Thanks, Hyatt!

Thanks, Hyatt!

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On one hand I feel like a complete idiot for thanking a for-profit company. On the other hand, I think they deserve it! I’m typing this from my local Hyatt property during what is probably my last stay with them for a while. Why? Because their incredible “Big Welcome Back” promotion is finally coming to an end (at least the earning period).

For me this has been the single most lucrative hotel promotion ever, and a real example of how hotel loyalty programs can make more sense than Priceline even for the leisure traveler. In the end I earned 17 free nights, a little over 100,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, and well over 50,000 United miles.

I’ve already made some great redemptions using my free nights, like a weekend at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach and a stay at the Park Hyatt Seoul, but I have a few more free nights I’ll be looking to maximize in the next couple of months. Maybe Sydney or Zurich?

And yes, I’ve come to know my local Hyatt pretty well…

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  1. Ben Guest

    What's your average cost per night for the whole thing, paid and award stays?

  2. lucky Guest

    @ Chris -- They haven't announced one yet, but I'd have to assume there will be something.

    @ JOSH @ Patrick -- The lounge being closed on weekends is your friend. And I also had several ANDAZ5 stays.

  3. Patrick Guest

    I'm piggy backing on Josh's question. How did you manage earning both UA miles and GoldPassport points? Did you do it by taking miles on some nights and points on the others?

  4. Josh Guest

    LUCKY,

    how could you earned 100k hyatt points around 34 stays, I am assuming you get 1,000 hyatt points per stay at your local hyatt including 500 amenity point that's total around 34k hyatt points and then you also earned 50k UA miles combined too?

  5. Chris Guest

    Is there any Hyatt 3Q promo? If not, what are the best promos out there?

  6. Ken Guest

    I wish I had enough vacation days to justify using 17 FFN in two months, haha. If only these things had a longer redemption period, I'd be shooting for as many as possible.

  7. lucky Guest

    @ Randy -- I have no reason to believe they're getting rid of them. Just picked up some at my local Costco today, and the manager told me this is their best selling gift card and that they have no plans to get rid of them.

  8. Randy Guest

    Is Hyatt's Costco $50 check certificates going away? On Flyer Talk there has been chatter about various Costcos running out of stock and that it is may be a seasonal item, but I have not seen anything definitive.

  9. lucky Guest

    @ Ken @ James -- My out of pocket spend was quite a bit under $3,000. Not too shabby for that many free nights, miles, and points, in my opinion (not to mention Diamond requalification).

    @ Ryan K -- Good to hear, thanks! Have been meaning to check out the hotel (and Zurich!) for a while, so might just stop in Zurich on my way to Asia again soon.

    @ Paul -- Sounds fantastic. Have...

    @ Ken @ James -- My out of pocket spend was quite a bit under $3,000. Not too shabby for that many free nights, miles, and points, in my opinion (not to mention Diamond requalification).

    @ Ryan K -- Good to hear, thanks! Have been meaning to check out the hotel (and Zurich!) for a while, so might just stop in Zurich on my way to Asia again soon.

    @ Paul -- Sounds fantastic. Have done Paris a bit too often in my life, or else I'd be there in a heartbeat. Love the hotels that let Diamonds order room service, though.

    @ Finkle -- LOL! I've been called many things in my life, but an anti-capitalist isn't one of them. My point was simply that this promotion was a business decision on Hyatt's part. They didn't do it just because they felt like being nice, but instead they did it because they felt it would maximize their profits. It just feels a bit funny to thank them for that.

  10. Finkle Guest

    What's with the anti-capitalist comment? Lots of for-profit companies provide great services and do great things. After all, if it weren't for profits, jobs and productivity wouldn't exist.

  11. jumanji Guest

    Lucky, thats great. My story is also the same. I earned 14 free nights so far. I redeemed at GH NY and few at Boston and like you my Diamond is extended until feb 2012 with around 90000 Hyatt points, 35000 AA miles and atleast 25000 UA miles. I am going to take a break from Hyatt (although I hate to miss the 2500 UA miles/stay). My company took care of my hotel expenses, so...

    Lucky, thats great. My story is also the same. I earned 14 free nights so far. I redeemed at GH NY and few at Boston and like you my Diamond is extended until feb 2012 with around 90000 Hyatt points, 35000 AA miles and atleast 25000 UA miles. I am going to take a break from Hyatt (although I hate to miss the 2500 UA miles/stay). My company took care of my hotel expenses, so this is far great than any other promotion I had since I became a frequent flyer less than a year ago.
    Now, I am into Carlson promotion already and probably give Best Western some business who made me an Elite (without a single stay so far) member last week through hyatt status match.

  12. Paul Guest

    Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. Excellent location in the heart of Paris.
    We stayed 8 nights in June using the Next Big Thing. Their Diamond amenity is a bottle of wine (value = $30 Euros). Free breakfast for two daily (room service or at the restaurant). We had room service everyday and it was fantastic (value = $98 Euros per day, tax and tip already included). They provide two glass bottles of Evian water...

    Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. Excellent location in the heart of Paris.
    We stayed 8 nights in June using the Next Big Thing. Their Diamond amenity is a bottle of wine (value = $30 Euros). Free breakfast for two daily (room service or at the restaurant). We had room service everyday and it was fantastic (value = $98 Euros per day, tax and tip already included). They provide two glass bottles of Evian water daily. When we got home, we were pleasantly surprised to get 8,000 hyatt gold passport points (perhaps for the room service that we didn't pay for?). Thanks Hyatt!

  13. James Guest

    Lucky how much did you spend on all these hotel stays?

  14. Ryan K Guest

    I'd highly recommend the Park Hyatt Zurich. I had a FFN redemption there last November after the Star Mega DO. Everything about that hotel was superb and I didn't even have Hyatt status at the time!

    Go for it.

  15. Ken Guest

    Wow, Lucky, I'm assuming 34 stays? What was your total out-of-pocket spend for this promo?

    I stopped at 6 nights = 3 FFN, stacked with the AA 25k bonus offer. Ended up with 3 FFN + 28k AA for about $400, and platinum status through Feb 2011.

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Ben Guest

What's your average cost per night for the whole thing, paid and award stays?

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lucky Guest

@ Chris -- They haven't announced one yet, but I'd have to assume there will be something. @ JOSH @ Patrick -- The lounge being closed on weekends is your friend. And I also had several ANDAZ5 stays.

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Patrick Guest

I'm piggy backing on Josh's question. How did you manage earning both UA miles and GoldPassport points? Did you do it by taking miles on some nights and points on the others?

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