Bummer: Hyatt Globalists can't use social media or chat to book Guest of Honor awards anymore
One unique perk of the World of Hyatt program is the Guest of Honor perk provided to top-tier Globalist elites. Hyatt says this perk allows Globalist elites to "share your in-hotel benefits with your Guest of Honor when gifting an eligible award."
As a World of Hyatt Globalist, you can book Guest of Honor awards for others when you want them to enjoy Globalist benefits. After all, World of Hyatt Globalists typically get perks including club access or daily breakfast, 4 p.m. late checkout and free parking on award stays.
Best of all, you don't need to be traveling with someone for them to get Globalist perks when you book them a Guest of Honor award stay. But, as I recently learned, some of the easiest ways to book Guest of Honor awards are no longer available.
Get the latest points, miles and travel news by signing up for TPG's free daily newsletter.
Booking a Guest of Honor award
I earned Hyatt Globalist status for the first time in 2021 and I'm still getting used to the status's perks, but I didn't notice any instructions on Hyatt's website regarding booking a Guest of Honor award. And experience has shown that you can't book a Hyatt award for someone besides yourself online.
I'd seen multiple articles online note that Globalists can book Guest of Honor awards by messaging @HyattConcierge on Twitter. So, when a friend asked me to book a special Hyatt stay for him as a Guest of Honor award, I direct messaged the Hyatt Concierge to redeem World of Hyatt points for his stay.
However, I got the following response:
Judging by the response, Hyatt removed the ability to book Guest of Honor awards via social media and chat on Oct. 12, 2021.
I'm currently outside the U.S., so I wanted to avoid calling. But I turned on Wi-Fi calling and used Google Fi to call Hyatt. After all, award availability was dwindling, so I was afraid the room type my friend wanted would be gone if I wanted until I returned to the U.S. to book.
After listening to the automated options, I pushed "1" to make a new reservation. Luckily, an agent took my call almost immediately. This agent asked for my Hyatt number, last name and email before taking down all the information for my friend and the award I wanted to book. In total, the call took just 16 minutes.
Note that I did need to know the email address and ZIP code on my friend's Hyatt account, so make sure you have that information on hand. And, even though Guest of Honor stays must be award stays, you'll still need to put down a credit card to reserve the award. The agent said I could use a card in my name or my friend's name — so if you don't want to put down your card for your friend's stay, make sure to have their credit card number and expiration date on hand.
Related: Here's how to quickly stock up on Hyatt points for your next vacation
Bottom line
It's a bummer that Hyatt isn't allowing Globalists to make Guest of Honor reservations via social media or chat anymore. The Hyatt Concierge team noted this change is an "increased privacy protection measure." But if privacy is the concern, I'd rather Hyatt allow me to make Guest of Honor reservations online through my account.
Luckily, my call to Hyatt was relatively quick and simple. So, although this change is negative, the experience won't keep me from booking more Guest of Honor awards when the need arises.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro Offer
For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account openingEarn 80,000 ThankYou® points60,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$95Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent, Good
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases