I do not have any elite status with Hyatt but for the trail 90-day Explorist status. I am going to see if pushing for status with Hyatt make sense. Particularly when you take into account that I am a Marriott Platinum member and thus there is some opportunity cost and do not have any work-related travel and have only self-funded stays.
90 Day Trail Explorist Challenge
Hyatt is running a targeted Corporate Status Challenge. This challenge needs registration by November 30, 2022. Some pointers:
- Register by November 30, 2022.
- Need to provide corporate email-ID and obviously be eligible to participate in this offer
- Explorist Status for 90 days from the first stay checkout. Night(s) from the first stay will count in the offer.
- Keep Explorist Status till February 29, 2024 if we complete 10 stays in those 90 days period
- Get the Top-tier Globalist Status if we do 20 days in those 90 days period
- Even award stays count towards the challenge
You may register for the offer here.
Is Globalist Status Worth?
Globalist is the top tier status and some of the benefits include:
– Free Breakfast
– Lounge Access
– 30% more points, that is, 6.5 points per $1 or 8.1 points per Rs 100. About 6.25% additional return
– Room Upgrade, including Suites
– Late Check out till 4 PM
– Guest of Honor booking (sharing elite status with Friends & Family)
– Priority Access to Rooms (Early check-in, if available)
Plus other benefits like waived resort fee, parking fee, bottled water, premium internet, access to the Globalist Concierge, etc. which I do not value much being based out of India.
On paper, this might not appear to be as impressive as even Marriott Platinum, but in my opinion, Hyatt’s elite recognition is superior because of its lesser elites (and lesser footprint).
Does Mattress Run to Status Make sense?
Generally, I would say it doesn’t make sense unless about 80% of the requirement is met organically and few last stays can be mattress runs. Now I have this targeted Double Tier Qualifying Night promotion for stays till September 5. So, by staying 20 nights in 90 days would fetch me 40 tier nights and Globalist for about 17 months.
Cost:
If we can find an off-peak Category 1 hotel and do 20 nights then this challenge is done. This might be one of the cheaper ways to do this. Hyatt sells point at 30% bonus frequently and we could buy 54,000 points plus 16,200 bonus points for about Rs 104,000 ($1296). Finding off peak Category one Hyatt hotel is one of the sweet spots and gives good value.
We are planning for a holiday in Dubai and looking at a 10-night stay. Since it is off season, we were able to see nightly rate for AED 190/$52 (AED 225 with taxes). 10 nights mean:
| Cost | Points earned as Explorist | Points earned with Hyatt Visa Card |
| 10 Nights of each $61 = $610 | 6 Points for $1 that is 3120 points | 4 points for $1 that is 2440 points |
So Rs 49,000 worth stays would fetch 5,560 points worth Rs 8,896 about 18% return on spends.
I have already stayed three nights for 5000 points and Rs 10,000. I have booked future stays in mix of points and cash. I’m expecting to spend around Rs 120,000 ($1500) at minimum
Value
Since I have Double Tier Qualifying Night promotion, I would also get the Milestone Rewards.
| Milestone Rewards + Points | Perceived Value |
|---|---|
| 2 Club Lounge Access Category 1-4 Free Night Award 5000 Bonus Points 5560 Points for 10 night Stay ~5000 Points for 6 night Stay | Rs 2,000 Rs 12,000 Rs 8,000 Rs 8896 Rs 8,000 |
| Total | Rs 39,000 |
* Rs 39,000 is a conservative value. I have seen even Rs 30,000+ a night at Grand Hyatt Goa. And 5000 points can help you reserve a night at Hyatt Regency Dehradun which may be Rs 30,000+ a night.
Additionally, since I would be booking a few Hyatt Prive stays (additional hotel credits, complimentary breakfast, and other perks) and I would get closer to a free night with the Brand Explorer Promotion.
So, does a mattress run make sense?
In general, status runs don’t make sense. It also shouldn’t make sense if we had to estimate value using calculations like the ones I made.
Roughly I guess I would be spending Rs 120,000 and get Globalists for 17 months and about Rs 40,000 as value as illustrated previously.
I tend to think that going for the status run makes sense for me because I obviously have some organic stays and will also be receiving up to 45,000 bonus Hyatt points with the Hyatt Credit card, get closer to a free night of the Brand Explorer promotion.
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