World of Hyatt has been incredibly innovative and generous during the pandemic, perhaps more so than any other hotel loyalty program. Thanks to a variety of promotions and lowered elite qualification criteria, we’ve seen a ton of people earn World of Hyatt Globalist status for the first time.
While I think World of Hyatt is to be commended for this, there is one major area where the program is objectively lagging behind competitors.
In this post:
Hyatt isn’t extending awards issued in 2021
We’ve seen major hotel loyalty programs extend all kinds of status and benefits over the past couple of years, in light of coronavirus. Back in 2020, World of Hyatt extended the expiration of free night awards, suite upgrade awards, and club upgrade awards. Specifically, those that were due to expire between March 1 and December 31, 2020, now expire on December 31, 2021.
However, there has been nothing beyond that:
- There’s no further extension of certificates issued in 2020
- Certificates issued in 2021 expire with exactly the same timeline as usual
I can’t count the number of readers who have reached out to me and asked me to write about this, expressing frustration with this policy. I’ve been waiting to see how this would play out, and figured that maybe an extension would still be coming (I think we’re often not patient enough for this kind of stuff). Well, we’re now three weeks from the end of the year, and there’s no indication of any certificates being extended, so this is probably a good time to write about this topic.
Is World of Hyatt being unreasonable?
I’m trying to be balanced here, so first let’s try to view this from World of Hyatt’s perspective. Many members have been hyper-engaged in the program during the pandemic:
- Many free night awards are issued through co-branded credit cards in the United States, and we haven’t had full lockdowns here, or the inability to travel, at least not consistently
- Free night awards are otherwise issued on account of having earned a certain number of elite nights, which are usually tied to actually staying at hotels
- In other words, I suspect a majority of the complaints about free night certificates not being extended aren’t from people in Australia or New Zealand who largely haven’t been able to travel internationally (since they probably haven’t earned any awards during the pandemic), but rather others
All that being said, I still think World of Hyatt should extend awards:
- Awards earned in 2021 are being treated identically to awards earned in other years, and 2021 has not been a normal year by any stretch of the imagination
- People often save up awards (like suite upgrade awards) for special trips, and many people haven’t been able to take special trips due to the pandemic, especially due to international travel restrictions
- Some awards have been nearly worthless during the pandemic; for example, there are club access awards, but many hotels have closed their club lounges since the start of the pandemic
Perhaps the most compelling reason World of Hyatt should extend awards is because competing hotel loyalty programs are doing exactly that:
- Hilton Honors has extended all current free night awards through July 1, 2022
- IHG Rewards has extended all free night awards issued in 2021 through December 31, 2022
- Marriott Bonvoy has extended all free night awards issued in 2021 through June 30, 2022
At a minimum, I think giving awards an extra six months of validity seems fair.
Could World of Hyatt members get something for expired awards?
We’ll have to see how this plays out, but I think it’s worth pointing out that historically World of Hyatt has sometimes issued members points in situations where free night certificates expired. This was never promised in advance, but rather would be offered after the fact when reaching out to customer service. For example, in the past customer service has offered 10,000 points for an expired Category 1-4 free night award.
If there isn’t an extension, hopefully this is at least offered like in the past.
Bottom line
World of Hyatt hasn’t extended any awards earned in 2021. While Hyatt’s loyalty program has been generous in general, and awards were extended in 2020, 2021 is being treated like any other year.
I can’t count the number of readers who have expressed frustration about this policy, so I hope we see Hyatt offer some form of an extension here. At the end of the day hotel loyalty programs only have so much to invest in benefits, and my guess is that Hyatt is hoping for a large percentage of the current certificates to not be used this year.
What do you make of World of Hyatt’s decision not to extend awards issued in 2021? Is it reasonable or not?
The arbitrary expiring of rewards for some people while others get theirs extended or coverted to miles shows that Hyatt is discriminating against some of its' customers.
Who wants to patronize a business that discriminates against you?
Since many of these awards were 'earned' by paying $95 per year for the Chase Hyatt card, these purchased nights may fall under the laws of many states which prohibit the expiration of purchased 'debit cards'
I lost 2 certificates
I even Explained that we had sickness in the family since Sept. they still would not extend them
Marriott extended until Spring 22
I think that is what Hyatt should have been willing to do
Why cheat the people because we didn’t have 10 nights We we’re the ones who couldn’t afford to lost the certificates
A very cheap company and thoughtless
They made money...
I lost 2 certificates
I even Explained that we had sickness in the family since Sept. they still would not extend them
Marriott extended until Spring 22
I think that is what Hyatt should have been willing to do
Why cheat the people because we didn’t have 10 nights We we’re the ones who couldn’t afford to lost the certificates
A very cheap company and thoughtless
They made money from cheating their customers and blamed it on Chase
If I find out it was Chases decision I will stop using any Chase credits cards
I’m not a happy customer
They need to reverse their decision and at least give points to compensate
It's fraud in my opinion but good luck pursuing a greedy bank and rich Hyatt owners. Just boycott both from now on.
Don't settle for anything less than 10,000 points per cat 1-4 certificate. It took a lot of trying but I was eventually successfully. It's at the discretion of the agent, and you need to find a sympathetic agent. Use all avenues until you find success. Facebook Messenger, Twitter Messaging, the Chat in the iOS/android application, Email, Phone. Explain you've been a loyal customer, were unable to travel due to covid, that their competitors are offering...
Don't settle for anything less than 10,000 points per cat 1-4 certificate. It took a lot of trying but I was eventually successfully. It's at the discretion of the agent, and you need to find a sympathetic agent. Use all avenues until you find success. Facebook Messenger, Twitter Messaging, the Chat in the iOS/android application, Email, Phone. Explain you've been a loyal customer, were unable to travel due to covid, that their competitors are offering points or extending certificates, that others Hyatt customers have been able to get points. When that doesn't work say you may need to consider closing your World of Hyatt card and switch loyalties as other brands are treating their customers better during this situation. If that doesn't work, then a Better Business Bureau complaint should do the trick. Good Luck.
I have a coupld Chase free night certificates. I contacted Hyatt back in November, and was advised to contact them after they expired and exchanged them for points. I followed their instructions. When I contacted them again, they refused to do anything. If they had told me the correct information, at least I could have done something with them. Now they were gone.
With the up tick in COVID cases I tried to extend my free night that expires on Feb 20, 2022 until March (so only a couple of weeks) and as of today they will not extend. I am not sure why they will not extend, they are losing out on revenues on parking fees, bar, snack, and restaurant purchases, etc. In my eyes its a no brainier to at least extend in summer.
It is extremely frustrating that Hyatt is not extending the expiration dates when all other hotel chains have been doing so. Not sure if the Hyatt loyalty program is playing out to be exactly what I had expected. Maybe it’s time to investigate other hotel chain’s loyalty programs.
Just spoke to IHG. I asked for an extension and was told there are no extensions being offered. There was no offer for 25,000 points until I asked. Points were immediately added to account.
I wish there will be a class lawsuit against Hyatt for this. The customers paid a fee for the Chase free night certificates but were not able to use them due to no fault of their own. The customer has every right to ask for an extension or exchange to points. What's more troublesome, for the same kind of certificate, Hyatt only grants the requests of selective customers while refusing to provide equal compensation to...
I wish there will be a class lawsuit against Hyatt for this. The customers paid a fee for the Chase free night certificates but were not able to use them due to no fault of their own. The customer has every right to ask for an extension or exchange to points. What's more troublesome, for the same kind of certificate, Hyatt only grants the requests of selective customers while refusing to provide equal compensation to other customers who they deemed less, who don't have the luxury to travel during the pandemic. This is discrimination and a disgrace to rob their loyal customers this way.
Two big companies that show how they feel about customer satisfaction (joke). Boycott both is the logical option. If someone can actually fight these giants in court, good for them. They know the average customer can do nothing. Patronize a local bank and use AirBnB.
I am frustrated with both Hyatt and IHG on this. Both programs I have rewards earned in 2020 from a credit card that I pay a fee on. There is a raging pandemic in this world. I have vacation time this last week of the year…but where am I to go with daily Covid cases exceeding 300.000. It is just ridiculous. We are in the worst part of the pandemic and the hotel chains should...
I am frustrated with both Hyatt and IHG on this. Both programs I have rewards earned in 2020 from a credit card that I pay a fee on. There is a raging pandemic in this world. I have vacation time this last week of the year…but where am I to go with daily Covid cases exceeding 300.000. It is just ridiculous. We are in the worst part of the pandemic and the hotel chains should allow more leeway. After all, chances are I end up combining the free nights with some paid ones and paying to stay at the chain….no free nights, I’m free to take my business elsewhere.
At the very least Hyatt could just offer some points in exchange for the expiring certificates…something that will get you a free cat 4 night. That would be nice.
Unbelievable that the free nights can't be used. Extremely frustrating. Even a 6 month extension would have been helpful.
I had two nights at Disneyland scheduled with five days total..came down with Covid on Thanksgiving and asked for an extension into 2022…. They were complete jerks … tried to reach a manager but kept on reroutining to different locations getting a first line rep. Note: I have been with Hyatt for over 23 years and this is how your treated … will be using my Marriott extensions instead
I think it’s sad that #Hyatt is not extending members Free nights. I am a public safety worker and have not been able to use my free night due to the increase in COVID-19 cases.
This Hyatt certificate thing is an entire mess. I got one 1-7 expiring 31 Dec 21, that was issued mid-Dec last year, so it was only extended by 2 weeks during last year bulk extension. Called in October asked for an extension, supervisor told sure I can do that, but only by 6 months so why you want it now - call back in December, so you'll get more time to use it. Agreed on...
This Hyatt certificate thing is an entire mess. I got one 1-7 expiring 31 Dec 21, that was issued mid-Dec last year, so it was only extended by 2 weeks during last year bulk extension. Called in October asked for an extension, supervisor told sure I can do that, but only by 6 months so why you want it now - call back in December, so you'll get more time to use it. Agreed on that, calling back this week - 'No we don't do that', 'This is a Chase certificate, not Hyatt certificate, sorry', 'Call back when it expires and we may offer something'.
On a 4th try got an old lady as a supervisor, who noticed that I have a booking next week with a different Cat 1-4 certificate - why won't you use this expiring Cat 1-7 one on that booking she asked? Well, because this is a Cat 4 hotel. So the deal offered was as following: she applies expiring Cat 1-7 to that Cat 4 stay, releases Cat 1-4 cert (with 2022 expiration date) back to my account and add 15k points to my account (standard award points diff between Cat 4 and Cat 7). I took it, but wish Hyatt be more straightforward.
Worst part of this was that Hyatt despite claiming no blackout dates on the use of certificates, had two hotels during this past Thanksgiving that didn't accept vouchers/points and even then they wouldn't extend my certificate.
I doubt the Points Guy received an extension. I had many conversations with Hyatt and Chase (who issued the credit card) about and the most I could was 10,000 points (even though it is worth 15,000 and not expired). I ended up gifting the certificate last week to relatives in their 70s with comorbidities, who would be traveling on their certificates since Hyatt wouldn't offer an extension to them either. The worse part of this...
I doubt the Points Guy received an extension. I had many conversations with Hyatt and Chase (who issued the credit card) about and the most I could was 10,000 points (even though it is worth 15,000 and not expired). I ended up gifting the certificate last week to relatives in their 70s with comorbidities, who would be traveling on their certificates since Hyatt wouldn't offer an extension to them either. The worse part of this is my Chase Hyatt credit anniversary is October and I have still haven't received my certificate for that and Hyatt is claiming they now have up to 10 weeks to issue it and Chase raised the price of my Hyatt credit card $20.
So they want broad latitude to issue the certificate but are completely inflexible on their end. As an aside, The Points Guy is essentially a paid advertisement for companies and has ceased to provide any objective or informative information. Some of what they wrote about the Chase Hyatt credit card and certificates is untrue.
I have had multiple conversations with Hyatt on this. TPG was able to get his certificate extended and wrote about it. But, for a lowly person like me I got NO!!. Hyatt claims that they are extending certificates for anyone who has one that expires 12/30/21 or before; but, not extending any that expire on 12/31/21 like my certificate.
I find this infuriating because once again if I was a travel blogger- I guess...
I have had multiple conversations with Hyatt on this. TPG was able to get his certificate extended and wrote about it. But, for a lowly person like me I got NO!!. Hyatt claims that they are extending certificates for anyone who has one that expires 12/30/21 or before; but, not extending any that expire on 12/31/21 like my certificate.
I find this infuriating because once again if I was a travel blogger- I guess I would get it extended. But, in a World of equity -- clearly Hyatt chooses to not be equitable in how they are extending them. In fact, their website boasts about how fair they actually are. Yet, every reply I have gotten from Hyatt is a stern "too bad so sad." They have been quite quick to remind me that I can donate my certificates to someone else. As if I have not been working thru this pandemic myself and deserve to use my awards for myself. And exactly who am I donating these to with 3 weeks to go. One thing I think Hyatt is missing in all of this is that the other chains that are extending without having to ask will keep my business. Hyatt on the other hand will always be remembered for making an exception for the Points Guy.
This is definitely unreasonable esp. during a pandemic. To whom can we escalate this to?
I try to contact Hyatt Concierge a few times. They responded "We do understand there were challenges. Last year the awards were extended automatically. This year, however, they will not be. The awards will need to be used, or they will expire."
I may cancel just cancel my Hyatt credit card and put my spending on Hilton.
Thank you for writing this article. I’ve tried to reach out to Hyatt over the 2 months via email multiple times. They are not even responding with an acknowledgment that they received my query. You’d think they would reply and say “we’ll get back to you”.
Absolutely extend the free nights & upgrade awards. I am not able to travel for work, YET, but will only continue to stay with a program who extends once I do start traveling again.
This was not a normal travel year no matter where you live and some places where more effected more than others. Hyatts stance is
disappointing but they must think it will pay off in the long run. However i will not be investing as much in the program. I always seam to find better value elsewhere.
I've already started using my Marriott card more because of this. Hyatt really should extend this especially for us long time h
Users.
Same here …More Marriott I got Covid in Thanksgiving and could not use my certificates … gave me the run around for over an hour with several reps till I got a big rude NO … been with Hyatt for over 23 years
I'm canceling my Hyatt card and less likely to book with cash in the future. Very unhappy with losing 4 certificates due to the virus and Hyatt not being cooperative in relief for this situation. Would not have expected this from Hyatt, long considered in my eyes, has a classy organization.
Same here. After my 5 nights post in January, I'm out.
My wife and I just canceled our chase hyatt cards due to not extending the certificate. Will use hillton amex going forward.
I really hope they make a last-minute decision to extend (& same w Radisson certificates).
I have 2 cat 1-4 certs expiring - we usually use these in Asia or Europe, which isn't an option at the moment. I called and was told they won't extend. I also have 6 Club Access awards that are impossible to use due to all the club closures. Would certainly love to see an extension so I can actually make use of them.
It us unreasonable and I may cancel my hyatt credit card.
Have not been able to spend one night in a hotel since January 2020 because of the pandemic. Anxious to get out there and travel again. Hope they extend the free night awards or give points.
Interesting, about Hyatt offering points for an expired (expiring) free night...called in right before pandemic, pleaded my case with a supervisor. She denied knowing anything about ever giving free points in lieu of an expired free night and said, no, simply not possible, sorry we couldn't help you.
Another issue is finding a property that has the ability to honor the certificate in December. At least make it easier to use the free nights if you aren't going to extend them.
If a hotel has a standard room for sale, it's available for points...that's much more generous than other programs.
If you are looking for something now, between Xmas and New Year's, those have likely been booked for at least 6 months.
A.k.a "no capacity controls." That's the claim, but we know that in reality things do not work quite like that, as hotels still decide what is a standard room and whether it's available for award booking...
It is the same policy as Hilton Honors':
<blockquote.
Members may use full Hilton Honors Points to book...
A.k.a "no capacity controls." That's the claim, but we know that in reality things do not work quite like that, as hotels still decide what is a standard room and whether it's available for award booking...
It is the same policy as Hilton Honors':
<blockquote.
Members may use full Hilton Honors Points to book a complimentary standard or premium room. Standard Room and Premium Room Rewards are available at any hotel in the Hilton Portfolio that participates in the Hilton Honors Program, with no blackout dates.
Reward Stays are not subject to blackout dates or capacity controls. All Rewards depend upon availability and some Reward Stay types may not be available on the date of Member's request.
Hilton always has been and always will be a mediocre program - no travel blogger talks about it for that reason. So you can keep spitting into the wind for years on end...it doesn't change that fact.
Hyatt's the last good program standing - better in many ways than SPG, the previous best in class!
Meaningless gibberish. The notion that Hilton has always been a mediocre program that no blogger talks about, when...
Meaningless gibberish. The notion that Hilton has always been a mediocre program that no blogger talks about, when this very site has been giving kudos, is just another fantasy of yours.
With the pandemic exposing WoH's flaws, which self-anointed "travel gurus" have been papering over with fantastical tales of a stellar that never existed, WoH is wobbly. It is now an unsteady hot air balloon that I am going to burst by henceforth throwing darts at in this space whenever anyone tries to hoist it back on its undeserved pedestal until, like SPG (yes, the previous "best") , it is no more.
Stay tuned.
UA-NYC, that is inaccurate. I tried to book two hotels over Thanksgiving using my certificate and they didn't allow the use of certificates EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE accepting paid guests.
I recognize Hyatt claims that is their policy but they didn't honor it for Thanksgiving and they wouldn't extend my certificate expiration. The hotels were in the New York suburbs, north of NYC and the "supervisor" I spoke with at Hyatt said I could stay...
UA-NYC, that is inaccurate. I tried to book two hotels over Thanksgiving using my certificate and they didn't allow the use of certificates EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE accepting paid guests.
I recognize Hyatt claims that is their policy but they didn't honor it for Thanksgiving and they wouldn't extend my certificate expiration. The hotels were in the New York suburbs, north of NYC and the "supervisor" I spoke with at Hyatt said I could stay at LGA Airport hotel, which is nowhere near either of the other hotels.
Seriously?! The cognitive dissonance must be truly deafening for the same person who wrote the current blog post that states out loud that...
Seriously?! The cognitive dissonance must be truly deafening for the same person who wrote the current blog post that states out loud that it's now time for Hyatt to extend free night and award certs to put that claim (emphases mine) at the very top, when (a) Hilton Honors has not only made it easy, as it has for years and not just during the pandemic, to earn elite status in the program (Diamond for just $450/year), but it has outright extended every member's elite status for another year (earning status does not get easier than that!); (b) rather than leaving members to wonder, as in this blog post, whether the program would extend free night certs, Hilton Honors has already extended every member's FN certs; (c) the program just recently announced that it was increasing the expiration of points due to lack of eligible activities from 15 to 24 months - a move that is largely unnecessary for anyone that is even minimally engaged in the program; (d) in consort with AMEX, the program is counting as base points for the purpose of elite status or lifetime HH Diamond qualification, every single bonus point earned with any of the program's co-branded AMEX card - an offer that was to run from August to December 2021, but has also just been extended to December 2022, thereby shortening by at least 1 year my progress toward attaining HH lifetime Diamond status, as I shift my spend onto the incredible AMEX Aspire card to pay not just for hotel stays (14x), but also domestic US dining and select travel-related items (7x); (e) the program's Q4 promo that offers "Aspire" Diamonds like me the opportunity to earn up to 54x on stays is bigger and better than any promo in the history of the now-defunct Hyatt Gold Passport or of the World of Hyatt because it is equivalent to earning 18x Hyatt points!
Do you see why one must take with a huge a grain of salt claims or pronouncements of programmatic superiority that are thrown all over the place in the hope of influencing less critical minds?
G'day.
@DCS
I take it you don’t like breakfast
Look what Hilton is doing at US properties
My biggest peeve with WOH is that they honor their US based customers with more points thru their WOH branded credit cards when staying at Hyatt properties, but excluding all non US based members where there are no equivalent creditcards for us. During the course of 2021, many countries outside the US were still in lockdown and I too, had expiring certificates which a Hyatt representative refused to extend claiming that ‘Covid is over, go...
My biggest peeve with WOH is that they honor their US based customers with more points thru their WOH branded credit cards when staying at Hyatt properties, but excluding all non US based members where there are no equivalent creditcards for us. During the course of 2021, many countries outside the US were still in lockdown and I too, had expiring certificates which a Hyatt representative refused to extend claiming that ‘Covid is over, go find a stay somewhere’. What is also annoying for us non-US members is that there are fewer Hyatt properties outside the US and most tend to be the higher categories than what you can find there. Does WOH want our loyalty? Then try to make requalifying outside the USA easier for us. For example, in Malaysia where I live, there are 21 Marriott properties, and 15 Hiltons vs 5 Hyatts, not counting SLH where the majority of which were closed until recently. WOH is also the ONLY major programme which has not specified the requalifications for 2022 where both Marriott BonVoy and Hilton Honors have done so and us travellers can plan our stays accordingly.
Blame your country's lawmakers for capping cc fees. If the banks can't make much money off of your cc use, they aren't going to spend a lot on customer acquisition, like offering lucrative signup bonuses and special benefits.
I love Hyatt's program: we have 153 nights and counting for 2021. I have few complaints. With that said, Hyatt needs particularly to consider how unusable its suite upgrade certificates have been through the pandemic, and consider extending. I have a total of 14 suite upgrade certs accrued, with 7 expiring next February. My attempts to use them this year have not met with the success I've had in past years, and I suspect that's...
I love Hyatt's program: we have 153 nights and counting for 2021. I have few complaints. With that said, Hyatt needs particularly to consider how unusable its suite upgrade certificates have been through the pandemic, and consider extending. I have a total of 14 suite upgrade certs accrued, with 7 expiring next February. My attempts to use them this year have not met with the success I've had in past years, and I suspect that's partly because hotels have been closing off floors and wings of suites for lack of housekeeping help. My common use of certs on summer trips to Asia have been impossible.
Many of these certs represented a choice of the cert over the offer of 10k points; in making that choice I never considered that redemptions simply wouldn't be available on the majority of properties.
Fairest would be to extend the certificates three to six months beyond the time that travel becomes generally available again to, I dunno, 30% of the locations that Hyatt generally serves. I and most other frequent travelers could make that work.
It’s frustrating that Hyatt is not extending club night upgrades, we been staying at Hyatts and I have not seen one Regency Club open.
Yup, for me this is ironic
I’m a Globalist and have multiple awards on my account. I always call the Globalist line when making a reservation if I’m using an award certificate to make sure to there is no mixup. I don’t want the points redeemed by mistake or any other mixup on the reservation. I notice that I have an award that expiring this month and some of my award certificate expiring next year have been redeem already for a...
I’m a Globalist and have multiple awards on my account. I always call the Globalist line when making a reservation if I’m using an award certificate to make sure to there is no mixup. I don’t want the points redeemed by mistake or any other mixup on the reservation. I notice that I have an award that expiring this month and some of my award certificate expiring next year have been redeem already for a trip I made earlier this year. I called the Globalist line to ask if they can extend the expiration and they said they cannot do it. I explained that I always call to make sure the redemption was done correctly meaning the older certificate should have been redeem first in my situation instead of the latest certificate. I was told to call back once the certificate has expired and they will issue 10,000 points in lieu of the expired certificate: The certificate expiring is good for a Category 1-4 hotel or hotel up to 15,000 points and the 10,000 points they will issue is only good for a Category 1-2 hotel. I’m frustrated because I called to make sure that the redemption was done right and now I have to pay for the mistake they did when redeeming my certificate. Another thing that bothers me is what if I call back and they don’t honor what the Globalist representative said, then I’m at a complete loss of the certificate?
Have you tried emailing your concierge? I’ve had the wrong certs pulled before. The general response is that they’ll give you the same points they do on expiration, but they have the ability to give face value. Helps if you can explain why it wasn’t your fault (e.g., sometimes you might earn a short-expiration cert after you’ve booked a future stay using one with a longer expiration date; they get pulled at booking not use...
Have you tried emailing your concierge? I’ve had the wrong certs pulled before. The general response is that they’ll give you the same points they do on expiration, but they have the ability to give face value. Helps if you can explain why it wasn’t your fault (e.g., sometimes you might earn a short-expiration cert after you’ve booked a future stay using one with a longer expiration date; they get pulled at booking not use and hyatt won’t proactively swap). Or if you note a specific use you had in mind for the cert that is expiring.
My complaint is over the club access passes. I just booked a room at the Grand Cypress in Orlando. Guess what? the club is closed "for the foreseeable future." I've gotten that response from other Hyatts, as well. I have eight of those certificates that basically can't be used. The decision to keep the clubs closed wasn't made by me - in fact, some lounges with some competitors are open. I don't think it is...
My complaint is over the club access passes. I just booked a room at the Grand Cypress in Orlando. Guess what? the club is closed "for the foreseeable future." I've gotten that response from other Hyatts, as well. I have eight of those certificates that basically can't be used. The decision to keep the clubs closed wasn't made by me - in fact, some lounges with some competitors are open. I don't think it is right for them to refuse to reopen the clubs but not extend that certificates that people earned. This isn't a situation where people missed a deadline and let them expire - I've tried in good faith to use them
"Because their competitors are doing it" is a really bad reason to extend certs. The competitors also extended status forever, and now the lounges are packed, workers are overwhelmed, service is suffering, and suite upgrades are near impossible. Hyatt at least didn't give status away, but just reduced the threshold, which I think was the right approach.
Travel is back, there's no excuse to not use your certs. If you want to hide in...
"Because their competitors are doing it" is a really bad reason to extend certs. The competitors also extended status forever, and now the lounges are packed, workers are overwhelmed, service is suffering, and suite upgrades are near impossible. Hyatt at least didn't give status away, but just reduced the threshold, which I think was the right approach.
Travel is back, there's no excuse to not use your certs. If you want to hide in your basement then Hyatt has no responsibility to be your enabler.
I have only one cert expiring this month, but I'll find a way to use it.
Is that supposed to be some of kind of defense of WoH for revealing itself yet again as one of the stingiest and least generous programs that it's always been, despite...
Is that supposed to be some of kind of defense of WoH for revealing itself yet again as one of the stingiest and least generous programs that it's always been, despite being inexplicably put on a pedestal by self-anointed "travel gurus"? Well, it is a lame defense because (a) Hilton has extended both status and FN certs, among other extensions, and (b) between August 20 and December 1 (a 3-month span) I stayed at 7 Hilton properties, and while I cannot speak to lounges being "packed" because all but one of the stays (Hilton SF, lounge closed) were all-suites or an all-inclusive that had no lounge, there was no evidence of "workers being overwhelmed", "service suffering", or "suite upgrades being near impossible", as I got great service everywhere and was upgraded to suites at all three properties out of 7 that were not all-suites: DoubleTree Rome Monti, Playa del Carmen (all-inclusive) and the Drake in Chicago.
Try to see your program for what it really is, and good luck getting them FN certs extended!
How’s the Drake in Chicago
I heard it’s old & awful
Sorry to disappoint you, but what you heard is false. The Drake remains one of Chicago's iconic hotels, which it's been for a century and counting. Don't believe me? Just Google it and look at the photos. Considering when it was built, it's old for sure, but definitely not "dated" or awful.
Sorry to disappoint you, but what you heard is false. The Drake remains one of Chicago's iconic hotels, which it's been for a century and counting. Don't believe me? Just Google it and look at the photos. Considering when it was built, it's old for sure, but definitely not "dated" or awful.
Anytime you fly all the way to Rome and can stay at a DoubleTree, you just have to take advantage of that!
The Drake is a dated property with rooms that still manage to look 20th century, despite a renovation "only" 20 years ago.
You would do better to keep staying "neutral" to my comments as you have been for some time because whenever you open your cyber-mouth, it reminds me...
You would do better to keep staying "neutral" to my comments as you have been for some time because whenever you open your cyber-mouth, it reminds me of just how out there you are.
Not only is the brand new DT Rome Monti, with its rooftop restaurant/bar/lounge to kill for, a slick property that I will return to every time I go to Rome, but tits proximity to pretty much every site of historic, political or social interest in Rome would make it a smart choice for any savvy traveler, which you clearly aren't since you would have preferred that I stayed at, say, WA Rome Cavalieri, where I did stay before and I still picked the DT. I got to see most the Rome's premier attraction sites, from the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore right across the street from the DT to Piazza Navona to Vatican City to the Colosseum to you name it, on foot thanks to the DT's central location.
I said all I will say about the Drake and let intelligent people decide for themselves whom to believe.
So thanks for saying there is no excuse for not using them.
I actually have a really big one.I work one-on-one for the government and can not take vacation because of the pandemic. Every time I book something thinking I can use them- we get another variant or wave.
I complained on Hyatt's Facebook Ads and Hyatt wrote, "Please contact us," but I noted that I had alteady asked twice and been denied. If Hyatt refuses to extend--as was mentioned in a recent Wall St jrn'l article--I will always avoid using Hyatt in the future whenever possible.
THANKS FOR COVERING THIS TOPIC.
Actually I’m in Australia, long time globalist and beyond annoyed that they are not being extended. As I said on other posts I have provided a lot of feedback but they will not change it.
It looks more like Hyatt corporate will not extend anything or give points in lieu of the awards. Specifically in my case, when asking about the club access awards, there has not been any official decision made yet about extending 2020 club access awards since they were already extended once and that they cannot be redeemed for points because many lounges are safely reopening. In the case of any lounges not reopened, those who redeemed...
It looks more like Hyatt corporate will not extend anything or give points in lieu of the awards. Specifically in my case, when asking about the club access awards, there has not been any official decision made yet about extending 2020 club access awards since they were already extended once and that they cannot be redeemed for points because many lounges are safely reopening. In the case of any lounges not reopened, those who redeemed the club access awards can have two registered guests eat breakfast for free at the hotel restaurant.
Thanks for raising this issue publicly. Full Globalist here, and I've remained loyal with my stays this year. I'm grateful that Hyatt extended expiration dates to 12/31, but I'm in the situation where I'm having to burn 4 expiring certificates this week on hotels where I wouldn't otherwise stay (because of other choices in the market). And because of Hyatt's uncertainty about compensation for expired certificates ("we may offer something"), I'm afraid to risk letting...
Thanks for raising this issue publicly. Full Globalist here, and I've remained loyal with my stays this year. I'm grateful that Hyatt extended expiration dates to 12/31, but I'm in the situation where I'm having to burn 4 expiring certificates this week on hotels where I wouldn't otherwise stay (because of other choices in the market). And because of Hyatt's uncertainty about compensation for expired certificates ("we may offer something"), I'm afraid to risk letting them expire and getting nothing for them. As much as I'd like to see Hyatt clarify the policy or announce an extension even at this late date, I'll be a little p*ssed if they do, because I've now burned 4 good certificates that I really could have used early next year. Let's hope restricted travel isn't such an issue in 2022, but if not I'm hopeful that Hyatt will remain competitive with other chains in keeping elite loyalty members happy.
my Globalist concierge said that free nights earned with Chase credit card could not be extended.
Yesterday I was told via DM from Hyatt Concierge that my Chase CAT 1-4 free night certificate will not be extended and are not eligible for conversion to points. My other CAT 1-4 certificate could be converted to points within 90 days after expiration. Of course, I have no idea which free night is the Chase free night and which is the Hyatt free night. And, even if I knew, I have no idea how to tell the website which one to use.
I have 3 Cat 1-4 Cert expiring at the end of the month. I've reached out on chat line but got standard answer that they're not extending. Not sure I can risk having them expire in hope of "trading" them for 10k each - a lose-bad lose situation in my book. Any other avenues to reach out to Hyatt?
Talked to my Globalist concierge last month on this issue, and she indicated that it was unlikely those would be extended given how they got explicit instructions from higher up. But did say she will exchange cat 1-4 for 10k and cat 1-7 for 20k if they expire
I had a 1-4 cert that expired in August. They wouldn't swap for points until it expired, but after it did I called again and they offered 10K. I thought that was reasonable and gladly accepted.
They've generally been willing to give 10k points for Chase-earned category 1-4 certs in the past, but usually not other certs.
However recently they've been giving points for other certs (10k for cat 1-4, double that for 1-7).
Not everyone likes this because you can potentially get greater value redeeming the cert against a room night. I actually prefer it because I can redeem points and still confirm a suite upgrade (which doesn't work on...
They've generally been willing to give 10k points for Chase-earned category 1-4 certs in the past, but usually not other certs.
However recently they've been giving points for other certs (10k for cat 1-4, double that for 1-7).
Not everyone likes this because you can potentially get greater value redeeming the cert against a room night. I actually prefer it because I can redeem points and still confirm a suite upgrade (which doesn't work on certs).
You do have to request the points though it isn't automatic. No promises they'll do it for everyone every time but the data points I've seen recently are pretty consistent.
Mr. Leff
I still prefer your blog
#teamGary
Fortunately, I've managed to use up my various free night certs this year - though not always to great value. For me it's the suite upgrades I earned in 2020 that will expire that annoys me. The trip that I'd planned to use these on was pushed into 2022 due to covid. Hyatt has been generally very generous so it's hard to feel too hard done by - but definitely disappointing. I'd asked my concierge...
Fortunately, I've managed to use up my various free night certs this year - though not always to great value. For me it's the suite upgrades I earned in 2020 that will expire that annoys me. The trip that I'd planned to use these on was pushed into 2022 due to covid. Hyatt has been generally very generous so it's hard to feel too hard done by - but definitely disappointing. I'd asked my concierge and they validated with their manager that the upgrades couldn't not be extended. I'm hoping there is a change of heart at the program level, but not holding my breath at this point.
I am a Globalist (w/ concierge) and also had one expiring in a few weeks. Today I checked my account and it was automatically extended to December 2022? So perhaps they are doing this on the backend? I am not sure why they wouldn't publicize.
Same boat, but nothing here vis a vis extensions. Was going to give it another week before I pester. Other than the one Cat 1-7 award I have, honestly, I would rather have them convert to 10k points. There are just so few properties that I find I want to stay at that are Cat1-4 that it makes it hard to redeem. I have done a fair amount of travel this year but to places...
Same boat, but nothing here vis a vis extensions. Was going to give it another week before I pester. Other than the one Cat 1-7 award I have, honestly, I would rather have them convert to 10k points. There are just so few properties that I find I want to stay at that are Cat1-4 that it makes it hard to redeem. I have done a fair amount of travel this year but to places like NYC where there are just no Cat1-4 options to start and paid rates were reasonable (although have climbed to astronomical in recent weeks).
Wow you are lucky. I have begged my concierge to extend the suite night upgrades and nothing. I now rate WOH ZERO on every survey I get.
I think Hyatt is easily the BEST hotel program out there. The only complaint I have is their small footprint compared to other chains like Marriott. Their Globalist program is head and shoulders better than any other hotel chain out there
I DO agree they should extend free night and suite upgrade awards just 6 months. This hasn't been a normal year. I have several expiring art the end of December 2021 and rushing to...
I think Hyatt is easily the BEST hotel program out there. The only complaint I have is their small footprint compared to other chains like Marriott. Their Globalist program is head and shoulders better than any other hotel chain out there
I DO agree they should extend free night and suite upgrade awards just 6 months. This hasn't been a normal year. I have several expiring art the end of December 2021 and rushing to try to use them because my Globalist concierge told me 100% they are NOT extending them. How sad and surprising.
Maybe easily the BEST hotel program out there with its Globalist program that is head and shoulders better than any other hotel chain out there despite the SMALL footprint would live up to that claim if it awarded its members the 4th or 5th award night free - easily the single most valuable perk in hotel loyalty - and, instead of following or not following at all, it had been leading the pack in extending...
Maybe easily the BEST hotel program out there with its Globalist program that is head and shoulders better than any other hotel chain out there despite the SMALL footprint would live up to that claim if it awarded its members the 4th or 5th award night free - easily the single most valuable perk in hotel loyalty - and, instead of following or not following at all, it had been leading the pack in extending status and free night certificates, and in offering high quality and more frequent promos, etc...?
That's your opinion - I'm guessing most of us don't stay in perfect 5 room night increments. Also, when Hilton is charging hundreds of thousands of points a night for a room - you're only conning yourself if you're thinking you're getting a 20% discount.
Savvy traveler take advantage of the 5th award night free perk, especially at the most aspirational properties. That you don't simply reinforces my view that you do not play the game with a "full deck".
Besides, it does matter whether you or anyone else does not take advantage of the single most valuable perk in hotel loyalty. Everything I stated above was factual and not a matter of opinion:
- Hyatt has a...
Savvy traveler take advantage of the 5th award night free perk, especially at the most aspirational properties. That you don't simply reinforces my view that you do not play the game with a "full deck".
Besides, it does matter whether you or anyone else does not take advantage of the single most valuable perk in hotel loyalty. Everything I stated above was factual and not a matter of opinion:
- Hyatt has a small footprint. Check.
- WoH Globalists do not get the 4th or 5th award free. Check.
- Despite ridiculous claims to the contrary, this post being exhibit A, Hyatt has not led a single time in extended elite status, FN certs or whatever during the pandemic. Check.
That shows just how clueless you remain after all the years you've haunted travel forums. Hilton standard awards are capped at 95K/night, except at two out of 6K+ properties where they can go as high as 150K points. Hyatt standard awards now go to as high as 40K/night.
Keeping in mind that the base points earn rate for a HH Diamond is 20/$ and that of a WoH Globalist is 6.5/$, for a ratio of 20/6.5 = 3 on the earn side, it means that:
a Hyatt award that requires 40K WoH points per night costs exactly the same as a Hilton award that requires 120K HH points/night (i.e., the WoH award is more expensive than nearly all high-end Hilton awards), because though the Hilton award in raw points requires 3 times more points than the WoH award (120K/40K = 3), I earn 3 times more HH points per $ spent than you do WoH points (20/6.5 = 3). See why it is just nonsensical to keep spewing the stupid line about "Hilton is charging hundreds of thousands of points a night for a room", especially since I have explained the preceding 1M times in this space?! Hilton charges hundreds of thousands of points a night for a room, but Hilton also awards hundreds of thousands of points on real money spent!!! You should just hang it up because you aren't cut out for the game.
Lastly the 5th award night yields exactly that 20% off. I paid 120K points/night at WA Maldives with the 5th award night free:
Night 1: 120K
Night 2: 120K
Night 3: 120K
Night 4: 120K
Night 5: 0 K
_____________
Total with 5th award night free: 480K points
Total w/o 5th award night free: 600K points
1 night out of 5 or 1/5 = 0.2 * 100% = 20%
or
[(600K - 480K)/600K] * 100% = 20%
i.e., I saved whopping 120,000 points on that stay. Of course, that means nothing to you since most of you do not stay in perfect 5 night increments.
You are better off just keeping your mouth shut because then people might never know how clueless you are, nstead babbling away and dispelling any doubt!
G'day.
I had a Category 1-4 certificate issued in 2021 that was extended into 2022. All I had to do was drop a quick email to my concierge . So there isn’t a large scale extension, but they might to be doing it on a case by case basis.
I used to care, but these things are going the way of the dinosaur.
Are you staying in a JDV? SLH? Alila? Thompson? Ziva, Zilara, any of the Apple or Two Roads Properties? How about a Hyatt Place or a House? How about dozens of actual-Hyatt-branded places that just decided they're too good for suite upgrade certs, like HR Kyoto, Andaz Tokyo, PH Beaver Creek, PH New York, PH Sydney, etc.
The more Hyatt expands, the less these matter.
What I don’t understand for a majority of the complainers is how does one earn 2021 certificates during their country’s lockdown (as part of the threshold gifts or the promo) and not be able to use it…? Must be doing “remote” check-ins.
I'm one of those "complainers". I've had several stays with Hyatt this year, but none where it made sense to use a 1-4 certificate. I've had stays booked from before I earned it with upgrades attached that would be difficult to rebook, stays for categories 5+, and stays where the rates/discounts available made it seem foolish to use the cert (hoping that I could use it later). Keep in mind that the threshold/Brand Explorer awards...
I'm one of those "complainers". I've had several stays with Hyatt this year, but none where it made sense to use a 1-4 certificate. I've had stays booked from before I earned it with upgrades attached that would be difficult to rebook, stays for categories 5+, and stays where the rates/discounts available made it seem foolish to use the cert (hoping that I could use it later). Keep in mind that the threshold/Brand Explorer awards have shorter expirations than any other free nights for any program I'm aware of. This is where I lost mine. I did get 10k points, but I think having both the short windows and lack of extensions for all of the travel uncertainty that remains make this a really customer unfriendly stance for them to hold onto.
Not being able to use it because the lack of perceived value would be a personal issue. Not saying they shouldn’t extend, but hoarding of certificates for a better “value” is not exactly a good argument for extension (especially for those that earned the threshold certs through mattress runs and remote checkin, absolutely no sympathy for them)
It's very simple - the amount of travel most people could do in 2021 is way lower than normal. Some of committed stays moved from 2020 into 2021 further reducing the opportunity to use the certs. If it was a normal year and someone did not plan well, it's their problem but the year was not normal. All major hotel chains recognized that so it's embarrassing that Hyatt didn't.
As for the 10K exchange after...
It's very simple - the amount of travel most people could do in 2021 is way lower than normal. Some of committed stays moved from 2020 into 2021 further reducing the opportunity to use the certs. If it was a normal year and someone did not plan well, it's their problem but the year was not normal. All major hotel chains recognized that so it's embarrassing that Hyatt didn't.
As for the 10K exchange after the fact, if this is their plan, they should have announced it. While it's a typical practice, the scale of expired nights will be much higher this year and Hyatt may not like that. But it's not fair to learn whether they do it after the fact when it's too late to change anything.
oh please... covid started March 2020. If a member somehow was able to earn certificates in 2021, that means they were able to stay somewhere to earn it. Credit Card nights the same. If you felt like you couldn't travel, why keep the card? Just because the value is not there to burn a certificate because rates are low, or want to save up for an "inspirational" stay, that would be the member's own problem.
...oh please... covid started March 2020. If a member somehow was able to earn certificates in 2021, that means they were able to stay somewhere to earn it. Credit Card nights the same. If you felt like you couldn't travel, why keep the card? Just because the value is not there to burn a certificate because rates are low, or want to save up for an "inspirational" stay, that would be the member's own problem.
do agree with Hyatt needing to just come out and say what they are going to do with extensions or giving points in lieu of expired certs. Saying to email back after it expires seems a little tacky.
No it started in 2019
Which is why it’s called Covid-19
Not Covid-20
I get a free cert with my Hyatt card annually. It's a perk I love, but haven't been able to use. I'm canceling the card since it's hard to use cat 4 any way
I'm going to cancel mine too. What Hyatt is now including in Cat 4 and below are generally not hotels I'd ever want to stay in. This has not been a card worth holding for me.
I'm going to wait until January 1st. If Hyatt extends the awards, I will keep the card as I have a bunch of travel in early 2022. If they don't extend the awards, I plan call call Chase and cancel my card and my partner's card.
Or they earn it through credit card spending....
A few answers to this. If most or all of your stays are work stays, why in the world would you use your certificate for those?! And Hyatt has a small footprint, as others have pointed out. I stretch sometimes, to some inconvenient locations, to keep my Globalist status. And lately, thanks to the pandemic, I have wanted longer stays, but in low level hotels I don’t want to use the golden certificate on. I...
A few answers to this. If most or all of your stays are work stays, why in the world would you use your certificate for those?! And Hyatt has a small footprint, as others have pointed out. I stretch sometimes, to some inconvenient locations, to keep my Globalist status. And lately, thanks to the pandemic, I have wanted longer stays, but in low level hotels I don’t want to use the golden certificate on. I called and asked for just a month of extension as I finally have travel going to a place worthwhile to use them. No. And not a customer service friendly no. Cold. So I am on a stay using them up, a very inconvenient location for our visit to family. But they are trying to see if they can do something despite that. I was thinking it might be time to not worry about Hyatt. Maybe some hope. I share this article in a PM to the Hyatt Concierge on Twitter after a much warmer response than my two phone calls to the Globalist line had been.
Many of us stayed in Hyatt Places/Houses because many of the full service properties stopped serving food and we wanted less close-quarters. Unfortunately, no chance of using them there.