Dear World of Hyatt,
I received an email from you yesterday afternoon. I thought it might be about the rumored devaluation of your cash + points redemptions, but instead it was a note encouraging me join the World of Hyatt program to enjoy free breakfasts at “participating” Hyatt Place hotels. First, I’m not only already a member, but I’m a Globalist member (53 nights this year so far with many more nights booked…). Second, what good is free breakfast when I don’t know which hotels are participating?
By the way, I’d call that picture a bit of false advertising. You can look into my account and see how many Hyatt Places I’ve stayed at. I’ve never seen fresh berries in the breakfast buffet…
Based upon the information your hotels are receiving, the cash + points program is changing on 01 November. Instead of a fixed cash + points rates, the points supplement will only discount the cash rate by 50%. Thus, a hotel that used to be 6,000 points + $75 will now cost, say, the same $6,000 points plus $110 if the rate is $220/night. That’s a routine occurrence when I am staying at the Hyatt Regency Mainz. Think about the Park Hyatt Maldives…
This constitutes a devaluation in almost all cases. And while it is curious you would devalue your program in such a highly competitive landscape considering your limited global footprint, that is your prerogative. But what gets me is that you still have not publicly announced these changes. Are they coming or not? If they are, do you not understand why World of Hyatt members…especially your most loyal members…consider this a deeply problematic lack of transparency?
You’re free to do what you want and devalue how you wish. But please, Hyatt, give us some advance warning. That’s all we are asking for.
Thanks,
Matthew
Thanks to this post I added berries to the serving of skyr for snack time.
I’m currently staying at a Hyatt Place, and the “members get free breakfast” signs are on the elevator walls.
I shared a photo on my twitter page (https://twitter.com/katruns26point2 )
Personally Matthew, if I were in charge of a loyalty program, I’d act as you requested, giving people notice. Its what I think the right thing to do is, according to my personal morals. I appreciate the time that it takes to plan trips and stays, and advanced notice is always appreciated. However, I also understand the business decision behind Hyatt choosing to wait so long to announce these decisions. Does it matter THAT much to you? If it does, you’ll stop using world of Hyatt and take your business elsewhere. I won’t try to stop you if thats what you want. Although these changes are very significant, Hyatt obviously knows that. I believe you are asking for a luxury, not a necessity. If those redemptions that we wanted to make are truly so important, we’ll book them as quickly as we can for this exact reason. Think about what you did with Swiss (though I don’t think Swiss or Aeroplan had the same leg to fall on, for a very different reason). I worry sometimes that you think that we can, and should, have it both ways. Unfortunately my friend, that is not the way the world works. If you want to go to the Maldives, book it right now before those prices climb high. they will get better business out of it this way, and though they believe differently from you and me, you need to accept that or move on.
There were berries and melon at Hyatt Place Tempe this morning. ♀️
And their devaluation email came thru at 11:40am PT…
Good thing they read my blog. 😉
I don’t trust Hyatt. They treat members based outside the US with contempt. First they made the crazy changes to Gold Passport; then decided to backtrack on some of them by ‘backdooring’ /fast-tracking members with their credit card ( unavailable in much of the world) and some US corporate deals. IE, screw the rest of the world.
Consequently I have 2 nights YTD ( both free) and will be without status in 2019, after 20 years as diamond.
The 3 cities I though I might miss Hyatt : Vienna ( Park), Milan ( Park), London ( Churchill), are all well-served by other chains.
It was a good 20 years but it was time to move on from Hyatt.
This change does not encourage my continued loyalty to Hyatt. I will be looking for other hotel chains to get my business. Points and 50% of the standard rate is a huge negative change. I really hope Hyatt starts valuing their loyal consumers given the increasing competitive choices. With changes like this, they will lose a lot of very loyal consumers.
Dear Hyatt,
You may have the legal right to. Hangs your program at will but you have a moral obligation not to constantly devalue a product you’ve sold me. You see your loyalty program is sold to us as generating a certain rate of returns. You tell me my stays earn points that I can then redeem for free stays. You publish rates that tell me if I want to redeem my points for a stay at X hotel it will cost me Y points. I’ve given you business in pursuit of a goal that you sold to me. So when you devalue your program you break that implied contract you had with me and that you sold me on. You may have the legal right to do this but it doesn’t make it any less reprehensible.