My Final Stay as a Hyatt Diamond Member & Final Thoughts

 

I have been fortunate enough to be a Hyatt Diamond member for the last few years. I have stayed at some fabulous properties and had incredible interactions with staff and agents. A couple of days ago, I had my final stay as a Hyatt Diamond member as the Hyatt Gold Passport program goes away today and is replaced tomorrow by the new World of Hyatt. With that replacement, I say goodbye to being a Diamond member and hello to being a Globalist.

My Final Stay as a Hyatt Diamond Member

My last stay as a Hyatt Diamond member was actually at the same hotel that was my last stay before I became a Diamond member a few years ago – the Park Hyatt Dubai. I had to be back in Dubai for a quick trip and, while I like to try different properties and there is no shortage of those in Dubai, I wanted to give it another look as a Diamond member and also check out the suite that I would receive with my Diamond Suite Upgrade.

I will have a complete review of the Park Hyatt Executive Spa Suite in a later post but I did want to mention a few things about this final Diamond stay and what it sums up from my experience as a Hyatt Diamond member.

Staff Was Excellent

Yes, it is common at higher-end properties in Dubai to receive excellent attention and customer service – I realize that. But, there were many touches beyond the basic treatment one would expect that I was very appreciative of.

More: How Hyatt Went Completely Above and Beyond

For one thing, the agent that checked me in had noticed some of my other stays and mentioned that she was from the same city as one of the properties and had actually worked there. She was surprised when I said I live there and am a frequent guest of the hotel. This opened up a nice door of some pleasant conversation.

Not only was she tremendously kind and helpful, but she was also very aware of the upcoming World of Hyatt program and what is would mean for the various elite members. Kudos to Hyatt for getting the information out to their people about the new program. I am sure there will be agents that will not be quite up to speed tomorrow, but it was evident that this agent definitely knew what she was talking about.

Hyatt Staff Overall

I will make a point of reflecting on this to say that I have had more pleasant interactions with Hyatt employees all over the world. I have stayed in many hotels, including other chains as a top-tier elite. Never have I been dealt with more personally than I have at Hyatt properties. I am always made to feel like I am being welcomed home instead of just a customer.

Suite Was Fantastic

I made this trip with my daughter and she really enjoyed the suite, as did I, of course! We had a beautiful view overlooking the water and two balconies to enjoy that view from.

The living space throughout the suite was perfect and certainly more than the 2 of us could really use. Being able to use Diamond Suite Upgrades as been a fantastic perk of being a Diamond member and I am looking forward to getting upgraded at check-in to the basic suites without having to use them as a Globalist!

Diamond Suite Upgrades

I will take a moment here to mention that, even though I have received 4 suite upgrades per year like all Diamonds, I have never used them all. It is not because I didn’t want to but because many times, I was automatically upgraded to a suite at the various properties anyway! This occurred at smaller international properties mostly but was still a treat and I continued to find my Diamond Suite Upgrade certificate count staying around 2 or 3 as a result.

Breakfast Was Delicious

The breakfast spread, free as it has been for Diamond members, was really great. The variety of foods and the mix of regular breakfast foods with local aspects was just right. We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast – especially since it was free!

Breakfast for Hyatt Diamond Members

To be honest, I am not a big breakfast person. So, when I am able, I always like to take the breakfast at Hyatt hotels as late as possible to count more like my “lunch” than breakfast. 🙂

I have always enjoyed the breakfasts that I have received from Hyatt properties. They do a great job of giving an American touch with local foods as well to give you a great variety. The staff at the properties again have largely been great. Getting free breakfast, that would normally cost over $50 in some situations (per person), has been one of the perks I enjoyed the most as a Hyatt Diamond member.

Customer Service Representatives

From the phone support and Diamond agents to the Twitter team, I have always had great interaction with the Hyatt Gold Passport reps. In fact, I have become friends with many and have always appreciated how quickly they respond to my questions.

For example, when going through my account, I saw that a couple of my recent stays did not have the Diamond amenity points added in (I always request points). I sent a quick DM on Twitter to them just to have them check it and I got a response within 30 minutes saying they had added the points! As they have always done, they added a 50% bonus on for having to apply them retroactively. That is very fast response and something I have noticed is a constant. Note: the Diamond amenity option for points is gone with the new World of Hyatt program.

Takeaway

Being a Hyatt Diamond member has been a great experience and has made me feel at home in hotels around the world. I am very grateful to the Gold Passport team that I have gotten to know and for the value the program has provided. Sure, there are some things about the new World of Hyatt that I do not like but I am very thankful for the people that will make up the backbone of the new program.

It has been great to be a Hyatt Diamond – tomorrow, we shall see what it is like to be a Globalist! (yeah, the names are one of the things I am not very fond of!)

How has your experience been with the Hyatt Gold Passport program, as an elite or a regular member?