Hyatt teams up with MGM in Vegas. When my two love collides.

Posted by Noob Master on Jun 5, 2013 in Hyatt, MGM, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Today, Hyatt announced a new relationship with MGM resorts in Las Vegas! You can now burn Hyatt Gold Passport points at MGM Vegas properties and receive credits for your stay. Winning. This is cool, because there aren’t really a lot of options to earn and burn points in Vegas. I’m especially excited because I like Vegas and love Hyatt. So, yeah, it’s a good day for me. Until now, the only option to burn and earn Hyatt Gold Passport points in Vegas was at a Hyatt Place off the strip. Boo on that.

Hyatt & Vegas

Starting June 20, 2013 you will be able to book MGM resorts in Vegas through the Hyatt.com portal. From the PR release:

“Guests with membership in Hyatt Gold Passport and M life will be able to earn both Hyatt Gold Passport points and M life Tier Credits on eligible rates and spend for stays beginning on or after June 20 at participating MGM Resorts destinations.”

It’s a double dip! You will earn Gold Passport points and M life tier credits on stays (M life is the rewards program of MGM Resorts International). Bookings made through third party online sites will not be eligible, but that’s to be expected. You must present your membership numbers for Hyatt and M life at the time of check in to receive your points/credits. If for some odd reason you’re not a Hyatt Gold Passport member, you can change that here. And you can sign up for a M life membership here.

Hotel tiers

There are 12 Las Vegas MGM properties participating. Here are their Hyatt categories and the cost to redeem your Gold Passport points for the stay.

Category 2 | 8,000 points a night

Excalibur

Category 3 | 12,000 points a night

Luxor

Category 4 | 15,000 points a night

Monte Carlo

New York, New York

Category 5 | 18,000 points a night

MGM Grand

Signature at MGM Grand

Mirage

Vdara

Category 6 | 22,000 points a night 

Aria

Thehotel

Bellagio

The Mandalay Bay

That’s a lot of new opportunities to earn and burn Hyatt Gold Passport points! Since you can often find great deals to Vegas during the week and non-peak season, it may only be beneficial to burn points during the weekend when rates are higher.

You can’t use your Diamond suite upgrade, but c’mon, it’s Vegas. They give those things away. It’s nice that the annual certificate from the Hyatt Visa (that’s good for a category 1-4 location) can be used in Vegas now, too. But you won’t get the 3x points for using your Hyatt Visa at a Hyatt (MGM) property. I would stick with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Ink Business card to receive the 2x hotel category bonus.

Benefits

The unique relationship between Hyatt and M life offers members the ability to experience additional hotel benefits during their stays. You will be able to match your Gold Passport status to an M life tier. Sweeet. This won’t be live until August, and you will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed.

This will be needed because Hyatt Platinum and Diamond won’t receive their benefits such as free breakfast or internet. Here’s the list of the M life tiers and their perks. Below are the full benefits for both Hyatt and M life.

Hyatt Gold Passport Benefits

• Hyatt Gold Passport members will receive Hyatt Gold Passport points on every eligible dollar spent at the 12 participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas. Members will also have the opportunity to earn M life Tier Credits simultaneously at these locations on eligible spend.
• All eligible stays at any of the participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas will count toward Hyatt Gold Passport tier status.
• Hyatt Gold Passport members will be able to redeem their Hyatt Gold Passport points for award nights at participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas.
• Coming in August, Hyatt Gold Passport members will be eligible to opt-in to a reciprocal tier status in MGM Resorts’ M life, providing benefits at participating MGM Resorts destinations. Depending on the matched Tier Level, members may receive special room offers and upgrades, pre-sale access to premier concert, show and fight tickets, invitations to members-only events, access to M life Moments – exclusive experiences, and much more.

M life Benefits

• M life members will receive M life Tier Credits for eligible spend when traveling beyond MGM Resorts destinations, in Las Vegas, Detroit and Mississippi, when they stay at Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide.
• M life members will have the opportunity to experience destinations and cultures across the globe with the authentic hospitality that Hyatt offers while earning M life Tier Credits.
• Coming in August, M life members will be eligible to opt-in to a reciprocal tier status in Hyatt Gold Passport, providing benefits at Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide. Depending on the matched Tier Level, members may receive complimentary in-room Internet access, guaranteed room availability, late check-out and more during their Hyatt stay.

Recap

I’m glad to see a new partnership with MGM and Hyatt, since it’s always nice to have another option to earn points in Vegas. The reciprocal benefits that are going to roll out in August will be nice as well. Here’s a link to the FAQ about the partnership to help with any questions you may have.

I probably won’t burn any of my Hyatt Gold Passport points (or UR points transferred in) on any Vegas hotels. I prefer to use them for on properties that I can get a better return on, like the the Park Hyatt-Vendome I burned 44k points on for two nights last September ($2,000 value). I’ll stick with cash in Vegas, but it’s nice to know I can now earn Hyatt points on those bookings and reap some additional benefits.

— Noob Master

Up to a 30% bonus when you buy Hyatt points in June

Posted by Noob Master on Jun 3, 2013 in Gold Passport, Hotels, Hyatt, Uncategorized | 0 comments

You know I love me some Hyatt points.

And right now you can receive up to a 30% bonus when you buy Hyatt points (from June 1 to June 30, 2013).

Hyatt Bonus

The more Hyatt points you purchase, the bigger bonus you will receive. Makes sense. The bonus tiers are below:

• Purchase 1,000 to 9,000 points and get a 10% bonus
• Purchase 10,000 to 29,000 points and get a 20% bonus
• Purchase 30,000 to 40,000 points and get a 30% bonus

For example: If you bought 10,000 points, you would get a bonus of 2,000 points – so 12,000 Gold Passport points would cost you $240. Not the greatest value in the world. In most cases, I only recommend buying points to top off an account for a redemption, and this situation isn’t any different. Plus, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points into Hyatt, so that’s probably a better idea.

The only scenario where taking advantage of this deal makes sense to me is if you’re already going to be spending some $$ on a top tier Hyatt like the Park Hyatt Vendome, etc.

— Noob Master

1,000 free United miles – Ultimate Rewards warning – Hyatt House announcement

Posted by Noob Master on May 21, 2013 in Hyatt, Ultimate Rewards, Uncategorized, United Airlines | 0 comments

Here are a few quickies:

1,000 free (not really) United miles w/ Small Business Network

I received an email last week from United, touting their Small Business Network and the perk of earning 1,000 United MileagePlus miles after enrolling. 

1,000 United MileagePlus Miles

You will earn 1,000 miles after you spend enough through United’s network partners to earn 100 miles by August 17, 2013. You will have to spend at least $10 to earn 100 miles, which will trigger the 1,000 United miles. Not terrible or great. Just, ehh.

There are promises that you will be able to eventually transfer your business miles to your personal account. This is a perk, but I will just keep my business spending through my personal account.

You can sign up as a sole proprietor, so that’s good news for those people who have businesses that aren’t incorporated.

Here are the full terms and conditions from United’s website:

This account will be separate from personal MileagePlus member accounts. Subject to terms & conditions and program rules.

*Enrollment bonus terms and conditions

• To qualify for 1,000 mile bonus, prior to 11:59PM CENTRAL on August 17, 2013, a business must:
  • Enroll in MileagePlus Small Business Network
  • Complete qualifying earning activity for 100 miles or more with Small Business Network partners
• Member must be a business that is duly organized and validly existing in the United States under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization
• Offer subject to terms & conditions of the MileagePlus Small Business Network
• Bonus offer available one time per member account
• Earning points in connection with United PerksPlus will not count as qualified earning activity toward earning the enrollment bonus.

New Ultimate Rewards warning?

A few months ago, I wrote about Chase closing down Ultimate Rewards accounts for illegal transfers. You’re allowed to transfer points to same household members, but no one else. At the time, it seemed like it was still ok to transfer UR points out to travel partners outside of our household, but now I’m not so sure.

I was transferring some of my Ultimate Rewards points to one of their travel partners and noticed the warning on the confirm transfer page:

“Ultimate Rewards point transfer features are designed to allow our cardmembers to take advantage of the rewards they earn. The features are not intended to allow transfers to third parties other than a spouse or domestic partner of the cardmember. Transfers to unauthorized third parties or any other abuse of the Ultimate Rewards program may result in suspension or termination of the ability to participate in the program and forfeiture of points already earned.”

Maybe it’s been there for a while and I haven’t noticed, but it’s just a reminder to only transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to household members UR accounts and/or their loyalty program accounts.

I love the flexibility Jordan and I have with our Ultimate Rewards points earned from one of our many Chase Sapphire Preferred®, Ink Bold® Business Card, or Ink Plus® Business Cards. I’m sticking to only transferring points between our accounts, because it would be a crushing defeat if my Ultimate Rewards accounts were shut down.

Hyatt House new additions

Hyatt House had a PR release yesterday, announcing their new Very Important Residents (VIR) and two new additions for all members.

The new VIR program is for guests who have stayed 30+ nights at a Hyatt House. If that’s you, you’d receive these bennies:

• Personalized service: From learning guests’ personal preferences to building a relationship with them during their stay, each property is committed to making guests feel like they’re right at home.
• Pick-Your-Suite: Guests will have the opportunity to pick their own suite from available rooms in their room type at the time of their arrival.
• VIR Key Card: Each key card will reflect guests’ VIR status so that hotel staff can quickly recognize a VIR guest and provide them with above and beyond personalized service.
• VIR Tour: A personalized hotel tour from hotel management staff.
• “Favorites” Folio: A place to make note of guests’ likes, dislikes and special requests so HYATT house can personalize their stay in every way, every time.
• Grocery Shopping Service: By providing a grocery list to the House Host, the staff will stock guests’ refrigerators and kitchens with their favorite food items before their arrival or for when they come home.
• Grub Stub: Redeem for a $10 food and beverage credit from the H BAR or the Guest Market.
• Scrub Stub: This voucher can be redeemed for one washer and dryer cycle.
• VIP Welcome Amenity: Guests can select an amenity of their choice to be waiting for them when they arrive.

I’m kind of intrigued by the “grocery shopping service.” A refrigerator stocked with beer and ice cream is the way I want to be welcomed.

The other new announcements are:

The Morning Spread

The new complimentary Morning Spread offers a build-your-own Omelet Bar, oatmeal, yogurts, fresh fruit and other breakfast goodness. Guests will also find more balanced items, including vegetarian and gluten-free options. As always, breakfast is free for guests and served daily at HYATT house.

Hyatt Has It – Borrows

From curling irons to cell phone chargers to blenders – these commonly forgotten items are now available to borrow from House Hosts. An expanded list of items to borrow will be available June 1, including family-friendly board games, noise machines and laundry baskets.

Good news for those of you who can’t sleep without a noise machine. We’re those people.

I always like seeing Hyatt increase its benefits. I’ve never stayed at a Hyatt House, but if I was a road warrior and had the added VIR bennies, it might sway me to at least try them out.

— Noob Master