What happens when a hotel says you are upgraded during online check-in but then downgrades you by the time you arrive at the property? One Hyatt Globalist found out the hard way.
Hyatt Regency DFW Downgrade: Suite Upgrade Taken Away Before Arrival
A Live And Let’s Fly reader sent me the following report:
So, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the DFW airport. Upgraded before arrival to an executive suite. I checked in using the Hyatt app. At arrival when I went to get the keys, I was downgraded to a standard room. They offered 4,000 points as compensation for the downgrade. The room they gave me was dirty and the only other room they had was a double. They increased the compensation to 8,000. But that’s a lousy way to treat a globalist.
The compensation is reasonable considering this is a category two property (with free nights starting at 6,500 points per night in low-peak season) but it still strikes me as a totally unnecessary way to treat a Globalist…or any guest. Why present an upgrade only to take it away? The hotel eventually explained:
I complained to my Hyatt Globalist concierge agent (totally useless person). The property emailed me: Regarding your room, I understand your frustration with the room downgrades, and I want to clarify that standard suite upgrades are based on availability and are not confirmed until the time of arrival. On this particular stay, we unfortunately did not have any standard suites available due to high occupancy.
Again, the answer is reasonable but it did not occur that way. When you online check-in, it is to “confirm” your room. If the “secret” policy is that you are not assigned a room until arrival, it seems to me it would be a race among Globalists to show up.
I’m not sure much was missed – take a look at the deplorable state of the room:
But that’s teriary to an upgrade given then taken away: apparently a suite upgrade is contingent on your quick arrival…
It really depends upon what the hotel staff feel like doing when we check-in in-person and how empowered the employees on duty feel. Even when it comes to pre-assigned upgrades.
Twice in two years I’ve been walked as a Globalist, including now once at a Hyatt property at which you’ve stayed. Upgrade games are even more common — sometimes to my advantage and sometimes not,
At least the hair isn’t curly.
Why would that matter? Seems a bit racist.
ummm yeah you don’t need to jump to racism. he/she’s talking about pubes.
you know, grab them by the curlies….
I think they were insinuating that curly hair would be pubic hair, which feels grossed than head or arm hair.
The bigger issue is why Hyatt is allowing properties in this condition to remain under their flag. I understand it’s business, but sadly this is becoming more and more common, especially at Hyatt Places.
Have you seen the Hyatt Place they are going to have at Paddington in London? They will have a bunch of rooms in about the 100 square foot range. That Hyatt Place will be Hyatt No-Place with two full-size suitcases to be opened unless using the bed to open one at a time.
Sounds like the Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotel I stayed at in Paris this summer (Le Wallace):
https://liveandletsfly.com/paris-2024-olympics-opening-ceremony-report/
Hyatt claims they have deflagged bad properties. But the number is relatively tiny. One of them is the ex-Hyatt Regency at CDG. I can think of three properties that should lose the flag: the Hyatt Regency at the Pittsburgh airport, the Hyatt Regency in Rochester, New York, and the Hyatt Regency at the Houston IAH airport.
I can’t see the bathroom there, but that Paris room looks like it is perhaps at least 10% bigger than what a bunch of the rooms will be like at the Hyatt Place Paddington.
My record for smallest room in a major chain hotel this year was a single (dorm room-size) bed room that was around 8-9 square meters at most including the bathroom within that. The Best Western room was tinier than even the Comfort Xpress hotel. At the BW, it was the punishment room for daring to ask for an upgrade as a top-tier member staying on the cheapest rate booked for the cheapest room type.
This is a Hyatt-managed property. So, Hyatt has no excuses here. Both in terms of maintenance/cleanliness and Globalist elite benefits. Unfortunately, the Hyatt program doesn’t have the kind of compensation benefits that Marriott has. Marriott is far from perfect but you are entitled to specific compensation unlike Hyatt.
Oh, that’s because Hyatt needs to amass a couple billion so Pritzker’s “Makes Chris Christie look thin” fat ass can run for President in 2028, every penny counts… Make America South Side Chicago!
Let me tell you that I was a Hyatt Globalist for a few years and I feel so good that I gave up chasing hotel status. In my experience, Hyatt overall had gone downhill in terms of quality. BTW, the comment “ Hyatt Globalist concierge agent (totally useless person).” is spot one. When I was a Globalist, my few interactions with my concierge was absolutely useless. The quality of Hyatt hotels is really bad and cleaning hasn’t been their strongest quality. I have been staying in locally owned hotels in Europe and they are fantastic. Small properties, amazing breakfast included, no nickel and dime approach. In the US I have been fortunate to stay at some Four Seasons properties and it is a different level.
Yes independent boutiques are fabulous… If I could spend $500+ on every hotel stay, id give up on status and only stay at high end independent places!
But a chain like Mariotte or Hyatt provides at least some semblance of standards for stays at places under $200. (I have seen faaaar worse than the Hyatt regency pics above when I’ve “taken a chance” on independent bare bones hotels)
DFW Regency has long been terrible, to the point where I wonder how it hasn’t been deflagged given they have a great Grand Hyatt and Hyatt Place at the same airport.
I’ve stayed here before as well. It’s definitely substandard. And it’s barely connected to the terminal. It requires navigating a complex maze through a garage and multiple stairs. Sadly, most of the points properties in the DFW north area are all terrible and are in need of upgrades.
I’d take that treatment any day! I stay at that hotel all the time. The executive suite isn’t a suite at all. It’s a standard room, with a plastic divider in the middle separating the couch. Service is usually great here, despite the property’s old age. 8K points is more than reasonable. Also, this is one of those hotels where half of the guests are Globalist. Relax, cowboy.
I read a lot of complaining about their Hyatt concierges and if that truly is the case then that’s fair. My concierge rocks and while she can’t always help me she’s been great at fixing problems a number of times. I just wanted to show a data point that they certainly aren’t all bad.
Hyatt loyalty is the worst.
LolZ.
Loyalty itself might be suspect… Especially given the variety of other third party portals where you can earn awards points and not be pinned in to one brand….
But… Stop with the trolling.
I find that the room is only really locked in once you are on property. Before that it is subject to change.
On another subject, how in the world do I find out who my Hyatt Globalist concierge is? I got an email 5 years ago alerting me to a change to a new person and I emailed her a couple of weeks ago to crickets on my question.
When I first earned globalist, I never received any communication about it. I was aware of the existence of a concierge, but didn’t know who mine was for over a year.
Contact the general globalist support and they can get you connected.
I email my concierge when I want to apply a SNU. They usually get back within a couple business days. If I was worried about the property running our of standard suites, I’d just call the globalist line and get it taken care of immediately. Frankly I’m not really sure what the concierge is for.
They gave compensation. Hard to say what happened. Globalists could have checked in earlier. Throughout the day a suite may have had to be put out of order on maintenance. Reservations may have come flying through online before an employee could manually block the suite on maintenance. There could have been a hotel guest extend a night. Maybe group sales didn’t block the correct number of suites for an incoming group.
That housekeeper needs supervision. I think managers check rooms before marking them vacant clean anyways.
If I ever arrived exhausted to Dfw on a stopover it would be nice to be able to walk to my hotel than wait 25 minutes for a hotel shuttle.
I think for many the issue is these kind of incidents always seem to work against the guest receiving the suite as a complimentary upgrade. It never works in their favor.