An e-mail arrived from Hyatt last night detailing my Globalist (formally Diamond) perks in the new World of Hyatt program that begins on March 01st. The revamped loyalty program will replace the current Gold Passport program. One sentence in the e-mail scared me.
Dear Matthew,
Welcome to World of Hyatt, where exceptional service comes standard and unforgettable experiences are always at your fingertips.
Your new loyalty program is a celebration of you and your journey. As a Globalist, you will have access to our highest level of luxury as we welcome you around the world.
The program revolves around you and is yours to explore starting March 1.
Benefits are listing including:
There are additional benefits for Globalist status, listed here and discussed by me here.
60 Nights or 55 Nights to Re-Qualify?
At the end, Hyatt details how to maintain status:
Maintain your Globalist status when staying 60 qualifying nights, earning 100,000 Base Points or hosting 20 qualifying meetings each calendar year.
Wait a moment! I thought only 55 nights were necessary to re-qualify? In looking at the World of Hyatt website I do see the 55-night requirement to re-qualify is still present.
But note the re in requalify. I was under the impression that current Diamonds (soon to be Globalists) would need only 55 nights to re-qualify. That is not the case. Globalists must stay 60 nights or earn 100,000 points in order to re-qualify for 2018 Globalist status. Only then, can Globalist status be extended for 55 nights per year.
I planned to attempt 60 nights anyway because upon reaching 60 nights you receive a complimentary free night stay for a Category 1-7 property, meaning it is valid even at high-end properties like Park Hyatt properties in New York, Paris, and Sydney.
But I’m still analyzing whether pursuing Globalist makes sense. Think about it: 60 nights is essentially two months in a hotel…and my business travel is limited to hotel reviews for this blog. Still, it is a great excuse for weekend trips with the family.
I spent last weekend in Santa Barbara at the Hyatt Centric and appreciated that we ran the breakfast bill to $80 each morning and it was fully covered, including (generous) tip. We also checked out at 4pm. The breakfast and late checkout benefits are immensely valuable to me. When traveling with my family I love not having to open my wallet for breakfast and not rushing out.
CONCLUSION
Change is coming on March 01st. Benefits like 1,000 points upon check in for Diamonds are gone, but complimentary suite upgrades are coming. The fundamental benefits of the program like late checkout and free breakfast remain unchanged. Hyatt will remain a highly valuable loyalty program for those who are truly loyal to Hyatt. Re-qualifcation for Globalist status will require 55 nights, but since the program is new this year, there are no re-qualifications: everyone needs 60 nights in 2017.
I value the free breakfast as well but with 60 nights required for globalist and Hyatts limited footprint sadly I will never attain this. I think it’s a boneheaded move for a hotel brand like Hyatt to make qualification so difficult. I’ll take my soft landing and my status match to Hilton DIamond and move on. Bye Hyatt! It was nice while it lasted!
You have to do 60 nights in 2017 to requalify for 2018, and then 55 in years after you’ve qualified with 60 nights. Being made a Globalist as a result of Diamond status doesn’t give you the lower 55 night qualification threshold.
Thank you Gary. I’ve clarified this in my post.
That is utterly absurd and entirely false advertising on Hyatt’s part. Not cool at all. Thank you for the post illuminating this.
I completed a Diamond status challenge last fall and Hyatt is reneging on it telling me tough luck enjoy Explorist status. Argued to Corporate to no avail other than being offered a “final offer” of 15,000 points. Thanks for the treatment Hyatt. This just confirms my decision to move my business to SPG/Marriott
I would pick Hyatt if they had any properties where I needed to be. I stay ~200 nights a year with Marriott.
I have loved Hyatt and I’m a long term Diamond but 2017 is the year to bid them good bye. I hope they will be happy with who remains. Good bye Hyatt