The thought of luxury hotel perks tends to bring immense joy to most leisure travelers. Everyone wants to be a VIP, though sometimes it is much more about who you know.
Let’s face it, we all can’t be road warriors who spend so many nights on the road that we push the elevator floor button for the hotel we stayed at last night in a different city.
Admit it, top-tier is the best tier. Especially when you do not have top-tier status, it is fun to glance at the perks and benefits offered. Top-tier elite statuses at a hotel brand can be a particularly powerful motivator to gain and maintain loyalty. You’ll usually get free breakfast, upgrades, and other benefits thrown in. But one brand has a status that is so valuable that they let you gift it for individual stays.
Hyatt Globalist – Guest of Honor
Hyatt’s “Guest of Honor” program allows Globalists to “share” their benefits when booking a free stay for somebody else. Simply gift a free night to anyone else and that person will be recorded as a “guest of honor,” meaning that they will be entitled to all of the on-site hotel benefits that a Globalist would.
It’s a true sharing program, so the Globalist member does not even need to be staying with their guest! There are no restrictions on who you can guest to or how often you can treat somebody. In fact, the only real limitation is that it only applies to free nights, not paid stays.
Benefits and Requirements for Hyatt Globalist
The benefits for Hyatt Globalist are extensive and also include one of the best breakfast benefits in the industry. These benefits include:
- Complimentary premium internet access
- Room upgrades at check-in, including standard suites. You can, of course, use the elite check-in line.
- Free club access or breakfast
- Free parking and waived resort fees
- Early check-in and 4:00 PM checkout (Resorts are based on availability.).
The Hard Part
To earn Globalist status, a member must record 60 nights stayed or 100,000 base points in a calendar year. That is why this friends and family benefit is so valuable. Keep in mind that promotions like Bonus Journeys where your qualifying nights count double will get you there much faster.
Guest of Honor Restrictions
There are surprisingly few restrictions listed for the Guest of Honor program. As I mentioned above, it needs to be a free stay paid for (redeemed) by the Globalist member themselves.
The real angle of this program is to allow Globalist members to surprise and delight their family and friends with a free stay with luxury hotel perks. Road warriors travel a lot, sometimes it is just nice to relax at home. It is a great loyalty program benefit to be able to share your perks with friends. Imagine how your best friend or daughter feels when you gift them a stay, and they are VIPs for the day!
Free Parking Is An Insane Benefit
If you have seen the parking prices lately in some major and not-so-major cities, you quickly realize that “free parking” can be a benefit worth north of $50 per day. Just be sure to verify with the hotel what parking qualifies. In some cases, a hotel might have third-party parking, or not all parking options (valet versus self-park) are covered.
What If I Have No Friends? – Hyatt Privé
You have a friend, but his name ain’t Seymour; it’s really Privé. This friend might be a bit snobby since she always insists that you never forget the aigu accent above the é; but the perks she delivers are consistently worth it.
You might have missed our recent mention of Privé, but it is an amazing program that replicates most of the benefits of Globalist for travel agent-booked stays. You can get a great idea of the Privé rates for a property by looking at the standard rates on the Hyatt Website. Just remember, you will have to book with a travel agent that is part of the Hyatt Privé Program.
Privé Breakfast And Upgrades
While the exact details for Privé can vary from property to property using the Hyatt Regency Waikiki as a case study, it is interesting to note a few of the most compelling details of the perks. The breakfast benefit at this property is $39.95++ per person. But, the Privé breakfast also includes tax and gratuity. This makes the total value for breakfast (including tax and gratuity) about $100 value per day.
The other really popular feature is room upgrades, and many properties, including this Waikiki Classic, will actually guarantee your room upgrade in advance for the vast majority of the year. This means booking the least expensive city view yet waking up to a glamorous ocean view.
Restrictions? There are some, such as two-night minimum stays, but other than that the Hyatt Property has to be a participating Privé Property. Heck, they even sometimes have favorable free night programs exclusive only to Privé.
It’s probably worth noting that sadly, Privé rates (in most cases) unlike Globalist Guest of Honor rates do not include parking. But, they do include a $50 to $100 resort credit.
Before you book your next trip, make sure you consider the luxury hotel perks that friendships or luxury travel advisors can deliver on your next Hyatt Luxury Getaway!
