Up until about a year ago I completely ignored hotel status programs, until I saw some of the benefits that an SPG Platinum 100 friend of mine got, namely his own point of contact in the form of an SPG Ambassador who does things like make cash + points availability appear out of nowhere. Now I know I’ll never hit Platinum 100 because I mix properties/chains too much, but even the base Gold and Platinum perks make every stay more enjoyable — we’re talking things like upgrades (was just in an Astor Suite at the St. Regis San Francisco) late checkout, club lounge access, free breakfast, free internet, and more points/dollar — I currently get 4 points/dollar as a Platinum 75. Add to that the Starwood Preferred Guest card from American Express, and I’m earning a total of 6 points per dollar, which adds up quickly!

As a huge fan of Park Hyatt properties (Sydney, Shanghai, Milan, Tokyo), I started checking out other Hyatts (Grand and Andaz) and have been hugely impressed. I think of Park Hyatt >= St. Regis, Andaz >= W, and Grand Hyatt sort of > Westin depending on which properties are being compared. I’ve also been racking up the Ultimate Rewards points with my Sapphire Preferred Card, which transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1, which is much better than the 3:1 you get for Amex Membership Rewards to Starwood. I’m not going to ditch Starwood entirely, cus I love the St. Regis and W Retreat/Resort properties, but I did decide to do the Hyatt Diamond Trial/Status Match for the following reasons:

• Immediate Diamond status for the 60 days of the trial
• 4 suite upgrades with the trial, to be used by the end of the calendar year
• 1,000 bonus points for each of your first 6 nights in the trial
• And all the perks of Diamond status: 30% bonus points, late checkout, free internet, and club floor access w/ free breakfast.
• Diamond phone line access.

Here’s how to get into the Diamond Trial.

1. Secure one of these status levels:

• Hilton HHonors Gold or Diamond
• Starwood Platinum
• Priority Club Platinum
• Marriott Gold or Platinum

The kicker with this is that status attained purely through a credit card program won’t count — you will be required to show activity in your current program via a screenshot or otherwise. If you’re looking for a cheap way to do this, I have heard of people acquiring the FoundersCard which costs $395, redeeming their HHonors Gold status (takes up to 30 days), booking a night or two at a local Hilton, and there’s their status and activity. For details on that feel free to email info at seatlink.com.

2. Contact Hyatt and request the trial.

Send an email to [email protected] requesting the trial with a screenshot showing one of the status levels above and your Gold Passport account number. Alternatively, you can call Gold Passport at 1-800-228-3360 (402-593-8615 if you’re outside North America).

3. Meet the stay requirements.

You’ll need to stay 12 nights at an eligible Hyatt rate within 60 days of starting the challenge, and all nights must be booked through Hyatt – no hotels.com or anything like that, no crazy promo codes, and Las Vegas properties seem to be excluded as well.

Once you’ve completed the above three items, email Gold Passport again and they’ll confirm your completion of the trial/challenge/match.

When to do the trial.

Historically Diamond trial program offers/terms are released in June of a given year, so the ideal time is to start right after the announcement, which would give you Diamond status through the current year and the following year. If you complete the trial in January, on the other hand, you’ll only receive Diamond status for the remainder of that calendar year. But as long as they keep offering the upgrades, and/or you want the perks only for a stay or two, you could do the challenge for that purpose only any time in the year.