At the end of October, Hyatt ended their very generous Diamond Challenge. It was a very lucrative challenge giving participants top tier Hyatt status just for signing up – and including the 4 suite upgrades with the trial status. Participants needed to stay 12 nights over the course of 60 days to retain the Diamond status, but many people simply used the challenge as a way to get the suite upgrades and free breakfast (which Diamond members receive). Granted, people did need to demonstrate status with a competing hotel chain but that was easily attainable with only a credit card (Hilton Gold status).
After they pulled it, Hyatt officials did say that they would be bringing something back at some point. Well, that day of the return for the challenge is tomorrow, per View From the Wing. However, the challenge has undergone some changes to how it will be earned – it has a positive change and negative. Here are the details on the old Hyatt Diamond Challenge.
The New Hyatt Diamond Challenge
The Good
With the new Hyatt Diamond Challenge, you will not need to demonstrate status with a competing chain. Anyone can sign-up for the challenge. That is good news for people that will be staying at Hyatt hotels but do not have status with another hotel (even though that other status is very easy to pickup with credit cards).
Another positive is that members can actually get Platinum status for another by staying 6 nights of the challenge (they receive it for 60 days just for signing up). Hyatt Platinum status is incredibly easy to get by virtue of the Chase Hyatt Visa, but if you don’t have it yet or you no longer have it, this is a nice way to get Platinum status.
Read This: Real-Life Comparison of Hyatt Platinum and Hyatt Diamond
Hyatt Platinum status would normally require 5 stays or 15 nights to achieve on stays alone. That means if you have a lot of one-night stays and Hyatt Platinum is your goal, you are better off just staying as a regular member to receive Platinum status than doing the challenge as it would require an extra night to get the status and you would have burned up a challenge.
Plus, one more thing! Hyatt does say that Diamond members cannot use the challenge to renew their status, but the fact that they have issued a new program is a good thing! Before, it was once per lifetime (of the account, technically) to get a challenge. But, the new challenge is a new program and should be available to anyone who had previously completed the challenge.
The Bad (or simply, the changes)
What is bad for customers that just want to get the status by trial for the upgrades is that you do not have the Diamond status until you have fulfilled the challenge – 12 nights in 60 days. That means that you have to have an interest in actually giving Hyatt your business past the 12 nights to have this challenge make sense for you.
But, that was a good move for Hyatt. Now, they are genuinely able to target customers who may actually want to move their business to Hyatt instead of just getting the freebies without any intention of achieving the status.
So, you will not receive Hyatt Diamond status until you have stayed the full 12 nights in 60 days. Because you can use Points+Cash stays, that is actually not that difficult to do – especially if you already are planning nights at Hyatts. At least you will get Platinum status for that time (which may not mean much in actual written benefits – beyond the later checkout – because all guests will receive free WiFi. However, I have been upgraded as a Platinum before so that is something).
Signing Up For The Challenge
Here are the details of the challenge:
- The new challenge opens for participants January 1
- Status earned through fulfilling the challenge will be kept until February of 2016
- Participants will receive 1,000 points per night for the first 6 nights
- Participants will receive instant Platinum for the duration of the challenge and will retain Platinum if 6 nights are stayed during the challenge
- *Stays at MLife properties will most likely not count for the challenge – *=they did not count under the previous challenge, so I feel it is fair that they will not count for this one either
- The current challenge sign-up period runs through May 31, 2015
To sign-up for the challenge, simply send an e-mail to goldpassport@hyatt.com or call (800) 304-9288 to sign-up. No other status needed for this challenge and you will have 60 days from enrollment to complete the nights to retain status.
Summary
If you have nights that you could stay in Hyatts in the first part of the coming year, it may be worthwhile to consider if you could get the 12 nights to fulfill this new challenge. Remember, you will get the 4 suite upgrades after earning the status and those upgrades are good for stays up to 7 night stays (each!). These are not award stays, but Points+Cash stays do count for both the qualifying nights for the challenge and for use with the suite upgrades. Plus, as a Diamond member, you will receive breakfast for up to 4 people.
So, the challenge could be great to do if you have a family vacation coming up after a few Hyatt stays (12 nights) – you could use the suite upgrades and get the free breakfast! But, unless those 12 nights are easy to obtain through regular staying habits or a few cheap nights, I wouldn’t make a huge stretch to work it out. If you want Hyatt Platinum status, you would be better off applying for the Chase Hyatt Visa (which would also give you two free nights at any Hyatt and an anniversary night).
