Today is a major day in the world of hotel loyalty and Las Vegas. In short, 12 properties – all part of the MGM portfolio – have essentially become Hyatt affiliates for the purposes of earning and redeeming points. Las Vegas is historically one of the last markets where earning hotel loyalty credit for stays at the more popular hotels is somewhere between difficult and impossible. Starting on 20 June 2013 guests at any of the 12 MGM hotels in Las Vegas, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage, will be eligible to earn Hyatt Gold Passport points and stay credits. Later this summer there will also be reciprocity between the MGM M life program and the Gold Passport program, with elite status matching between the two.
In a statement, Hyatt Gold Passport SVP Jeff Zidell notes, “We know The Las Vegas Strip is an important destination for our members, and now they will have the chance to earn points and redeem award nights at 12 outstanding resorts from Bellagio to MGM Grand to Mandalay Bay.”
Hyatt Gold Passport members will earn 5 points per dollar spent on both the room rate and incidental spending (only up to the first $5,000 per stay) at M life resort properties. Platinum and Diamond elites will earn 15% and 30% bonus, respectively, on top of the base earning. Oh, and the earning is additive with the M life program; you can earn in both programs at the same time. Stays at Hyatt Gold Passport properties will also count towards earning in the M life program at a rate of 8 tier points for every eligible dollar spent at a Hyatt hotel or resort. Stays at the MGM properties will not receive elite benefits such as room upgrades, late check-out or free breakfast. They will also not have the resort fee waived for elites. Lots more details in the FAQ/fine print here.
On the redemption side the same 12 hotels are participating there, too. For the properties which are category 1-4 hotels the free night certificates from the credit card will be valid. It will not be possible to redeem Gold Passport points for upgrades to suites at the MGM hotels.
Here is the breakdown of the 12 participating properties and which reward category they are in:
Category 6 – 22,000 points/night
- Bellagio®
- Aria™
- Mandalay Bay®
- THEhotel®
Category 5 – 18,000 points/night
- Vdara™
- MGM Grand®
- The Signature at MGM Grand®
- The Mirage®
Category 4 – 15,000 points/night
- Monte Carlo™
- New York New York™
Category 3 – 12,000 points/night
- Luxor®
Category 2 – 8,000 points/night
- Excalibur®
This is the second significant announcement from MGM’s M life program in the past week. The other was a partnership with Southwest Airlines regarding reciprocal earning for flights. Between these two new partners M life is stepping up their game quite significantly. And a lot of travelers can benefit as a result.
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Mattress runs at Excalibur!
Very interesting. I am a Venetian/Palazzo/Wynn/Encore(via Priceline)guy but this might be cause to ponder a switch.
I can only assume that the top tier properties(Bellagio, Aria, Vdara) will price out at 22K points(Hyatt’s highest non-suite level) while the others will be 18K and under. For the bottom tier properties(Luxor etc..) hopefully WAY lower. Like Cat 1 Hyatt Place lower.
This might be a very good deal for elites to earn, but redeeming for Vegas is a very mixed bag.
Listed rates are often well over $200 for the best properties listed above. However, Priceline can often get you into a room for far less, depending on weekends.
In other words, the redemption rates might not be that favorable….unless the best properties price out at lower levels(which I seriosuly doubt).
Time to start your Hyatt Diamond Challenge!
This is pretty huge. Quite happy with this. Well done, Hyatt and MGM… This will be a win for those loyal to Hyatt.
I’m a bit confused. Does this mean I can get Hyatt stay credit for stays at MGM? Thanks!
Thanks for the update regarding categories for each hotel.
If anone values Hyatt or UR points above $.01 these redemption rates are poor.
This essentially values Mandaly Bay the same as PH Vendome for redemption purposes??
Even the highest rack rate at MB is well under $200/nite.
This looks much, much better for the acculumation, rather than redemtion, of points/nights.
Sky was correct. Mattress runs to the awful Excalibur and Luxor at $29/nite!
Yes, Sonya, that is EXACTLY what it means. Starting with stays on 20 June 2013 you can earn Hyatt nights and 5 points/$ on all stays at the 12 listed hotels.
Don’t forget the resort fee of $16.50 per night.
Thanks, Seth.
Rom – Can staying at the Excalibur (for very cheap) be a way to earn Diamond status through a challenge?
Since you are allowed free transfers between MGM properties in Vegas, it is possible that a mattress run (to meet Hyatt elite challenge) between Luxor and Exclaibur (day 1 at Luxor, check out check in at Exclaibur day 2, check out, check in back to Luxor day 3 etc) would count as 1 stay.
Good deals. Finally some ways to use points in Vegas. Wish the resort fee would go away.
As I am “familiar” with a Hyatt manager our hope is that Hyatt employee rates will extend to the MGM properties. I suspect not, but hope springs eternal.
Fabulous news for those who are Hyatt GP members. Perhaps I should plan a trip to Vegas ….. :p
Would the 2 free nights “at ANY Hyatt property” (sign-up bonus on Chase Hyatt Visa) be valid at the Cat 6 properties here? That’s my current plan for a conference at The Aria in October & you’ve got me worried that it won’t be valid…
oops, posted before I finished reading FAQ… which answered my question.
“12) Can I redeem my Hyatt Credit Card free night awards at participating M life resorts?
Yes, Hyatt Credit Card members can redeem their 2 free night awards at any participating M life
resort and their anniversary award night at a Category 1-4 participating M life resort”