K
Kirsten
Guest
First of all….what is the Hyatt Diamond Trial? And what is hotel status anyway?
Those of you who can answer that second question (pretty much all Saverocity readers)….skip this part. For my family and friends (and all of my Pinterest followers) who keep asking me this over and over & still giving my blank stares, here ya go. Cliff Notes: You get ‘status’ from a hotel for being super cool. Oh wait, that’s just in my dreams.
Each hotel has various levels of status (commonly associated with things you can find on the periodic table or precious gems). You get hotel status by meeting the criteria that the hotel sets out (usually a set number of nights stayed in a particular hotel chain within a given time period). Some hotels also offer a certain level of status if you have the credit card associated with that hotel brand. Here are some examples based on my own credit card accumulation:
- Hilton Hhonors Reserve Credit Card = Hilton Gold status
- Hyatt Credit Card = Hyatt Platinum status
- IHG Credit Card (mom, that is related to Holiday Inn) = IHG Platinum status
- Club Carlson Credit Card = Club Carlson Gold status
- Amex Platinum Card (tricked you with this one) = SPG Gold status
The second part of this equation involves what you actually get for having these hotel statuses. Each hotel brand handles this situation differently. Some of them suck. Some of them are awesome. The pool of offerings include things like free breakfast, free wifi, late check out, bonus points, free bottles of wine and snacks, upgrades to better rooms, and access to club lounges (this is where you can get free food), and access to spa facilities.
My personal favorite among the status throng is Hyatt. Why? Even with my Platinum status (from having the credit card) I’ve lucked out with amazing treatment, upgrades, etc. I have found that the service in the Hyatt hotels where I have stayed has been exceptional, for the most part.
The icing on the Hyatt cake is the Diamond Trial. Normally you have to complete 25 stays or 50 nights to aquire Diamond status.
With the Hyatt Diamond Trial, it is a bit different. I would assume that they are trying to ‘steal’ your loyalty to one of the other hotel programs by enticing you to try out theirs to see if it’s better (it is. IMHO). I sent an email to goldpassport@hyatt.com asking about the Diamond Trial, with a screenshot of my status from another program, and this was the reply:
Congratulations, you are now enrolled in Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond trial membership. Diamond trial membership offers you all the benefits and rewards of Diamond membership.
Your account now reflects as Diamond for the next sixty (60) days. To maintain your Diamond status through February 2016, simply stay twelve (12) eligible nights at any Hyatt hotel in the next 60 days. During this trial period, you will also earn 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points on your first six (6) eligible nights, up to a maximum of 6,000 bonus points.
I have 2 more nights (already booked) to complete my trial. I had already planned on traveling quite a bit within that time frame, so completing the trial made sense for me. I didn’t have to plan any random stays in order to complete the trial, as they were nights we were planning anyway (except for the ones where we had a small house fire and went to stay somewhere else, but that’s another story). I was able to take advantage of all of the Diamond benefits within those 60 days, even if something prevented me from completing the 12 stays (which didn’t happen….this time). I booked many of my 12 nights using Hyatt’s points + cash option, which made this an affordable way to do it. I also found some of my hotels had very affordable rates (like less that $60 total per night).
Why is Hyatt Diamond Status worth it?
- When you are traveling with a family of 4 (or more), the free breakfasts and access to the Regency Club can be an enormous savings in both money and time. If you are a coffee drinker (especially if you drink multiple cups per day), you will save money (take it from us). Our favorite hotels for Hyatt Diamond benefits are generally those that have a Regency Club. We have found that we can easily skip dinner by eating the evening offerings. Sometimes we have to grab something for the kids, but for us adults the food offerings are perfect. I can eat vegetables, cheese, hummus, and olives for dinner any day & be totally happy. I realize that may not be the case for everyone, but it’s perfect for us. They also generally offer something more substantial each evening as well. On one of our summer trips we stayed at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco & the Grand Hyatt in Kauai, and we saved a ton of money on food because of Regency Club access. Both of those Regency Clubs were outstanding (reviews to follow) for our purposes.
- For full-service hotels that do not have a Regency Club, all four of us have gotten free breakfast, which can often be $100 for a family of 4 if you get the hotel buffet. One of the best buffet breakfasts I have ever had in my life was at a Hyatt (in Orange Co, CA, near Disneyland), and it was free.
- Another perk that we often enjoy is the spa access. When a hotel (especially a resort hotel) has a nice spa, you can access the facilities for free (normally there is a fee). We have been able to use the saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and amazing showers in some resorts because of Diamond status.
- I like that I was able to book my hotels using the points+cash option and still get the credit for the nights. This helped to cut back on costs.
- I have found that I have been able to get a Diamond amenity (for example, a cabana rental or a bottle of wine in the room) AND a 1,000 points bonus a few times. Your miles may vary, as this is not a standard practice, but it has happened to us more than once without us even asking for it. Even without multiple amenities, it is nice to get even the choice of one of them (I usually take the points)
- Another great benefit is that they give you 4 Diamond Suite Upgrades to use. You can use them on a paid or points+cash stay (not a night completely paid for on points). This can also be great for families because you can guarantee yourself a larger room. I used one at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for a room for my in-laws in July. I booked using points+cash (12,500+$150 per night). They were given the Ocean Suite (most amazing suite!) that was going for over $1400 per night. That, to me, was priceless. I could never have afforded to pay for that room, but I was thrilled to be able to give them that experience. Especially because they have not been able to travel very much, and even just being in a hotel like that was a lifetime experience for them. Plus my mother-in-law’s mom was from Kauai (from a tiny town close to the Grand Hyatt) & she died when my MIL was a teenager. She had gotten married & moved to Brooklyn and never made it back to Kauai. So the fact that my mother-in-law was able to visit her mother’s homeland for the first time, all while staying in one of the nicest suites at one of the most beautiful hotels ever….worth it’s weight in…..Diamonds
