Several weeks ago, I covered how Hyatt laid off most of its US-based customer service agents, instead choosing to outsource these jobs. Well, I just had my first experience with what I have to assume is one of these new phone support agents. After 74 minutes on the phone, I need a nap, because I’m cranky…
In this post:
An absurdly frustrating Hyatt call center experience
Before I share my experience, let me clarify that in theory, I don’t care where a call center agent is based, as long as they’re able to do their jobs in a satisfactory way. My issue is that all too often, when call center jobs are outsourced, the people put in those positions don’t have the training and tools they need to succeed.
Furthermore, I don’t in any way blame the frontline employees, but instead, blame the companies that hire them and then don’t give them sufficient training. With that out of the way, as a lifetime World of Hyatt Globalist member, I’ve generally found Hyatt’s call center to be one of the more competent ones, with agents (mostly) knowing how to do their jobs.
Today I called Hyatt for the first time in several weeks, and I think it’s safe to assume I was connected to someone on Hyatt’s new team. My request was simple, or so I thought. I wanted to apply one of my Suite Upgrade Awards for a Hyatt Prive reservation that I booked at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley.
So, how did that work out? Well, the call took a total of 74 minutes, and really, something was only accomplished in the last several minutes, when I was connected to a US-based “guest escalation” supervisor.
The issues started at the beginning of the call, as the agent had never heard of Hyatt Prive. She claimed I booked a “corporate rate,” and kept asking for details about what corporation I worked for. When I explained to her what Hyatt Prive was, she was confused, asked me to spell it out, etc. Eventually she said she’d have to talk to “customer care support” (can I just talk to them directly, pretty please?).
That process took around 15 minutes, for something that shouldn’t have even been a discussion, because there’s supposed to be zero issue with applying suite upgrades to Hyatt Prive rates.
Then came the process of looking up whether there was suite upgrade availability. This is something that should ordinarily take seconds. Somehow that took another 15 or so minutes, including me repeatedly being put on hold.
I asked her to confirm that she saw standard suites available, but she seemingly couldn’t figure that out. She said she’d then call the hotel to try to apply the upgrade, and I clarified the type of suite I’d like — a “Deer Valley Suite with Balcony.” The hotel has multiple types of standard suites, and in those situations, you can request which kind you’d like.
She obviously didn’t understand this contextually — “you want a deer suite with balcony?” Okay, no big deal, so I repeated myself multiple times, and she seemed to at least be able to repeat what I was saying. She then put me on hold to call the hotel to apply the upgrade, or something.
After an extended wait, I ended up being added to a three-way call with the front desk agent, who explained to me (if I understood things correctly), that Hyatt had centrally accidentally blocked me into the accessible suite rather than the one that I requested, and if I wanted to fix that, I’d have to cancel my reservation and book again.
I explained that I specifically told the agent the type of suite that I preferred, and that I had been on the call for close to an hour. Obviously it wasn’t the front desk agent’s fault, so I said he could get off the line, and I asked the Hyatt agent if she could please connect me to a supervisor.
After an extended hold, I was connected to Wanda, a “guest escalation” supervisor (I suspect these supervisor roles are among the only ones that haven’t been outsourced). Wanda was lovely, and provided exactly the type of service I’m used to at the Globalist line. She could actually understand what I was asking for, and in a matter of minutes, she solved the issue, contacted the hotel, and confirmed me in the right type of suite.
The whole process took 74 minutes. Wanda was a delight, and I feel bad for the fact that she probably only gets to talk to guests nowadays after they’ve had a terrible experience with someone else.
This is an absolute embarrassment, Hyatt
Historically, I’ve been a huge Hyatt fan. I mean, I’ve had top tier status with Hyatt for over 15 years, and I even have lifetime status with the program. I’ve long respected Hyatt because I felt like among the “mainstream” hotel groups, Hyatt cared more about customer experience than competitors.
Hyatt was smaller, and therefore had to try harder. For that matter, I felt like there was a genuine passion there for taking care of guests. Unfortunately as Hyatt has continued to grow and acquire an endless number of brands, I’ve increasingly felt like Hyatt’s spark is gone, and the company is increasingly like its competitors.
Look, it’s possible that I just had a very bad experience, but this certainly doesn’t give me a very favorable first impression of the quality of Hyatt’s outsourced call center.
Among the outsourced call center agents, are Globalists somehow being prioritized for better trained agents? Because if not, that’s disappointing, and it’s a devaluation to what I’d consider to be a valuable Globalist perk. Meanwhile if the agent I spoke with was supposed to be one of the better ones, then I don’t even want to think about what kind of an experience other people may be having.
It’s just sad when Hyatt’s frontline phone support suddenly makes Marriott’s seem amazing, by comparison…
Bottom line
Hyatt recently outsourced most of its call center jobs, and I just had my first experience with this new call center. The simple task of trying to apply a Suite Upgrade Award ended up taking 74 minutes, and it was only the tail end of the call where anything was accomplished, when I got connected to a US-based agent.
I’m curious if I just had an isolated experience, or if others have found the new agents to be so poorly trained. This is one of those situations where I wish Hyatt would send out surveys or let you stay on the phone to rate an agent, because I’m not sure the company realizes the damage that interactions like this do to the perception of a brand.
If you’ve dealt with Hyatt’s new call center, what was your experience like?
I had a similar experience in that it seemed to me that I was talking to a robot who cannot understand anything that is not part of the programming. That was the Globalist line no less! So I hung up and called my concierge, and voila, task done very quickly.
Commonly when I heard an accent at the greeting I knew I would just hang up at the first sign of a confused agent
I'm a Hyatt Chat Employee. This was my experience chatting in for my mom's reservation.
2025-07-16T15:16:20-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to check the check in and out times. Also request an early check in.
2025-07-16T15:17:14-05:00, agent: Thank you for reaching out. I appreciate your time. I will do my best to provide the support you need with your early check in.
2025-07-16T15:17:49-05:00, Erma Hall: Thanks
2025-07-16T15:18:33-05:00, agent: For verification purposes and...
I'm a Hyatt Chat Employee. This was my experience chatting in for my mom's reservation.
2025-07-16T15:16:20-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to check the check in and out times. Also request an early check in.
2025-07-16T15:17:14-05:00, agent: Thank you for reaching out. I appreciate your time. I will do my best to provide the support you need with your early check in.
2025-07-16T15:17:49-05:00, Erma Hall: Thanks
2025-07-16T15:18:33-05:00, agent: For verification purposes and to better assist you, could you please confirm the email address associated with your World of Hyatt account or reservation?
2025-07-16T15:20:58-05:00, agent: Thank you, just a moment while I work on your request.
2025-07-16T15:22:30-05:00, agent: May I have the confirmation number?
2025-07-16T15:22:57-05:00, Erma Hall: I do not have it
2025-07-16T15:24:10-05:00, Erma Hall: I provided the stay information with the automated system. It was unable to locate because I do not have the confirmation number handy. This was the purpose of being helped by a live agent.
2025-07-16T15:24:29-05:00, agent: Thanks, Ms. Hall! Standard Hyatt check-in time is typically 3:00 PM, and check-out is 12:00 PM, though this can vary slightly by property. Early check-in is based on availability and may be complimentary for elite World of Hyatt members or available for a fee at select hotels. I recommend contacting your hotel directly the morning of arrival to request early check-in.
2025-07-16T15:25:09-05:00, Erma Hall: Can you request an early check in for me?
2025-07-16T15:25:24-05:00, Erma Hall: Also, can my rooms be connecting?
2025-07-16T15:26:38-05:00, agent: Thanks, Ms. Hall! While I can’t directly submit requests to the hotel on your behalf, I recommend calling the property the morning of your arrival to request both early check-in and connecting rooms — these are based on availability and can’t be guaranteed in advance. If you booked through Hyatt.com or the World of Hyatt app, you can also add these preferences under your reservation’s “Special Requests” section.
2025-07-16T15:27:37-05:00, Erma Hall: Thank you.
2025-07-16T15:27:55-05:00, Erma Hall: Did I use points or cash for this reservation?
2025-07-16T15:28:17-05:00, Erma Hall: I can't remeber.
2025-07-16T15:28:45-05:00, agent: Thanks for checking, Ms. Hall. Since I don’t have access to your full reservation details without a confirmation number, I can’t verify whether your booking was made with points or cash. If you booked through your World of Hyatt account, you can log in and check under “My Reservations” to see the payment method. Alternatively, the hotel’s front desk or Hyatt Customer Service can confirm that for you directly.
2025-07-16T15:28:52-05:00, agent: Please let us know if you need any further assistance. Thank you for choosing Hyatt. Wishing you a great day!
2025-07-16T15:29:37-05:00, Erma Hall: Are you unable to look up my reservation by the details?
2025-07-16T15:30:24-05:00, Erma Hall: You asked me to verify the email on my account and or reservation so that means you have my information.
2025-07-16T15:30:44-05:00, agent: Thanks for clarifying, Ms. Hall. While I do have your name, email, and arrival date, Hyatt’s system still requires a confirmation number to locate your reservation.
2025-07-16T15:31:20-05:00, Erma Hall: Hmm, that is strange. I have done it before.
2025-07-16T15:31:39-05:00, Erma Hall: Can you escalate me to someone that can assist me?
2025-07-16T15:33:17-05:00, agent: Thanks for the clarification, Ms. Hall — you're absolutely right. It initially seemed the confirmation number might have been shared, but after reviewing the chat, I saw that it hadn’t been provided. That’s why I asked for your email, to help verify your account and assist further.
2025-07-16T15:33:58-05:00, Erma Hall: So that means what? Can you look up my reservation or not?
2025-07-16T15:35:04-05:00, agent: Since you’ve already provided your name, email, and arrival date (July 17, 2025), the system has most of the key details to locate your reservation — but it still needs either your confirmation number or the name of the specific Hyatt property to proceed. If you’re able to recall the hotel name or at least the city where you booked your stay, that would help complete the search and allow us to assist you with early check-in, connecting rooms, and payment details.
2025-07-16T15:35:33-05:00, Erma Hall: I booked in Mobile.
2025-07-16T15:37:52-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to speak with a supervisor please.
2025-07-16T15:37:52-05:00, agent: Ms. Hall, now that we have your name, email, arrival date of July 17, 2025, and the city Mobile, Alabama, could you please confirm the check out and the name of the Hyatt hotel you booked? With that detail, we’ll be able to locate your reservation and assist you with early check-in, connecting rooms, and confirming whether you paid with points or cash. Standard check-out time is typically 11:00 AM, but it can vary slightly by property.
2025-07-16T15:38:35-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to speak with a supervisor please.
2025-07-16T15:38:49-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to make a complaint.
2025-07-16T15:39:50-05:00, agent: I understand, Ms. Hall — and I truly appreciate your patience. Since you’ve already provided your name, email, arrival date, and city, the next step is confirming the specific Hyatt property you booked in Mobile. Once we have that, we’ll be in a much better position to assist.
2025-07-16T15:40:04-05:00, Erma Hall: Supervisor please!
2025-07-16T15:40:54-05:00, agent: I hear you, Ms. Hall, and I understand this has been frustrating. Since you’ve already provided your name, email, arrival date of July 17, 2025, and the city Mobile, Alabama, the final detail we need is the name of the Hyatt hotel you booked. Once we have that, we can escalate your request and assist with early check-in, connecting rooms, and confirming your payment method. Standard check-out time is typically 11:00 AM, but it may vary slightly depending on the property.
2025-07-16T15:41:42-05:00, Erma Hall: Rudy, please let me speak with a supervisor now!
2025-07-16T15:43:04-05:00, agent: Ms. Hall, I completely understand your frustration and sincerely appreciate your patience throughout this process. To escalate your concern and speak with a supervisor who can directly access your reservation and assist you further, I recommend contacting World of Hyatt Customer Service at 1-800-544-9288 or visiting their Contact Page online. Since you’ve already provided your name, email, arrival date of July 17, 2025, and the city of Mobile, confirming the specific Hyatt property name will help them locate your reservation and address your request for early check-in, connecting rooms, and payment verification as smoothly as possible.
2025-07-16T15:43:32-05:00, Erma Hall: I need to make a complaint. Can you help with that?
2025-07-16T15:45:40-05:00, agent: Absolutely, Ms. Hall. If you'd like to file a formal complaint with Hyatt, the best way is to contact World of Hyatt Customer Service directly. You can reach them by phone at 1-800-544-9288 or submit your feedback through their Contact Page. Be sure to include your full name, email address, arrival date (July 17, 2025), and the city (Mobile, Alabama) — and if possible, the hotel name — so they can properly investigate and respond.
2025-07-16T15:46:09-05:00, Erma Hall: Is there no one available via chat to speak with?
2025-07-16T15:47:27-05:00, agent: I understand how important it is to speak with someone directly, Ms. Hall. While chat support is available, there may be delays if all agents are assisting other guests. For immediate help — especially to file a complaint or speak with a supervisor — I strongly recommend calling World of Hyatt Customer Service at 1-800-544-9288. They’ll be able to access your reservation, escalate your concern, and ensure your issue is addressed promptly.
2025-07-16T15:48:05-05:00, Erma Hall: This the worst service I have every received!
2025-07-16T15:48:37-05:00, agent: Guest has left./vXUXZakdg9
Hilton, Marriott and now Hyatt are strictly about the numbers. The incentivrs for hotel exectives and corporate officers are based 80% on the numbets, 20% on guest service. Outsourcing is a way of life, which will soon be replaced by AI.
the fact that he has all that time to "upgrade" and write this article
Ben, I may have missed it or somebody else may have already requested — but could you write an article about Zach Griff’s Hyatt smoke detector scam experience?
I had a very similar experience recently with a similar outsourced customer service agent on the Explorist Line. I kept repeating that I wanted to cancel one reservation which had a suite upgrade applied and a new reservation at another Hyatt using the same suite upgrade. After a very frustrating hour on the line, and two partially completed reservations (my first was only partially cancelled, and my second didn't have the upgrade applied), I hung...
I had a very similar experience recently with a similar outsourced customer service agent on the Explorist Line. I kept repeating that I wanted to cancel one reservation which had a suite upgrade applied and a new reservation at another Hyatt using the same suite upgrade. After a very frustrating hour on the line, and two partially completed reservations (my first was only partially cancelled, and my second didn't have the upgrade applied), I hung up and called back asking for a supervisor. The supervisor quickly understood my request and the changes I requested were made within 5 minutes. Hyatt needs to continue to consider their customer experience when rethinking their bottom line.
I’m a lifetime globalist and been booking Hyatt all over the world for since 2013. Regretfully most of the challenges go unresolved even when escalating as high as they will allow. It is unfortunate doing business with Hyatt has become so exhausting that I’ve decided to give Marriott Bonvoy a try and have to admit it’s off to a good start.
Wake up Hyatt, and that goes for Hilton and Marriott as well. That goes for United too.
Seems they all found the same call center in the Phillipines, and as others here have said, they are not fully trained, they don't know things.
For AE, we also got the Phillipines, and we had to continue ending the call in order to get London.
Do the bosses of these companies care anymore? I must wonder.
I am in Contact Center IT (Digital and Telephony) but years back I also managed a few hundred people in Operations with a global transportation company and a Healthcare company.
Contact centers in The Philippines are going through the same cycle as India's. Agents chase the highest pay, making company changes for laughable increases. The result is turnover that makes everyone a rookie, with no knowledge and certainly zero loyalty.
Current contact center executive management...
I am in Contact Center IT (Digital and Telephony) but years back I also managed a few hundred people in Operations with a global transportation company and a Healthcare company.
Contact centers in The Philippines are going through the same cycle as India's. Agents chase the highest pay, making company changes for laughable increases. The result is turnover that makes everyone a rookie, with no knowledge and certainly zero loyalty.
Current contact center executive management is laughably inexperienced, hence the stupid outsourcing decisions.
Toss in the horrible decisions with AI and it is only going to get worse.
Cc expert here managed teams in fils and Australia, UK etc. I agree kind of. With the sentiment. however hotel genuinely are a customer centric model, it's seems ludicrous that they would apply zero cz to their call centre. Anyway, seems like some well timed upgrades to their technology, a decent app and member system with a credible tie back to the global booking system with site level approvals would be a better investment than...
Cc expert here managed teams in fils and Australia, UK etc. I agree kind of. With the sentiment. however hotel genuinely are a customer centric model, it's seems ludicrous that they would apply zero cz to their call centre. Anyway, seems like some well timed upgrades to their technology, a decent app and member system with a credible tie back to the global booking system with site level approvals would be a better investment than half hearted cx that may drive customers to other hotels.
Ben, I'm trying to get some family pooling points sorted out with our local Virgin airlines. The only way is by phone to an outsourced call centre. " Oh it is so nice to speak to you Mister Philip, how has your day been so far? Just a moment and I'll pull up my data. Now we'll update your profile if that's convenient to you.... As yet, after 6 consultants we haven't addressed the issue I'm calling about....
Oh, yes! A lot of time thanking me for my loyalty and elite status and no time addressing the issue about which I called.
As a Hyatt colleague in the US, I can tell you it's equally frustrating for us. What Central Reservations used to easily handle on their own or questions they'd ask, we're flooded further at the desk with calls to transfer over, or Central giving them incorrect information that doesn't apply to our location but may at similar branded properties elsewhere... Then we get yelled at and worse, take the hit on our scores
Ben, I think I’ve officially outdone you. I hopped on a chat with Hyatt to book a points reservation at the Park Hyatt DC for October, something I’ve done hundreds of times, no exaggeration. As a Globalists, we both know the drill, you can book even if you don’t currently have the points, as long as they’re in by 10 days before the stay (or 7). So I started the chat with my usual opening...
Ben, I think I’ve officially outdone you. I hopped on a chat with Hyatt to book a points reservation at the Park Hyatt DC for October, something I’ve done hundreds of times, no exaggeration. As a Globalists, we both know the drill, you can book even if you don’t currently have the points, as long as they’re in by 10 days before the stay (or 7). So I started the chat with my usual opening “This is a points booking, I don’t have the points right now, but I will.”
Over 45 minutes later (yes, It's time stamped on the chat), we were finally getting somewhere. She asked me at least six different ways if I wanted to book the property, that was strange. Each time, I politely said, “Yes, please book it.”
And then she told me I didn’t have enough points, so she couldn’t make the booking. I reminded her nicely at first about the policy. . Still no go. At that point, I ended the chat and should’ve just gone to bed. But nope I did the ultimate No-NO, I called the Globalist line.
It took four minutes just for the agent to type in my WOH number correctly. Then he suggested I call the WOH team directly and gave me this exact number: 400-331-2349. I said, “Are you sure?” and he was confident. So I put him on hold, dialed it on my end, merged the calls on my iPhone just so he can hear it's not a real number
At that point, I waved the white flag. Hyatt 1, Adam 0. An hour of my life gone, nothing booked, and to top it all off it was too late on the East Coast to escalate or speak to a supervisor which I tried as soon as I called.
Honestly, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. After 7 years of Globalist loyalty, I’m starting to wonder
As a follow-up. I called the Hyatt Concierge line in the morning when they opened. To no surprise they booked my reservation in the matter of minutes! She also, informed me that after 8pm CST all calls and chats get routed to overseas.. Keep that in mind guys!
When I get a customer representative that I can’t understand (accent) or doesn’t know their job, I hang up (politely- “Sorry, I’ve got to take care of something now. I’ll call back.”), wait a minute or two and call back. Usually get different one.
Sheesh, this sounds really frustrating, Ben. I guess on the bright side, just be grateful that you didn't have to spend an hour dealing with an AI agent on the phone? Although I have no doubt someone is already working on replacing Hyatt's entire call center with AI phonebots as we speak.
Yes I experienced the same disaster in trying to make a simple award cancellation that could not be processed online. The people in India could not do it after 4 separate phone calls. The President and CEO of Hyatt needs to get this fixed. It is a horrible experience
Lucky,
Why not just use your concierge? Mine is really great and responsive.
I have the Hyatt globalist line saved and is actually my #1 favorite per my phone (followed by my UPS account manager and then my Mom)
I could just call 24/7 to get anything handled smoothly within 3-5 minutes
My last call went a little like the article, frequent holds, clueless rep, 40 something minutes and .. issue not even resolved!
Well a few weeks ago I needed to contact delta. Their phone # had a whole lot of fanfare about their new AI customer support tool and asked if I wanted to try. So I did. I needed to look up a booking reference # for a code share flight. The AI asked what I needed so I typed in that. It replied with "ok you want to know about your eCredits". I said nooooo...
Well a few weeks ago I needed to contact delta. Their phone # had a whole lot of fanfare about their new AI customer support tool and asked if I wanted to try. So I did. I needed to look up a booking reference # for a code share flight. The AI asked what I needed so I typed in that. It replied with "ok you want to know about your eCredits". I said nooooo I need to look up a reference booking code. It responded "what else can I tell you about your eCredits"..... So kept typing representative after that until they free my chat to an actual person who eventually resolved my problem but that was also an ordeal because he kept giving me my delta reference # instead of the code share airline's reference #.
Now imagine working with dozens of people like this on a weekly basis. I have never chewed out someone at work over the phone and scared my colleagues in the process until my last job with the most ridiculously incompetent outsourcing. It's the norm in most companies where ceos prioritize the image of saving money and they leave before it's obvious what the cost is.
Had a somewhat similar experience recently booking a points advance reservation. The rep did not know what i was asking though i tried to explain. Put on hold for about 5 min, comes back and completes the booking. I check my account and the points I had were gone. The trip had done a regular points booking for 3 nights using the points I had and a points advance reservation for the last two nights...
Had a somewhat similar experience recently booking a points advance reservation. The rep did not know what i was asking though i tried to explain. Put on hold for about 5 min, comes back and completes the booking. I check my account and the points I had were gone. The trip had done a regular points booking for 3 nights using the points I had and a points advance reservation for the last two nights when I wanted the entire booking done as points advance. Had to call back and have it corrected after asking to speak to a supervisor.
I’m interested to hear what you think of the new Grand Hyatt in Deer Valley. I stayed there earlier this year and it felt like an island in the middle of construction for the new village.
Teleperformace agents have had at least 2 rounds of full training and somehow are still incompetent. Their goal is to take and end calls as quickly as possible. They pass off calls to US agents that they should be trained to do, and the amount of errors in their bookings are insane. US agents spend most of their time correcting these errors and dealing with the fallout of TP's incompetence, while being told their jobs...
Teleperformace agents have had at least 2 rounds of full training and somehow are still incompetent. Their goal is to take and end calls as quickly as possible. They pass off calls to US agents that they should be trained to do, and the amount of errors in their bookings are insane. US agents spend most of their time correcting these errors and dealing with the fallout of TP's incompetence, while being told their jobs are safe, but knowing they're going to be on the chopping block in the inevitable next round of layoffs. Morale among US agents is incredibly low. Hyatt is not the company it was a few years ago. Things are bad and will only get worse. Agents will be replaced with AI soon, I'm sure, and it'll be even more of a train wreck.
You misunderstood the objective of having customer service.
You naively think it's to help customer deal with the company.
It's there to help the company deal with customers.
Their job is to be the buffer and fall guy.
In a very consolidated industry, the cartels own the market not customers.
Teleperformance is one of the worst of the worst. My business partner from England made the mistake of selling to them.
I fired them as a customer and it's still a big joke between us four years later.
Just abysmal!
If service is grudging or poor, and loyalty benefits dripping away, then the key differentiator is price and location and everyone should become a free agent. In a way it’s a return to the old days before the buying distortions that came with loyalty programs. Is this what all the commoditized chains mean to achieve?
Yes, man up and be a free agent. Do not keep cobranded credit cards, cancel if not getting measurable value such as free bags or breakfast. And dont spend on them, put all spend on cards with transferable points eg Ultimate Rewards.
As a Globalist, I recently gifted a GOH award. Still, even after 5 days post-checkout, I did not receive the qualifying night credit I was entitled to. I had to call three separate times over two days and had the same experience with the frontline agents not knowing the basics of the WOH program. Eventually, they transferred me to an escalated service agent who seemed knowledgeable and willing to assist. Alas, in the middle of...
As a Globalist, I recently gifted a GOH award. Still, even after 5 days post-checkout, I did not receive the qualifying night credit I was entitled to. I had to call three separate times over two days and had the same experience with the frontline agents not knowing the basics of the WOH program. Eventually, they transferred me to an escalated service agent who seemed knowledgeable and willing to assist. Alas, in the middle of the conversation, we got disconnected. After waiting 5 minutes (hoping for a callback), I called again and explained to another outsourced agent what had happened. I was placed on hold for over 50 minutes before being reconnected with an escalated agent. All that just to be told he couldn't do any more than open a case number. Two days after that harrowing experience, I received an email with the resolution that should have taken only a couple of minutes.
I wish this were an isolated occurrence. Over the past year or two, I have had similar experiences. I dread having to call them now, and they really should change the hold music. I've listened to it for so long, it's like nails on a chalkboard.
Not only we are notoriously ignorant of world cultures but also oblivious of our own
culture. We are hypnotized by fancy, catchy, superficial titles of globalists, elites, loyalty, concierge, etc.. to set us above the "cattle class". Vox, The Intercepts, ProPublica and the likes will educate you the reality and society we live in today and it is getting much worse from now on. It is not politics as those who whine about off...
Not only we are notoriously ignorant of world cultures but also oblivious of our own
culture. We are hypnotized by fancy, catchy, superficial titles of globalists, elites, loyalty, concierge, etc.. to set us above the "cattle class". Vox, The Intercepts, ProPublica and the likes will educate you the reality and society we live in today and it is getting much worse from now on. It is not politics as those who whine about off topics beyond the miles and points lane. It is education and knowledge that empower us to challenge long held misconceptions and propagandas perpetrated by powerful PR machines. Take the notorious case of Sackler family that owned Purdue Pharma. They earned $35B but was fined around $7.4B for their role in Opioid
Epidemic. Their rational was the fines were minuscule compared to the profits they reaped, regardless of the deadly consequences and destructions inflicted on the society. Best of all, all Sackler family members escaped prison time, just like Boeing
and bank executives in 2008 before them.
What does that have to do with insufficiently trained call center staff?
What a bizarre rant. Get your meds adjusted.
Most (public) hospitality focused companies are just barely hanging on and doing whatever they can to appease shareholders. That means cutting costs wherever possible. Hyatt has expanded a great deal as of late. Wasting top loyalty members time is an unfortunate reality.
I worked in the rewards program for Hilton for two years. Most times, guests would rack up points on corporate paid stays and then call in wanting to use points for private stays which was outside of the guidelines for points applications. I can't help but wonder if this is the same scenario.
A Prive rate is not points. Also, points earned for corporate events are free to be used by the recipient for private stays. Not sure what the heck these dumb Hilton rules are.
@John
Can't you see the obvious.
"I worked in the rewards program for Hilton for two years."
And still have no clue how the program works.
If you can't learn anything in 2 years, what can you expect from an outsource working for 2 weeks.
I worked for Hilton managed hotels, franchised hotels, stayed and earned points at Hilton when I traveled for business working at independent hotels. Never heard that I could not use points in my account which had been earned from a business trip on a private vacation. Actually, HHonors (and Bonvoy or other loyalty programs) are built on people earning points and miles from company paid business trips and then spending these points for themselves
Experienced the same last week- completely unable to confirm upgrades. They confuse corporate rates, and they aren't aware of Hyatt programs like guest of honor etc. On top of this, farm background noise makes the experience awful.
Hyatt saves Pennies, and they in turn succeed at worsening customer experience
A trend I've started to notice across companies:
Outsourced call centers excel at doing anything you could do yourself on the company's own website or app.
If it's something you can't do yourself, which is why you need to call customer support, it's often a struggle for them.
Why you didn't just called or email your assign concierge person instead of calling the Hyatt line?
As consumers many of us think that airlines or hotel chains want to be the 'best' or the 'most luxurious' or the 'biggest'.
No. They want to be the most profitable and generate the most returns to their shareholders. Always.
Sometimes, this can be achieved by being the biggest or the best. But often it is just not the case and the pressure to cut costs is always endless.
I doubt Hyatt took the decision...
As consumers many of us think that airlines or hotel chains want to be the 'best' or the 'most luxurious' or the 'biggest'.
No. They want to be the most profitable and generate the most returns to their shareholders. Always.
Sometimes, this can be achieved by being the biggest or the best. But often it is just not the case and the pressure to cut costs is always endless.
I doubt Hyatt took the decision to outsource their call centre to cheaper labour countries lightly. I imagine they would have done significant modelling that would go a little bit like this:
Accountant: "OK, so the research and the forcast modelling shows that we could best case scenario lose x% loyalty/customers and worst case scenario Y% which equates to $xxx over five years. However, even taking in the worst case scenario the modelling predicts the savings we will make by outsourcing will exceed the potential losses by $xx".
It ALWAYS comes down to the bottom line. Always. No different to the famous story when an airline decided to remove an olive from each salad they catered on flights.
Have you perhaps not heard of Thai Airways?
No never. What is it? I am guessing a car rental company? Please enlighten me.
It's all about the bottom line. Get used to it.
I wonder how many "few" prive calls come up so perhaps yes a small learning curve.
Also would you be saying "pretty please" if it is a male agent??
I can understand your frustration for a more rare request and all that but something in the tone of all of this is just off...
@ Matthew -- "Also would you be saying 'pretty please' if it is a male agent??"
Sorry, I'm not following? Would I say "pretty please" in my internal dialogue when frustrated with a customer service agent, regardless of gender? Yes.
Any loyalty trained affect SHOULD be able to add a suite upgrade to a Prive reservation. The reservation system tells us what kind of rate is is and we have resources telling us how to deal with them and what we can and cannot do. Not that much of a learning curve for a properly trained agent.
@Empl
I don't think that even with training materials can someone who misunderstand what a "deer suit with balcony" is will learn anything helpful.
Unless this was some kinky Epstein Halloween party with Bambi?
Lol true
Oh Ben we are way ahead of you in this disaster.
We are travelling in Europe, and we get Hyatt customer care in Germany, which is the worst, well maybe just as bad as the Phillipines, India, Jamaica who put me to the Phillipines as she did not know the basic information.
Trump wants to bring business to America, yet all these American companies are firing Americans on USA soil working there, and...
Oh Ben we are way ahead of you in this disaster.
We are travelling in Europe, and we get Hyatt customer care in Germany, which is the worst, well maybe just as bad as the Phillipines, India, Jamaica who put me to the Phillipines as she did not know the basic information.
Trump wants to bring business to America, yet all these American companies are firing Americans on USA soil working there, and letting these, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, United...etc. all put their help calls abroad.
Complaint to the companies, you can't switch unless you have fully trained those centers, for which you haven't.
The poorest of poor performance, just so you can earn those $20 million bonuses.
I do hope Trump (as long as he is there) catches up with all those US companies, and requires them to put back the jobs in America, where people actually knew the company they worked for and could help guests.
Also forget Hilton and Marriott customer service if you have a problem.
Thats gone.
Are you sure? I just used a Marriott agent a couple of days ago for a small problem and she handled it quickly and efficiently. I only had a short wait for the agent to join the call. And I'm a virtual nobody with Marriott, just gold.
@Anthony - completely agree with your opinion that the world would be better with these jobs in America, and particularly that people actually knew the company they worked for.
But let me lightly edit Eric Schmidt's comment from below:
This is just what happens to governments when they change their purpose from actually running things to becoming a financial extraction vehicle. Their executive incentives too.
@Anthony
Just so you're aware, part of Trump's Big Billionaire's Bill was to extend a corporate tax break that allows multi-national corporations to use foreign investments to exclude more of their income from US corporate income tax. Yes, he made it EVEN MORE financially attractive for companies to offshore call center, manufacturing, and other jobs. He isn't working for you or me. He's enriching himself and his billionaire buddies. That's his only priority.
https://itep.org/house-bill-giveaway-to-multinational-corporations-puts-america-last/
@Anthony
Just so you're aware, part of Trump's Big Billionaire's Bill was to extend a corporate tax break that allows multi-national corporations to use foreign investments to exclude more of their income from US corporate income tax. Yes, he made it EVEN MORE financially attractive for companies to offshore call center, manufacturing, and other jobs. He isn't working for you or me. He's enriching himself and his billionaire buddies. That's his only priority.
https://itep.org/house-bill-giveaway-to-multinational-corporations-puts-america-last/
I love how Ben's blog provides such a convenient vehicle for some folks to demonstrate just much smarter they are than the rest of us.
Tell us you're new here, without telling us you're new here.
"just much smarter"
You proved your point. Congratulations.
Globalist here. Definitely NOT an isolated case. I had the same experience for using a Guest of Honor Award for my partner. It took 3 agents and total of 45 minutes for a simple request. Hyatt has to get their act together!
The real question is why Ben did not just email his concierge and have them do it. Easy peasy.
My Globalist Concierge took 9 days for the last request. Not a big deal for me booking was 40 days away but I imagine others will have issues
@ James -- Because suite upgrade inventory is limited, and it usually takes my concierge a few days to get back to me. For example, the last time I emailed her on a Sunday afternoon to ask her to apply a suite upgrade, I heard back on a Wednesday afternoon (even though she has a full day in the office on Monday). I didn't want to risk the upgrade inventory disappearing, since I also booked flights based on this reservation.
I came here to ask the same thing. Wow. My concierge gets back to me within an hour or two every time.
This is so disappointing to hear. I thought Hyatt used to be a cut above, but clearly they have also decided their guests are commodities, their customer is the property owner. Honestly, mainstream hotel loyalty programs just don’t seem to offer that much incentive these days. As a frequent flyer I see the advantage of trying to maintain top-tier status, at least for the better airport experience. But US mainstream hotel chains have degraded service...
This is so disappointing to hear. I thought Hyatt used to be a cut above, but clearly they have also decided their guests are commodities, their customer is the property owner. Honestly, mainstream hotel loyalty programs just don’t seem to offer that much incentive these days. As a frequent flyer I see the advantage of trying to maintain top-tier status, at least for the better airport experience. But US mainstream hotel chains have degraded service and member benefits so, so much is the past few years that I don’t see any value proposition. The benefits simply aren’t that significant these days, and vary so widely between properties.
It’s sad to see Hyatt headed this way. I would have thought that their much smaller footprint would, as you say, make them work to differentiate themselves. But all these chains have ceased caring about guest experience at all. Their loyalty programs are correspondingly way less valuable.
If Ford booked the Privé rate for you, I would’ve just had him call the Privé phone line to get that sorted for you.
They’re based in the US, at least the agents that have taken my call.
Author, I have had several similar issues with Hyatt Vacation Club over the last year. I am a Hyatt Globalist and have had nothing but terrible customer service. I, too, used to love The Hyatt and had been so impressed by the properties and experiences over the years, that I purchased several weeks at the Hyatt Vacation Club in Maui. The sales rep who we purchased the weeks from had no idea of the details...
Author, I have had several similar issues with Hyatt Vacation Club over the last year. I am a Hyatt Globalist and have had nothing but terrible customer service. I, too, used to love The Hyatt and had been so impressed by the properties and experiences over the years, that I purchased several weeks at the Hyatt Vacation Club in Maui. The sales rep who we purchased the weeks from had no idea of the details of the program. I ultimately had to educate her based on 7 different conversations of information I gleaned and strung together based on multiple conversations with various different Hyatt customer service reps-many of whom were from call centers. The system is now a joke. None of their employees seem to have an education on the very Hyatt programs they represent. The cherry on top is that the phone number at the Maui Vacation Club sales dept doesn’t work and the Hyatt folks know it. I had several employees tell me that their phone never works. Finally, a manager reached out to me via his personal cell phone and after stating he would help me, he has never been heard from again. I highly encourage anyone and everyone to avoid The Hyatt Vacation Club. It has gone significantly down hill since being acquired by Marriott.
It seems unclear if you had called the Concierge team phone number?
@ AP -- I called the standard Globalist phone number I've been calling for over 15 years. If there's a general "concierge team" phone number, then I don't know about it? I know my individual concierge has a phone number, but when are guests with concierges given a different phone number?
There is a separate phone number for the Concierge team - always efficient and professional service.
It should be listed at the bottom of emails from your concierge ("Should you need immediate assistance anytime when I am out of the office, please call...").
@ AG -- Good to know, thanks! I see it now in emails. I've never had a need for it until now, but I guess going forward, that's the number to call.
Frankly, I’m quite shocked that you as a lifetime glob and a travel blogger would not know to call your concierge as opposed to the Glob line. Further shocked that you wouldn’t HUCA.
I called the globalist line last week. I think I was speaking to a Customer servic rep in the Caribbean. She was helpful but the noise from the chickens and roosters was overpowering! Extremely unprofessional and distracting
Was in Philippines
Having had chickens I find the sound of chickens in the background less distracting than the sound of fifty other call agents on their headsets.
OMG, that was my experience as well! These decentralized “call centers” are bad. Not only was it distracting, it also interferences with the listening ability of the agent. Never again.
Why did you not call the concierge line?? You would've saved yourself 70 minutes.
Two weeks back, I went through three calls and a chat to book my annual free night certificate (from holding the Hyatt credit card for ten years, now). The first agent never booked my room at all although she apparently messed with my account about 20 minutes later, leading me to getting a warning email (I froze my Hyatt card). Turned out she had only changed the formatting of my condo number from # to...
Two weeks back, I went through three calls and a chat to book my annual free night certificate (from holding the Hyatt credit card for ten years, now). The first agent never booked my room at all although she apparently messed with my account about 20 minutes later, leading me to getting a warning email (I froze my Hyatt card). Turned out she had only changed the formatting of my condo number from # to Apt and re-saved it, for some unknown reason.
I got on a chat and asked about the warning email I'd received and got back "hehehe it is just spam don't worry." Got off the chat and called the hotel again, this time I think I got someone at the front desk who confirmed my room had not been booked by the original agent, but did so. He was worried that agent 1 had asked for my full credit card number and suggested I call a different number to report it but when I did, the agent there was not concerned.
I think this is my last year maintaining that Hyatt card.
Was this the globalist line or concierge line? Really hoping the former...
@ JustinB -- It was the Globalist line.
Well, you probably could have (i) hung up and called again or (ii) had your travel agent deal with this?
Or Hyatt could have (i) hired or (ii) trained a competent agent?
Don't blame the victim.
Are you billing clients for all the time you’re spending commenting here?
LOL I would be very surprised if this was THE Brad S. Karp of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.
Can’t bill clients that don’t exist.
The next shoe to drop: dynamic pricing.
Dynamic pricing just makes sense. Every customer has a different willingness to pay. If I have 100 rooms to sell, wouldn't I want the 100 highest paying guests? It would be capitalist malpractice to want anything else.
Hey Brad - dynamic pricing absolutely makes sense from the business's perspective - you're right about that. But only a fool would advocate for more money to be taken from their own pockets.
Unless you're a United shareholder, why would you cheer for strategies designed to extract more revenue from you? This isn't about whether airlines have the right to maximize profits - of course they do. It's about whether consumers should celebrate when companies...
Hey Brad - dynamic pricing absolutely makes sense from the business's perspective - you're right about that. But only a fool would advocate for more money to be taken from their own pockets.
Unless you're a United shareholder, why would you cheer for strategies designed to extract more revenue from you? This isn't about whether airlines have the right to maximize profits - of course they do. It's about whether consumers should celebrate when companies find new ways to charge them more for the same product they used to get for less.
Your hotel analogy actually proves the point: airlines aren't offering their "100 best rooms" to the highest bidders. They're taking the same business class seat and removing services that were included for decades, then charging extra to restore them. That's not dynamic pricing - it's service degradation disguised as choice.
Short-term focus on "capitalist" shareholder interests, with no attention to the unmeasurable, is Marketing malpractice.
Companies realize it. They've measured it. Nielsen, Kantar, YouGov, countless firms measure perceptions. McKinsey, BCG, Bain correlate them with the bottom line. Guess what? Perceptions of a brand don't help the bottom line. Companies now know they can cut corners in service, leading to customer experiences such as yours, and take no hit in net revenue...
Companies realize it. They've measured it. Nielsen, Kantar, YouGov, countless firms measure perceptions. McKinsey, BCG, Bain correlate them with the bottom line. Guess what? Perceptions of a brand don't help the bottom line. Companies now know they can cut corners in service, leading to customer experiences such as yours, and take no hit in net revenue or any metric that actually matters to shareholders.
Please, every other commenter, spare me the drivel about hospitality companies not knowing how to deliver hospitality. Hyatt is an American publicly traded company operating in the world's most ruthlessly capitalistic economic milieu. Hyatt's mission is to deliver returns to its shareholders. Whatever semblance of hospitality occurs in the process is a byproduct.
Oh good, time out buddy is allowed back. Be good now. Remember what we talked about? Polite.
You're absolutely right that companies measure brand perception and have concluded they can degrade service without meaningful financial consequences. But there's a crucial difference between "can get away with it in the short term" and "optimal long-term strategy."
The hospitality industry's own data shows that customer acquisition costs are 5-25x higher than retention costs, yet they're systematically destroying the customer experience that drives loyalty. Hyatt may be prioritizing quarterly earnings over long-term brand value, but...
You're absolutely right that companies measure brand perception and have concluded they can degrade service without meaningful financial consequences. But there's a crucial difference between "can get away with it in the short term" and "optimal long-term strategy."
The hospitality industry's own data shows that customer acquisition costs are 5-25x higher than retention costs, yet they're systematically destroying the customer experience that drives loyalty. Hyatt may be prioritizing quarterly earnings over long-term brand value, but that doesn't make it smart business—it makes it typical short-term thinking that American public companies are notorious for.
Yes, Hyatt's mission is shareholder returns, but the best way to deliver sustainable returns isn't to race to the bottom on service quality. The fact that they can get away with terrible customer service today doesn't mean they're building a resilient business for tomorrow.
Also, given Brad Karp's high-profile position as chairman of Paul, Weiss and the recent controversy that damaged his firm's reputation, it's extremely unlikely the real Brad Karp would risk posting cynical, blunt comments about corporate practices on travel blogs—he has nothing to gain and everything to lose from such public statements.
what youre really saying is ultra capitalism sucks
The problem is that the people making these decisions are incentivised by mechanisms put in place by other people with fallible views based on short-term thinking, who are reacting to mechanisms put in place by other people with fallible views based on short-term thinking ....
"What's measured gets managed"
Customer surveys generally do not reach ex-customers.
Yeah, be careful what you wish for, those who wished Hyatt to get bigger. This is what bigger looks like.
@Lucky. Why didn't you HUCA after a few minutes?
Did you call the regular line or My Hyatt Concierge? The Concierge line was always a lot better than the regular line anyway, and I thought you’d reported those were still onshore?
Granted it doesn’t help those without access to concierge.
Reminds me of when HA first outsourced their call center to the Philippines.
It was really really really bad.
Luckily, the agents have a good attitude and are smart and eventually with enough experience have become as competent as the old US agents. However, HA does not empower them to do anything so it can still be frustrating due to no fault of their own.
So maybe call back in 3 years and things will be just like before. :)
My goodness, if at the beginning it's clear the person has no idea what they are doing ("What Corporation do you work for?" "What is Prive?") why in God's name did you not HUCA?
So he can report how bad it is.
Not only are they outsourcing their customer support outside the USA to the Philippines.
The people in the Philippine are not even in an office. They are working from home!!!
F'ing amazing!
I mean.... so are the US agents.
Thank you for writing about this, Ben. If you--as a Globalist--don't get decent customer support, it's clear the average Hyatt customer won't anymore. It's really sad since Hyatt had historically been so good to their customers. As someone else said on another thread, it really seems like Hyatt is now racing to catch up to Marriott.
P.S. Please consider writing about the Hyatt Zadar stealth category switch (check FT thread). If Hyatt isn't shamed...
Thank you for writing about this, Ben. If you--as a Globalist--don't get decent customer support, it's clear the average Hyatt customer won't anymore. It's really sad since Hyatt had historically been so good to their customers. As someone else said on another thread, it really seems like Hyatt is now racing to catch up to Marriott.
P.S. Please consider writing about the Hyatt Zadar stealth category switch (check FT thread). If Hyatt isn't shamed into fixing this issue, it's clear they no longer abide by annual category changes.
Welcome to America in 2025
All equities are overpriced and companies are doing any/everything to somehow continue that upwards trend
The customer doesn’t matter at all. Share price is everything. Expect even worse in the future
If you believe equities are overpriced, short them.
Maybe they're not so overpriced after all?
As someone who has run call centers that rep has probably been on the job weeks (or days) She will get better. I am not excusing it, but the rollover was bound to be rough. I would judge it in 6 months. But also Globalist should always get their Wanda...
Get what you're saying, but it's a non-starter to tell your customers to wait for you. You've got to be ready on day 1 and at any moment thereafter.
If you're a Paul, Weiss client and one of our junior associates isn't delivering for you, we're not going to tell you to judge us in 6 months. We're going to apologize profusely while writing off the time on your invoice.
Arps! I've missed you! Regale us with tales of your high flying corporate life!
She has no hope of getting better!
Do you think some magic wand will increase her IQ? Her name English level is pathetic.
If you think public school in the USA are bad the public schools in the Phillipines are 100 times worse.
Hyatt could have spent more money and hired more competent workers in the Philippines. But no they did not. Actually they hired a company in the Philippines to run this...
She has no hope of getting better!
Do you think some magic wand will increase her IQ? Her name English level is pathetic.
If you think public school in the USA are bad the public schools in the Phillipines are 100 times worse.
Hyatt could have spent more money and hired more competent workers in the Philippines. But no they did not. Actually they hired a company in the Philippines to run this operation in the Philippines. Hyatt could have tired harder setting up their Phillipines customer call center.
The worst thing about the call is she should have admited she did not know what Ben was talking about and asked for help from a supervisor. But it is the attitude of people in the Philippines to never admit they do not know something and they get confrontational.
I don't think not admitting the need to escalate is anything specific to the Philipines.
I expect number of calls escalated is a negative metric for agents - if it happens too often the get fired?
Another problem with the way management sets things up.
Poor service, won’t deny that.
But did you consider sending them a DM via messenger? Normally pretty quick.
Facebook Messenger is GOATED for customer service.
@ UA-NYC -- Messenger, as in Facebook Messenger? I used to DM Hyatt on Twitter/X back in the day, but haven't done that in a long time, since I figured calling used to be efficient enough.
Yes, FB messenger. Super quick and easy. It seems to still be the US-based team. I just took care of a SUA while on a vaporetto in Venice today!
This is just what happens to brands and companies when they change their purpose from actually running hotels and hospitality, to becoming a financial investment vehicle. Their executive incentives too.
So true. And so widespread.
On the contrary, I had an unusually pleasant experience with the lifetime Platinum desk at Marriott today. They were able to locate a group reservation for a conference next week, change my room type from a double/double to king bed (which required the property's authorization), and provide me with a confirmation email in a matter of minutes. Usually, their service is much worse than this, I find.
Now that I have top-tier lifetime status with...
On the contrary, I had an unusually pleasant experience with the lifetime Platinum desk at Marriott today. They were able to locate a group reservation for a conference next week, change my room type from a double/double to king bed (which required the property's authorization), and provide me with a confirmation email in a matter of minutes. Usually, their service is much worse than this, I find.
Now that I have top-tier lifetime status with one hotel brand, I feel much more compelled to 'sleep around' with independent hotels & alternative lodging (inns, resorts, an occasional Airbnb), which are often a far more enjoyable experience for 20-30% less cost. When I need a 4pm checkout or club lounge access, Marriott's always there but not having to ride the hamster wheel has made me enjoy both my business and work travel much more this year.
Hyatt's old call center was completely miserable. I've had agents pretend to be supervisors, hang up on me, answer the call with "Hyatt, what do you want!?". They were shockingly shockingly rude.
That's not even mentioning that one of their agents accidentally merged my account with another person's, told me to "stop bothering them" when I pointed out I suddenly had an extra 20,000 points and 5 free nights that I hadn't earned, and then...
Hyatt's old call center was completely miserable. I've had agents pretend to be supervisors, hang up on me, answer the call with "Hyatt, what do you want!?". They were shockingly shockingly rude.
That's not even mentioning that one of their agents accidentally merged my account with another person's, told me to "stop bothering them" when I pointed out I suddenly had an extra 20,000 points and 5 free nights that I hadn't earned, and then came back and went "oops, we made a mistake". Then they deleted my Hyatt profile, and took (I counted) 12 emails with the corporate customer care team supervisor before they managed to restore everything the way it should be.
Pure misery. I'm sad people lost their jobs but not even Marriott has ever treated me that badly. Actually all of Marriott's agents that I've interacted with have been friendly, helpful, and empowered. It's mystifying.
Not to dismiss your experience (sounds awful), but it doesn't seem to be the typical experience. I've contacted hotel programs numerous times, and Hyatt was definitely a cut above Marriott and awful IHG. That seems more in line with the typical experience.
This is where AI, or what Corporate America considers AI, should be best used.
It's not about letting people slack on their intelligence responsibilities.
It's about streamlining customer experience, eliminating all the little contextual and cultural middle-men that make all our touchpoints so volatile.
I just got back from a work trip that involved, in 24 hours: seamless rental car pickup, seamless toll roads, seamless online check-in, being halted by a real...
This is where AI, or what Corporate America considers AI, should be best used.
It's not about letting people slack on their intelligence responsibilities.
It's about streamlining customer experience, eliminating all the little contextual and cultural middle-men that make all our touchpoints so volatile.
I just got back from a work trip that involved, in 24 hours: seamless rental car pickup, seamless toll roads, seamless online check-in, being halted by a real human in a lobby and involved in a non-sensical conversation for 10 minutes about how I was meant to be a guest at that particular crummy Hyatt Place, seamless food ordering from DoorDash and then seamless Customer Service when they forgot my beverage, seamless check out, seamless ordering at a Bojangles order box with a voice-recognition (yes, AI) system.
Which part was not like the other?
I regret to inform you, you do actually share the world with other human beings. I know this may come as a shock so I'll give you some time to process.
That's cool, Connor. I started my work life at age 14 volunteering for a literacy program in the South Bronx. I worked through hs and college in customer-facing jobs to pay my own way through school in addition to the PLUS loans my parents took out and paid off promptly (a program gutted in the latest federal budget). I worked in healthcare strategy to ensure low-income people didn't lost coverage and got access for 12...
That's cool, Connor. I started my work life at age 14 volunteering for a literacy program in the South Bronx. I worked through hs and college in customer-facing jobs to pay my own way through school in addition to the PLUS loans my parents took out and paid off promptly (a program gutted in the latest federal budget). I worked in healthcare strategy to ensure low-income people didn't lost coverage and got access for 12 years. Then I sold out to ensure I was one of the award-winning leaders in disease advocacy in healthcare marketing. And in semi-retirement, I devote 100% of my time to non-profit causes. So I have processed all I need to. HBU?
lol peter thiel up in these comments loving the robots and hating on other humans
found our little time out buddy
not sure who you're talking to, but i am not interesting in a "time out" with you haha. you like to come on to randos all over the internet like this, or just on this site?
If given a choice, I would still choose Ben's experience over your's every single time.
Genuinely sorry you had to endure that marathon call, Ben—sadly not surprising given how these outsourcing decisions prioritize cost-cutting over the customer experience that made Hyatt's service worth paying for in the first place.