Hyatt Treats Agents Right!
by Monique Peragine

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I have been using Hyatt and booking direct for a long time. I actually started booking Hyatt hotels when a client told me he had a Gold Passport number. I used his number for his reservation and read the information on the Hyatt Web site from beginning to end and from top to bottom. Well, that convinced me and I have been using them ever since. Hyatt bookings have always generated great comments from my clients, and most of them request this hotel chain again and again.

Recently, I had to book several hotel rooms in different states when I was traveling with some other travel agents. You know how we travel agents can be - a hotel chain’s worst critic! However, since we have to sell their products, it’s best to see them firsthand as it helps us to better qualify our clients when making a reservation. So, typically, suppliers try very hard to impress us. But, in many cities with large hotels, we are just a number. Even if they know we are travel agents ahead of time, we do not always get primo treatment or the opportunity to receive a site inspection of that hotel.

On a recent trip to New York City, a group of travel agent friends of mine stayed at the Grand Hyatt located near Grand Central Station. My first night, I was charged $129 (the TA Rate for a Thursday), and my second night I was charged $89 (the TA Rate for a Friday). My total costs of my stay at this hotel was $255 with taxes. That is a wonderful price for a two-night stay in New York City. We had wonderful service at this hotel, but we were unable to do a site inspection. However, just so you know, the Grand Hyatt has two restaurants inside, a beautiful lobby, shopping, and really beautiful rooms. The rooms may be small, but remember you are in New York City and hotels must manage to utilize every inch of space they can. I also found this hotel had great bellmen/doormen. They managed to get you a car, limo, any kind of transportation you need at any time.

Our next trip took me to Ft. Lauderdale. There, I stayed at the Hyatt Place in FLL prior to a cruise departure. All I really needed was one night at a hotel that was centrally located between the Ft. Lauderdale Airport and Port Everglades Cruise Port. Now, I know every agent looks for a wonderful deal when it comes to a hotel near the airports and cruise ports for our clients. Well, look no further!

This was probably the most amazing Hyatt Place I have ever seen. Like, many Hyatts, the Grand Hyatt in New York City and this hotel in Ft. Lauderdale have their own personalities. I’ve been to other Hyatt Places, but this Hyatt Place really caught me off guard – even its Web site is different. And then, I knew it had to be really different because I was unable to book a stay via the Web site - the only way to book this particular Hyatt Place is by making a phone call. My Saturday overnight stay came to $133 including taxes. So far – so good.

Then, when I arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale Airport in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I found they have a “FREE” Airport Shuttle. All day, every day, no matter what time your flight arrives, they will come and pick you up. To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised! From the time I called the hotel to the time the shuttle arrived at the airport, it was maybe 10 minutes! The driver was great and, amazingly, I was at the hotel in less than 4 minutes flat! He even carried my luggage to the curb for me - fabulous!

When I walked into the lobby, all I could think of was WOW! The colors were soothing and the reception desk was open. The entire lobby was amazingly comfortable with lots of open space and very welcoming. I checked in at once and was told that there was free breakfast every morning served in the lobby. (And, I’m not talking about a small continental breakfast, but a large buffet with many varieties of breakfast food available. You have to see it to believe it.)

My next happy surprise was my room. It was not just a regular room, but was more like a mini suite. The living room area was spacious with a leather sectional sofa that opened into a queen size bed with a portion of the sectional that could be used as a twin bed as well. There was also a small bar area with sink, a desk, and 24 hours of “FREE” Internet! Wow! Free internet use for the first 24 hours that you stay at this hotel. After that, you can purchase an Internet package if you need more time, but the employees will tell you not to waste your money, because you can use the Internet café area in the lobby where you can print out your boarding passes for airlines or you can use their computers for "FREE." This Internet café is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The room does not close. Needless to say, I was already very happy. Then, I walked into the bedroom area which is divided from the living room area with a half wall, and there were 2 queen size beds with a bathroom. All I could think of was how many people could fit in this room - a family of up to 6 and maybe 7?

It was now that I went back to the desk and started to ask many questions. How many rooms are like mine? I was told that every room was exactly the same. I was also told that the reason the living room was so large was so they could accommodate a large family with extra space for a crib if needed. Oh, did I mention the flat-screen TV? It was their standard, just a 52-inch plasma on a stand that can be rotated to be seen in each area.

So, next, I asked why all of the employees had smiles on their faces? And they said, “We love our jobs.” Then, they went into detail about how they were interviewed and chosen by management for each position carefully and the management treats each person like family. I was happy to hear that these 2 people who were working the night shift at the front desk, as well as the 2 employees that were on duty for the shuttles, talk as if they were employed by their parents. It was such a nice feeling to see how happy each of them was to discuss the amenities of this hotel as well as the jobs they love. It’s nice to find I am not the only person who loves my job! This hotel has many more amenities such as a gym and a conference room, and it’s within walking distance to shopping, so you won't need a rental car. From now on, I am sure that I will be utilizing this Hyatt Place hotel for all my Ft. Lauderdale cruise clients for pre- and post-cruise hotel stays.

As for the Hyatt Regency in Chicago? Well, that part of my story will have to be continued later, since I am not going there until March for the Home Based Agent Trade Show. This Hyatt Regency looks to have some great features based on the info on their Web site. Obviously, there are too many to list, but one of them is the ability to add many amenities to your room and book spa services & restaurant reservations online once you’ve booked a reservation. Hyatt advises you that they received the request, and then later, you get another notice stating your request has been done with a confirmation. I have used it several times, and you get exactly what you ordered! It’s a great tool to use if you’d like to send a client a gift or simply make a dinner reservation for them. You can always rest assured it will be handled like your client is ROYALTY!

The ladies I’ve been traveling with recently also know what a cheerleader I am for the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent traveler program. For those of you who do not know about this program, it is FREE to anyone, but travel agents can, at times, get some really GREAT deals on hotel stays. To get started, go online to www.Hyatt.com and sign up for a Gold Passport membership. To do this, find the Hyatt Gold Passport info located at the top right hand corner of the Web page. Then, click on join and complete the online form. Once you are done, you will receive an e-mail with your Gold Passport Membership card and a welcome message. You can now use this number to book Hyatt hotels (and their affiliates) online or over the phone. If you don’t know all the amenities of joining the Hyatt Gold Passport Membership, just log onto their Web site and read! It will simply amaze you. Not to mention Hyatt does, in fact, LOVE TRAVEL AGENTS and it shows!

Many travel agents are looking for great deals for their clients all the time - and, why shouldn’t we? That is our JOB!

Monique Peragine serves as OSSN's North Eastern Regional Manager. She owns Trips A Plenty Travel in Newburgh, N.Y. You may reach her at monique@tripsaplenty.com.

(Credits: Monique Peragine; Hyatt)