I make no apologies for being the Hyatt fan girl here at TWG. Though as I write this I’m sitting in a Hilton property lounge :)
My Hyatt Globalist status comes with benefits and perhaps my favorite one is having a concierge to work with. My Hyatt concierge relationship did not go well in 2017 and turned into quite a frustrating saga. I shared this with you in a few blog posts.
Recently a reader asked me how things were going with my current Hyatt concierge, so I thought it might be interesting to share an update with you. This may not be of interest to everyone, but if it’s interesting to some of you, then I’m glad I took the time to write this out.
The Hyatt concierge who was assigned to me after the saga wound down has been super great. We’re in touch quite often. She’s very proactive in making sure I learn about new properties I might enjoy, keeping my profile up-to-date, and signing me up for Hyatt promotions. She’ll handle making or changing my reservations. She knows I’m a travel writer, so there’s full transparency there. She fields questions I have about promos or hotels and if she doesn’t know she finds the person who does know and gets me an answer. She’s even managed to surprise me with special treats at certain hotel stays.
One of the benefits for me is that I have a list of requests that she presents on my behalf to every Hyatt hotel I stay at. First I’ll give you my list, and then we can see how my concierge is doing in terms of having the last 4 hotels meet my needs. Keep in mind that there are two parts to this equation. One is that she puts forth the requests and the other is that someone in the hotel takes note of them and fulfills the requests.
Here are the items I request:
1. Still water
2. Nespresso machine, if possible, and Ristretto pods.
3. Kettle
4. Mint tea bags
5. Mouthwash
It’s also noted in my profile that I like extra towels. This list is specific to me, of course. As you can see my life centers around beverages!
So at the last four properties, which were in four different countries, here’s how it turned out.
Property #1 did not have Ristretto pods but they did put a Nespresso machine in my room. They did not have mint tea bags. This always surprises me as it’s very common in hotels for them not to have mint as a tea bag choice. Always chamomile but my preferred mint gets no love. The other items were in my room upon arrival with plenty of bottles of still water.
Property #2 All five items were available for me when I got to my room. Again, plenty of bottled still water.
Property #3 All five items were in my room and still water galore.
Property #4 The only items missing was the mint tea bags BUT even better, the Club Lounge had fresh mint for tea. This is wonderful as nothing beats fresh mint tea.
Bottom Line
I’d say that’s a great percentage of having my preferences satisfied. You won’t find Hyatt Globalists complaining about how we’re treated, but it can be hit or miss with the concierge team. I’m on a great roll with my current concierge. I gained Globalist status for next year quite early in 2018 and I have no intention of letting it slip away!
Do you use Hyatt Prive as well, and if so, how do you determine which bookings to do where?
This is a great question, Christian! I have not. The Hyatt Prive rate should be identical to the flexible/standard rate. However, this rate cannot be used with a member discount rate, a AAA rate, a corporate rate, a pre-paid rate, or an award stay. You also can’t combine this with Citi Prestige fourth night free. For me, just about all my stays fall into one of the categories exclusions. It is a good program if it works for your stays as there are added benefits, even for a Globalist.
Been a Globalist since the new WoH program begun couple of years ago. Haven’t noticed any changes to benefits or treatment. In fact the manner we were treated last December at the GH Erawan in Bangkok, I decided that this would be our last year as a Globalist. As for Hyatt Concierge, over the phone or via Twitter, they have not been very helpful. All they do is communicate my requests to the property. They don’t act as your advocate for benefits, and not even like an ombudsman when disagreements occur over legit and reasonable requests to honor the program written T&C.
HI Kalboz, Sounds like you’ve had a vastly different experience than I have with the concierge program. My concierge has indeed advocated for me when needed. Maybe ask for another concierge who you’ll enjoy working with more, though it sounds like you’ve got a made-up mind in regards to your Hyatt status.
How do you request a(nother) Hyatt concierge?
I’m not exactly certain, Kalboz. I did it during a conversation with Hyatt management. Maybe start by asking your concierge to connect you with a supervisor.