“Our purpose at Hyatt — we care for people so they can be their best — is guiding our decisions as we support you and your future travel with us. In that spirit, I’d like to share some additional actions Hyatt is taking to care for World of Hyatt members and guests during this difficult time.”
Hyatt Extends Status and Points For Everyone; Flexible Reservation Policy Updates: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic
The paragraph you just read was from an e-mail message which was sent to guests and all members of the World of Hyatt frequent guest loyalty program and signed by Mark Hoplamazian — who is the president and chief executive officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation — in response to the constantly evolving situation pertaining to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
The latest information from Hyatt pertains to updates with regards to the extensions of the expiration of points and elite level status — as well as improving the flexibility of the booking and cancellation policies of reservations in general.
Status of Benefits of World of Hyatt Points and Elite Level Status
Your benefits are automatically being extended with no effort or input required on your part as a World of Hyatt member — including:
- Elite Level Status Extension. All members whose 2019 elite status — whether it is Discoverist, Explorist or Globalist — was scheduled to be downgraded by Tuesday, March 31, 2020 will automatically receive an extension through Monday, February 28, 2022 without needing to requalify; and all elite tier extensions should be reflected in the accounts of members no later than Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
- Points Expiration Date Extension. The forfeiture of all points will be suspended through Thursday, December 31, 2020 — but remember that the general policy is that even though points generally do not expire, they will be forfeited if a membership account is inactive for 24 months.
- More Time to Use Earned Awards: All unused Free Night, Suite Upgrade or Club Lounge Access awards with expiration dates between Sunday, March 1, 2020 and Thursday, December 31, 2020 will be extended to Thursday, December 31, 2021. This includes existing awards and awards that may be earned throughout this year with a 2020 expiration date. The award extension will be generated by World of Hyatt — members do not need to take action. Awards that expired between Sunday, March 1, 2020 and Tuesday, March 31, 2020 will be replaced with new awards on Monday, April 20, 2020. All other qualifying, unused awards will be updated by the 20th day of the month in which the award would have originally expired.
Flexibility With Reservations Policies
Given the unique circumstances of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, Hyatt remains committed to offering you flexible options when booking your reservations by further adjusting its individual policies pertaining to booking reservations — even reservations which are described as “non-cancellable” or “Advanced Purchase Rate” — which can be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival day via either the official Internet web site of Hyatt Corporation or the mobile software application program of World of Hyatt, as cancellation fee waivers have been extended through Tuesday, June 30, 2020:
- Existing reservations for upcoming travel through Tuesday, June 30, 2020: All existing reservations which are booked on or before Wednesday, April 1, 2020 for arrivals through Tuesday, June 30, 2020 can be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival.
- New reservations for any future travel: With some very limited exceptions noted below, reservations booked between Thursday, April 2, 2020 and Tuesday, June 30, 2020 — for any future arrival date — can be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival. The only exceptions are reservations booked after Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at Destination Residences and Special Events Rate reservations booked after Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The cancellation policies for a Special Event Rate will be noted in the Rate Rules section of the rate when booking a reservation.
Summary
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your nearest Global Contact Center, reach out to Hyatt via WeChat — WeChat ID: HyattHotels — or send an e-mail message to worldofhyatt@hyatt.com. Also, please visit the COVID-19 page for regular updates.
These policies apply to reservations which were booked through Hyatt directly. Guests who booked via online travel agents or other third parties are advised to contact their booking provider for information on their policies and for assistance. These policies do not apply to convention and group business due to the contractual nature of these reservations. Guests with reservations at a Hyatt Residence Club property who did not book through Hyatt channels should contact Hyatt Residence Club.
The doors of Hyatt Corporation have been open for greater than 60 years — and for good reason. I find that the team members of Hyatt are doing everything they can to provide maximum flexibility to you and other guests — as well as members of the World of Hyatt frequent guest loyalty program — is comforting to know when compared to other lodging companies…
…although the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program unveiled similar policy extensions on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 — and they have been lauded by members.
Now, if only Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards Club, and other frequent guest loyalty programs would follow suit with similar extension policies…
All photographs ©2015 and ©2018 by Brian Cohen.
