Diamond status in the Hyatt Gold Passport program just got a little sweeter. Staring tomorrow, guaranteed late checkout, twice daily maid service, and more welcome amenity choices are coming.
Directly from Hyatt:
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.
The 4pm late checkout is welcomed, though I have never been denied late checkout a Hyatt property before, including 4pm at the Park Hyatt Milano and 7pm at the Park Hyatt Saigon (a review of the property is coming). I do not mind the nightly room refresh, but this is already going on at at many properties, including all of the Park Hyatts I have stayed at. I suspect this benefit is geared more toward lower-end Hyatt hotels. The welcome amenity is a nice gesture, but the points remain the best choice.
Hyatt also announced their annual shuffling of award level categorization at select properties:
| Hotel | Current Category | New Category |
| Grand Hyatt Jakarta | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Atlanta/Downtown | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Chesapeake/Greenbrier | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Freemont/Silicon Valley | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place San Antonio NW Med Ctr | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel/Conf Ctr | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Regency Fukuoka | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Regency Kolkata | 1 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Chicago/Hoffman Estates | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place Dallas Garland | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place Dallas/Plano | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Regency Dearborn | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place Jacksonville Airport | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place Richmond/Arboretum | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place Sacramento/Roseville | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Summerfield Suites Dallas/Las Colinas | 2 | 1 |
| Hyatt Place College Station | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Place Saratoga/Malta | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Place Secaucus/Meadowlands | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Louisville | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Minneapolis | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Perth | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Summerfield Suites LAX.El Segundo | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Place Greensboro | 3 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Princeton | 3 | 2 |
| Hyatt Place Tampa Westshore | 3 | 2 |
| Hyatt Regency Bonaventure | 3 | 2 |
| Hyatt Summerfield Suites Bridgewater | 3 | 2 |
| Grand Hyatt Mumbai | 3 | 4 |
| Hyatt Hotel Canberra – Park Hyatt | 3 | 4 |
| Hyatt Regency Hangzhou | 3 | 4 |
| Hyatt Regency Hua Hin | 3 | 4 |
| Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa | 3 | 4 |
| Grand Hyatt Shenzhen | 4 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Belgrade | 4 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Bishkek | 4 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Dubai | 4 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach | 4 | 5 |
| Grand Hyatt Dubai | 5 | 4 |
| Andaz Wall Street | 5 | 6 |
| Hotel Victor | 5 | 6 |
| Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa | 5 | 6 |
Overall, the changes are reasonable, though there are three properties on my “to-stay” list that are moving up a category: the Andaz Wall Street, Park Hyatt Canberra, and Park Hyatt Goa. I am fairly confident I will be returning to Australia next spring, so I am going to book a couple nights at the Park Hyatt Canberra before 01 September, when the list above becomes effective. If you have already booked at one of the properties that will be moving down a step, do not fear: Hyatt will refund the point differential.
The big question that remains is whether we will see a “Faster Free Nights” promotion this fall. I am pessimistic that it will be back, but hope to be proven wrong.
(tip of the hat to Gary)
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