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Holders of the Chase Hyatt Visa card have been receiving emails offering them a chance to fast-track their way to Hyatt mid- and top-tier status by the end of the year. There doesn’t appear to be anything stopping people applying for the Chase credit card just to have access to this promotion (in fact that’s probably what Chase and Hyatt want to see happen) but just be aware that not all is as it appears.
Fasttrack To Hyatt Explorist & Globalist Status
Here are the details of the promotion:
- Register by September 30, 2017.
- Stay a minimum number of qualifying nights at any Hyatt hotel or resort between September 1 and December 30, 2017.
- Enjoy the benefits of upgraded status through February 2019.
Here are the targets:
What counts as a qualifying night and what doesn’t?
Qualifying nights include…
- Nights booked with cash/debit card/credit card
- Points & cash bookings
Qualifying nights do not include….
- Bookings paid entirely with Hyatt points
Here’s a link to the offer page with the full T&Cs.
The Catch
While anyone reaching Hyatt top-tier status (Globalist) with this promotion will receive the majority of the benefits that come with the status, they will not get a number of key benefits including:
- 4 suite upgrades
- Free night award in a category 1-7 property
- Access to a “My Hyatt Concierge” agent
- Ability to re-qualify after 55 nights the following year
To get the above mentioned benefits you have to stay 60 nights with Hyatt in a qualifying year (or re-qualify with 55 nights) – there doesn’t appear to be a way around that.
The Benefits
Main Hyatt Globalist Benefits:
- Guaranteed 4pm check-out
- Complimentary parking on award nights
- Club Lounge access on all stays
- Waived resort fees on award nights
- Complimentary breakfast at locations without a Club Lounge (e.g. Andaz/Park Hyatt properties)
- Upgrades to the best available room at check-in (includes suites)
- 30% bonus Hyatt points on all purchases
Park Hyatt Mallorca – Image Hyatt
Main Hyatt Explorist Benefits:
- 4 club lounge access awards
- 20% bonus Hyatt ponts on all purchases
- Upgrades to best available room at check-in (excluding suites and rooms with club lounge access)
- Guaranteed 2pm check-out
- Waived resort fees on award nights
So, as you can see, despite the fact that the promotion won’t get you all the top-tier benefits, there are still some valuable perks that you can get (the late check-outs and complimentary breakfasts are my favorites).
Thoughts
First things first – this is not going to go down well with those who have busted a gut to reach/maintain Hyatt status….even if the best this promotion offers is Globalist-lite.
If you’ve worked hard to hit the 55/60 nights target to maintain/get Globalist status for next year you’re probably not going to be happy that you could now be competing for upgrades with someone who stayed just 20 nights….but that’s exactly what may happen.
A suite at the Park Hyatt Melbourne – Image Hyatt
This is also a little bit of a slap in the face for non-US Hyatt loyalists who have no way of getting the credit card which opens up access to this promotion – “thanks for your loyalty but we value those with our credit card more” may be how Hyatt actually feels but it’s not a message they should be broadcasting.
Aside from probably annoying a large number of its existing elites Hyatt’s use of this promotion has also effectively sees the hotel chain admit that its dreadful World of Hyatt loyalty program isn’t performing as expected – clearly there are fewer elites on the books than Hyatt had planned for.
The fact is that Hyatt has a comparatively small footprint compared to most of the popular hotel chains so it’s actually quite hard to stay loyal to the chain – hitting 55 or 60 nights a year can actually be quite a monumental feat…especially if you’re based outside of the US.
Should You Go For This Promotion?
How useful this promotion will be for you completely depends on how much benefit you’ll get out of the perks that come with status.
Hyatt properties are not usually amongst the cheapest you’ll find so the 20 nights it will take to get you to Globalist status will cost quite a bit – I’d suggest at least $3,000 but probably more – so you need to be sure that what you’ll be getting in return is worth at least that much to you.
Breakfast at the Andaz West Hollywood
What are your travel patterns going to be like next year? Are you going to get a chance to stay at many Hyatts and make the most of your new-found benefits? If not then there’s little point in spending money on status now.
For some it may be worth moving some stays over from other hotel chains in the last quarter of this year but, again, there could be an incremental cost to doing that and you need to be sure that the benefits you’ll be receiving will cover that cost (at the very least).
Personally speaking I don’t hold the Hyatt credit card but, even if I did, I still wouldn’t be tempted by this promotion. It’s simply too hard (and too expensive) for me to be loyal to Hyatt so paying $3,000+ for status now makes little sense when I know how hard it will be to make the most of the benefits next year.
My Prefered Way To Use Hyatt
With its limited footprint I prefer to use Hyatt properties when….
- They’re in locations I specifically want to visit (i.e I won’t go out of my way to stay at a Hyatt)
- They’re one of the better properties on offer
- They’re available to book using Hyatt Points generated by my Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Hyatt properties are often great value when booked with points, I don’t find that I’m missing out on much by not having top-tier status and I usually enjoy my visits quite a bit. Sure, I go out of the hotel to have breakfast (have you seen how much some of them charge?!) and I use extra points to book suites when I need them but they’re a small price to pay for not having to chase status and shell out the cash that it takes to get/maintain it with Hyatt.
Bottom Line
If you can visit Hyatt properties with ease and if you can make the most of the benefits that come with status then this promotion is probably for you….but for most people the promotion isn’t going to be a great idea. Yes this is a simple and quick way to top-tier status….but what use is that if you’re not going to get to enjoy the benefits to the full.
Think before you commit to this promotion – poor planning or an irrational desire for a hotel status you probably don’t need could cost you way more than you’ll get back.
