Hyatt Promotion Offers 365 Free Nights
To draw attention to enhancements to its Gold Passport loyalty program, Hyatt Corp. is running a pair of promotions designed to illustrate the concept of hospitality. And the contest portion of the promotion is hospitable indeed, offering three winners—one each from North America, Europe and Pacific Asia—365 free nights at Hyatt’s lodging properties, plus 1 million miles from the airline partner of their choosing.
To qualify for “The Big Welcome,” entrants must be enrolled Hyatt Gold Passport members, where they can enter their Gold Passport registration number or sign up for the program.
Once logged in, they will be asked to submit a 250-word essay describing how they would go about creating a unique and unforgettable experience at any of Hyatt’s properties around the world. Entrants can supplement their essays with video, audio, photo or art content.
The Web site is accepting submissions for the “Big Welcome” contest now and will do so through May 13. The essays will go through preliminary judging with Hyatt agency personnel selecting up to 20 semi-finalists, awarding 40 points each for originality and for creativity, 10 for organization and 10 for incorporating Hyatt brand attributes—with five extra-credit points available for a good use of other materials.
Those semi-finalists will be posted to the BigWelcome.com Web site, where the public can choose five finalists through online votes. Judges will then pick the grand-prize winner around June 12, 2009.
Concurrent with the “Big Welcome” essay contest, Hyatt is also running a sweepstakes that will give away one free night at a Hyatt Hotel to 10,000 Gold Passport members in each of the three global regions.
The winners of the free one-night stays will be selected daily at random from the Gold passport members who enter at the BigWelcome.com site through May 13, and will be notified by e-mail within a day of winning their prize. Separate game registrations are required for the essay contest and the sweepstakes. Hyatt has 370 properties in 44 countries around the world.”
Hyatt has recently given its Gold Passport loyalty program one of the most extensive overhauls since its inception in 1987, adding features such as expedited check-in, free Internet access and on-site upgrades depending on membership level, the elimination of blackout dates for standard rooms, and four annual suite upgrades for Diamond-tier members.
“’The Big Welcome’ is the way we have chosen to introduce travelers, and especially our existing Gold Passport members, to our redesigned Hyatt Gold Passport loyalty program,” Global Hyatt Corp. president and CEO Mark Hoplamazian said in a release. “At a time when others may be tempted to cut back, we consider these enhancements a long-term investment in our business.”
