Tag Archives: Hyatt Hotels

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My Credit Card Retention Calls for AMEX Business Platinum, Chase IHG & Chase Hyatt

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday!  I apologize for not writing much lately, but I do have a few posts in the pipeline, they just take a while to get all the necessary details and dates.  Anyway, my December credit card statements just closed and a few of my credit cards had annual fees that posted.  Most of the time, I have already mentally decided if I will keep a credit card or cancel way before the annual fee posts, but even if I mentally decide to keep a credit card, I still call and see if there are any retention offers available.  It never hurts to call, the worst that can happen is that they say there are no offers, and if you never ask, you will never receive.  During this round of retention calls, I called regarding my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card, Chase IHG Rewards Credit Card, and Chase Hyatt Credit Card.  Here is how those retention offer calls went…

Retention Call 1 and 2: American Express Business Platinum Charge Card

I called American Express on Wednesday afternoon and told the rep that the $450 annual fee just posted on my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card and I wanted to close the card, but before I close the card, I wanted to see if there were any retention offers available.  She put me on hold for a few minutes, but then said that the department that was responsible for retention offers was really busy and that I should call back at a later time.

I then called back Thursday morning and told the second rep the same spiel.  He put me on hold for a few minutes to check my offers and came back with no offers.  I told him I put a lot of spend on my no annual fee American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card (true) and earned lots of Membership Reward Points on that card and put very little spend on my American Express Business Platinum Charge Card (true), so why did I need both cards?  I told him I get good value out of the $200 airline incidental credit and occasionally visit the Centurion Lounges, but that did not justify paying the $450 annual fee.  He asked me what type of offer I was looking for and I said statement credits to offset the annual fee.  He didn’t have any statement credit retention offers and said that I could redeem my Membership Reward Points for statement credits.  No… that was not what I wanted.  He said he would transfer me to that department and then I hung up in annoyance.  Ugg, I will hold on to this card until get another AMEX Plat.  I’m currently eyeing the 60,000 point signup bonus on the American Express Platinum Charge Card from Charles Schwab.

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Misleading Park Hyatt 3rd Night or 4th Night Free Ad in Departures Magazine (Warning: Rant)

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When I feel a rant coming on, at first I second guess myself. Is what I’m experiencing really rant worthy? Would other people rant about this too? Once I’ve answered YES to those 2 questions, I rant :) So here we go. Oh Hyatt, I have such a love-hate relationship with you. But this week, you’re making me mad! Maybe I’ve misread you or misunderstood your intention, but I don’t think so. And now I’m asking our readers to back me up or tell me I’m wrong. We shall see.

It all started when my Departures Magazine came. I was flipping through it and noticed a Hyatt ad for their Park Hyatt hotels. You all know I love the Park Hyatt properties and this year alone I had two amazing Park Hyatt stays (Buenos Aires and Milan). So of course the ad caught my eye. What really caught my attention was that the ad was a Special Offer for a complimentary third or fourth night at participating Park Hyatt hotels. Hmm, this could be a chance to plan a trip to try some Park Hyatt’s I haven’t stayed at yet.

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Wednesday Wakeup: How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep in Hotels

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Do you sleep well in hotels? Maybe that’s even too broad a question to be asking, or maybe you have a simple yes or no answer. Friends, knowing I spend a lot of nights each year in hotels, often ask if I sleep well in hotels and if I have any tips for them. It turns out, when I started talking with other travelers about this, many people don’t sleep well in hotels! That being the case, I thought I’d offer up some ideas and tips. As we all know, sleeping well, and especially when we travel, really is essential to functioning well and enjoying our travels. Hotels are unfamiliar territory and often offer us obstacles to sleeping well, so we have to be strategic and creative in order to get a good night’s sleep.

Tip #1

Many of us are hotel loyalists. And with each hotel chain, comes a certain bed type and mattress brand. Chances are you’re nodding your head and thinking about how you sleep better at a Westin on their bed versus at a Hyatt on their bed. It does take our bodies time to get accustomed to mattresses, so take this into account when looking at and booking your hotel options. You can also ask the hotel what their mattresses are made of. If you’ve ever slept on foam, for instance, you’ll know that these mattresses don’t breathe well. No matter how high you turn up your air conditioning, it’s likely you’ll still sweat and heat up. Cotton mattresses do tend to keep you cooler and this often leads to a better night’s sleep.

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Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/alone-bed-bedroom-blur-271897/

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Review: Taste of Turkey Gift Box from the World of Hyatt

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Did you catch the offer from World of Hyatt called Try The World? Hyatt wants to “connect us to the people, places and experiences at the heart of our world.” Their Try The World concept involves a “box of the month” filled with foods and ingredients from all across a specific country. I decided to give this Try The World a go, and ordered the first three boxes. The total cost was $105, so that’s $35 a box. I’ve never subscribed to a box of the month club before!

For the first month, the country Hyatt chose was France (read the gift box review here). When I opened this month’s box featuring Turkey, I realized I still really loved the box the goodies arrive in. I love the colors, the creative artwork, and the packaging. All very stylish and classy.

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Update: Hyatt’s Try the World Gift Boxes are Alive!

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The Hyatt Try the World gift box saga continues. You might recall the last chapter left me at my wits end! On September 25, Hyatt announced that Mark Vondrasek would be the new executive head of Hyatt Loyalty. His job would be to deepen loyalty engagement. Well, let’s just say my loyalty was surely being tested by the Try the World gift box program.  Here is the email from the Hyatt Hotels Corporate PR team:

Hi Grant,

I hope this email finds you well. I’d like to introduce myself – my name is [NAME] and I am with Hyatt Hotels Corporate PR team, as well as your main point of contact for Hyatt loyalty related items.

Hyatt has some leadership news that we’d like to share with you, in case you are interested. Please see the release below, and let me know should you have any questions.

Very Best,
[NAME]

Grant responded to the above email and responded with the following email:

Good morning [NAME], thank you for the email.

My fellow writer (Shelli) is a big Hyatt fan (and World of Hyatt Diamond Member), but Hyatt recently let her down, big time. Last week, she wrote about her experience with the Try the World boxes from Hyatt, but they left a very bitter taste in her mouth. I would really appreciate your help fixing this matter.

Have a great day.

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