I Am Giving Hyatt Globalist The Boot After Just One Year

Mark-I am a new, 1st time Globalist for this year. As I haven’t yet had the opportunity to experience it, assuming there is no Club lounge within the hotel can you tell me for the free hot breakfast option where there is no restaurant but a full kitchen (not sure yet if there originally was one and it closed) that allows for room service delivery instead of the available cold/continental ‘grab and go’ do you still have to pay for the added service (20%) and delivery charge ($7) or is that covered as well? If so, that seems like a deterrent or negative especially when there isn’t a dining option available to sit down let along get a full hot meal. Thanks for the info.

Globalist has great benefits. If you can use it. For the same 8 Hyatt properties worldwide that are discussed (Park Hyatt this, Alila that) it is great. Have benefitted myself; I do like the Guest of Honor basically doubling the elite status within the home. But the footprint is severely limiting. 99% of (at least my) other travel, Hyatt is absent to a degree globalist would be helpful, or absent altogether. Next 3 trips: Downtown Charlotte (House and place), Pittsburgh (house and place), Myrtle Beach (Nada). Those are reasonably sized locations that are well represented by other brands. Additional note: this does not mean that the other programs are worth pursuing it it’s place, as they have their own warts.

After listening to the MTM podcast I came to this article’s comment section expecting to read some emotional nasty negative comments. All I’m seeing are thoughtful, interesting and respectful ones. I am terribly disappointed. Oh well…. I enjoyed the article anyway.

If you love HP then I think you are making the correct decision. It doesn’t make sense to love HP and maintain Globalist

Appreciate you breaking it down and your transparency, especially with the recent changes. Used to be a Marriott loyalist, shifting to Hyatt and now just not even sure. Doing what’s best for you and your travel preferences seems to be the right thing to do!

I will say that 9 out of 10 times my Globalist status comes in handy at Hyatt House because, while not required, I am very often upgraded from a ‘studio’ (aka room w/mini fridge) to a 1bd (aka small apartment).

I (like you) actually am quite fine with HH and Hyatt Place and will pick these over a HR or GH (especially the Hyatt House) because I like having the kitchen, and the smaller properties are usually easier to get around (and out of).

Anyways, the point I am sharing is that while I (or you) have ‘no right’ to an upgrade, I think Hyatt corporate does an excellent job of instilling a sense of appreciation for Glob’s at the individual hotel level, and it shows in upgrades, even when it isn’t required. Of course, you can’t depend on it, but that’s been my experience.

I like the Glob status, even outside of illegal upgrades and when it really didn’t get me much more than a couple bottles of water because I definitely think that even in those cases, I get preferential handling when an issue arises and as long as I’m not some DYKWIA type, the subtle mention of the Globalist status solves problems.

Loved the comment about how a staples GC run becomes a cat 1 night. That’s the way I think of it too.

Mark, I recommend heading to Chicago in the spring or fall to stay at the Chicago Athletic Association to get a little more value out of your globalist for this year. If you haven’t been there, it’s got a really great breakfast, including homemade jam and the most banging breakfast hashbrown I think I’ve ever had (need to eat in the lobby restaurant to get these things). I know you aren’t big on breakfast — neither am I, but I’ll eat that one. The location across the street from Millenium Park is pretty unbeatable, and you definitely get your money’s worth getting free parking in that location. It would be fine with or without kids, and I believe it’s still a cat 4.

But then you can mattress run in Vegas or MS for the remaining 20s nights for a reasonable price? Especially considering all the milestone rewards.
I’m disappointed with recent devaluation and lack of award availability too. But decide to wait and see since I already have 30s nights in first two months of 2022.

I can use Globalist. Can you gift me your status?

Mark- why don’t you do a similar piece about the Hilton and their upgrade removals on various low end properties. You may come to the conclusion to dump them both or pick the best from the worst.

I have to agree with you, @Mark. After a recent stay at a Grand Hyatt with broken room amenities, I’m wondering what the 60 stays that I’m investing in is getting me.
CoVID has marked an opportunity for hotel owners to start withholding promised amenities and services. I am considering the massive amount of money I’ll save by walking away from my Globalist status this year. And I only travel for leisure.

As a HH Diamond and more recent HY Globalist, each have their value propositions. I actually prefer Hamptons to HP and HH properties, with newest properties being an outlier to that preference. I do appreciate suite upgrades that come with GLST status, whereas Diamonds max out on a “preferred” room and I continue to struggle with the new FB credit where i used up credit on 2 eggs and an avocado at a recent DT. Worst for me is award redemption where Honors points have been devalued more heavily IMO than Hyatt. A recent Los Angeles search resulted in several mid scale hotels at 40-60k per night! That said, not sure if GLBL status will continue to be achievable in the future should it require 60 nights minimum as I don’t see business travel returning to prepandemic levels for a few years/ever for us- and kind of ok with that.

Nice article and I agree mostly with your comments. I also obtained Globalist last year and will work on achieving it for at least one more year. Just curious how you get by without a rental car typically? I’m similar in that I try to avoid it as much as possible, but unless going to a big city and just hanging out there and taking a taxi I find it hard to be without one a lot of times.

At some point, Hyatt has to raise the free night to Cat 5. Capped free night certs are a relatively new item in general if you think about the hotel points/CC game since inception. I struggle to remember a capped free night from CC in any chain other than Marriott, and even then that I think was a Cat 4 back in 2009 (now a Cat 5/kinda.) There’s no way to ignore inflation of category increases while keeping the same benefit, especially when it comes to the partners who fund them, they want semi-aspirational properties for marketing, not the Altoona Hyatt Place.

I hopped on the train as it was and still is a springboard to possible matching in the COVID era. Hasn’t quite panned out, but there’s still a year left to go on our status.

Of all the Globalist benefits, the 4pm late checkout has been honored (not always needed) at every Hyatt I’ve stayed including Place/House. I usually ask in the AM of check out if the Globalist Late Checkout is available today and 100% of the time, I’m told it is.

Thanks for admitting to loving Hyatt Place. In a year of being Globalist I feel like I’ve been wedging my family into full-service Hyatts to get Globalist benefits, when we’d probably be just as happy at an HP. Thanks for the reality check.

Agree. Hyatt has gone way downhill over the past few years. Requiring someone to stay 60 nights should be rewarded. All these demotions are very bad and don’t reward loyal behavior. Moreover, giving the status away like candy, was insulting to those staying 60 nights and now irregularly getting a suite. I’m out too.

We made both Hilton diamond and Hyatt globalist this year thanks to the great 2021 programs. We got our $12.50 each credit at a Hilton, putting a small dent in our bill. Followed by 2 weeks at a Hyatt regency with no limit on our breakfasts which typically came close $100/day, especially with the lattes my wife was getting. Hyatt even included a 18% tip for servers . The only Hilton I consistently like are Hampton Inn , which has free breakfast anyhow. Hyatt has lots of value for me. A few I won’t be going back to because of the category increase, but not a big deal to me.

You nailed the number one reason why I go for Globalist, Chicago and parking fees. I do a lot of business travel to Chicago and rent cars far more than I care to. For that reason alone, Globalist is worth it for my situation…at least for now.

I don’t really care about free breakfast as I try to find a local spot to eat on the mornings I actually want breakfast. Upgrades don’t matter to me as much as I’m usually traveling solo…but that Chicago parking is criminal.

Parking in Chicago should be considered strong arm robbery. The only thing missing is a robber with a ski mask.

Still got another four years to go before the whole COVID thing is completely washed out. I doubt hotel stays will ever be what they were (amenities limited, no daily cleaning) ever again. And, in some parts of the world, the restrictions will be made permanent. Capacity control based on possible illness (any illness, not just COVID) will begin this year in crowded locales, restaurants and other eateries will continue to turn people away based on capacity for health reasons. Expect these to be codified into permanent regulations either this year or next too. Expect limited menus. Expect also to be told in otherwise quiet hotels that the suites are all taken. Not true of course but 1) they take too long to clean to the new regulated standard, and 2) hotels are short on help as it is. Upshot: no suite upgrade for Globalists at check-in ever again.
Finally, expect masks to continue at certain locations indefinitely. Oregon, for one, is already trying to figure out how to mandate indoor masks “indefinitely”, though they say that “indefinitely” doesn’t mean “forever”. They are counting on your lack of knowledge of history and know typically the point at which human will finally breaks (lots of research being applied about wearing resistance down). The permanency of masks on planes will also demotivate people. Yes, they are permanent too.

I’m 100% with you on two of your points: 1) I mostly stay at low category hotels (1-4) 2) Most of our stays are Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.
For us, playing the credit card game is more about the quantity of low cost nights we can book rather than making a few short stays at aspirational properties. That may change for us in the future, who knows?