The Park Hyatt Bangkok has opened a club lounge of sorts, though it follows a trend that some loyalty program members certainly won’t like.
Continue reading: Park Hyatt Bangkok Opens A Club Lounge, With A Catch
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
So, half the menu reads like they'll serve you leftovers from their - admittedly great - breakfast buffet.
So premium suites but not standard suites. So looks like a SUA won't get you in, but an upgrade into a premium suite, or direct points booking can. Or just cold hard cash (rate).
I'm not against hotels innovating while they don't water down incumbent/existing benefits. This seems to be the case where Globalists didn't get anything before, so there's no loss.
In a complex demand environment, and in one where hotels generally aren’t owned or even run by large brands, owners need to get creative to generate extra revenue. Launching a new club lounge, and then giving it away to elites who are often more expensive to cater to anyway, isn’t going to be that appealing. Ritz Carlton and other brands have problem that at some hotels, people will just pay more for lounge access, so we will probably see more of it
Beyond the point of caring. If I get any of these elite levels through organic work travel, fine. Beyond that, the basic elite levels I've been afforded through my credit card have worked fine for me and these people clearly don't care anymore so why should we.
Having said that, the soup looks good.
Most marketing is gobbledegook and complete trash. Marketing as a profession just needs to be eliminated, and instead have normal people write the advertisements.
I don't see anything particularly "complex" here. They opened a club lounge and don't want to honor the elite benefits... Seems like standard operating procedures these days. If they want to do their own thing, they should become an independent hotel. If they are going to be a Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton, then they need to follow the brand standards, and corporate needs to enforce them!
1) Park Hyatt brand standards don’t require a club lounge
2) If this space were required to be provided to elites, it simply would not be opened given the economics involved
It won't happen to day, but Hyatt will rue their constant deflation of the program when people figure out that every hotel is just a mercenary business to see what they can get away with.
I remembered Conrda DC offers a similar facility, Sakura Club, which I was able to access on a stay last year. It's an interesting offering, but not sure price is justified if you don't really consume any of the free liquor/alcoholic drinks offered in such venues.
Hyatt terms and conditions, Appendix C, Section V (d): Club Lounge Access/Breakfast Benefit -- When staying at a participating hotel or resort that has a Club lounge, Globalists will receive access to the Club lounge. When staying at a participating hotel or resort that does not have a Club lounge (or if Club lounge is closed), Globalists will receive daily complimentary full breakfast (which includes one entrée or standard breakfast buffet, juice, and coffee, as well as tax, gratuity and service charges) for each registered guest in the room, up to a maximum of two (2) adults and two (2) children.
So yes, if a hotel offers a club lounge (which this is), whether at a Park Hyatt or not, Globalists must be given access per Hyatt's terms and conditions.
If the hotel doesn't like the "economics" of that, they can either not open a club lounge and perhaps choose to open a restaurant instead, or they can leave the Hyatt program and become independent.
Rather than blame marketing people, normal people should smart up and stop falling victim of marketing.
You can start with the influencers.
Ugh. I’m not a Hyatt person but this sucks. That having been said: BKK is one of the world’s greatest food cities. I love a luxury Asian hotel breakfast but after that I want to eat out. All meanings.
The lounges are valuable for a wind down in the pm after a muggy day of moving around. A full dining experience is not as appealing imho and would not be worth $90.
Looks more like a prepaid restaurant concept. I avoid Park Hyatt and other luxury hotels anyway. Elites will just book elsewhere in BKK.
Based on the language that access is included for "premium and specialty suites," since suite upgrade awards are generally only for standard suites, I'd wager no to that half of the equation (or to using points for a standard suite). But if one used points to book or upgrade to a *premium* suite, sounds like the answer would be yes.
I'm curious what the economics look like here... can't be that many premium suites and above, so are there really that many people that will buy up to this to make it worth operating daily? I'm sure it makes sense, I just wouldn't have thought so.
I looked through the terms and conditions to see if Hyatt has a specific definition of "club lounge" but didn't find one. But I think it's clear from the language JP quoted that Hyatt assumes an equivalence between "hotel has a club lounge" and "club lounge serves breakfast." This one opens at noon and doesn't serve breakfast; thus, whatever it is, it probably doesn't count as a club lounge, but more like a sort of specialty restaurant/F&B experience (also seems more premium than club lounges typically tend to be).
(As an aside, if this counted as a club lounge, then an extremely literal reading of the T&C would technically allow Hyatt to refuse restaurant breakfast to Globalists. "There is a club lounge, and it's not closed today [it just doesn't open until noon] - thus, per the T&C, no restaurant breakfast for you!")
As a Hyatt Globalist, I agree with Anthony; nothing is lost by not giving Globalists complimentary access, since it wouldn't be expected anyway; it's entirely optional. No complimentary access for Globalists seems fine to me.
No hyatt hotel lounge or club should exclude access to Globalists. Shame on Hyatt for allowing this. Hyatt going the way of Bonvoy, playing games with elite benefits.
Maybe they should allow Globalists to burn one or two club lounge access awards to access this?
The lower tier rewards often have club lounge access awards that are largely useless for Globalists
PH Beijing has something similar. They invite corporate account stays, and it was a great lounge. I got in through my company, not my Globalist status.
Lol. Sounds like maybe you work for the hotel in question or for Hyatt if you're claiming "No complimentary access for Globalists seems fine to me."
I don't see any indication that Hyatt assumes that club = just breakfast. Rather than extrapolating stuff that's not in the program's terms and conditions, or making up clearly ridiculous "literal readings" claiming that the "T&C would technically allow Hyatt to refuse restaurant breakfast to Globalists" just by opening the lounge after 12 pm, most elite guests take the common sense, plain meaning of the terms at face value and expect club access if they're Globalists and the hotel has a club lounge.
The terms also does have a lengthy list of exceptions, none of which mentions Park Hyatts, and the mere fact that most PHs don't have club lounges or historically haven't had one really isn't pertinent.
Dear Guest
Thoughtfully crafted
Thoughtfully overpriced
U buy access to our fake club lounge?
Thank u for your loyalty
For clarity, I said no such thing as "club = just breakfast"; I said it's clear from the T&C that it's expected that a club lounge serves breakfast *at minimum* (usually among other things), while this lounge does not provide breakfast at all. To put it as an analogous equation: "no breakfast = not a club lounge." (Why else would restaurant breakfast be linked to the lack of an open club lounge, with that section literally titled "Club Lounge Access/Breakfast Benefit"?)
Though for the sake of clarity, maybe this hotel's lounge should be added to the list of exceptions you mentioned, to accurately manage expectations.
Also for the record, I don't work for Hyatt or any Hyatt hotel, nor have I ever. I once worked for a couple mid-tier IHG and SPG properties (before the Marriott takeover), but that's all (and it's been over a decade). The trope of "you said something supporting company X, therefore you must work for them / be a paid shill / etc" is old and disingenuous...
This is so upsetting for me as a Globalist. What is keeping every Hyatt Regency and every Grand Hyatt in the world from renaming their lounges executive whatever and charging Globalists to access it?
To add to that, as others have noted, if they had to admit Globalists on a complimentary basis, they'd either water down the offerings to cut costs or close the lounge entirely, as the economics wouldn't make sense for them anymore. To demand access for Globalists would then feel a bit like saying "if I can't have it, no one can."
(Or maybe they'd open another, more basic lounge to act as the 'free' lounge for Globalists and members redeeming lounge access awards? That would technically increase costs but allow them to keep the exclusive lounge open...but I'd still prefer the full restaurant breakfast myself, so that wouldn't be ideal.)
As long as I'm getting full restaurant breakfast every day, nothing's being taken away from me by not having access to this exclusive lounge that the hotel isn't even required to have; I absolutely don't mind others having access because they paid for it (or paid for a suite category that includes it).
Presumably two things:
For one, they'd have to provide Globalists with complimentary full restaurant breakfast if they didn't give them lounge access, and lounge access is probably cheaper for them to provide (since lounge breakfasts are usually basic continental ones in my experience). (Then again, a lot of Hyatts that used to have lounges have closed them, either permanently or "temporarily due to covid" for going on 5 years now, so maybe I'm wrong about that...)
Second, while I don't know if Hyatt has an internal definition of "club lounge," it seems to me it's kind of like hotels charging (essentially) resort fees but calling them something else, like "destination fees": Hyatt treats them the same (waived on award stays and Globalist paid stays), regardless of what the hotel calls them. The lounge in this post doesn't serve breakfast, which is generally expected from an actual club lounge, making this one distinct (it also just seems to have more premium offerings than most club lounges). But if a hotel has a normal club lounge that serves breakfast (among other things) but calls the lounge something else, surely Hyatt would still regulate it as a club lounge in terms of elite access, club access award redemption, etc.
So...I suppose a Hyatt Regency or Grand Hyatt *could* decide that their lounge isn't going to serve breakfast anymore but is going to have more premium afternoon/evening offerings, and is thus no longer a "club lounge," so Globalists will now receive complimentary full restaurant breakfast but have to pay if they want access to the lounge. But they'd have to make it a compelling value proposition to get people to actually want to pay for access; most Globalists, I assume, would take the restaurant breakfast and run.
This is a good approach. It likely means more premium customers and fewer Americans in executive lounges.
I don't pay for executive lounge in many global hotel chains because of the proliferation of loud Americans that ruin the experience.
Well done, Park Hyatt Bangkok!
@BZ Did something happened to you? You seemed hell bent on just saying anything negative about Americans or America? Nobody is perfect and nothing is perfect too.
Were you denied a visa entry to visit America or did you get fired or denied work from an American company? Could it be that your ex was American? You add no value to this site but just rambling nonsense. You mentioned how you do not pay for executive lounge access so is it that because you cannot afford it and we sure know the other reason which is you do not stay enough or pay enough to be a top tier elite member with a hotel brand or hotel brands.
So they just weaseled their way into screwing over Globalists by calling their club lounge something else and Hyatt corporate is allowing it? Hyatt has been on quite a run of negative loyalty changes the last few years but I didn't see this one coming. If the Park Hyatt Bangkok gets away with this the it will spread to Grand Hyatts and Hyatt Regencies abroad. In no way is this good for loyal members.
Stay at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur as a Globalist as just one example then tell me the same with a straight face.
Hyatt properties generally lack in the F&B space. So, this seems to be a move in the right direction even it's not a real club lounge for top-tier elites. It would just be nice if more Hyatt Regencies had open and operational club lounges. The benefit has become practically worthless.
This lounge is just the usual breakfast spot. If someone wanted a lounge that much just go to the regency down the road lol.
There are some valid practical reasons to be wary of hotels and other places frequented by American visitors which don't require actually hating them or their country- e.g. not wanting to interact with staff who are conditioned to expect tips for doing basic parts of their jobs.
However, the best way to avoid such places isn't to scrutinise the finer details of customer facilities/policies on a property-by-property basis, but rather to give the US chains a very wide berth and stay away from them altogether.
anyway, it’s the Worst i ever stayed .. on both days, Breakfast was impossible to get .. restaurant mixed all up, then already last order ..
room service ditto .. you need to place everything on the app not that somebody then hold your back speaking almost no English and wants to discuss every point on your online order… never got any reply on my complaint
@Stanley C
"did you get fired or denied work from an American company? Could it be that your ex was American?"
I think a lot of Americans fit your description.
You're also just counter rambling.
I saw the same set up at the Park Hyatt Shanghai. Also not accessible for Globallst members
Well Stated. As a globalist for quite a few years i feel like my status gets me less and less each year. Many Hyatt already have renamed many of their suites as premium to screw over globalists. Lounges same . Fortunately, I’ve moved much of my business to JW marriotts. Great experiences recently in Dubai. Bangkok. Beijing. many of my business partners are doing the same. I think hyatt is losing it.
I guess you haven't stayed at many international hotels that actually have very nice club lounges to which elite members do get access. I recently stayed at one in Asia which had an exceptional variety of foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus many free alcoholic beverages, espressos, etc., and excellent service. Having an upscale club lounge open to elite members doesn't equate to "watered down offerings" like you assert.
Dear God, the entitlement here is insane.
As someone else notes below, this is not brand standard and if the hotel was required to offer this service to all Globalists it would cost them all the profit and therefore they just wouldn’t bother offering it in the first place. It’s not like they had a lounge and now are excluding elites. I am a regular at this property and I don’t think posters here realise just how many Globalists there are these days - 20-30% of guests at this hotel. It’s not like Bangkok is short of other hotels with lounges if you’d rather eat bland filler in a lounge rather than enjoy Bangkok’s spectacular restaurants.
As a Lifetime Globalist, an easy solution, stay at the Grand Hyatt Erawan - still an amazingly convivial and accommodating hotel in Bangkok
Lol. By that logic, why not just do away with all the elite benefits altogether? No upgrades, no free breakfast, etc., if all the terrible, entitled Globalists are costing these poor hotels "all the profit." Yeah, that makes a lot of sense!
I think this is a sign that Hyatt is having the same problem with Globalist as the American Express Platinum card and Ocean Casino. They have become too popular and their elite benefits are too easy to obtain for too many people. Ocean at least added a spend requirement, and Amex will probably increase the annual fee of the Platinum to address the issue. Hyatt should really consider increasing the qualifications for Globalist or create another level above Globalist. As they say, if everyone is elite then no one is elite.
@Eskimo You love to ramble yourself and comment on just about everything here. If you hate Americans so much why are you on a site run by an American? I think you fit into a lot of other categories.