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Hyatt Globalist fast-track for 20 nights Sep 1-Dec 30, 2017 does not entice me

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World of Hyatt has a fast-track to elite offer for Hyatt Visa card members to earn Globalist with only 20 nights from September 1 to December 30, 2017. This offer is also available to newly enrolled Hyatt Visa card members.

Register by September 30, 2017.

World of Hyatt elite fast track

Hyatt has three elite levels:

Discoverist = 10 nights in a calendar year.

Explorist = 30 nights or fast-track with 10 nights by Dec 30.

Globalist = 60 nights or fast-track with 20 nights by Dec 30.

Hyatt Visa Card Members receive complimentary bottom tier Discoverist elite, normally requiring 10 nights in a calendar year.

Hyatt Elite Benefits Table.

Check out this analysis from March 2017 on the estimated value for World of Hyatt elite status from The Points Guy.

Thanks, but No Thanks

This offer might have excited me a decade ago when I was road tripping around California and the USA many nights a year, but I see little added value in this offer with my Europe-focused travel pattern these days.

Staying 20 nights at Hyatt Hotels will typically cost at least $2,000. No problem for someone staying on business trips with deep pockets paying for the room. Not so good for a leisure traveler, unless you happen to visit places aligning with Hyatt’s small 700 hotels global footprint.

There are only 36 Hyatt properties in Europe and most of those are high end hotels at category 5-7 for 20,000 to 30,000 points per night. Hyatt requires thousands of dollars in spend to earn that many points these days.

World of Hyatt Changes in 2017

World of Hyatt raised the qualification bar for top level elite status with Hyatt Hotels from 25 stays to 60 nights in a calendar year.

In 2008, I completed a fast-track to Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond with 13 stays during a ‘stays count double’ promotion. Going from no elite status to Diamond elite took 13 nights, a feat I was able to complete in a couple of weeks staying in San Francisco Bay Area hotels for under $1,000 in hotel spend.

Here was my 2008 argument for spending the money to fast-track to Hyatt high elite status.

http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2008/03/17/thank-you-hyatt-im-going-to-bruce-springsteen/

In 2009, Hyatt Gold Passport offered a 15 night fast-track to Diamond elite.

Around 2013, my evaluation of the value of Hyatt elite changed as hotel rates increased year-over-year and I found fewer opportunities to stay at Hyatt brand hotels for under $100 per night. Higher room rates coincided with my travel shift to primarily traveling in Europe.

IHG Rewards Club, Choice Privileges and Best Western have more than 1,000 hotels in Europe compared to 36 Hyatt brand hotels.

This is a great opportunity for some travelers to try out or requalify for Hyatt Globalist top elite.

For this loyalty traveler there is little value in World of Hyatt compared to the cost of obtaining elite these days. I find far more rebate value in other hotel loyalty programs with my under $100 per night average hotel spend.

Flyertalk thread for Hyatt Elite fast-track discussion.

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7 Comments

  • Larry D August 29, 2017

    Do Points and Cash stays count?

  • Ric Garrido August 29, 2017

    @Larry D. – good question. Answer looks like yes based on T&C.

    Hyatt Elite Offer T&C:
    Qualifying nights are nights booked at an Eligible Rate defined in Appendix A (I:a:5) of the World of Hyatt Terms and Conditions.

    World of Hyatt T&C:

    Appendix A (I:a:5) Qualifying dining, spa experiences and other qualifying charges can be either Eligible Incidental Charges or Eligible Non-Stay Charges as each term is defined in Appendix A (I:a:6 and I:b:1) of the World of Hyatt Terms and Conditions.

    5. Base Points and Bonus Points; Eligible Rate. If a Member chooses to earn points for his/her stay, such Member will earn five (5) points for each whole U.S. dollar or U.S. dollar equivalent spent by the Member on an Eligible Rate. Such points will be considered “Base Points,” which means that they will be considered when calculating a Member’s progress towards elite status in the Program. Please see Appendix C for a description of elite status and qualification requirements.

    An “Eligible Rate” is defined as any hotel or resort room rate published by Hyatt (including rates found on hyatt.com without the application of a discount code, and Hyatt’s “Standard Rate,” “Volume Account Rates,” “Senior Citizen Rate,” and the monetary portion of any Points + Cash Award (as defined in Appendix B)).
    https://help.hyatt.com/en/hyatt-terms/world-of-hyatt-terms.html#/IA

  • james August 29, 2017

    Just when I thought Hyatt had washed their hands of the Hoi Polloi, like myself…

  • Minnie Me August 29, 2017

    What are some cheap/inexpensive Hyatt properties? I might do this challenge. 20 nights for top status sounds good. But I wont overpay.

  • Ric Garrido August 29, 2017

    @Minnie Me – ????

    Kind of my point. I don’t find inexpensive Hyatt Hotels in places I have been traveling the past couple of years.

  • David August 31, 2017

    Look for properties in business areas on weekends. (HP Fremont, CA for example.)

    Ric, I tried email, but it bounced, something about SMTP authentication not on? (I sent from a gmail account.)

    I’m guessing that your fast-track challenge in 2008 was to GP Diamond. Platinum, IIRC, only required 5 stays.

    -David

  • Ric Garrido September 1, 2017

    @David – Thanks for the correction. Yes, I meant to write Diamond elite at 13 stays.

    Too much multi-tasking simultaneously writing articles and watching Hurricane Harvey flood footage this past week.

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