Debuting today, February 20, is Hyatt’s new luxury travel advisor program, named Hyatt Privé. With the program, advisors have access to personal connections, local recommendations and exclusive promotions at Hyatt’s luxury, lifestyle and resort hotels, which include Park Hyatt, Andaz and the Unbound Collection, plus more. It’s the first travel advisor program from Hyatt of this magnitude, according to Tristan Dowell, Vice President, Luxury, Lifestyle & Leisure, Hyatt.
The exclusive program is by invite only. Advisors must be a key Hyatt partner, and must meet a minimum ADR and suite business. Just under 100 advisors took part in a beta testing of the program, who helped Hyatt refine Privé and its capabilities. These advisors represented luxury agencies, up-and-coming advisors and independent contractors from the U.S., South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. “I can guarantee you we would not have had such a dynamic portal if it wasn't for these advisors,” Dowell tells us.
“After being part of this program from the beginning and working with Hyatt for the past year, it is refreshing to see a vendor that really listened to suggestions and incorporated them into the finished product," says Peter S. Carideo, president, CRC Travel. "With Hyatt Privé, it was a collaborative process to get to the end product, and it’s wonderful to have a one stop shop to help design experiences for our top clients. It’s been an exciting experience.”
The advisors who partook in the beta test will be grandfathered into the full program; they will be joined by close to 3,000 other advisors from nearly 500 agencies for the launch of the program.
Hyatt Privé was created from travel advisors’ desire for a larger, more comprehensive program than the current offering for just Park Hyatt properties, Dowell tells us.
When building the program, Hyatt put on a focus on the advisors’ ability to customize their clients’ trips as much as possible “and really drive that personalization aspect,” says Dowell. In order to assist advisors, Privé includes the email and phone numbers of the general managers, concierges and operations team at the hotels—each of which includes a corresponding photo. In addition to direct contacts at the hotel, Privé also has a “Recommends” page for each property. These are lists of unique, local experiences that aren’t listed on the public website. For faster communication, advisors can contact hotels on the platform via a direct messaging system.
Victoria R. Boomgarden, president, Direct Travel Luxe, says, "Hyatt has kept their agency partners top of mind, and that was really felt when my first-hand input was incorporated into the final offering. Hyatt Privé is not only a time-saver for agents but it also provides an opportunity to work more closely as key partners. With Hyatt Privé, the communication piece is a top feature. I love the hotel-specific recommendations and key contacts."
Dowell tells us advisors also asked for more hotel and suite layouts. Through the program, advisors can find bullet points of what makes each suite unique. A bullet list also provides advisors with which rooms connect, while floor plans are available of suites. Dowell tells us both were requested features due to the growing number of multigenerational travelers. Good to know: Hyatt will be offering increased commissions on suite bookings through the program.
To help advisors keep track of their clients and their preferences, Hyatt included a page that lists all of an advisors’ bookings. In addition to listing all reservations, this page also lists the benefits that came with the booking. When making bookings, the platform offers a method of searching by airport codes—another facet that clients had asked for, according to Dowell. Hyatt also made it a point to fast-track upgrades for clients. Rather than wait until the time of arrival, Hyatt sought to confirm all upgrades within 24 hours of the booking. All clients booking through a Hyatt Privé member receive early check-in and late checkout in addition to standard Hyatt benefits such as complimentary Wi-Fi.
While there isn’t an app just yet, Dowell says they made an effort to make sure the Hyatt Privé website is smartphone-friendly.
For interested advisors, contact Luxury, Lifestyle and Leisure Hyatt Sales Force account director Molly Clayton (hyattprive@hyatt.com).
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