Hyatt recently announced a joint partnership with MGM Resorts in Las Vegas. Beginning tomorrow on June 20, 2013, you can now earn stay and night credit with Hyatt at 12 unique participating MGM resorts properties. The participating hotels are Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, MGM Grand, The Signature at MGM Grand, Vdara, The Mirage, ARIA, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and THEHotel at Mandalay Bay.
Today, I got an e-mail from the Excalibur hotel with spectacular room rates.
Link: 20% refundable room rates starting at $21
Link: 25% non-refundable room rates starting at $20
Room rates start as low as $20.00 + taxes on a non-refundable rate. The bad thing is that there is a mandatory resort fee which is $15.00 + tax.
Here’s the complete breakdown of a 1 night’s stay at the Excalibur:
1 Tower Queen Room for 1 night – $20.00
Taxes – $2.40
Resort Fee + Tax – $16.80
Total – $39.20
Hyatt Diamond is achieved with 25 stays or 50 nights. The best way to acquire status with cheap rates is by stays. This means that you will need to temporarily relocate yourself in Las Vegas for 50 days since two consecutive nights would only mean 1 stay. 25 stays multiplied by $39.20 would be $980.00 total.
Here’s what you get out of it when you start out as a basic Hyatt Gold Passport member:
Five points per eligible dollar spent. Since the room rate is $20.00, you would earn 100 points per stay. Multiplied by 25, you would earn 2500 Gold Passport points.
When you hit Platinum after 5 eligible stays, you will earn a 15% point bonus. After the 5th stay, you will net an additional 300 points for a total of 2800 Gold Passport points after your 25th completed stay. Sure it’s not much, but every little bit helps.
With the current Excalibur room rate promo, you also get 1 free Jell-O Shot at Dick’s Last Resort which could be worth $1.00 each. 25 stays would be a $25.00 value.
You will also get free admission for two at LAX Nightclub at the nearby Luxor hotel. This isn’t worth much since you can get on their free guest-list.
Here’s a tip on how to avoid the dreaded resort fee and possibly save some money and earn Hyatt Diamond status for even less than $980.00.
I frequent Las Vegas a lot and the last thing I want to pay for are resort fees. Most of the time, you can complain that the internet was slow and/or not working during your stay and the front desk agent can waive the resort fee for you. I like to do it when checking out because you will have a genuine connection with the front desk agent. Most of the time in these big Las Vegas hotels, the internet is slow any way!
Conclusion
After you have completed this daunting task, you will have earned Hyatt Diamond Status which gives you a 30% point bonus on eligible spend, complimentary internet, four suite upgrades annually, and more. For a full list of Diamond benefits, click here.
Starting in August of this year, you can match Hyatt Diamond status with MGM Resort’s M Life’s Platinum Tier. For a complete benefits list, click here.
M Life Platinums get priority check-in, room upgrades, turndown service, priority access to pool cabanas and bungalows, buffet line pass, priority valet and taxi services, and special access to dayclubs/nightclubs for you and a guest.
Don’t forget to have the hotel add your Hyatt Gold Passport Number before arrival. Call it in or put it under the “Requests box” when you make your reservation online. Feeling lazy? Have them add your Gold Passport number when you check-in or during check-out. If worst comes to worst, you can always submit a request for credit after your completed stay.
Also, have the hotel add your M Life loyalty number to your hotel stay. Many people don’t know this, but you can double dip.
So is this worth it? This is the cheapest and most economical way to gain Hyatt Diamond status.
Are you in?
If I want to do the Hyatt Diamond challenge, will this also work?
Personally living in SoCal and visiting Vegas a few times a year makes Hyatt Diamond VERY enticing. I would consider just switching hotels each night. Excalibur – Luxor- Excalibur. 3 stay credits in one weekend/trip. I think I might have a couple more Vegas trips in 2014 than originally planned!
Haha, I actually thought about this before you wrote this, although I’m not sure I’d want to stay that many nights at Excalibur or in Vegas. I wonder if you could check in there for like 7 days at a time, go home or elsewhere, then come back and check out a week later. Anyway, GREAT POST! 🙂
12 night challenge would probably be the best way to do this, although I’ve already gone through it once. Also, weekend rates in Vegas are always higher, so I don’t think you’d be able to keep this under $1000 along with the infeasibility of staying in Vegas for 50 nights, unless you’re a local.
This is definitely more expensive, but I could see someone coming in on a Monday and booking for 31 straight nights, which I think is the maximum. 10 nights more with $40k spend (mostly manufactured) on the Hyatt Card and you’d be 82% of the way to qualifying with 50 nights.
If you are already a Hyatt Diamond do you get free internet.breakfast or late checkout at these hotels? We don’t have any cheap Hyatts in MD and I could see spending a week in LV and changing hotels each nite if got Kate checkout.
hey silver springer! Unfortunately Diamond benefits are not extended at the partner MGM properties 🙁
the $15.00 resort fee has the built in internet cost =/ … you can always ask nicely for a later checkout.
I’d do it just for the jello shots.
LOL!
Well I live in Vegas so yes.
awesome!
I’m going to finish a Diamond Challenge. I only have 6 more nights left out of the 12 nights required. It will come out around $318.00 with the resort fees. I will try to do the slow internet to save a $100. Thanks for your tips.
I don’t think the Hyatt MGM properties qualify for the Diamond Challenge…
I just checked on the MLife – Diamond Challenge and MLife property stays DO NOT count for the Diamond Challenge. However, the MLife property stays count for the regular annual 25 stays/50 nights for Diamond status and add 5 Hyatt points to your account for every $1 spent on the hotel room and room charges (non-gambling) on top of the MLife tier points that you’ll earn