Hyatt Explorist worth the trouble?

asc8u

Level 2 Member
Hi all.

I've never had any hotel status before getting credit cards this past year, so I'm a newb with these issues.
(I don't travel at all work and will never be able to get status with stays.)

Earning steady UR points, I plan to be redeeming points for stays at Hyatt 1-2 x year. In fact, I have my first two stays
booked for this summer (Tokyo Andaz and Grand Hyatt NY). With the Hyatt Chase card, I have Discoverist status.
But I saw posts talking about how to match status - so I did the Hilton to Wyndam to Cesaers Total Rewards Diamond
match, and I read that at the Borgata in AC, I can get that matched to Mlife and then to Hyatt Explorist.

I live in the SE and it's about a 9 hr drive to Atlantic City, so I'm torn about whether it's worth driving up for the
better status.

The most concrete Explorist benefit that I can see are the club lounge awards but that won't help me this
year (Tokyo Andaz doesn't have a lounge and GH NY is already booked with a suite with lounge access).
And I know they're changing the lounge awards from being linked with status into # of night stays soon.
But this maybe my best bet for jumping on the status cycle of perpetual status matches between Mlife and
Hyatt.

So do you think I'll actually get any benefits going from Discoverist to Explorist? And do you think Hyatt will
stop the status match cycling? (I'm hoping not since they made it less valuable by removing the lounge awards.)

Thanks.
 

asc8u

Level 2 Member
No one with any thoughts? :(

How about any thoughts on the upcoming change to the Hyatt award chart?


Certainly seems a lot better than the Marriott changes but still seems net negative.
I haven't had the WoH credit card long enough to even get a FNC but looks like all
of the properties mentioned in blogs where you'll get "outsized value" are moving
up to category 5. I guess that's really no surprise if Hyatt is making corrections to
its award chart.

On a personal note, glad I had already booked Andaz Tokyo since it's moving up
to category 7.
 

Bury

Level 2 Member
I travel frequently for work but spent only about 15 nights in Hyatts last year. I don't think Explorist is worth the trouble of several hours of driving and status matching unless you actually enjoy the activity of generating the status matches.

I will spend 6 nights in Hyatts in the next 10 days, using 2 Explorist club lounges in HR Chicago and HR Orlando. What's that worth? It's a personal decision. Upgrades are not plentiful for me because I tend to travel to conventions (peak times) and I don't travel enough.
 

Ttitle

Level 2 Member
I think it is -- I like Hyatt more than any of the other brands. I have had diamond at about all of them at one time or the other. I can be at another brand with top status and often it seems like it doesn't make a bit of difference (although sometimes there are some nice upgrades). Hyatt, however, rarely disappoints. And, I've gotten some of the best upgrades every with Hyatt. I was treated like a king at Hyatt Milan and I wasn't even top status. I am staying at the Hyatt Carmel again this weekend and that place is amazing.
 

lpaca

Level 2 Member
Is flying to Philly and taking a train to AC an option? Might be a more pleasant trip than the drive. If you aren't able to use the lounge access passes (which you'd have to match by 2/28/19 to get), it may not be worth it? The other tangible benefit is 20% bonus points but if you're on award stays it might not matter as much unless you plan to spend a lot of $ at the hotels.

Also, mlife gold doesn't get as much as Caesar's Diamond (the $100 dining per year, free tickets in Vegas, waived resort fees) - pretty much just free parking and skipping lines. Though if you do end up making the trip to AC, you can use your Caesar's dining credit at some nice (overpriced) places there like Gordon Ramsay's. There were a few other status matches over last summer in AC (e.g., free nights, play, tickets, buffet, player lounge access, show tix), though not sure if they're still live (Hard Rock & Ocean Resort).

One thing to consider (regardless of if you get the match or not) - if you do end up staying ~15 nights per year at Hyatts (even on points), it might be worth getting the WOH card (5/24 limited), which gives 5 nights elite credit, and a cat 1-4 night at renewal, $95 AF. That would be enough to get to 20 elite nights and get you the 2 lounge access passes that you can apply to 2 stays the next year. It won't get you Explorist but will get you the passes. If you put $15k spend on it per year, you get an additional cat 1-4 night, plus 6 elite nights (it's +2 per $5k spend). If you're able to go the spend route, you'll have 11 elite nights from the card and need just 9 stay nights each year (free or paid) and you'll get 2 lounge passes per year.
 

asc8u

Level 2 Member
Is flying to Philly and taking a train to AC an option? Might be a more pleasant trip than the drive. If you aren't able to use the lounge access passes (which you'd have to match by 2/28/19 to get), it may not be worth it? The other tangible benefit is 20% bonus points but if you're on award stays it might not matter as much unless you plan to spend a lot of $ at the hotels.

Also, mlife gold doesn't get as much as Caesar's Diamond (the $100 dining per year, free tickets in Vegas, waived resort fees) - pretty much just free parking and skipping lines. Though if you do end up making the trip to AC, you can use your Caesar's dining credit at some nice (overpriced) places there like Gordon Ramsay's. There were a few other status matches over last summer in AC (e.g., free nights, play, tickets, buffet, player lounge access, show tix), though not sure if they're still live (Hard Rock & Ocean Resort).

One thing to consider (regardless of if you get the match or not) - if you do end up staying ~15 nights per year at Hyatts (even on points), it might be worth getting the WOH card (5/24 limited), which gives 5 nights elite credit, and a cat 1-4 night at renewal, $95 AF. That would be enough to get to 20 elite nights and get you the 2 lounge access passes that you can apply to 2 stays the next year. It won't get you Explorist but will get you the passes. If you put $15k spend on it per year, you get an additional cat 1-4 night, plus 6 elite nights (it's +2 per $5k spend). If you're able to go the spend route, you'll have 11 elite nights from the card and need just 9 stay nights each year (free or paid) and you'll get 2 lounge passes per year.
Thanks for your thoughts. I've thought about flying out solo but it's too hard to find time for me to go alone. So only option currently is for me to be dragging the entire family to go do it. It's not totally bad as it could be a fun road trip and there are a couple of places we can stop to visit along the way. The spouse actually gave me the go ahead last week, so I already made some hotel reservations - made a free night reservation for the new Conrad in DC.

I do have the WoH card, so I currently have Discoverist. I'm working on ramping up my MS, so that maybe another option - esp to get some more lounge passes and free nights, but I'm still working out all the kinks of MS and WoH card isn't a good card for earning. I'm not sure yet whether it's worth it. I'd love to get to be able to get Globalist but I have so few actual stays, that I'd have to put a ton of spend on it.
 

lpaca

Level 2 Member
We're planning on going for Globalist in a few years (if it's still viable) through a combo of stays & spend, but will need to get at least 1/2 of those nights via stays. You're right that WOH card isn't great for spend outside of getting status.

Enjoy the trip! AC is actually more kid friendly than it has a reputation for if you end up staying there.
 

asc8u

Level 2 Member
Well, over the past weekend, I detoured my family visit to DC - spent a day driving to AC and getting
the MLife match done and then completed Hyatt Explorist match online.

No lounge upgrades since they started the new milestones but I should be able to get to 20 stays this year
to pick up 2 passes. I'm hoping since the status match isn't as good without the milestones, that Hyatt will
keep on allowing status cycling with MLife.

I was hoping to get the $100 celebration dinner with Total Rewards but apparently it takes a couple of
weeks to get put on your account after you get a card. But MLife match did give me $100 free slot play and
$25 food comp (times two since I also got P2 to match). So we actually walked away with $100 cash after
some slot play using up their free play. Not sure it was worth it, but at least it was a memorable experience.
 

Justin

New Member
I have found the club lounge upgrades to be very nice, and the WoH card, as mentioned, earns elite qualifying nights for spend. I have spent my way to Globalist this year. If you have 20 organic nights to stay at Hyatt this year, I would consider putting some extra spend on the WoH card to get to 30 nights. Would require $25k spend combined with 20 nights. You'd also get a free cat 1-4 free night certificate after you get to 30 nights (in this example, 20 from stays and 10 from credit card spend).
 
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