Hyatt has been pretty quiet on the point promotion front, but they announced their latest Stay More Play More Promotion last week and it’s pretty much what they offered last year: A tiered bonus that amounts to an extra 1,000 – 3,000 points per night, depending on how many nights you complete, which allows members to earn up to 75,000 bonus points.
An extra bonus has been added for those who complete 25 nights, which is nice for frequent travelers or those who end up earning Hyatt Diamond status through either mattress runs or strategic stays. The Stay More Play More promotion is good for stays through June 30, 2016. That works out perfectly for those with mid summer travel plans. Here’s the chart outlining how points are earned during this promotion:
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When Hyatt announced last year’s Stay More Play More promotion, I expressed my disappointment based on the hype Hyatt generated before announcing it. The run-up to the promotion announcement has been relatively hype-free, so my expectations weren’t great to begin with.
That said, it’s always nice to earn bonus points on planned stays, so I’m happy with this latest promotion. I will likely hit the 15,000 point bonus mark, which will be nice. Now for the big question…
Is This Promotion Mattress Run Worthy?
The Stay More Play More promotion offers bonus points on up to 25 nights. Some of you could parlay this into Hyatt Diamond status. Hyatt Diamond status requires 25 stays/50 nights per calendar year.
If you book 25 separate nights (at least a day apart at the same property), that would be enough to earn Hyatt Diamond status based on stays. Hyatt Points + Cash rates are eligible for bonus points during this this promotion, but is it mattress run worthy?
I wouldn’t recommend mattress running 25 nights to earn Hyatt Diamond status. It’s costly, even at the Points + Cash rate. Plus, if you’re not going to naturally complete 25 nights by the end of the year, you probably don’t need the benefits that come with Hyatt Diamond status to begin with.
That being said, mattress running during Stay More Play More will help you earn back the points spent on 25 purely Points + Cash nights at a Category 1 hotel. With the 75,000 bonus earned during the promotion, your total out-of-pocket cost would come to $1,250 cash. And you’d have 12,500 points left over!
Another option for minimizing point losses? Mattress run at a property with a lounge that’s closed on weekends. Why? Because that will get you an extra 2,500 points per stay. That will essentially cancel out the 2,500 points per night spent on a Points + Cash award. However, keep in mind that you probably can’t pull this off for all 25 nights. After all, the promotion ends on June 30, 2016.
I personally wouldn’t mattress run during this promotion just to earn Hyatt Diamond status, especially if its going to cost a minimum of $1,250. Last year, Hyatt was essentially giving away Diamond status on Twitter and you might still get a status challenge if you reach out to Hyatt Gold Passport.
If that’s the case, then I might go for it. Otherwise, $1,250 is a lot of cash to part with on top of 62,500 points for elite status. Especially if you don’t travel enough to make good use of the benefits to begin with.
If you’re going to be traveling between now and June 30 for either work or leisure, then count yourself lucky. With Hyatt’s Stay More Play More promotion you’ll earn a nice bonus for every night (on top of any bonus points earned for being an elite member) with very little effort. Just remember to register for Stay More Play More beforehand. The registration deadline is June 30, 2016.
Hi Ariana, you wanted to hear more about my experience of the Hyatt Ziva, PV. The first of many posts is up: http://www.travelswithivan.com/2016/04/11/trip-report-puerto-vallarta/
Are Vegas hotels thru mlife eligible for this promotion? I don’t see them being excluded
There’s nothing in the terms excluding Mlife hotels, so I think they do qualify.
do you think Hyatt will bring back diamond status challenge sometime this year ?
I did the math on my run from two years back. Approx 2100 spent, 8500 in value. You don’t have to work hard to get what you spent in return value. This year I spent a little more (given that there was no promotion through March, when I did the run, so the points I spent I didn’t earn back as swiftly)— but it’s already shaping up to be worthwhile. Stays at HR SFO Airport, PH Abu Dhabi, PH Dubai, PH Maldives, HR SFO Embarcadero. Had DSU applied to PH Abu Dhabi and PH Dubai. In all instances except for PH Abu Dhabi I was given an upgrade beyond what I had booked. At PH Dubai, it was a Park Executive suite. At the HR SFO Embarcadero, I was greeted with “as you can see, we’re pretty busy, so we’re putting you in our best suite”. Value still to be had.
Every year I go to GH Kauai, use a DSU and get my club access. The cost of a suite upgrade alone can be $400+ per night, so for even a five night stay, I get more than I spent for Diamond in value.