If the timeshare world could not get any more complicated, Hyatt is in the process of rolling out a new Hyatt program called the Hyatt Residence Club Portfolio Program. Here is an overview of the new program. The new Portfolio Program is different than the legacy program in that it has become an all points based system. Instead of purchasing a week, you purchase points where you can redeem those points for night stays. I will do a detailed post on the differences soon but one of the key differences and huge benefit of this program is that ability to book properties for as many nights as you want rather than being handcuffed by the legacy program of only allowing you to book 2, 3, 4 or 7 night stays. The tremendous benefit of this new program is that the nightly rates are reasonable with the exception of Saturday night. The exchange grids for the new program are included here but for the purpose of this post, here is the exchange grid for Aspen Colorado. 
As you can see, the amount of points vary by dates and whether it is a Sunday through Friday night, Saturday night or 7 night stay. For example, if you want to stay in Aspen for January 7 through February 3 in a Studio, it would cost you 70 points per night for Sunday through Friday and 260 points for Saturday night. The Saturday night stay costs about 4 times the amount of points. Therefore, if you elect to stay Sunday through Friday, it would cost you only 420 points (70 x 6 = 420) or 680 for the week or as many days as you want where you can simply add the point requirements together based on the day of the week. Essentially, this new system will have tremendous value if you can avoid staying Saturday nights. Access to the New System I think it is fair to say that the new system has some benefits as well as drawbacks but current owners who do not purchase Portfolio points will not have the ability to book under this new system. However, one of my readers (thank you Cindy!) alerted me to a potential anomaly which may or may not be permanent. It appears that current owners who have not purchased into the Portfolio program are given the option to book properties using Portfolio points ONLY when using LCUP points. LCUP points are limited club use points and only allow you to book 60 days out. These are very restricted points as opposed to CUP or Club Use Points that allow you to book 12 months or more (maybe) in advance. As you can see from this screenshot, even though I am not a Portfolio Program member, I am given the opportunity to reserve a one night stay in Aspen for only 75 points. 
Out of curiosity, the same one night stay booking directly with Hyatt would cost $579 before taxes and fees which look to add another $93.26 to this reservation for a total of $672.26. 
Conclusion I do not know whether the ability to book Portfolio Program properties with LCUP legacy points is intentional, an error or simply a way to introduce legacy owners to the Portfolio Program by getting rid of last minute inventory. Remember, LCUP points only allow you to reserve 60 days out. In any event, the ability to book one night stays and the ability to book six night stays without a Saturday night can given you tremendous amount of value in the new Portfolio Program. In terms of whether you should book using the legacy LCUP points or using the Portfolio Program, it will simply depend on the desired length of stay and which program / points gives you the best value. A big thank you to Cindy who alerted me to this update! I encourage all readers to reach out if you have specific questions or comments! It helps me generate content that you want to read and gives you answers (I hope) for your questions. |
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