Expire My Points? Expire My Loyalty!

Are hotel marketers stupid?

Having worked as a manager for the Hilton HHonors program almost 20 years ago, I can tell you with a high degree of confidence that they are not. And yet…

And yet, this week I received an email from Hyatt’s loyalty program, Gold Passport, with the following warning: “Your account will be closed and points forfeited after 24 consecutive months of inactivity.” That might be a concern, if I had points in the program that were in danger of being lost. But I don’t; my account balance is 0.

So in a few weeks, I will no longer have an account in a program that I haven’t been active in lately. A non-event, you might think. Except it’s not.

In deactivating my account, Hyatt will go a long way toward removing itself from consideration when I book future hotel stays.

Sure, I could take the time to establish a new Gold Passport account. But that’s a hurdle I don’t face with Marriott, for example, where I have an active Rewards account. And Marriott has a lot more hotels than Hyatt, in a lot more locations, at a lot more price points. Advantage, Marriott. Or, more to the point: Disadvantage, Hyatt.

Travel Smarter! Sign up for our free newsletter.

By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Sign Up

Hyatt is punishing me for my lack of past business, and is losing my future business as a result. And every year, it’s doing the same thing to thousands of other inactive Gold Passport members. Surely, that’s cutting off your nose to spite your face. Or, in a single word: stupid.

You Might Also Like:

• Top Hotel Loyalty Programs
• How to Win at Hotel Bidding
• 10 Biggest Hotel-Fee Gripes

Reader Reality Check

What have loyalty programs done to undermine your loyalty?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.