Hyatt Hotels released its financial statement February 17. These reports reveal the number of hotels in each brand. Hyatt Hotels added 31 properties in 2010 and apparently lost two properties for net growth of 29 hotels; nearly 7% increase in hotel properties.

I have been stating all week as I report hotel numbers for different loyalty programs that Loyalty Traveler counts hotels rather than using the hotel industry norm of room count. By rooms Hyatt Hotels only grew by 4.2% in 2010. This reflects the smaller room size of Hyatt Place hotels compared to full service Hyatt Regency properties.

The following properties were added to the portfolio during the fourth quarter of 2010:

• Hyatt Place Des Moines/Downtown (franchised, 95 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Pittsburgh-North Shore (franchised, 178 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land (managed, 214 rooms)
• Hyatt Escala Lodge at Park City (managed, 153 rooms) (Classified as Hyatt Regency)
• Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany (managed, 303 rooms)
• Hyatt Regency Pune, India (managed, 219 rooms)

Hyatt is Expanding

Hyatt Hotels is poised for major growth with approximately 140 hotels signed as of December 31, 2010 to be Hyatt brands. This will add nearly 31% more hotels to the chain and provide a much expanded geographic reach for Hyatt Gold Passport members. Approximately 70% of the new Hyatt hotels will be located outside North America.

Hyatt Average Daily Rates

Room rates for the three months ending December 31, 2010 were $167.57 for comparable systemwide properties.

North America has significantly cheaper average rates than international properties.

North America Full Service 119 hotels (all brands except Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites)

• ADR = $158.12
• Occupancy = 64.7%

North America Select Service 158 hotels (Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites)

• ADR = $91.03
• Occupancy = 69.9%

International 92 Hotels  

• ADR = $234.16
• Occupancy = 69.1%

 The significance of this information for this loyalty traveler is the fact that Hyatt Hotels offer the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest the opportunity to earn points and stay credit at low priced Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites properties in the U.S. and redeem points for much higher priced hotels when traveling international.

Hyatt has 104 international properties. Here is the geographic distribution.

• Asia Pacific = 51 hotels
• Southwest Asia = 13 hotels
• Europe, Africa, Middle East = 33 hotels
• Other Americas = 7 hotels

Over the next couple of years the addition of nearly 100 hotels in these global regions will double the geographic coverage of Hyatt outside North America.

Hyatt Hotel Brands By the Numbers (Hyatt Properties as of Dec 31, 2010)

• Park Hyatt = 25 hotels (5,049 rooms)
• Andaz = 5 hotels (1,096 rooms)
• Grand Hyatt = 37 hotels (21,568 rooms)
• Hyatt Regency/Hyatt = 167 hotels (72,577 rooms)
• Hyatt Place = 161 hotels (20,434 rooms)
• Hyatt Summerfield Suites = 34 hotels (4,582 rooms)
• Hyatt Vacation Ownership and Residential = 24 hotels (2,201 rooms)

Hyatt Hotels Global Total = 453 properties as of 12-31-2010

And finally – the question on all our Gold Passport loyalty members’ minds is when will Hyatt announce a systemwide 2011 loyalty promotion?

Hyatt Gold Passport is currently offering 409 bonus offers at 273 hotels. That is an impressive number of points-earning opportunities for a hotel chain with just around 425 hotels.

Gold Passport points bonuses are often referred to as “G” Bonuses on FlyerTalk. These points and miles bonus opportunities contribute significantly to earning points quickly through Hyatt Gold Passport.

Most full service Hyatt Hotels offer a G bonus for 1,000 bonus points per stay, 1,500 points or 2,000 points per stay depending on the days of week. Some hotels limit the bonus to weekday stays, some hotels limit bonus to weekends and some hotels offer a bonus any day of the week.

Spend $200 and you earn only 1,000 Gold Passport base points at the earn rate of 5 points per dollar. Add on 2,000 bonus points per stay and this is like earning 3x points for a $200 hotel stay.

There are several regional promotions for 2,000 bonus points per stay for hotels in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and U.S. These regional offers are listed below. There are also over 200 hotels with an individual hotel G bonus points offer.

Loyalty Traveler Note: Hyatt promotion code links below go to a specific property offering the promotion. These links are provided solely to show a webpage with offer. These promotional offers apply to several Hyatt Hotels in the specific promotion region.

Southeast U.S.

• Promotion Code 10GPX2 = Double Points on Southeast Stays
• Earn 10 points per dollar.
• Rate includes 10% off hotel dining and bar.
• Book any eligible rate (AAA, senior are allowed.)
• Promotion offer dates January 19 – April 24, 2011.

Western U.S.

• Promotion Code 2,500GP  = Plot a Post-Holiday Winter Getaway promotion.
• 2,500 points for stays at participating hotels in California, Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
• Promotion offer dates January 19 – March 31, 2011.
• Minimum 2-night stay.
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
  • The 15% off spa services is valid at Hyatt Regency Calgary’s Stillwater Spa, Hyatt at Olive 8′s Elaia Spa, Grand Hyatt Seattle is valid at Olive 8′s Elaia Spa, Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa’s Vineyard Creek Spa, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa’s Accista Spa, Highlands Inn guests at either Accista Spa or for in-room spa treatments, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza’s Equinox Spa, Hyatt Regency Newport Beach’s Wellness Day Spa, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay’s Blue Marble Spa and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego’s Kin Spa.
  • Lunch and dinner 15% discount is not applicable for tax, gratuity or alcoholic beverages, and is only valid for in-room dining at Hyatt Regency Bellevue and at Grand Hyatt Seattle for in-room dining or at Urbane restaurant at Hyatt at Olive 8.

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Promotion Code GP 481  
• 2,000 points per stay at participating hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
• Promotion offer dates January 15 – April 15, 2011.

Germany:

Grand Hyatt Berlin, Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Hyatt Regency Mainz, Hyatt Regency Cologne and Park Hyatt Hamburg. 

• Promotion Code LH397  
• 1,000 Lufthansa Miles per stay. Must choose to earn miles instead of points at hotel check-in.
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
• Receive 20 EUR fodd and beverage credit per stay.
• Promotion offer dates January 15 – April 15, 2011.

Asia Pacific

• Promotion Code GP643 = Regency Club bonus
• 2,000 points per stay at participating Hyatt Regency hotels in Asia Pacific.
• Must book Regency Club room type rate (includes Regency Club access for stay).
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible, but must book Regency Club room type for bonus.]
• Promotion offer dates December 20 – February 28, 2011.

Asia Pacific

• Promotion Code GP647 = ‘Weekday Stays are more rewarding in Asia Pacific’
• 2,000 points per stay at participating Hyatt Regency hotels in Asia Pacific.
• Must stay a weekday Sunday through Thursday.
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible.]
• Promotion offer dates January 20 – March 15, 2011.

Australia/New Zealand

• Promotion Code GP646
• 1,500 points per stay at participating Hyatt hotels in Australia and New Zealand.
• No day of week or room type restrictions.
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible.]
• Promotion offer dates January 20 – March 15, 2011.

Master List of Hyatt Gold Passport Bonus Offers 

The Hyatt Gold Passport list used to be a much more condensed format enabling hotels to be searched significantly more quickly than the typically slow-crawl Hyatt website currently allows.

Hyatt has 28 pages with 273 hotels and 409 bonus offers at the time of this post. 

One of the issues I frequently have with Hyatt Gold Passport is missing G Bonus points from hotel stays. Simply call up Hyatt Gold Passport customer service a week or two after your stay if the points do not post. This generally works well for getting missing points added quickly to your account.

Hyatt GP Bonus Offers typically add 2,000 points to your hotel stay.

Hyatt Stay Certificates and Hyatt Weekend certificates are a prepaid payment option for Hyatt Gold Passport stays. There has been a slight increase in the cost of Hyatt Stay Certificates for the three lower tiers of the five tier certificate program.

Hyatt Stay Certificates are available at 5 price levels: 

• Classic $109 (formerly $99)
• Choice $145 (formerly $135)
• Premier $185 (formerly $165)
• Elite $249 (no increase)
• Inspire $319 (no increase) 

Hyatt Hotels are sometimes available with a Hyatt Stay or Weekend Certificate for a lower price than the prevailing room rates offered for the dates of your stay. 

The best strategy for your wallet may be ‘forget the points and save money’. Hyatt Stay and Weekend Certificates are a prepaid option to remember when the room rate at the Hyatt Hotel is quite high for your dates. This strategy will not always work for the hotel you want, but when it does the savings can be significant. 

The biggest savings are likely to be found with hotels at the Hyatt Stay Elite and Inspire level certificates. These prepaid stay certificates cover room and tax. 

Hyatt Stay and Weekend Certificates – List of Participating Properties 

Booking Stay and Weekend Reservations 

Hyatt’s reservations website has a “Redeem Gift Certificates” tab for checking hotel availability if you already have purchased certificates and have codes to enter into the reservations webpage. 

If you have not purchased certificates yet, then call Hyatt Reservations and check availability over the phone before purchasing Stay and Weekend certificates. These prepaid Stay certificate nights are capacity controlled so you need to check certificate stay availability for your dates with Hyatt reservations.

There is no credit given for using a higher priced certificate for a hotel property that accepts lower priced certificates. The best strategy is to check availability for certificate nights before you purchase the appropriate certificate for your stay.

Hyatt Stay Certificate Saves Hundreds at New York Andaz 5^th Avenue  

Hyatt’s Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York, for example, is listed as a participating property at the Stay Certificate Elite ($249) and Inspire ($319) level. 

Monday March 7 – Wednesday March 9, 2011 is available at the time of writing for booking using a Hyatt Stay certificate Elite ($249/night). A two-night Hyatt Elite Stay certificate is $498 and covers room and tax.

Hyatt Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York

Monday March 7 – Wednesday March 9, 2011

Hyatt Stay Two-night Elite Certificate = $498 (room + tax)

Hyatt Lowest Paid Rate = $798.84

$300.84 saved using Elite Stay Certificate 

Are you going to get $300 value from a stay credit and bonus points?

You should still receive your elite benefits on a Hyatt Stay Certificate stay. Unless you plan to use a Diamond elite confirmed suite upgrade certificate necessitating a paid stay, there is little reason to pay an extra $300 for this two-night stay. 

Saturday May 7 – Monday May 9 are dates available using Hyatt Stay Elite certificate.

Hyatt Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York

Saturday May 7 – Monday May 9, 2011

Hyatt Stay Two-night Elite Certificate = $498 (room + tax)

Hyatt Lowest Paid Rate = $1,028.36

$530.36 saved using Hyatt Elite Stay Certificate

Hyatt Stay Certificates come in 5 price levels. 

Classic ($109/night)

Some Classic level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
• Hyatt Regency Cleveland
• Hyatt Place Portland Airport PDX
• Hyatt Regency Cancun
• Hyatt Place Phoenix Airport
• Hyatt Place Atlanta Buckhead
• Hyatt Manila, Philippines 

Choice ($145/night)

Some Choice level Hyatt Hotels include the 

• Grand Hyatt Denver
• Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, Florida
• Hyatt Dulles Airport
• Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Canada
• Hyatt Regency Dubai
• Hyatt Regency Casablanca, Morocco
• Hyatt Regency Cologne, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Auckland

Premier ($185/night)

Some Premier level Hyatt Hotels include:

• Hyatt Regency Newport Rhode Island
• Grand Hyatt Dallas DFW
• Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, South Africa
• Hyatt Regency Warsaw, Poland

Elite ($249/night)

Some Elite level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Nevada
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio
• Grand Hyatt Seattle
• Park Hyatt Philadelphia
• Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
• Park Hyatt Istanbul
• Andaz London
• Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

Inspire ($319/night)

Inspire level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow
• Park Hyatt Dubai
• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
• Grand Hyatt Mumbai
• Grand Hyatt Tokyo
• Park Hyatt Melbourne
• Park Hyatt Sydney
• Hyatt Regency Aruba
• Park Hyatt Buenos Aires
• Hyatt Regency Maui
• Grand Hyatt Kauai
• Park Hyatt Chicago
• Hyatt Regency Paris Madeleine 

Hyatt Stay Certificates can be purchased for one, two, or three night stays. There is no discount for purchasing a multi-night Stay Certificate, so it is advisable to purchase single night certificates and combine them if needed.  You do not retain any residual credit if you burn a three night certificate for a two night stay. 

Participating Hyatt Hotels for Hyatt Stay Certificates accept different levels of certificates. Stay certificates are capacity controlled. For this reason it is best to check availability before purchasing the certificate to be sure you have the correct level for your desired hotel.

The main caveat in using Hyatt Stay Certificates is no points are earned on the paid certificate portion of the hotel stay.  Certificates count like free nights for Hyatt Gold Passport.

Hyatt Weekend Certificates  

Hyatt also offers Hyatt Weekend Certificates for hotels in USA and Canada. These 2-night or 3-night certificates are valid for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights and include breakfast. Far fewer properties participate in the Weekend Certificate offer, however, this option is sometimes cheaper than the Stay Certificate. Compare prices.

Hyatt Select Weekend Certificate US $298 for two nights ($447 3-nights) 

Hyatt Prestige Weekend Certificate US $418 for two nights ($627 3-nights)

Interestingly, there are some properties listed as accepting a Prestige Weekend Certificate that otherwise would require an Elite level Stay certificate.

There is an obvious advantage to the Hyatt Weekend Certificate at $209 per night including breakfast compared to $249 per night without breakfast for an Elite Stay Certificate at some Hyatt hotels. 

The following hotels are classified as Elite level Hyatt Stay ($249/night) and offer Hyatt Prestige Weekend Certificates which include breakfast for two and three night stays ($209/night).

• Park Hyatt Toronto
• Hyatt Grand Champions Resort (Palm Springs, CA area)
• Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Florida (Naples area)
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida
• Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, New Mexico
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, San Antonio, Texas
• Grand Hyatt Seattle
• Hyatt at Olive 8, Seattle
• Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C. 

Link to Hyatt Stay Certificates

Link to Hyatt Weekend Certificates

Link to List of Hyatt Certificate Participating Hotels and Hotel Level

There is potential for saving money on the hotel room rate if you are willing to forego points and stay credit. Elite benefits should still apply on these stays.

Hyatt Card “Nights On Us” Sweepstakes is available on Facebook for a chance to win two free nights at any Hyatt worldwide or 7,000 Gold Passport points. The entry period is September 15 through October 15, 2010 eastern time.

This sweepstakes promotes the new Hyatt Visa card, but there is no purchase necessary and you do not need to apply for the credit card to enter the sweepstakes.

Simply enter a Hyatt location where you would like to have two nights and write a 50 word or less description of what activities you would like to do there.

You have to be a registered member of Facebook to see the Hyatt Facebook page and enter the Sweepstakes.

There are two sets of sweepstakes prizes. The sooner you enter, the better your odds.

5 Grand Prize drawings will occur for two night stay prizes.

The drawings occur:

• 9/17;
• 9/24;
• 10/1;
• 10/8;
• 10/18.

12 prize drawings will occur between September 15 and October 18 for 7,000 points. A winner will be randomly selected from among all entries to date on:

•  9/16/10,
• 9/20/10,
• 9/22/10,
• 9/24/10,
• 9/28/10,
• 9/30/10,
• 10/4/10,
• 10/6/10,
• 10/8/10,
• 10/12/10,
• 10/14/10,
• 10/18/10.

Hyatt Card Facebook Sweepstakes for Two Free Nights at any Hyatt worldwide

The Extended Stay segment is the last of the hotel market segments covered in the JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. These are apartment style rooms generally with a kitchen and dining table and usually one or two bedrooms, although studios and three-bedroom facilities are available in some locations. This is the territory of business folk sequestered away in a remote work site for weeks or months.

These hotel accommodations are also a good alternative to Embassy Suites for families seeking a cheap hotel location with plenty of room. Weekend rates at extended stay hotels are typically about 50% of the weekday rates when business travelers are filling rooms. The drawback is these hotels are usually near business parks and may require a drive to get to markets and shopping malls.

The advantage of extended stay locations include the ability to save big on food expenses by grocery shopping and cooking at the hotel rather than dining out frequently. Some extended stay hotel properties even have outdoor barbeque grill facilities.

Another common feature of extended stay hotels are recreational facilities for games like basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, pools, ping-pong tables and pool tables. Some or none of these facilities may be present at any specific location. Check with the hotel. My general observation though when visiting extended stay properties is at least a couple of sports areas are available to enhance the social atmosphere of a property where some guests are on site for several consecutive weeks.

The main drawback as a hotel loyalty program member when staying at extended stay properties is the lower earning tier typically applied.

Priority Club Rewards only earns points at 5 points per $1 spend when staying at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites. This is 50% earning rate compared to Holiday Inn Express at 10 points per $1.

Marriott Rewards members also earn points at only 50% rate for stays in Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites. Marriott’s extended stay brands earn points at the rate of 5 points per $1 spend whereas all other brands earn 10 points per $1.

Hilton HHonors members earn full points credit when staying at Homewood Suites, however, members choosing fixed miles only earn 100 miles per stay with most airlines and several international airlines do not earn any miles for Homewood Suites stays. 

JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Segment Satisfaction Index

Sources:

JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study press release

JD Power 2010 Extended Stay Hotel Market Segment Full Ratings Report

JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Market Segment Ratings

There are only seven hotel brands rated in the JD Power Extended Stay Market Segment.

The study indicates Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hawthorn Suites (Wyndham), MainStay Suites (Choice), and Studio 6 (Accor) have too few hotels to rate in the index.

Extended Stay Hotel Brands by Number of Hotels

Residence Inn (Marriott Rewards) = 589 hotels (June 18, 2010). Residence Inn locations.

Extended StayAmerica = 363 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Locations. Extended Stay Deluxe brand includes another 109 hotels.

Candlewood Suites (IHG Priority Club) = 273 hotels in North America. Candlewood Suites locations.

Homewood Suites (Hilton HHonors) = 230 hotels. Homewood Suites e-directory.

TownePlace Suites (Marriott Rewards) = 190 hotels (June 18, 2010). TownePlace Suites locations.

Staybridge Suites (IHG Priority Club) = 180 hotels (June 30, 2010). Staybridge Suites hotel locations.

Homestead Studio Suites = 132 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Locations.

These Extended Stay hotel brands were too small for JD Power ratings.

Hawthorn Suites (Wyndham Rewards) = 77 hotels in U.S. Hawthorn Suites locations.

Suburban Extended Stay (Choice Privileges) = 63 hotels in U.S.

Studio 6 (Accor) = 62 hotels in U.S. and Canada. Studio 6 locations.

MainStay Suites (Choice Privileges) = 36 hotels in U.S.

Hyatt Summerfield Suites (Hyatt Gold Passport) = 35 hotels. Hyatt Summerfield Suites locations.

Homestead Studio Suites and Extended Stay America are hotel brands under the same parent company – Extended Stay Hotels. Extended Stay Hotels does not operate a points-based hotel loyalty program. The company has a direct marketing approach to hotel loyalty. Get $10 off your next stay just by signing up to receive email discount offers and promotions for the hotel brands in the 700+ hotel chain Extended Stay Hotels.

Related Loyalty Traveler posts on JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study

Overview JD Power 2010 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study (Aug 10)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Luxury Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Upscale Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 11)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Full Service Hotel Satisfaction Index (Aug 13)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Midscale Limited Service Hotels Satisfaction Index (Aug 15)

Comments on JD Power 2010 Economy/Budget Hotel Satisfaction ratings (Aug 16)

Mini-Golf at Staybridge Suites Sunnyvale, California

Hyatt had 409 hotels and 25 timeshares and residences as of March 31, 2010. There are 125 full service hotels in North America in the Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, and Andaz brands.

Limited service hotels are the Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites brands and number 182 hotels in North America. In other words, the market segment distribution for Hyatt in North America is 40% full service and 60% limited service hotels for the 307 properties. There are 102 international Hyatt hotels.

The room rate numbers breakdown is not reported by hotel brand or region, but by owned and managed hotels.

In general, select service hotels numbers show the Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites hotel brands took a substantial rate dip over the past year with an average room rate decline from 10 to 12%.Occupancy increased 8.7 to 10.0% for the year.

Hyatt full-service hotels saw average rate drops of 8% in North America and 4% internationally when US currency exchange rates are excluded. The average room rate in North America at $157 per night is a full 25% less than the international average rate at $212 per night.

The shocker to me for Hyatt’s numbers is the occupancy rate at full service hotels in North America is only up 3.7 points to 64.3% despite a solid year from Gold Passport offering the best hotel loyalty promotions of the past decade.

Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites select service brand occupancy increase of 8.7 points to 66.6% can probably be attributed in part on the lower cost for promotion fulfillment with free nights after two stays and elite status renewal with these lower priced brands. The average daily rate for these two hotel brands dropped over 10% in the past year to just $93.31 in North America.

The occupancy increases internationally of 8% year over year may indicate some success with Gold Passport loyalty promotions or just a better hotel market internationally compared to the USA.

The following properties were added to the portfolio during the first quarter of 2010:

• Andaz San Diego, CA (managed, 154 rooms)
• Andaz Wall Street, NY (managed, 253 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Charleston Airport, SC (franchised, 127 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Dania Beach, FL (franchised, 149 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Garden City, NY (franchised, 122 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Sacramento / Roseville, CA (managed, 151 rooms)
• Hyatt Place UC Davis, CA (franchised, 75 rooms)
• Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa, FL (managed, 250 rooms)
• Hyatt Summerfield Suites Dania Beach, FL (franchised, 143 rooms)
• Hotel Mar Monte, CA (managed, 197 rooms)

Source: Hyatt First Quarter 2010 Financial Release

Save 30% off the Hyatt Daily Rate for stays from May 28 to July 5 at Hyatt Place or Hyatt Summerfield Suites. These limited time offer rates are only available for booking through this Friday, May 7.

These rates are great deals, however, they are prepaid and nonrefundable rates and do not allow any changes. AAA rates generally give a 10% to 20% discount and are refundable rates with liberal cancellation policies.

Buyer beware! I am always highly reluctant to book prepaid, nonrefundable stays. Who knows what might happen in your life? An unexpected death in my family this week changed my plans and resulted in several family members losing paid airline tickets and hotel stays when travel plans abruptly changed to deal with this emergency.

I might consider this offer if I had a low-priced Hyatt Place in my neighborhood, but the nearest Hyatt Place to my home is 80 miles away and if I missed just one nonrefundable night at the Hyatt Place Fremont (as low as $51 for weekend nights), then I would give up all the savings compared to the typical AAA cost of four hotel stays at Hyatt Place Fremont ($63 per night).

Still, this is a good limited time offer rate for Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites hotels.

Here is an analysis of a sample hotel travel plan to maximize the multiple Hyatt promotions currently available and combinable.

1. Earn a free night at any Hyatt brand hotel worldwide after any two stays at a Hyatt brand hotel worldwide (or 5,000 bonus points) with the Big Welcome Back promotion valid for hotel stays through June 30.

2. Earn 3,000 AAdvantage miles per hotel stay for a total of 28,000 miles with six hotel stays by July 5.

Six hotel stays at Hyatt Place Fremont or Hyatt Place Dublin at $55 per night all-in. $330 total.

Earn 28,000 AAdvantage miles + 3 free nights anywhere. Potential value in the neighborhood of $1,500.

Hyatt may have added a new high category award level 6 and moved 20% of its hotels to higher category levels beginning next month, but these promotions still make Hyatt the hotel loyalty program offering members the most incredible promotion incentives for your stays.

Summerfield Suites 30% Discount link – http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/summerfield/specials/select-lto.jsp

Hyatt Place 30% Discount link – http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/place/specials/select-lto.jsp

Hyatt Gold Passport announced hotel award category changes effective June 4, 2010. The major change is the addition of a new high-end hotel category 6 award level at 22,000 points per night. There will be 20 hotels in the new category 6 award level.

Category shifts in the 411 hotel chain will see 89 hotels (21.7%) moving to a higher award category and 65 hotels (15.8%) moving to a lower level as of June 4. The majority of the hotels moving up are in the upper half of the award categories while the hotels moving down are primarily (70%) category 2 hotels (8,000 points per night) moving to category 1 (5,000 points per night).

The member friendly aspect of the impending changes is the transparency Hyatt Gold Passport has given by publishing all the category changes five weeks before the changes take effect. I slammed Hilton and Marriott earlier this year for announcing hotel category changes, but not giving members the complete changes in advance and a window of opportunity to book hotel awards before the hotels changed category levels.

Hyatt Gold Passport members have five weeks in which to book hotel awards before the changes take effect. Award night reservations booked before June 4 for stays after June 4 may be modified for up to 90 days (through September 2, 2010).

FAQ for Hyatt Gold Passport changes.

Hyatt Gold Passport Award Categories in High Definition

411 Hotels

• Category 1 = 97 hotels (23.6%)  5,000 points per night
• Category 2 = 147 hotels (35.8%) 8,000 points per night
• Category 3 = 66 hotels (16.1%) 12,000 points per night
• Category 4 = 50 hotels (12.2%) 15,000 points per night
• Category 5 = 31 hotels (7.5%) 18,000 points per night
• Category 6 = 20 hotels (4.9%) 22,000 points

Hyatt Gold Passport Hotels in new Category 6 award level as of June 4, 2010

1. Highlands Inn, a Hyatt Hotel (Carmel Highlands, California)
2. Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa (Huntington Beach, California)
3. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (Colorado)
4. Hyatt Key West (Florida)
5. Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa (Hawaii)
6. Hyatt Regency Maui (Hawaii)
7. Park Hyatt Chicago (Illinois)
8. Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (Nevada)
9. Grand Hyatt New York (New York)
10. Park Hyatt Washington (District of Columbia)
11. Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino (Aruba)
12. Hyatt Regency Paris – Madeleine (France)
13. Park Hyatt Paris Vendome (France)
14. Park Hyatt Milan (Italy)
15. Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow  (Russia)
16. Park Hyatt Zurich (Switzerland)
17. Hyatt Regency London The Churchill (United Kingdom)
18. Park Hyatt Sydney (Australia)
19. Grand Hyatt Hong Kong (China)
20. Park Hyatt Tokyo (Japan)

Category 1 Awards (97 hotels)

• 46 hotels dropped from category 2 to category 1
• 51 hotels unchanged

Category 2 Awards (147 hotels)

• 18 hotels increased category 1 to category 2
• 12 hotels decreased category 3 to category 2
• 117 hotels unchanged

Category 3 Awards (66 hotels)

• 2 hotels increased category 1 to category 3
• 12 hotels increased category 2 to category 3
• 6 hotels decreased category 4 to category 3
• 46 hotels unchanged

Category 4 Awards (50 hotels)

• 1 hotel increased category 2 to category 4
• 16 hotels increased category 3 to category 4
• 1 hotel decreased category 5 to category 4
• 32 hotels unchanged

Category 5 Awards (31 hotels)

• 3 hotels increased category 3 to category 5
• 17 hotels increased category 4 to category 5
• 11 hotels unchanged

Category 6 Awards

• 5 hotels increased category 4 to category 6
• 15 hotels increased category 5 to category 6

I am finally getting around to writing about The Big Welcome Back from Hyatt Gold Passport when I see Gary Leff is giving away free Hyatt nights at View from the Wing blog. The only thing better than a free night after two hotel stays is two free nights with no hotel stays requirement. Simply leave a comment, by noon eastern time, Sunday, April 25 on Gary’s Hyatt Free Nights post and cross your fingers for good luck.

One thing to point out about Hyatt’s free internet for Platinum and Diamond elites is the hotel may only offer one access mode for free, wired or wireless access, and you have to pay to use the other one. I found this to be the case at a couple of hotels where I wanted wireless, but only wired was free. Fortunately at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco my room location was sufficiently close to access the Regency Club wireless internet from my room.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) launched free internet access for top elite Platinummembers as an in-hotel benefit. Simply accept internet charges when logging on at the hotel and they will be removed from the bill for Platinum elites. This benefit is available worldwide at all SPG hotels offering internet. Public space and meeting room internet is not covered in this benefit and terms vary by hotel for these spaces.

Reaching SPG platinum elite membership requires 50 nights or 25 stays in a calendar year. SPG typically offers an 8 to 12 week window each year with a stays count double promotion making Platinum status available in as few as 13 stays which can be as few as 13 hotel nights.

The Big Welcome Back from Hyatt Gold Passport

“We want to welcome you back before you readjust to your time zone.”

I picked up the 6”x11” card from Hyatt Gold Passport at my mailbox yesterday.

Choose to earn a free night or 5,000 Hyatt Gold passport bonus points after every two stays through June 30, 2010.

Now just decide where you want to go. Start earning. Then, enjoy your reward. Because the only thing better than welcoming you, is welcoming you back.

• Register today at goldpassport.com for the reward you want – free nights or bonus points
• Stay at any Hyatt worldwide through June 30, 2010
• Provide your Hyatt Gold Passport account number

Earn as many rewards as you can and then redeem them at any Hyatt worldwide. Enjoy your free night awards with no blackout dates between April 1 and August 31, 2010. Or, enjoy your bonus points anytime toward free nights, upgrades, or miles, with no expiration.

Why is Hyatt working so hard to attract members with giveaways?

I am not actually referring to Gary Leff’s free nights promotion; rather, why is Hyatt giving instant elite membership for the asking and top-elite diamond for just 15 nights? Why is Hyatt Gold Passport offering a free night at a Hyatt brand hotel anywhere to a member with two stays at any Hyatt hotel anywhere? These are high value giveaways.

Recently, several articles have passed by me and together they kind of paint a picture of the high stakes game for hotel revenue management combined with brand name recognition and high value customers.

Max Starkov is chief e-business strategist at Hospitality e-Business Strategies, a business which focuses on hotel direct online channel strategies. Direct online channels are the hotel brand websites. For Hyatt hotels this means the company booking site at Hyatt.com, the loyalty program booking site at goldpassport.com, and individual hotel booking sites like highlandsinn.hyatt.com.

Max Starkov’s recent article, “Not All Internet Bookings are Created Equal,” analyzed the proportion of hotel chain bookings made via direct online channels vs. indirect channels like online travel agencies – Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline. Overall for the hotel industry the proportion of room bookings made via the internet is estimated to be around 45% of all hotel bookings in 2010.

That means fewer than 50% of hotel rooms booked are via the internet. The top 30 hotel brands actually have a higher proportion of bookings made via the internet with 54.2%. In 2009 about 71% of internet bookings are direct channels and 29% indirect channels. In 2007 about 76% of internet bookings were direct channel bookings. Basically, the hotels are losing ground to the online travel agencies for room bookings.

Why do direct bookings matter, and, what does this have to do with Hyatt’s promotion giveaways?

GDS systems used by travel agents book about 23.6% of hotel rooms in 2009 compared to 31.3% in  for the top 30 hotel brands. The number of hotel rooms booked by GDS dropped by 25% in four years. Over the same time period the number of phone bookings also dropped from 31.3% in 2006 to 22.2% for 2009.

Basically there is a smaller share of room bookings happening via GDS systems and the phone. Internet bookings are growing and the hotel brands are losing share in the booking channels used by customers for buying hotel rooms.

The truly remarkable part to me is the large number of guests staying at the top 30 hotel brands who are not receiving any hotel chain loyalty benefits due to booking via Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, etc. Even more amazing perhaps is the fact these guests probably did not pay any less than the rates available on the hotel’s own websites when not booking on an opaque site like Priceline or Hotewire where the hotel is not known in advance.

There certainly are some lower rates to be found through online travel agencies like Orbitz and Expedia. I book about 20% of my hotel stays through successful Best Rate Guarantee claims on the hotel’s website when I find a lower room rate at an online travel agency. I receive the low rate plus additional rate discounts or bonuses and I still receive all my hotel loyalty program benefits.

Starkov’s article goes on to show indirect bookings of hotel stays cost the hotel about 8 times more money. As the travel recession is now in the middle of its second year, hoteliers have pushed more inventory over to online travel agencies and the OTAs have gained share in the reservations market.

In my opinion I think Hyatt is pulling in a higher proportion of customers by giving elite status and free nights. You only earn these benefits through direct bookings. I do not have any data, but I assume Hyatt has seen a proportional shift to direct bookings after a solid year of high value promotions and complimentary elite status. Hyatt has loads of capital to invest. Hyatt has a credit card partner in the works to launch the hotel chain’s first cobranded credit card. Hyatt is maintaining high prices at its full service hotels.

I just hope after the Hyatt credit card comes around, the elite ranks have grown, direct bookings have grown, and the chain expands, perhaps with a new brand acquisition or two, that the program still offers free nights. I have a hunch though.

Faster Free Nights is what many of us who have been around Hyatt Gold Passport for much of the past decade refer to the free night after every two stays periodic promotion. In past years this promotion was commonly tied to using a MasterCard when paying for the hotel stays. I wonder is Hyatt really promoting the two stays for a free night concept heavily over the past year to tie in their new credit card with future free night promotion offers?

I would not be at all surprised to see 2011 require the Hyatt card be used for the free night after two stays promotion. Wait and see.

Back to the Big Welcome Back.

Seriously, this is a great promotion from Hyatt Gold Passport. Two stays anywhere and earn one free night anywhere and all summer to use it. Huge leverage potential makes booking unnecessary hotel stays totally worthwhile.

In the San Francisco Bay Area there are several Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites hotels with weekend rates $80 or less. Eight miles down the road from me is the Hyatt Highlands Inn with summer room rates typically $400+ per night. You do the math. I have.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my hotel stays at the Hyatt Highlands Inn.

Hyatt’s Big Welcome Back registration page is now available to enroll for your choice of a free night at any Hyatt after any two Hyatt stays worldwide. Or you can select 5,000 Gold Passport points after every two stays if you are too busy to use free nights.

Stay at any Hyatt worldwide through June 30, 2010 for this offer. Free nights must be used by August 31, 2010.