I recalled my first stay as a Diamond guest a couple weeks ago when I reviewed my return to the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, and some readers were interested in learning how they could request their own trial. My dad is in the same boat right now as he stays several nights a month near SFO and usually debates between the Hyatt Regency and the Marriott.
Benefits of Gold Passport Diamond Status
- 30% bonus Gold Passport points (6.5 per dollar total)
- Complimentary Internet access and newspaper
- Choice of welcome amenity or bonus points (1,000 points at most properties; 500 points at Hyatt Place and Hyatt House)
- Upgrade to the best room available (excluding suites, though some hotels do go the extra mile)
- Regency Club or Grand Club access
- If no club is available, full breakfast in the restaurant
- If a club is present but closed during your stay, full breakfast in the restaurant and 2,500 bonus points
- Guaranteed 4 PM late check-out (subject to availability at resorts
- Four suite upgrades, up to seven nights each, that can be confirmed at any time prior to arrival (subject to availability)
To get all that — and more — you normally need 25 qualifying stays or 50 qualifying nights. To make it easier:
- Points + Cash rates are eligible.
- Stays at participating MGM Resort properties in Las Vegas are eligible.
- You can get up to 5 qualifying stays and 10 qualifying nights if you spend $40,000 on the Hyatt Credit Card in a calendar year.
Do You Qualify?
People always ask if they qualify for this or that. It’s pretty easy to just ask, since Hyatt is going to have final say regardless. You can email them at goldpassport@hyatt.com or call customer service at (800) 304-9288.
NOTE: There have been rumors that Hyatt was ending its Gold Passport trial on April 30. I checked with them and they assured me the trial program is not ending. Because they use a specific offer code (DMD14 as of today) to register the offer in their computer systems, it periodically expires and gets replaced.
The basic requirements are (1) elite status with a competitor and (2) evidence of recent stays with that competitor.
- Starwood Preferred Guest — Platinum
- Hilton HHonors — Gold or Diamond
- Marriott Rewards — Gold or Platinum
- IHG Rewards — Platinum
In my experience it doesn’t matter if you earned the status for free with a credit card or if the stay was booked with points. You just need to have them on your account summary when you submit them. Others have reported having trouble getting approved if they can’t show evidence of all the qualifying stays that earned them their current status.
NOTE: Hilton is currently offering a $100 statement credit when you apply for the Reserve credit card (which comes with Gold status) and spend $100 at a Hilton hotel. IHG includes Platinum status with its IHG Rewards credit card and usually has some cheap rates, especially through the PointBreaks program.
Completing the Trial
Your new Diamond status and four suite upgrades will appear immediately. You will have 60 days to complete the trial and keep the status through February 28 of the next year. Fail, and you will lose the status but keep the upgrades. I would wait until you can be sure you’ll have enough upcoming reservations to complete the trial.
Within those 60 days you need to stay 12 eligible nights at a Hyatt property. These do not include nights at MGM Resorts as mentioned above, but they can include Points + Cash awards. Pretty much anything you can book online at Hyatt.com is an “eligible” rate.
As an added bonus, you’ll get 1,000 points per night when you complete the first 6 of those 12 nights.
Do You Really Want a Diamond Trial?
Most status trials, challenges, and matches are once-in-a-lifetime things, in theory if not in practice. Companies want loyal customers, and they’re giving you a shortcut in exchange for the hope you’ll stick around for the long term. I travel more than ever, have fond memories of Hyatt hotels growing up, and still have lots of good experiences today, so that wasn’t an issue for me when I applied.
Some people do a trial just because they have a vacation coming and want an upgrade or free breakfast for their family. I’m all for finding loopholes in the system, and as someone who’s earned the status two years in a row now, I don’t feel any ill will toward these people. But it does seem a little shortsighted.
Make sure you have at least four good trips coming up if this is your plan. Your four Diamond suite upgrades will post immediately and remain after the trial ends, regardless of your status. (They expire at the end of February the following year.)
Full disclosure: None of the cards mentioned in this post earn me an affiliate commission if you use them to apply.
