Hyatt-bottom line, do owners like/love/dislike Hyatt system?

[elaine]

We know the ins/out of Marriott and HGVC. But no idea about Hyatt. We’re Considering picking up one (resale) for retirement usage. We're on East Coast. Do owners on TUG like/love/dislike Hyatt system? and why? We'd likely use internal exchange system. Thanks, Elaine (ps-I was considering picking up another HGVC SW FL property like Sanibel Island, but with new HGV MAX, I'm holding off for a few years to see how it shakes out).

 

[alameda94501]

At least this owner on TUG loves it, but primarily because Hyatt has resorts that we can drive to, and where we were going anyway on the West Coast. Also there aren't many other systems that have a resort in our favorite place closeby, Big Sur.

 

[JanT]

I'm pretty happy with the Hyatt system overall. We own 3 weeks that give us 6,000 points a year if we choose not to use our actual week. We're very flexible and aren't locked into time constraints so that helps a lot. Depending on how I use them I can get a lot of vacation time from those points. The internal system works fine for us and putting them into II works for us as well.

 

[dioxide45]

We don't own Hyatt and don't think we would ever purchase. I know that people complain about multiple club fees when they own multiple weeks. Each week has a club fee even though you only get one free II account.

 

[travelhacker]

I own Marriott Weeks, Vistana Mandatory Weeks, and Hyatt.

Hyatt is my favorite. I am biased though because I live close to 4 resorts and don't have any trouble using points.

I love that it is a points system. This enables me to travel a lot more than if I was just dealing with weeks at a time. We probably do 10ish stays in Hyatt resorts and every year I have booked multiple rooms for family members to join us.

Here's the good:
1) Solid resorts. The floor is mid-tier Marriott resorts. The ceiling is best in class timeshares (Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Grand Aspen, Siesta Key, Kaanapali).
2) Locations we enjoy and where a lot of other resort systems don't have much of a presence (Key West, Aspen, Carmel, Beaver Creek - on the mountain, Sedona)
3) Ski Destinations.
4) Reasonable-ish maintenance fees. The lowest cost 2 bedroom resort in the Marriott system is Marriott Grand Chateau, and fees are a shade over $1300 for a week. The lowest cost week in Hyatt is $1350 (Sedona). Other lower cost weeks are Hyatt Beach House, and Wild Oak Ranch. However, I don't have have pay a lockout fee to trade my Sedona week, and I don't need a separate interval account (since it's covered in club dues)
5) There is a wait list. If you can plan ahead, waitlist requests are not terribly difficult to get.
6) Points associated with a week are always transferable to resale owners.
7) Hyatt is an amazing trader in Interval.

There is a bit of an arbitrage opportunity because of the points based nature. For example, studios at nice resorts tend to stick around a lot longer than larger units. Because of this, they will often fall outside of the preference period where you can pick them up for 430 Hyatt Points. Considering that Diamon weeks get 2200 points, it's hard to beat that. I have sent my parents on multi-week trips to Maui Ocean Club, Kauai Beach Club, and Ko'olina because all they need is a studio.

Here's the bad:
1) There aren't many locations.
2) Availability isn't as good as some other systems.
3) You have a fixed week. This can be good, but it can be limiting.
4) I don't see a scenario where there will be a brand new resort built (yes, there may be some access to Welk, but I don't see a new resort getting built).

Here's the ugly:
1) Like @dioxide45 mentioned, you are billed Club Dues in the amount of $157 per week. There is no discount for owning multiple weeks.
2) Maintenance fees have recently risen at a faster rate than other brands that I have owned in the past few years.
3) Anything other than Diamond weeks are at a bit of a disadvantage for single weeks owners. This is because in my experience the waitlist always prefers those looking for whole weeks.

 

[PerryKing]

Hyatt, if you will take make the effort to learn to use the "system" and the Wb Site.

Also: Re: SW FL. Take a look at buying into Hyatt Residence Club (Resale of deeded week only) , Coconut Plantation, in Bonita Springs FL.. Half way between FT Myers and Naples FL.

 

[ScoopKona]

Former Hyatt salesperson here.

I don't own any other weeks. I have never been a part of any timeshare sales presentation in which I wasn't "the closer."

The reason I went to work for Hyatt is that a friend was working there. He explained the system to me -- the 5 minute elevator pitch.

"Wait a minute. You mean it works as advertised?"

So I went to work there and sold a gazillion weeks in Key West. It's the only time I've worked for a big company and enjoyed it. The actual "bosses" were the best managers I've ever had. My coworkers were nice. Working for Hyatt was almost as much as a pleasure as staying in one.

And I bought a week -- from myself -- during one of my own presentations. A dandy Beach House week came up and it would be perfect for the people in front of me. It also checked off all my boxes of what I knew about the system. The people in front of me were giving me the usual "cat needs braces, I have cancer, blah blah blah" that is so common. So I told them, "If you don't buy this week, I will."

My broker heard that and came up, "You know you can't say that unless you actually do it, right?" I pulled out my credit card and told him to charge it. Sent my "cat needs braces" couple away (jaws agape) and bought a Bronze week.

My wife and I have traveled all over the planet with that week. And it has worked exactly like I said it did. My wife called me a couple weeks back and asked if I could set a couple weeks up for her for the holidays. I reserved them and that was that.

When I worked there, people could buy the least-expensive thing I had for sale and trade it for three weeks every year (or every other year in the case of a biennial). I have never received less than two weeks out of my week, ever. The maintenance fees don't sting at all when we're trading for two to four weeks every year.

Half the people on the planet will come up with a case of the "yeah, buts" at this point. But that's how the system works -- it isn't just feasible to leverage for extra vacation time, it's easy.

 

[mjm1]

We own in several systems and fell in love with Sedona after trading into a couple of Diamond resorts. We visited Hyatt Pinon Pointe during those trips, liked it and then did some research here on TUG. I also learned about the system by helping a friend sell his Highlands Inn unit after I couldn‘t convince my DW to buy it. We finally made the leap and bought in Sedona.

Our first stay as owners was last fall and we used the points to get two 1BR units. My FIL stayed in the second unit. This year we reserved our fixed 1BR unit in October and used the remaining points for a 1BR for 5 nights at Pinon Pointe in May. This is a feature I really like. We can stay in our fixed unit and use the remaining points in the internal system. Some systems are all or nothing.

Overall, we like the fixed nature as well as the flexibility that the system offers if we want it. We don’t care for the various fees that you have to pay for reservations, cancellation, etc., but that’s a trade off for the system. We accept that and look forward to enjoying what the Hyatt resorts have to offer.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[GTLINZ]

I love my Hyatt ownership. The subtleties of the system take a while to grasp.

I would think if you want to own Hyatt it is really about the Hyatt resorts. Since you already have access to Marriott and II, and you live on the east coast, Key West is the obvious destination and unique to Hyatt. Coconut Plantation is also in FL but is not directly on the beach - it is very nice but i think you have many choices with Marriott. The other unique locations in Hyatt and not in Marriott are Sedona. San Antonio and Carmel (Siesta Key is a fractional and similar to the HGVC affiliates - it only comes up if somebody turns it it - so not often available). There are some unique ski locations also but you already have a lot of choices.

The UNIQUE advantage to Hyatt is you own a specific deeded week and location (and not the points system). So if you own a great view you are guaranteed that unit every year in you owned week. Or you can give up your week and use your points. Of course, Hyatt tends to buy back the prime weeks using ROFR.

 

[TravelTime]

I briefly owned a Hyatt week in Key West. No matter how many times Tuggers explained it to me, no matter how much I read, I could never figure out how to use the points system. I found Marriott Vacation Club and Vistana’s point systems to be easy and intuitive. I also overpaid for my Hyatt week on the resale market because the resale broker got me to believe the resale value was higher than it was. Overall, I had a bad experience with Hyatt and never used my fixed week or points. After a year or so, I sold it to Marriott for not a terrible price fortunately. Overall I lost about $3000 on Hyatt between re-selling it lower than I paid and paying MFs when I did not use it. I was just grateful to unload it to MVC since it was not selling on the resale market.

Maybe someone can explain the Hyatt point system in a simple way. I am still curious about how it works.

 

[dioxide45]

Maybe someone can explain the Hyatt point system in a simple way. I am still curious about how it works.

Same here. I don't get it; EEE, BBB, CCC double D points. It makes no sense to me.

 

[Tucsonadventurer]

We love our Hyatts. Bought originally at Pinon Pointe, then Bought Beach House and then another Pinon Pointe. We own 6,000 total points. We use them to exchange and have had incredible vacations with family/ friends. We have been borrowing points lately by paying ahead. You get the most bang for your buck from Hyatt. We also own Vistana, mainly for Hawaii exchanges. Hyatt is what we use for interval also as you get incredible value for exchanges. We don't mind the extra fees considering the value. Of course I'd prefer not to have them . I love that you can do 4 day midweek stays for minimal points and split up the lockoff.Our weeks go far

 

[echino]

Same here. I don't get it; EEE, BBB, CCC double D points. It makes no sense to me.

It's very easy: Hyatt points can be in either of these buckets:

HRPP
CUP
LCUP
RCUP
EEE

Each of these buckets has separate rules, fees, and expiry dates. All very easy and straightforward!

 

[ScoopKona]

So if you own a great view you are guaranteed that unit every year in you owned week. Or you can give up your week and use your points.

While I always recommend that people buy something that they would enjoy using, I bought my week knowing I would never once stay there.

I think my record trading (I'd have to look it up) is five weeks of vacation using my points -- studio units in off-peak time. Since I dislike visiting Europe in summer (massive crowds of selfie-shooting loudmouths, spoiling everything), a week in a studio costs next to nothing.

Any leftover points go to midweek stays at drive-to destinations.

 

[dioxide45]

It's very easy: Hyatt points can be in either of these buckets:

HRPP
CUP
LCUP
RCUP
EEE

Each of these buckets has separate rules, fees, and expiry dates. All very easy and straightforward!

I guess I would question as to how five sets of rules and expiration dates is easy and straightforward. I think I found through the stickies what those letters actually mean, but I can't find anywhere details on the different rules for each. The TUG article seems to mention that it can be found in the stickies, but the stickies just keep pointing to TUG articles.

 

[echino]

I guess I would question as to how five sets of rules and expiration dates is easy and straightforward. I think I found through the stickies what those letters actually mean, but I can't find anywhere details on the different rules for each. The TUG article seems to mention that it can be found in the stickies, but the stickies just keep pointing to TUG articles.

Sarcasm alert!

 

[ScoopKona]

I guess I would question as to how five sets of rules and expiration dates is easy and straightforward. I think I found through the stickies what those letters actually mean, but I can't find anywhere details on the different rules for each. The TUG article seems to mention that it can be found in the stickies, but the stickies just keep pointing to TUG articles.

HRPP: 12 mo to 6 mo out. "You get to use your week."
CUP: 12 mo to 0 mo out, automatically happens at 6 mo and one day. "Your week has been converted to points which you can spend anywhere in the Hyatt/Interval system."
LCUP: "You blew through all your deadlines, but we'll try to work with you so you don't feel cheated. Do better next year."
EEE: "You traded your points for Interval. And now you have two years to use them there."

 

[TravelTime]

HRPP: 12 mo to 6 mo out. "You get to use your week."
CUP: 12 mo to 0 mo out, automatically happens at 6 mo and one day. "Your week has been converted to points which you can spend anywhere in the Hyatt/Interval system."
LCUP: "You blew through all your deadlines, but we'll try to work with you so you don't feel cheated. Do better next year."
EEE: "You traded your points for Interval. And now you have two years to use them there."

So how does CUP work? 12 mo to 0 mo out but happens at 6 mo and one day? This is confusing to me.

 

[ScoopKona]

So how does CUP work? 12 mo to 0 mo out but happens at 6 mo and one day? This is confusing to me.

You can use your deeded week. You can reserve it one year out. And if you do, that's that. You are done for the year. You can reserve it anywhere from one year to six months out.

Or you can call/click and convert your week to points. You can do this any time. But it happens automatically at 6 months out to keep people from breaking the system through procrastination. Once you have your Hyatt points, you can spend them on anything in the Hyatt system. Or deposit them into Interval and use them there. Interval is a one-way trip. Once deposited, that's it. If you blow through all your deadlines, you get the Limited Use period -- which has a bunch of restrictions and is generally not a good idea. But it beats losing points you paid good money for.

 

[TravelTime]

You can use your deeded week. You can reserve it one year out. And if you do, that's that. You are done for the year. You can reserve it anywhere from one year to six months out.

Or you can call/click and convert your week to points. You can do this any time. But it happens automatically at 6 months out to keep people from breaking the system through procrastination. Once you have your Hyatt points, you can spend them on anything in the Hyatt system. Or deposit them into Interval and use them there. Interval is a one-way trip. Once deposited, that's it. If you blow through all your deadlines, you get the Limited Use period -- which has a bunch of restrictions and is generally not a good idea. But it beats losing points you paid good money for.

Does this mean you can convert to CUP points 12 months out and book anywhere in the Hyatt system at 12 months out?

 

[The Colorado Kid]

I own Marriott Weeks, Vistana Mandatory Weeks, and Hyatt.

Hyatt is my favorite. I am biased though because I live close to 4 resorts and don't have any trouble using points.

I love that it is a points system. This enables me to travel a lot more than if I was just dealing with weeks at a time. We probably do 10ish stays in Hyatt resorts and every year I have booked multiple rooms for family members to join us.

Here's the good:
1) Solid resorts. The floor is mid-tier Marriott resorts. The ceiling is best in class timeshares (Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Grand Aspen, Siesta Key, Kaanapali).
2) Locations we enjoy and where a lot of other resort systems don't have much of a presence (Key West, Aspen, Carmel, Beaver Creek - on the mountain, Sedona)
3) Ski Destinations.
4) Reasonable-ish maintenance fees. The lowest cost 2 bedroom resort in the Marriott system is Marriott Grand Chateau, and fees are a shade over $1300 for a week. The lowest cost week in Hyatt is $1350 (Sedona). Other lower cost weeks are Hyatt Beach House, and Wild Oak Ranch. However, I don't have have pay a lockout fee to trade my Sedona week, and I don't need a separate interval account (since it's covered in club dues)
5) There is a wait list. If you can plan ahead, waitlist requests are not terribly difficult to get.
6) Points associated with a week are always transferable to resale owners.
7) Hyatt is an amazing trader in Interval.

There is a bit of an arbitrage opportunity because of the points based nature. For example, studios at nice resorts tend to stick around a lot longer than larger units. Because of this, they will often fall outside of the preference period where you can pick them up for 430 Hyatt Points. Considering that Diamon weeks get 2200 points, it's hard to beat that. I have sent my parents on multi-week trips to Maui Ocean Club, Kauai Beach Club, and Ko'olina because all they need is a studio.

Here's the bad:
1) There aren't many locations.
2) Availability isn't as good as some other systems.
3) You have a fixed week. This can be good, but it can be limiting.
4) I don't see a scenario where there will be a brand new resort built (yes, there may be some access to Welk, but I don't see a new resort getting built).

Here's the ugly:
1) Like @dioxide45 mentioned, you are billed Club Dues in the amount of $157 per week. There is no discount for owning multiple weeks.
2) Maintenance fees have recently risen at a faster rate than other brands that I have owned in the past few years.
3) Anything other than Diamond weeks are at a bit of a disadvantage for single weeks owners. This is because in my experience the waitlist always prefers those looking for whole weeks.

@travelhacker thanks for this great summary!

 

[ScoopKona]

Does this mean you can convert to CUP points 12 months out and book anywhere in the Hyatt system at 12 months out?

Yes. I have never once used my week. Nor will I ever. I have better options in Key West by virtue of it being my home town. I bought my week just to trade. I usually spend all my points as soon as I get them.

 

[TravelTime]

Yes. I have never once used my week. Nor will I ever. I have better options in Key West by virtue of it being my home town. I bought my week just to trade. I usually spend all my points as soon as I get them.

You provided the best and simplest explanation of the Hyatt system. Too bad I did not keep my week!

 

[Mongoose]

I have two HRC Hyatt weeks I purchased via resale. Having owned Marriott, HICV, Worldmark, DRI and Hyatt, I must say that Hyatt is my favorite. I purchased weeks at locations I wanted stay, so I love having the automatic week option but the flexibility to take it to other locations. The resorts are great. I think the only things you lose with resale purchase is transferring the points to Hyatt Hotels (not usually a good use of your MFs.) and the potential for Elite status. I like the request list. I also like the flexibility to use for as few as two night stays. I don't like that you can't purchase extra one time use points. You can borrow from future years but not online and I think you have to pre-pay MFs.

There is another side of Hyatt called Portfolio Points (HPP) which you want to be careful about and do a lot of reading on TUG. Of course there is also the new Welk program which is not integrated in my opinion and still very much a separate program.

My suggestion would be to pick your week and location and buy there. Be patient and you will get what you want. I purchased a Gold week 22 2 BR for $500 and a Silver Thanksgiving week 2BR for $1. Both have served me well. MFs differ quite a lot by location. Pinion Pointe, where I own has the lowest MFs.

 

[ScoopKona]

You provided the best and simplest explanation of the Hyatt system. Too bad I did not keep my week!

The system is really, really, really simple.

The problem is that it was designed by engineers who gave everything screwy names like "Home Resort Preference Period." And then they turned it over to a bunch of game show hosts to sell it.

I sold hundreds of weeks when I worked there, because I can explain the entire system in 15 minutes. And even buying from the developer, and paying the maintenance fees, it is 100% possible to save a ton of money compared to "not timesharing." I've been getting 2-to-5 weeks from my single week every single year. My week paid for itself many times over already. And I could walk away from it right now, content in the knowledge that I got more than my money's worth.

If they would get rid of the OPCs and the prizes and all of that song-and-dance, it would be the perfect system.