There are pros and cons to each hotel loyalty program, and there's not going to be one program that gives you the best of all worlds. That's probably also why we're not all loyal to the same hotel program (which is a good thing). My personal favorites are Hyatt Gold Passport and Starwood Preferred Guest,…
Continue reading: Hotel Elite Status Perks I’d Like To See Added
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Not only does Marriott not offer Platinums breakfast at resorts, they do not offer breakfast at their Courtyard properties. This is beyond annoying!
Just a correction, the W Samui is a category 6, and it is 26,000 with this promo http://www.spgresortredemption.com/?mobile (down from 40,000 which is way more than your 60,000-70,000 estimate)
Do you really not drink tap water?! Bottled water is incredibly wasteful in countries with potable water.
While free internet is a nice benefit, it would be a perk for elites not to have to keep logging in all the time. How about a cookie for elites that provides for automatic login at everywhere in the chain (whether or not you are actually staying)? Just walk on to the property and log in is automatic.
The perk I'd love to see, at any chain, is some sort of limited credit towards laundry -- maybe $5/day, or something like that. If a trip is a week or maybe even 10 days, I usually pack enough clean clothes for the whole trip, since hotel laundry is so outrageously expensive and going to a laundromat is such a drag. The hotel that would let me cut down on how much I need to pack would hook me forever.
(Not to mention, it would be nice not to have to think about the cost when you spill tomato juice on yourself on the first day of the trip and have no choice about doing some laundry.)
Ben, it's like you designed a blog just for me!
I'd like a level above Marriott Platinum/Hyatt Diamond that kicks in when you stay +100 or +150 nights a year.
Complimentary sexual favors has yet to be adopted by any of the major programs and I find that surprising -- and disappointing -- in the year 2014
Hyatt should definitely offer something more after 50 nights. I stayed 100+ nights last year and I didn't get anything extra. I do get wonderful treatment at hotels I frequent, but nothing official or to make me feel appreciated by the chain as a whole. BTW after 100+ nights I did NOT get CC. Based on what you post are your rates I sincerely doubt you would either (I pay an average of $300 a night).
I need help with Hyatt. When I read all the blogs [including yours] it sounds like Hyatt is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It gets a lot of favorable bandwidth in the blogosphere.
I am a Diamond and for the last two years I would have difficulty trying to put a positive answer on why I maintain Diamond Status. If it wasn't for the Hyatt/MGM partnership I wouldn't even come close.
Hyatt has a smaller footprint and it seems like a lot of the truly aspirational properties aren't bookable on points when I want to go. I will concede cash+points has helped and I just had a fabulous stay at the Park Hyatt in Sydney during the Vivid Festival which was incredible.
I have traveled a lot in Asia and as a Starwood Platinum I have never not been upgraded into a suite even when I don't use my free suite upgrades.
While the Park Hyatt sydney was fabulous I just did the Hyatts in Bangkok, Bali, and Minneapolis recently and they all were ordinary and forgettable.
My only guess is that someone like you really worked hard to upgrade into a suite with certificates or points to make Hyatt a truly above average experience.
Please enlighten me as I am ready to give up on Hyatt.
Lucky, you have pretty much nailed all the key things I wish for from Hyatt, Starwood & Hilton
The only things I would add is that at Starwood & Hilton I really like the breakfast to be full breakfast like it is at Hyatt
At Hilton I want breakfast to extend to Waldorf Astoria properties. It is ridiculous that it doesn't
Hyatt, is complimentary water too much to ask? Hilton is guaranteed 4pm check out that hard for Diamonds?
How about Hilton Diamond benefits like breakfast extended at Waldorf Astorias?
MARKj,
Just my two cents. Hyatt is the only one who seems to want my business. I've started at a new site and needed 160 nights a year for 2-3 years and have called and emailed the sales teams at Hilton, Starwood and Marriott properties and no one but Hyatt has called me back.
But, my situation seems different from yours.
FWIW W Koh Samui is currently 26k points per night with the 35% off that's being offered at that + a few other properties. Around 20k/nt after 5th night free isn't so bad...
Actually Marriott has a decent list of properties in the US (some of their most expensive/premium properties) which do not guarantee breakfast on weekends when the club lounge is closed. This is beyond annoying!
Great post, and I've glad you've picked up on the Hyatt 5th night free omission. I'm currently doing a diamond trial between Park Hyatt Sydney, Grand Hyatt Melbourne, and Park Hyatt Canberra, and I must say the service I've received has really been amazing. May have me rethinking my usual Marriott!
I would like to see Marriott offer cash & points. I would also like a confirmable upgrade option from them for Platinum and above, even if just one or two per year.
I agree that confirmed suite upgrades would be great for Hilton Diamonds, but I would really like to see a lifetime status level for Hilton as well maybe 500 nights for Gold and 750 nights for Diamond. This would make Hilton competitive with Hyatt, Marriott, and SPG's lifetime programs.
Regarding your thought that Starwood gives free bottled water for Platinums, I think it's actually a brand standard thing...not an elite thing. Four Points, for instance, requires bottled water for all guests. I don't THINK it's a Platinum elite thing.
I'm with the "just drink tap water" crowd here . . . not for any environmental or political reason, but simply because needing bottled water in a hotel room with a perfectly functional faucet seems incredibly pointless (unless, of course, you are staying somewhere without potable water).
That Hyatt doesn't offer suite upgrades without certs to Diamonds leads me to stay with Starwood more often as a Platinum. I do like the two tier structure that Starwood offers. I stayed 50 nights at Starwood last year and got the 10 nights of upgrades, but still have a shot to a lower suite on regular stays without using the uograde.
@ Rhys -- Just curious, what percent of the time do you get suite upgrades with Starwood when not using a certificate?
I like the bottled water vs tap water and it should be up-to one bottle a day, not one per stay. What does it cost the hotel 10c ?
I like a bottle on my bedside for in case I'm thirsty in the night. While a glass of water would do the same, I'd have to know the glass was clean (how?) and it would need refreshing everyday to make sure it stayed clean, which would be wasting water!
I can't believe nobody has mentioned points stays not counting for Hyatt elite credit like they do at Starwood. Really this is my biggest beef with Hyatt & I choose Starwood more often just because of this. Hyatt diamond is where the program really shines, & I want to be able to use my points to keep it. Yes c&p was a great improvement. But they need to go further: award nights need to count for status!
To add one that hasn't been mentioned yet: for SPG, I'd love ability to confirm suites (using SNAs) at time of booking instead of waiting until a few days out to see if the request was accepted.
Starwood upgrade percentage as a platinum without using a suite cert varies depending what kind of hotel I'm staying at. In a downtown hotel with a ton of suites, particularly if it's on a weekend is 75%. If it is a resort which tends not to have many suites, more like 5-10%. Kind of sad as I would rather have the suite at the resort when I'm with my wife rather than by myself at a downtown hotel on business.
As M said above, Hyatt not counting award bookings as stays would be my other gripe about the program. If they did that, and had tiers like 50/75/100 stays, I would probably stop staying at Starwoods, but as it is, split my 75-80 nights a year at this point.
I'm a little late to the party, but what I'd really like to see if Hyatt and SPG offer breakfast to mid-level Elites like Marriott and Hilton do. (Yes, I know Marriott has exclusions...but sometimes is better than nothing which is what I get as an SPG Gold and a Hyatt Platinum...)