Happy Valentine’s Day! Hyatt is showing some love for everyone, rolling out a permanent benefit for all guests. Starting today, Hyatt is offering free Wi-Fi in all Hyatt properties worldwide for all guests in their rooms as well as public areas. The Wi-Fi service will be available on an unlimited number of devices.
“Internet connectivity is no longer an amenity. It has become an integral part of travelers’ daily lives and a basic expectation,” said Kristine Rose, vice president of brands for Hyatt. “Travelers shouldn’t have to remember which brands or locations offer it for free or the strings attached to get it.”
Hyatt hotels across many brands have long offered Wi-Fi at no charge to guests in several of its brands and to elite members of the Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program. Expanding free Wi-Fi is part of Hyatt’s ongoing focus to make the guest experience more seamless.
Personally, I think this is a fantastic move on Hyatt’s part and travelers will probably find it extremely beneficial at international properties where their cellular data service may not be available. Hopefully the bandwidth can keep up with the number of people who will be taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi!
Additionally, Hyatt is rolling out new benefits for their Diamond elite members who hit at least 25 stays or 50 nights in a year. In addition to receiving bonus points on paid reservations, these members currently receive the following benefits:
- A welcome amenity
- Upgrade upon check-in to the best room available, excluding suites
- Access to Regency Club or Grand Club, complimentary breakfast and evening refreshments are served; in hotels without clubs, a complimentary breakfast is made available
- A nightly room refresh, where available
- 4 p.m. late checkout
With the rollout of free Wi-Fi to all guests, Diamond members will now receive Premium Wi-Fi for free as of today. Two other major new benefits for Hyatt Diamond members, as detailed below, will start on March 1st, 2015.
Guest of Honor
Frankly, this is not so much a Hyatt Diamond member benefit, but rather a friends-and-family-of-Hyatt Diamond benefit. Starting March 1st, when a Hyatt Diamond member redeems his or her points for a free night for others, their guests will be treated as Diamond members, even if the Hyatt Diamond member is not staying at the property.
Note that this benefit is not automated. While you will be able to make bookings for others online, you’ll have to call Hyatt to actually “apply” your status to the award stay.
Two Annual United Club Passes
Beginning March 1st, Hyatt Diamond members will also receive 2 one-time passes to United Clubs. These passes are good for one guest each and usually retail for $50. While United Clubs are not the most exciting lounges, they do offer some snack options and a nice area to relax before or after your flight. Some United Clubs locations also offer showers.
It looks like the passes will be similar to the ones issued to holders of the Chase United Explorer card. In some United Clubs, lounge attendants may refuse to accept Chase United passes for entry when the lounge gets busy; I am unsure if the Hyatt passes will be subject to similar restrictions.
Overall, I am a fan of these new benefits and I am glad to see Hyatt is focusing on the entire travel experience, even beyond the physical Hyatt locations.
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