Why I'm Not Taking The Hyatt Diamond Challenge

It doesn't have to be by end of July right? You could start the clock anytime during challenge period.

@Blake: correct, but the 20% rebate on points + cash expires at the end of July, which was the basis for Travis' original value proposition.

An all round sensible chap.

Couldn't agree more. My wife and I live in hotels and this challenge still doesn't even make sense for us. Thank you for pointing out that the value of free breakfast is insanely over-hyped. For us, a sandwich and a coffee from Starbucks is the most we'll ever eat for breakfast. But more often, we'd just have a granola bar and the coffee from the room--meaning the free breakfast saves us about $2 compared to our normal morning. Even at Hiltons (where our breakfast is always included) we generally skip it or sleep though it.

The only place we ever thought the complimentary breakfast had a real value was at the Conrad Maldives. In fact, the only reason we considered the Hyatt Challenge was to get free breakfast if we went to the Park Hyatt Maldives next January--but we'll probably just go back to the Conrad.

As for the suite upgrades, to really get value out of them you have to be staying at a really high end Hyatt (note: the suite upgrades aren't useful at the Park Hyatt Maldives) so that means either coming our of pocket for a really expensive base room in a place like Paris, Tokyo or Sydney or paying a ton of points. I just don't see the value.

Great analysis for the other 90% of readers that do not travel for business.
Thank you for putting it is perspective

I agree! I'm a leisure traveler and I don't want those diamond handcuffs either. I would enjoy the Diamond status In fact, I think BoardingArea as a whole would be so much better if so many bloggers didn't have those handcuffs... it's a big world out there and Hyatts are not present in a very large part of it. And even some places where there is a Hyatt, I find I don't necessarily want to stay there because maybe the location is not as good as some other hotels for just walking out my door and being in the part of the city where I'd like to be. Maybe you'll have some postings on some of your non-Hyatt stays!

Per the Travis perspective. Spent $750 and earn 10,312 points and Diamond status.

If you were to buy 108 Visa Gift Cards at Staples for $200 + $6.95 each, your out of pocket costs would be $750.60, and you would earn 111,753 UR points. For example, at a category 5 hotel. 111.753 points will get you 16 days Regency/Grand upgrade or 9 days Suite upgrades. The upgrades get better or worse depending on the Category.

But diamond status would get you Regency/Grand upgrade and 4 suite upgrades up to a week each, potentially 28 days for 18 months on a paid or ‘cash and points’ stay.

Don’t know what’s more work, mattress run or Walmart run.

I agree. I live in Laguna Niguel. Is Hyatt Place in TJ an option for our SoCal residents? Thanks

@slomichael: It may be worth it for you, but spending $22,350.60 at Staples, and then -- rather than using credit cards for the rest of the year -- dividing $21,600 in spend over 108 Visa gift cards (where on earth do you put them? How many do you carry with you in your wallet at once?) seems like a hassle that's just not worth 9 days of suite upgrades for me.

To be fair, I never once suggested you should consider this if you can't make it work for about $600 out of pocket. And even then, I posed the "is Hyatt Diamond status worth $600?" on your behalf and concluded that it would depend on your travel patterns for the next 18 months....

You make lots of other interesting points that will be fun to debate in the future.....

Definitely valid points and a good read, thanks Nick. From MY perspective though... (have done the old challenge twice, the wife and I, plus requalified the hard way) the Breakfast amenity is more valuable to my family.

For example(s) my kid eats like an adult, so 3 of us having a late breakie is almost the only meal we need sometimes!! Brunch at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in the summer sitting outside enjoying the stunning view and ambience, absolutely delicious healthy stuff = more expensive than the awesome room rate we got, $150+ but zero to us. Same at the Park Hyatt Maldives at 11am till past midday every day, order as much as you want, and just amazing gourmet food. We definitely didn't need to see any food till 6pm before free canapés and drinks, then a light dinner. I almost feel guilty... Nah, they offer it and I stay 50+ nights. Just stayed in a lowly Hyatt Regency in Denver and the club was manned by the best concierge I have ever come across, he organized a chef to bake cookies with a high definition edible image of son on them! That was just one of his touches. The lounge there for 3 was least a $100 a day value if you want to save money and eat the hot and cold appetizers provided every night plus breakfast in the morning.

We have had outstanding suite upgrades, through the years. Including the Grand Hyatt Bali, which was a massive villa with it's own lake. We could have hosted a party for 30 people in there. We didn't of course 😉

Anyhoooo...It's all relative and varies so much for each traveler. An interesting discussion though.

It really just depends on what your future travel patterns are. My wife and I recently stayed at the Park Hyatt Maldives, and easily spent over $300 total in breakfasts. That, along with evening canapés and a chance of an upgrade would surely make this worth it. We also have 2 kids, so the possibility of a suite upgrade and guaranteed club access at some high end properties could make it worth it. We live in ATL, so there are category 1 properties. Nice to have the option, just depends on future travel plans..

Looks like it's just Nick and I who have not stayed at the Park Hyatt Maldives on this entire blog ;-).

You don't have to physically check into a hotel. I don't live near a Category 1 Hyatt either but a simple call to the front desk asking them to check me in remotely because I'm a few nights short of achieving status has worked in the past.

Superb post, Nick! Handcuffs is the right term here for 90%of the leisure travellers. I for myself don't spend more than 20nights a year in hotels including longer stays in resorts. Thus, the only valuable programs for me are Hhonors and LHW leaders club.

Leo, add me to the non PH Maldiives list. Never been, never intend to. I'd be bored out of my mind in 5 minutes.

Nick, you make very good points about status and handcuffs. As you say having that status hanging over your head does influence decisions, I know I am a SPG Plat50 with zero stays for the year and am trying to work out whether I try and requalify or just let it go. The analytical part of me says it's time to focus on staying where you want but then the ego part tells me what about the free breakfast. I also considered doing the Hyatt challenge, but the poor Hyatt coverage in my destinations for the rest of the year would mean it would be a struggle to even do 12 nights. I'm in SF and there is nothing cheap locally and I've got better things to do than to catch BART to Emeryville.

this was an excellent post - thanks for compiling !!

I love Hyatts, but I agree with other posters who mention that the almost blind adoration of Hyatt and other Western chains by so many bloggers is annoying. (And please spare me from another post about the Maldives 🙂

When I travel, I want a clean, comfortable, safe, reasonably priced hotel in the best possible location. As in the world of real estate, my mantra in selecting a hotel is location, location, location, with good value being another important deciding factor. For me, it is pretty rare for a Hyatt to be able to compete with interesting local hotels.

If I was staying 2-3 weeks at a Hyatt resort property each year, then the diamond status might be worth it. And more power to those who get good value out of it. But I'll pass.

Thank you for your post Nick. As a fellow leisure traveler for most of the time I need to constantly remind myself not to chase that status, although being in Australia does tend to limit what I can achieve.

I also think you're right in that if you solely focus on big hotel chains, you can miss out on some very nice properties. My case this year is the Parkhotel Schoenbrunn in Vienna. I managed to get a Junior suite for 300 Euros less than the cost of a classic room at the Intercontinental for the same amount of time.

It was a close call for me as I am going to be at the PH Maldives for 5 nights. But I'm very close to lifetime platinum on Marriott (already lifetime SPG plat), and in 2016, I'll be using up all my Club Carlson nights in predevaluatin bookings. If they had the best hotel where I do most of my business travel, I might, but the golden handcuffs chafe to much.

By the way, the alternative perspectives is a super format (even if you don't write "I'm not Lucky!" In 36 point type!)

Nice going OMAAT team!

I did the Diamond challenge last year. While I got nowhere near the number of days required (strictly a leisure traveler), I did use my four suite upgrades when booking 11 Hyatt nights between now and the end of September around the US - a combo of paid stays and cash+points. Plus, I have the Hyatt Visa and will, in conjunction with my anniversary free night, book at least a 12th night in September, probably Park Hyatt Milan. So for me, this is doable to get those four suite upgrades for late 2015 or early 2016 travel.

I think Travis must've been playing devil's advocate. His assumptions weren't realistic, and most (sane) people (i.e. leisure travelers) would not partake.

As a very casual traveler with limited time to travel, I also appreciate the new perspective. BUT, as one who chased and caught the last Diamond challenge, I see it this way: I have a LOT of countries on my bucket list. For the next 18 months, I'm heavily leaning toward countries with nice Hyatts. Sept. will give me suites in HK, Singapore and Bali. I hope to manage a Maldives trip before I lose status, but it I don't I don't. I'll get to at least one more nice Hyatt destination. Then, I'll move onto Conrads or Ritzs or ICs. Whatever. This way, the handcuffs don't really chafe. One status at a time. That's all a casual traveler can manage. And, I owe it all to Lucky and a few other bloggers. Thanks guys (and Tiffany).

Bill -- Which assumptions aren't realistic?

Very sensible analysis Nick, and concurs with Lucky's comments (made earlier) that airline loyalty programs are often are worth chasing, less so hotel loyalty programs.

Sure, it's a laugh saying "But I'm a Diamond Guest" (lol) but there are always opportunity costs with these programs, so you need to carefully consider how such promotions work for your individual circumstances rather than relying on general examples.

Great to see a measured approach to the great status game - sometimes you can get lost in the hype.

Great perspective, Nick! While I'm a business traveler who practically lives in hotels, I find that Hyatts are very rare finds in the cities that I frequent. And more than that, there are other properties I prefer in each location for different reasons (service, location, etc.). Your post injects some valuable common sense into the whole status/points chasing hobby by pointing out that we're all unique with unique needs and chasing status with one brand just because it's the "It" brand doesn't make sense for everyone! Thanks!

I like this take on things. I fought last week with a choice...use my current 17 night business stay to earn Diamond with Hyatt (staying at a sub-par Hyatt House at a higher cost) or earn double Hilton points (staying at a better-than-the-Hyatt Homewood Suites, costing my employer less $$). I didn't examine the points bonus upside and I chose Hilton for several reasons. I have no plans currently for any big blowout trips which would really make Hyatt Diamond pay and my leisure travel takes me places I can only find Hilton brands. This really was a no-brainer for me, and even as I say this I know I'll get backlash for my choice 🙂

I'm really tempted to do this... But I have to remind myself I can buy breakfast cheaper. 🙂

I can't believe I'm the first one to point out that the Green Bay Hyatt is not in the suburbs (it's right downtown) and it's a regular Hyatt not a Hyatt Place. 😉
But I'd also love it if they opened a Hyatt Place in the "suburbs" of Green Bay.

My Hyatt Diamond Status (earned Nov. 2014) has been AMAZING for our family. We've shared 3 Hyatt Regencies in 3 different states with our daughter's family, + shared one Suite Upgrade with 3 other friends for a girls'week away trip to SFO, + enjoyed 4 other Regency and Andaz Upgrades in Amsterdam, Miami, New Orleans, & Bellevue WA, with just the 2 of us rattling around in amazing digs. The best part for us is the Regency Club Room. We only eat 2 meals a day anyway -- so ZERO food expense (and unlimited Starbucks lattes in the Club Room) during our Regency stays is awesome (especially when 4 people/room can utilize it!). Not to be ignored is the extra effort to accommodate your needs during any Hyatt stay when you are Diamond. We make good use of the 4pm checkouts too. My current status expires Feb 2016. So figuring out 12 stays in 60 days to get another year's Diamond Status is a no brainer for us -- it's paid HUGE dividends for us in the past and we look forward to more! (All this because folks like you share your wisdom, advice and experience! Thanks!!)

Has there been any hint of what the new Diamond Challenge might look like after April 30? If I do the challenge now, I'll get Diamond status through Feb 2017. If I wait to do it after April 30 do you think it might extend through February 2018?