards stays), I am batting about 95% since 2012.

    Cheers!

  11. Chris Reply
    November 4, 2014 at 6:01 am

    @AWTY gotta call you out on one thing – there are no affiliate links for the Hyatt card there may have been at one time but not in the last couple/few years. People wrote about it because it was an incredible way to achieve status for future stays. Sure, there were some who said to get it just to use the upgrades and leave but I don’t think most did that.

  12. AWTY Reply
    November 4, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    @gp-plat It’s a mix of first time and return visits. The PH Aviara has me in a suite every time – sometimes with a DSU, I get a better suite. But on the opposite end, I just confirmed a balcony suite at a different property via email, no DSU, and it’ll be my first stay with this property. I think that just like the advice you gave Phil, you have to know how to ask. Regardless, GP Diamond “only” requires 50 nights, and one assertion I’m very comfortable making is that 50 nights at Hyatt gets me far better elite treatment (meaning published benefits + discretionary) than 50 nights elsewhere would get me. That’s definitely due to the smaller property portfolio, but if there’s a Hyatt where I’m going, I choose it.

    @Chris I’m not privy to others’ affiliate relationships, but it’s a Chase product so that would surprise me. Let’s assume you’re right, because there’s a good chance you know more than me if you’re a Chase affiliate. A quick google for Hyatt Diamond Challenge returns quite a few blog posts – many of which are about completing the challenge cheaply, or planning the 60 day window around a major trip and burning the DSUs, and not completing anything. Many of these posts have credit card (affiliate) links in the body of the post – the Arrival card is popular. Nearly all have credit card ads somewhere else on the page. I’m not saying posting this was wrong, or that affiliate income is wrong. What I’m saying is that a bunch of circles and arrows posts on how to acquire status to get the match in the first place (hint: Sign up for this Hilton card!) and how to complete it cheaply (Arrival card, Ink 70k ZOMG transfer to Hyatt for points+cash) or not at all, probably led to increased participation and not the kind Hyatt wanted. That sort of thing is essentially pulling the ladder up behind you.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Lemon And Lime Garnishes Return To United Airlines June 27, 2022
  • Restaurante La Ganania Gran Canaria
    Goat And Other Delicacies For My Birthday June 27, 2022
  • Photo Essay: Gran Canaria June 27, 2022
  • American Airlines Snitch
    Overheard: American Airlines Flight Attendant Sounds Off On Management June 26, 2022

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Delta Korean Air First Class Mistake Fare
    Delta Considers $2,700 A Mistake Fare… June 18, 2022
  • Delta Pilots Open Letter
    Delta Air Lines Pilots Offer Direct Appeal To Customers June 18, 2022
  • United Airlines Honolulu Diversion
    Update: United Airlines 787-9 Diverts To Honolulu Due To Disruptive Passenger June 16, 2022
  • Flaunting Woman Struts Up and Down The Aisle On My Austrian Flight June 9, 2022

Archives

June 2022
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930  
« May    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Posting....