Jeff Zidell, senior vice president, Hyatt Gold Passport, is very excited about the company’s new loyalty program, World of Hyatt, set to launch March 1, 2017. The new program, which uses a plethora of insights gleaned from listening to customers, will provide more benefits and more opportunities for engagement.
Unlike the Hyatt Gold Passport program, which currently has about 20 million members, the new World of Hyatt program will offer three tiers, instead of just two. The new tiers are Discoverist (10 qualifying nights or 25,000 base points), Explorist (20 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points), and Globalist (60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points).
Base points for this program are earned either through stays or for spending on such things as dining and spa treatments, both during a stay and even when members aren’t staying at a hotel. Members will earn five base points for every U.S. dollar spent.
“We have been re-examining all aspects of our business, including our loyalty program, through the lens of our purpose – we care for people so they can be their best,” Zidell explained to Loyalty360. “Far more than a name change, World of Hyatt is a platform for understanding and caring for our guests. Insights gleaned from listening to our members drove World of Hyatt, creating more opportunities to increase our engagement with members across our global portfolio.”
What’s more, Zidell said the industry is undergoing a period of tremendous disruption.
“So the time was right to build a new program that delivers on exactly what our members want: a broader range of benefits and more attainable rewards to experience with the most important people in their lives,” he said.
In addition to delivering a broader range of benefits and more attainable rewards, World of Hyatt creates more opportunities for engagement.
There are now three elite tiers: Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.
“The contemporary and active names of the tiers reflect the aspirations of our members as they travel and expand their world domestically and internationally,” Zidell said.
Members advance through the tiers based on qualifying nights or Base Points:
Discoverist 10 Qualifying Nights or 25,000 Base Points
Explorist 30 Qualifying Nights or 50,000 Base Points
Globalist 60 Qualifying Nights or 100,000 Base Points
Specifically, World of Hyatt offers numerous unique rewards and benefits varying by tier level, including:
• A free night after stays at 5 different Hyatt brands (beginning March 1)
• A free night for achieving elite status
• Waived resort fees on paid nights
• Complimentary parking on award nights
• Confirmed Suite Upgrades at time of booking
“Consumers increasingly value experiences over material things,” Zidell said. “We want to help them have experiences that create memories. With World of Hyatt, we don’t just want to welcome you to our world, we want to understand yours. The more we understand our guests, the better we can care for them and design unique experiences with them in mind. That’s why we started with insights we gained from our guests. World of Hyatt is a springboard that will help us deepen the understanding of guests, deliver meaningful benefits, and inspire empathy within our member community.”
World of Hyatt started by conducting extensive research to define benefits that really matter, Zidell noted.
“Ones that influence guests’ choice of a loyalty program,” he added. “In fact, we tested hundreds of concepts before landing on the new program. Loyalty – ‘big L’ – is about winning the hearts and minds of your customers. Loyalty programs – ‘little l’ – are simply one piece of that puzzle. We are focused on ‘big L’ loyalty. We want to connect authentically with our guests and provide them with experiences during their stay and beyond. This is how we will inspire irrational loyalty to our brands.”