In my review of the Hyatt Regency Kyoto I mentioned that the hotel refused to grant me 4PM late check-out, which is a guaranteed benefit of Gold Passport Diamond status. The major exclusion to that benefit is resort and casino properties, where it's based on availability which I was aware of. Reader DW pointed out…
Continue reading: I learn something new regarding Hyatt’s 4PM late check-out Diamond benefit
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
A few others appear not to be called resorts on their main pages, i.e., Grand Hyatt Muscat, Hyatt Regency Dongguan, Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, Hyatt Regency Saipan
Maybe I'm jaded by Starwood since all of their resorts I've stayed at do this, but I view a true test of whether or not a hotel is indeed a resort if they charge you a "resort fee" for stuff that is normally included (or optional) at other normal hotels, such as parking, telephone calls, internet, etc.
Did the HR Kyoto add that to your bill?
The Hyatt Lost Pines resort that I've stayed at outside of Austin, TX does indeed levy such a fee on guests, so the precedent is there for the Hyatt chain as well.
theBOAT (Hyatt Diamond)
I suspect it's more to do with redemption rules, such as those governing upgrades on points ( http://www.hyatt.com/gp/en/awards/hyatt_upgrade.jsp):
"When redeeming Regency Club® or Grand Club® upgrades or suite upgrades at a resort property, you must pay a minimum of the Hyatt Daily Rate deluxe room (such as partial ocean view, ocean view, slope view, etc). At non-resort properties you must pay a minimum of the Hyatt Daily Rate. "
Marriott's exclusion of benefits at resort properties encouraged me to ditch my Platinum status altogether. I see that it's not much better with Hyatt.
Those exclusions drive me nuts. Why should I be treated worse at a resort than at a non-resort?
Jon....I love the use of 'worse' rather than differently.
btw...define 'ditch' regarding Platinum status. Was it just a matter of not qualifying? I, for one, enjoy my "Lifetime Platinum" status with Marriott.
I recently encountered a similar situation when staying at the Le Meridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo. I asked for a 4 pm checkout as SPG Preferred Plus and was told I only could have 2 pm. Long story short, they made an "exception", which I accepted but at the time thought was bogus. But when I got home I did realize that it is classified as a resort property. Whoops! You live, you learn.
Speaking of Hyatt, where do you find out what Category a hotel is? I cannot find that on their websites.
@ Lord Fish -- They're all listed here by clicking the categories:
http://www.hyatt.com/gp/en/awards/hyatt_free_night.jsp;jsessionid=01B7F01E8B504D21B56A6DD9A183E0DB.atg07-prd-atg3
Seems kind of a questionable status for this hotel (and others) but it's also good information to have as a warning for future guests.
Check this one out... http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=752
Was a brunt of a few jokes back when Starwood had the Free Resort Night promo.
Well, after spending some time at Hyattresorts.com, I've always been interested in the categories of "Resort"
Kyoto shows up under the heading "Spa"
Doha shows up under the heading "Beach".
Of course, they have the HR Huntington Beach also listed under "Golf", with the nearest course over 7 miles away (not counting the big sand trap protecting the very large water hazard across the street!). Formerly, resorts could avail themselves of more promotions if needed during slow seasons. They also get the extra marketing kick from hyattresorts.com.
I guess Grand Hyatt Doha private beach make it for the meaning of "resort"... 😉
Hyatt and Marriott both have properties where the word resort is not in the hotel's name, and I would suggest that to call some of these properties a resort is more for marketing purposes, along with the ability to impose stricter rules for upgrades and elite member benefits.
This "resort" designation strikes me as bogus.
The crummy Econolodge on I-192 near Disney charges a "resort fee" of $3.33 or something like that.
In Kyoto they have less than 150 rooms, too. When a small hotel is completely booked and needs to flip a large suite, they are under a little more pressure. Did you notice that they spend an hour each day housekeeping that Deluxe Balcony room when you were there? And that's on a day when they aren't even changing guests.
And Kyoto is frequently full as it is one of the most elegant hotels in the region. Try the Okura in Kyoto the next time you are there. It is even more elegant and imbued with Japanese culture than the Hyatt, but possibly not as friendly.