World of Hyatt Status: As a World of Hyatt Member, what perks will you receive at Hyatt Residence Club Properties?

As a follow up to my post on Marriott Elite Status, I wanted to explore the various perks associated with Hyatt's World of Hyatt program and what to expect at its portfolio of Hyatt Residence Club Properties. 

As you may know, Hyatt completely overhauled its Hyatt Gold Passport program in early 2017 and revised the program to be the World of Hyatt.  

The World of Hyatt program changed a lot and there has been a decent amount of ridicule for the logo (see below) as well as their chosen name designations for the level of status. 

Instead of the general way that most programs name various tiers by using names of precious metals or valuables, (ie. bronze, gold, diamond, sapphire, platinum, etc.), Hyatt chose to create levels using the names Member, Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist. 

Without knowing the program, just by their names, you would not know the difference in tier levels.  Fortunately, despite their awful names, they have provided a decent chart that shows you the various benefits that one would receive based on the tier level. 
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As I discussed in my other post, achieving top tier status, Globalist, can come with various meaningful and significant perks.  As I explained in that post, simply being a top tier Globalist will save me about $3,600 for a ten night stay. 

Hyatt Residence Club

The Hyatt Residence Club is the timeshare portion of Hyatt's brand.  While they share the Hyatt name, the Hyatt Residence Club properties operate significantly different than its hotel counterparts.  

Benefits at the Hyatt Residence Club

As I explained in my previous post as well as shown by the chart above, having hotel status can be very worthwhile, depending on where and how often you travel.  

Those with Hyatt status (Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist), there are definitely a few great perks.  Let's go through them one by one and see what applies to Hyatt Residence Club Properties. 

Point Earning

Fortunately, even if you stay at a Hyatt Residence Club property, you can still earn World of Hyatt points.  You will earn 5 points for every dollar that you spend.  For those with status, you will receive a bonus of 10%, 20% or 30% with 30% being reserved for Globalist members.  

Waiver of Resort Fee

One of the perks of using timeshares is that most properties do not charge resort fees.  Some properties, even if they do charge resort fees for those individuals who book the timeshare resort directly, will not charge resort fees for those owners that either own with the brand or exchange through Interval International or RCI.  

Unfortunately, if you use your World of Hyatt points or free night stays at a Hyatt Residence Club property, you WILL be required to pay any resort fees.  Hyatt Residence Club properties are excluded from this standard perk.  Disappointing for sure.  

Suite Free Night Awards 

For those who achieve top tier Globalist status, you will receive four suite upgrade awards to use at various properties,  If you choose to book a stay at a Hyatt Residence Club property using cash or points and book directly, you WILL NOT be able to use those certificates to upgrade into a suite. 

Club Access

All Hyatt Residence Club properties do not have club lounges.  Therefore, regardless of your status, there is no opportunity to use any club lounges.  

For those properties like the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa which is a hotel and a timeshare property, unfortunately, you will not receive access at the Club Lounge if you book at the timeshare portion of the property.  

Points and Cash Awards

Points and cash awards can be a great deal but unfortunately, are not valid at Hyatt Residence Club properties. 

Complimentary Upgrades

Nope!  Unfortunately, regardless of your status, you will not receive any complimentary upgrades at Hyatt Residence Club properties.  You will receive the specific room and room type that you booked!  Your status will not help you here. 

Upgraded Internet Access

Hyatt Residence Club properties do not offer this service so it is not available to anybody.   I have personally never had an issue with internet at a Hyatt Residence Club property. 

Late Checkout

Late checkouts can be a very valuable perk depending on your departure schedule but regardless of your status, no late checkouts are provided for Hyatt Residence Club Properties. 

Bottled Water

Bottled water has been offered more frequently as a way to show guests that their resort fee is actually beneficial.  Pay $25 or more per day and receive a free bottle of water daily.  Insulting to your intelligence.  The resort fee is ridiculous but do not even expect free water at your stay at Hyatt Residence Club properties.  Not included!

Best Room Available

One of the best perks of having hotel status is getting complimentary upgrades.  Unfortunately, this perk does not transfer over to Hyatt Residence Club Properties.  You get what you book, regardless of status. 

Guaranteed Room Availability

For some travelers who have to book at the last second, having guaranteed availability is an important perk.  Unfortunately, Hyatt Residence Club's do not offer this either. 

Guest of Honor Benefits 

A fairly new benefit for Hyatt was its Guest of Honor benefits.  If you held top tier status, you can make an award reservation for friends or family and they can receive all of your perks.  In this case, don't make it at a Hyatt Residence Club property since they will not receive any of those nice perks. 

Free Parking

Many Hyatt Residence Club properties offer free parking but those that don't, even those with top tier status with Hyatt will still have to pay.  Free parking is NOT a perk that transfers over to Hyatt Residence Clubs.

Conclusion:

Having gone through this entire list of various perks of achieving status with Hyatt, the ONLY perk that applies to Hyatt Residence Club properties is the ability to receive more points for your spend at the property - either 10%, 20% or 30%.  

As discussed before, timeshares and hotels are both run and operated differently.  They have different perks associated with them.   By having status with Hyatt hotels, it does not provide you with any real benefits at Hyatt Residence Club properties.  

Despite this, I still highly prefer timeshare properties mostly due to space, comfort, and full kitchen facilities.  Most timeshares, unlike their hotel counterparts, do not nickel and dime their guests for every little things and generally include free parking for everyone as well as do not charge resort fees for actual timeshare owners. 

If you are accustomed to the various perks associated with the hotels, it is important to realize that these perks do not transfer over to Hyatt Residence Club properties. 

Have you ever received perks at Hyatt Residence Club properties?  Make sure to leave comments below.