Le Chic Geek
Related Articles
I’ve been a Hyatt Diamond for a while. Â At one point, I spent 1/6th of my year in a Hyatt.
Interestingly, the new Hyatt changes ask you to do just that to continue with top status on Hyatt.
Read more about the changes to Hyatt’s elite program here.
It is now more difficult to qualify for top status (especially if you qualified on stay credits), but the benefits are a little better.  I’m not going to go too much into it but read the post above for details.
In years where I didn’t travel as much as that time I spent 1/6th of my year in a Hyatt, I used stay credits to my advantage. Â I tended to stay in areas that have Hyatts clustered together–Chicago, Charleston, San Francisco–so I was able to use hopping hotels to my advantage.
I also maximized the budget for my company. Â I moved based on changing rates, and only moved if it was improving my situation.
Last year, I had multiple things happen (not so good things, unfortunately), that affected my travel. Â I canceled a lot of planned trips and did not volunteer for work travel until the end of the year.
So I came up very short for Hyatt status for the first time since I started staying at Hyatts.  (I had done a status match with my status from another hotel chain, so I’ve actually never stayed at a Hyatt without status as an adult).
I considered going for it at the end of last year, especially since Hyatt had an especially generous points promo going on.  I did a calculation, and when you consider the value of the points I’d be earning paired with a really great cash and points opportunity by my house, I would have broken pretty even.  I had a long work stay at a Hyatt, so that already started me down the road towards this generous promo.
I would have hit Hyatt Globalist status for 2017.
But then, speaking candidly, my friend passed away, and that really took the wind out of my sails for a lot of things and made the game of chasing travel goals feel empty.
So I didn’t go for it.
But one blog post stayed in the back of my mind–Mommy Point’s story called The Last Great Mattress Run.
In it, she discusses how you can still do a run for status on Hyatt for 2018 without staying 60 nights.
In fact, her method gets you both status for 2017 (if you didn’t qualify for it already)Â and status for 2018–all with 25 stays.
It’s a little bit crazy. Â Okay, okay, it’s a lotta bit crazy. Â But it’s a relatively simple way to get top Hyatt status for two years.
Mommy Points does the math as to whether or not it is worth it in her post. Â I’ll be honest. Â I didn’t do the math.
I’m doing the run for a different reason. Â I’m not necessarily looking to come definitely ahead financially. Â I’m motivated by a few things.
- I’d like to experience this status in practice (and unless work travel goes up again, it’s probably my only chance).
- Planning it out and going for it seems like a fun game.
- I think it’ll put the wind back in my sails.
I think #3 is my biggest motivator.
I’m going to go through all 25 stays, blogging along as I do.  And let’s see if I make it.
I think I will. Â And I can’t wait to see what Globalist is like. Â Even if it makes me crazy.
And 3a. it likely suggests you’ll be spending a decent amount of midweek time ‘working’ from Las Vegas, so there’s that…
How’d you guess? 😀
If I check in to 25 different hyatts in 48 hours will that count as my 25 stays?
One stay per day counts. So that would register as two.
I read on some posts on flyertalk that if stays are in different cities, it might count as a stay…
There is no better reason to do it than #3. Im doing it. I’m at 5 stays so far and its still fun.
What’s wrong with you…
Checked in today for my 13th stay of the year. Was so busy at work one night I didn’t have the energy to make the drive to check in. 🙁 For anyone that has upcoming stays at the Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg (smitty06?), they are undergoing a huge reno on the check in desk area. Restaurant area across from check in is completed and looks great. Can’t comment on breakfast since I missed it. Miss my welcome bag with gold coins for starbucks though. That was a great extra perk. Oh well. Perhaps after the reno when they have a full size check in area they’ll come back. Crossing my fingers. Good luck to all.
the last time I was at schaumbug was late november and they were still under construction, but the starbucks was down the hall and they were still giving gold coins. I may need to add some schaumburg mattress runs in to complete my nights if I run short.
I’m pretty sure that your year numbers are off by 1. This will earn stays during 2017 and keep it through 2018
You are right! I was expecting to have written the numbers in the other direction, which I’d probably do until June.
I’m on stay 10 today. I held off for a while, waiting for Hyatt’s annual promo that they chose to forego this year. Any idea if the Hyatt credit card will still count for 2 nights?
I am interested in this too
According to View from the Wing, as long as you get the $20,000 spend very early, it will count towards 2 stays and I belive 5 nights.
I already earned the 5 stays by spending $40,000. So, it does get credited. I now only have 8 more stays to go!
Curious if we still get 4 DSU’s before 03/01 and then can still earn for 2017 and 2018?
I guess we will find out on 03/01
I will be in the Chicago area over the next few months for work, so I’ve decided to go for it.
Several years ago Hyatt ran the all-time greatest promotion: Faster Free Nights. Two stays get one night free at any Hyatt. When I told the woman at reservations that I was staying at two hotels near my home just to get the free night – at the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris – she was not surprised. (2 $110 nights got me an $800 room). Not only was that common but she has one customer that books one night each at two local airport hotels every weekend. He checks in and then goes home.
We’ll never see that promotion again but Hyatt still has the best promos. I just finished earning 75,000 bonus points after a total of 25 nights. I hope the World of Hyatt continues to have that kind of aggressive but makeable promotion. Since I am also Platinum Premier at Marriott, it’s a great promotion for Hyatt because they get all of my business during the promotion period.
Just curious….I was able to meet Diamond before the end of 2016. I was considering doing the 25 nights by February 28 to maintain my status for 2018. I will PROBABLY meet half of the stays required for top tier status some time this year….Does anyone have any recommendations on strategies to accomplish this? I was thinking perhaps waiting for promotions to fill in any missing nights…..
Gave this idea some very serious consideration but in the end could not justify spending $3000+ for 2 years of status (hotels in Bay Area are very expensive). Plus the time and aggravation. The DSUs would Definitely have saved me $$$ on rooms for a family of 4 (e.g. maybe $500 this coming weekend) but $3000 goes a long way and we can’t always stay at Hyatts. If you have a few family trips a year and always stay at Hyatt then maybe it makes more sense. The breakfasts and lounge are nice to have but not need to have, esp on business trips where I can expense everything.
Sorry to hear about your 2016, but glad you have decided to do this! I had diamond for 2016, but decided to do this mattress as well to have Hyatt status a while longer! I had about 10 stays that were necessary in Jan/Feb, so I just had to make up the rest. How has it gone for you?