My First Experience as a Hyatt Globalist [Hyatt Regency Vancouver]

I’m a Hyatt Globalist! I have had Hyatt Globalist FOMO for years, so it feels awesome to finally be able to say those words.

Hyatt Globalist is the highest level of elite status in the World of Hyatt program. It comes with valuable benefits like room upgrades (including suites), late checkout, and free breakfast. I’ve written about the program extensively and have traveled with friends who have Globalist status, so I know the tremendous value it can have. It can be somewhat tricky to achieve unless you’re traveling quite a bit and staying primarily at Hyatt hotels, but it can be done.

In this post, I’ll not only share my experience as a first-time Globalist staying at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, but I’ll show you exactly what I did to get there.

How I Earned Hyatt Globalist Status

Earning Hyatt Globalist status requires staying 60 qualifying elite nights, earning 100,000 base points, or hosting 20 qualifying meetings. It’s a tall order for sure, but the benefits can be enormous.

Here’s a snapshot of the main benefits of Hyatt Globalist status:

• 30% bonus on points earnings
• 4 p.m. late checkout, when available
• Club access or complimentary breakfast
• Free parking on award nights
• Guest of Honor benefits
• Room upgrades, including standard suites, when available
• Waived resort fees on paid and award nights

Bottom Line:

Each Hyatt status level has its own benefits, but Hyatt Globalist status offers the most perks, including free breakfast, 4 p.m. late checkout, and room upgrades that include standard suites.

I tried to earn Hyatt Globalist status last year, but I didn’t have a plan, so I gave up about halfway through the year. This year, I made a plan and started chipping away at the 60-night requirement in January.

In mid-July I finally hit 53 qualifying nights.

“But, wait, Katie, don’t you need 60 nights to qualify for Globalist status?” Well, yes, most of the time. Let me explain.

I was able to take advantage of a Bilt Rewards promotion that awarded Globalist status after registering and staying 20 qualifying nights in a specified period of time. I used that promo to fast-track to Globalist, but I still have plans to earn all 60 nights, so I can also take advantage of Hyatt Milestone Rewards, which are bonuses earned on the way to Globalist.

Here’s where those 60 nights come from:

• 5 nights from The World of Hyatt Credit Card
• 6 nights from spending $15,000 on the World of Hyatt card (2 elite nights for every $5,000 spent — this spending will also earn me a Category 1 to 4 free night certificate )
• 29 nights in Hyatt hotels
• 20 nights of “mattress running” (paid nights in hotels I didn’t stay at)

While it might seem a bit nuts to pay for 20 nights that I had no need for, it was worth it to me for a few reasons.

First, I really wanted to get the full experience of being a Globalist to see what all the fuss is about. Second, the math worked out so I would get more value from Globalist status than I spent to get it. My husband thought (actually still thinks) this plan was ridiculous and a waste of time and money — I plan on proving him wrong!

Those mattress run nights were all paid for with World of Hyatt points except for one. Most of them were also done during Hyatt Bonus Journeys, a promo that awarded 3,000 bonus points for every 2 nights stayed.

I was able to book a Category 1 hotel at off-peak pricing for 3,500 per night. Then, every 2 nights, I got 3,000 points back, which brought my out-of-pocket cost down to 2,000 points per night. So essentially, I bought elite night credits for 2,000 points each.

While I don’t love parting with valuable World of Hyatt points, I knew I would earn tons of value to make up for it on the way to earning Globalist status with Milestone Rewards. These rewards are earned based on your number of qualifying nights (or base points), so you don’t earn these if you fast-track to status through a promotion or status match.

Bottom Line:

I earned Hyatt Globalist status through a combination of spending on the World of Hyatt card, actual nights in Hyatt hotels, “mattress run” nights (paid nights at inexpensive hotels for the sole purpose of earning elite night credits), and a status challenge.

A Taste of Globalist via Guest of Honor

While this was my first hotel stay as a true Globalist, I had experienced the benefits once before. Last year, a friend who is a Globalist made a Guest of Honor booking for me at Thompson Central Park New York for a special birthday trip for my daughter.

A Guest of Honor booking is a way of sharing Globalist benefits with friends and family. While I didn’t get a room upgrade on that trip, I enjoyed the free Globalist breakfast each morning in the hotel’s fantastic restaurant.

That trip was great, but I was excited to finally get to check in at a hotel as an actual Globalist.

My First Experience With Globalist Benefits at Hyatt Regency Vancouver

I arrived at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver early in the morning after disembarking from an Alaska cruise. My room wasn’t ready since the hotel was full the night before (and because it was about 9 a.m.), but I was assured I would be the first on the list to get a room.

I was thanked for being a Globalist member and told that there were no suites available for an upgrade since the hotel was sold out. The free parking benefit was explained and I was offered a late checkout, but I didn’t need either of those perks for this stay.

I left my bags with the hotel’s concierge and set out to explore Vancouver for the day.

Upon returning to the hotel that evening, I picked up my keys at the front desk and I was also given a letter. I generally don’t care too much about a welcome letter from a hotel, but I did get a kick out of seeing the word “Globalist” included.

World of Hyatt elite members are eligible for 2 free bottles of water each day and these were waiting for me in my room. The nice thing about this benefit is that it’s also available to Discoverist and Explorist members in addition to Globalists.

The next morning I was looking forward to taking advantage of one of the best benefits of Globalist status — free breakfast.

When I checked in, I was told that the Globalist breakfast benefit was available from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Mosaic Grille on the hotel’s second floor. They instructed me to order whatever I wanted and to charge it to the room.

My husband, daughter, mom, and I sat down to eat and were handed menus. Our fantastic waitress explained that some rates have breakfast included and those guests are only able to get the buffet. However, since I was a Globalist, I could order whatever I wanted.

Hot Tip:

The Hyatt Globalist breakfast benefit varies by hotel. Some hotels, like Hyatt Regency Vancouver, let you order anything off the menu, while other locations place limits on what you can get, such as 1 entrée and 1 hot drink.

My mom was traveling with us but was in a separate room, so she wasn’t technically entitled to complimentary breakfast. However, I figured I would just charge everything to my room to see if the hotel would take off her charges as well — they did!

On the first morning, I ordered an omelet, which came with potatoes and toast.

On the second morning of my trip, I tried avocado toast with poached eggs. Both meals were quite tasty.

My daughter opted for the buffet, which included a large selection of hot and cold items.

There were pastries, bread, and bagels with assorted jams and peanut butter.

There was a good selection of fresh fruit along with yogurt and cereal.

Plus, there were hot items including eggs, bacon, waffles, and oatmeal.

Due to my Globalist status, I was able to get free breakfast for 3 adults and 1 child each morning of my stay at Hyatt Regency Vancouver. The bill each day came to about CA$114 or ~$85.

When I checked my bill in the World of Hyatt mobile app, there was a CA$5 charge for breakfast each morning for an additional tip. This was strange for 2 reasons. First, the tip should be covered by the Globalist breakfast benefit. Second, the gratuity was included in the service charge at this hotel. I double-checked with our server to make sure the included service charge was a tip that went to them. I mentioned this at the front desk during checkout and they quickly removed these extra charges.

While I most likely wouldn’t have spent that much had I been paying for my breakfast, the value I got from my first breakfast as a Hyatt Globalist was solid. Being able to enjoy the ease of eating breakfast at your hotel without having to consider the cost is a small luxury that can make traveling so much easier (and more fun).

Bottom Line:

As a Hyatt Globalist, I was able to get free breakfast each morning for my family — a value of about $170 for my 2-night stay.

Final Thoughts

After years of wishing I was a Globalist, I finally achieved this highest level of Hyatt elite status. I earned Globalist status through a combination of Hyatt stays, Hyatt credit card spending, mattress running, and a Bilt Rewards status challenge.

Hyatt Globalist can be a valuable status because, in addition to great perks like 4 p.m. checkout and room upgrades, there are benefits that can save you money like free parking on award stays and free breakfast. Just in my first stay as a Globalist at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, I had ~$170 worth of breakfast charges removed from my bill due to my status.