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Contrast that to Marriott Literally all theyneed to do is add some words to an already.wordy section of Bonvoy’s terms to define breakfast as either the regular hotel restaurant buffet offered for sale to all other guests or a hot from the regular hotel restaurant menu offered to all other guests with coffee, juice, water, tip and all taxes or fees.The all other guests part however lawyers want to word it is necessary because some Best hotels.
There’s no doubt that Hyatt’s implementation of the benefit is also helped by the fact that Hyatt manages most full-service branded properties, unlike Marriott and IHG. At franchised Hyatts managed by the likes of Aimbridge Hospitality and MC Management, guests have been known to be cheated in the same way as many Marriotts openly violate the letter and certainly the spirit of the Bonvoy terms. If breakfast is the singular measure of how a hotel loyalty program treats its best customers then World of Hyatt is the best loyalty program out there. But other more objective criteria show that the grass often isn’t greener on the other side.
For starters, Hyatt just doesn’t have enough hotels.
Staying 60 nights outside of A-list cities is impossible for many would-be customers. To illustrate the company’s limited footprint, there are entire states without a single property under any brand. Yes, the company continues to acquire properties but most of the acquisitions are resorts or niche properties. I’m not seeing much growth among the full-service Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt brands in North America. To maintain globalist, almost all of my nights were spent at a Hyatt Place, which is a truly awful brand. Then there is the lack of points for food and drinks at certain undisclosed Hyatt properties. Ironically, Hyatt runs promotions that incentivize on-property spending at bars and restaurants even though customers probably won’t get points for spending money on-property.
Keeping globalist just isn’t a priority as my travels take me to markets where a Hyatt Place is never the best option. Even the allure of no resort fees on an award-redemption at some resort isn’t that attractive since resort fees are also waived at Marriott’s newish all-inclusive properties under little-known supplemental terms.
The only things that might cause me to reconsider Hyatt are more full-service properties or revised elite status benefits; think extending breakfast or lounge access to second-tier explorists or adding something of value, like free nonalcoholic drinks, for globalists at Hyatt House and Hyatt Place. As bad as Marriott is these days, I’m just too invested in Bonvoy not to make it my first program of choice. There is also the simple reality that Marriott’s footprint is too large to ignore. It’s not like Wyndham, Choice and Best Western are going to get my business. Complaining about Marriott is a popular pastime, but in my experience the company does tend to do the right thing to resolve bad situations. It may take just take escalation within customer service or corporate management.
And as a lifetime titanium and ambassador, I know what brands, individual properties, franchisees and management companies within the Marriott ecosystem to avoid wherever and whenever possible. My black list includes any property affiliated with Aimbridge, the Kessler Collection, Diamondrock Hospitality and Pearl Hospitality.
what am I going to do in 2023
To supplement platinum, I will also buy ambassador to cover the one or two stays I have every year at an Intercontinental. Ambassador renewal is even more attractive if buying it with cash or points continues to extend diamond. Given the size of IHG’s footprint, I could easily change my plans and do 75 or more nights. But that would require a serious investment to bring Crowne Plaza, which almost always disappoints, and a diamond benefit beyond just a mediocre breakfast at Holiday Inns.
My plan for 2023 is also based on the assumption that business travel continues to plateau due to uncertainties over the U.S. economy and continued remote work, the latter of which has really hurt those employed in business development and client or account management. While another 249 nights isn’t realistic, 150 seems reachable as long as I still have a job and other people don’t run out of their money.
I’m not sure I agree that breakfast is the measure of a loyalty program, though it’s easy to compare. Unquestionably Hyatt’s terms are strongest (full breakfast, not continental, even spelling out what full breakfast means). Hyatt also has by far the strongest upgrade program, with suite upgrades that are confirmable at booking. But too few Hyatts are full service properties, too few have club lounges (or lounges that have re-opened). So the footprint matters. For those who travel to small towns, they need to look to a larger chain. [Fortunately I tend not to be a small town traveler.
So do you choose IHG, Marriott, or Hilton? Unquestionably Marriott’s program offers the most, even when they fail to meet promises. For instance they’re the only one of the three guaranteeing late check-out at non-resort and conference properties. Although I do really like the changes that IHG has made this year, to offer breakfast to top elites, club lounge access as a choice benefit, and confirmed suites on non-prepaid revenue stays within 14 days of arrival. But there aren’t enough premium full service hotels to really enjoy these benefits at, compared to Marriott, for those who prefer those sorts of stays.
How to Pick the Hotel Program
There are three things that factor into which chain you should focus on (if you should focus on a chain at all): How often you stay, where you stay, and what rewards and benefits matter most to you. Here's a guide to how to determine the hotel program that best. Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty More About Gary.
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Isnt IHG Diamond 70 nights rather than 75 Please don’t scare me in mid-December about my plan to achieve Diamond. (Panicked look in my eyes Good summary IMHO. Frankly I’m a true free agent and glad for it. Retired so no company travel policy or client preferences to consider any more. Also, lifetime Titanium (Marriott) working on lifetime Diamond Hilton (over 20 years at that level but need a few hundred thousand points) but get Gold w Hilton Surpass and usually put $40,000 in non-bonused spend to hit Diamond (as I am through 2023) Platinum IHG with credit card and Explorist Hyatt with MGM match from my Gold status. Oh yeah Diamond Plus w Caesars and Gold with MGM rewards based on gambling so get pretty much comped at their properties. Basically off the hamster wheel of earning status so stay at whichever of these brands (or an independent) best suits me on any individual trip.
Also, I tend to not value breakfast since IMHO it is just one more meal most Americans should skip to not be so obese. Coffee and maybe some fruit is all I ever care about and usually go to Starbucks or an independent coffee shop instead of settling for the often horrible coffee at any of the major chains.Very US-centric view. The hotel industry in the US sucks. Hyatt may be slightly better but the value-for-money is still questionable. Sorry to you guys, but the rest of the world is a different story. And that’s true in spite of American hotel chains dominating the sector. Hilton in the US, but I wouldn’t say F Hilton in Austria, Turkey, Thailand, Poland, Singapore, or South Africa.
Noise Around the Edges says.
That’s because Hilton, like Marriott, manages most of its international properties. In the US and Canada, Hilton and Marriott have pretty much licensed or franchised all their properties. Hiring Hilton or Marriott is too expensive because they have multiple layers of property management plus staff that owners domestically think are unessential (like dedicated doormen).
Free agency, given the benefits afforded by hotel credit cards, American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, Virtuoso, and others is such an obvious choice here. There are so many great hotels in all these ecosystems, and so many ways to access them, that “loyalty” (which to me, means KNOWINGLY picking an inferior hotel over another hotel to stay within a program) is irrational. Why pick a crappy Marriott when a Hyatt is better? Why pick an inconvenient Hyatt when Marriott has everything you need right next to your business meeting? Why pick an expensive Marriott when the Hilton is much better and much cheaper on points quick Google search of a hotel’s marketed name plus something like “operated by owned by or by finds the info. You could always call a hotel and ask.
Excellent tho depressing analysis. But one paragraph summed up the dilemma- when you finished saying how Marriott sucked but added that you’re too invested to leave. They know that and will continue to make fools of us. Broke my ass to get Starwood Platinum for life. Now they give it away with a credit card. I only wished that Starwood would haves merged with Hyatt. Oh well. Happy Holidays everyone.. Well observed comment. When I met Arne Sorenson to discuss Marriott corruption shortly before he passed away it was clear that he realised his error of judgement. But of course Marriott remains completely overrun by executives who have been there too long. What he left behind is a corporation drowning in criminality. How dare today’s executives bring in new blood? Milk the cow until someone works it all out
Every decision a corporate board makes should take into account how it will affect employees, customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders. Essentially, board directors act as stewards of the company and in that role they must continually assess a variety of risks; scandals are the result of poor corporate governance. Over the decades, the Marriott Board has often escaped serious censure. Marriott’s strong political, religious and judicial ties, a debauched pool of legal advisors and vigorous regulatory lobbying may explain why. Employing tactics no different to those found in corrupt developing nations, the role of the Marriott board appears to be little more than keeping mum, whilst allowing “silent partners” to do the hard.
Senator Mitt Romney was a member of the Marriott Board during the naughty nineties, the late noughties and then on either side of the corrupted Starwood merger. Romney is named after the company’s founder, J Willard Marriott. The Romney and Marriott families (both linked to the Church of Latter Day Saints) have long been close, and members of the Marriott family were major contributors to Romney’s presidential bid. As one of the designated “independent” members of the Marriott board this all constituted a serious conflict of interest
As reported at the time, Romney held oversight responsibilities when Marriott was being repeatedly accused of unlawful and deceptive practices that enriched the company at the expense of hotel owners (who also accused Marriott of falsifying financial statements) something they always denied yet still paid millions to settle. This should have prompted action, yet Marriott’s directors offered no public disclosure of the risks involved; nor were shareholders notified of the settlements – and the shady practices continued.
Little has changed. For example, today’s Marriott directors include Aylwyn Lewis and Eric Hippeau, both of whom crossed over from Starwood after the 2023 merger and in full knowledge of the paper-shredding and cover-up that took place (with the help of EY); Susan Schwab was a director at Boeing during the 737 Max scandal. Bereft of ethical backbone, deft in concealment, lacking in accountability, light on competence and objectivity et al, the Marriott board is accused of tottering on under the legacy of its shady past, in a haze of silence and denial, confident in the might of its own impunity
Everybody on the board only has one voice. The question is what you do with that voice. Are you going to ask questions? Are you going to argue with people? Are you going to vote ‘No’ on various things Are you going to quit in protest?” (Nell Minow, Governance Metric International. normal travel, I’ve concluded that IC RA is still by far best, but Hyatt Globalist is by far the easiest top status to attain, with the most valuable benefits. Yes, you can get the Aspire card for the incredible price of $450, but Hilton is a crap shoot on room upgrades.
I’ve been generally happy as a USA-based Hyatt Globalist, recognizing that, due to limited footprint, you will need to stay at other hotels a material amount of time. If you’re only going to spend 60 nights at hotels in a year, you’re probably not going to make Globalist. Overseas, Hyatt isn’t as good due to its even more limited footprint, and the fact that the other chains are better overseas than in the USA.
I am usually disappointed with my Hyatt Place stays, as many of them are a bit long in the tooth, and the breakfast is usually pretty poor. For the life of me, I can’t understand how I can be well taken care of at the other Hyatt brands but, when I step foot in a Hyatt Place, all I get for my status is 2 bottles of water. It’s kind of insulting. Couldn’t they at least give me a couple cookies and a soda, or drink at the bar.
Reconsidered recently
No Suite Night Awards approved in 2.5 years; love the $10 F&B vouchers that don’t cover much; love telling reception what Titanium benefits are and what they need to offer. Marriott for not coding LT Titanium or LT Plat for guest profiles for hotels. Hyatt- Gave up years ago. Reconsidered recently, but despise the Pritzker family and their ideology and politics.
You excoriate Arne Sorenson for trading quality for quantity, while you also bemoan Hyatt’s limited geographical footprint while having the most owned/managed properties and best loyalty program. Let’s recognize it for what it is: a small footprint maximizes ownership, maximizes quality and guest experience. To grow and scale require a different business model that effectively changes the focus of the business from guests to owners.
I miss being IC RA, but it was a lot of work! I’d need to find out how each hotel handled upgrades and choose the room I’d book accordingly, is it a guaranteed upgrade or if available at check-in? is it a guaranteed suite, or a 2-category upgrade? How many categories do they have? Will they upgrade on To grow and scale require a different business model that effectively changes the focus of the business from guests to owners which widens the scope for wholesale global corruption.
pay to play” after years of easy money being printed, and that nice things like suites and fancy meals are going to go to people who pay cash for them. I stopped chasing rewards that properties didn’t care to give me and have been just going in on earn and burn. Turn nights into more nights. Hilton has been that program for me, based on my stay patterns and earn / burn rate calculations, but other programs may work better for other people.
been much happier now that I’ve released my expectations – maybe that means the chains have won and gotten what that’ve wanted, but the alternative seems to be either screaming into a void like most posters here or embracing the Promised Land Of Hyatt, which itself can’t last forever. Maybe if a recession takes the air out of this travel bubble we ll see properties and chains begin offering enticements again.
I did stay the first time at Hyatt at the beginning of pandemic and I am finishing this year with 73 nights with Hyatt. As LT Titanium thank you, SPG I am was also too “invested” in Bonvoy to look any further even though I was using HHonors Diamond as a backup program and for stays abroad. Actually, during the pandemic, I did have some really bad experience with Bonvoy and Hilton in the USA while Hyatt House/Place was still significantly better. This year I have a disappointment after disappointment with Bonvoy but still will finish with 75 nights to get 1 FNA. What is missing from the analysis is the redemption side. Hyatt and Hilton (too lesser extend) still have an award chart It remained to be seen what will happen with Bonvoy awards starting Jan 1, 2023.
What other health information is available
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary.
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Although it's the most recent state to join the U.S. Hawaii’s history goes much farther back than its accession in 1959. Settlers from the Marquesas Islands landed on these islands between A.D 300 to 600. Visit heritage sites such as Kaunolu Village and Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to learn about Hawaiian culture from these earliest days. Each one of Hawaii’s islands offers a dizzying array of beaches, inland adventures and cultural sights. The Big Island features Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, where you can hike up to lava craters and find hidden inland waterfalls. Hawai’i island also features several restaurants serving delectable local cuisine. Try poke, the local fish salad delicacy.
Explore inland Kauai to discover its dramatic scenery. Hike along the cliffs of Na Pali or through Waimea Canyon then pause for a moment in the Hindu Monastery. Naturally, Kauai has its share of stunning beaches. Linger in Kauapea, Lydgate or Poipu and watch for dolphins from the shore. Oahu is popular among surfers and is also the home of the Pearl Harbor National Historic Sites, a focal point for bringing the U.S. into World War II. Relax in buzzing Waikiki, where you will find the Duke Kahanamoku Statue, a monument to the man who became known as the “father of modern surfing.
Maui contains some of Hawaii’s most dramatic scenery. The second-largest island in the archipelago offers whale- and turtle-watching at Makena Bay, volcanic adventures in Haleakala and educational attractions such as the Maui Okinawa Cultural Center. Many people arrive in Hawaii on a cruise liner but Honolulu International Airport also offers several flights to and from the state. High season in Hawaii is between December and April, but it remains an exciting and inviting state in every season.
Many people give America’s 50th state the nickname Paradise and it doesn’t take long on these spectacular volcanic islands to realize that the moniker is well earned. Hawaii is an archipelago of volcanic islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Come here to spend your days riding aquamarine waves into golden beaches.
