Through 2014, Hyatt had probably the most lucrative status challenge of any of the hotel chains with the Hyatt Diamond Challenge.  The Hyatt Diamond Challenge gave you instant Diamond status, along with the confirmed Diamond suite upgrades.  To keep the Hyatt Diamond status, all you had to do was stay 12 nights in 60 days.  But because the Hyatt Diamond Challenge granted you Diamond status upfront, some people signed up for the Hyatt Diamond Challenge before a big trip, with no real intention of completing the challenge, in order to take advantage of the status or suite upgrades during the 60 day challenge period

(SEE ALSO: Hotel status match – how to match at each chain)

Hyatt Diamond challenge ended in 2014

In late 2014, Hyatt announced that they would no longer be offering the Hyatt Diamond Challenge, which was not really a huge surprise.  The common belief was that the Hyatt Diamond Challenge was overly generous, and like most things that seem too good to be true (Club Carlson Bonus Award night? Amazon Payments?  Target Redbird?), it was inevitable to go away.  Hyatt did make vague promises of a similar offer returning at some point.

I gave my thoughts on what a new Hyatt Diamond Challenge might look like, and earlier this year, Hyatt did announce that they were offering a new Hyatt Diamond Challenge, called the Quick Qualifying Elite Trial.

Hyatt Diamond challenge / Quick Qualifying Elite Trial no longer invite only

There was some excitement back in January when the Quick Qualifying Elite Trial was announced, but we quickly discovered that the Hyatt Diamond challenge / Quick Qualifying Elite trial was intended to be offered by specific hotels to specific people.

Park Hyatt Vendome

But now, Hyatt has opened up the Hyatt Diamond Challenge to everyone.  There are details in the Flyertalk thread

Here’s what you need to do:

• Between now and April 30, 2016, call (800) 228-3360 and ask for the Hyatt Diamond challenge (if they don’t know what that is, try asking for the Quick Qualifying Elite Trial)
• You don’t need to prove any elite status with another hotel chain (this is different than the old Hyatt Diamond Challenge)
• You’ll be granted immediate Hyatt Platinum status provisionally (this is also different – you used to be granted Diamond status immediately instead)
• Within the next 60 days, if you stay 6 nights at any Hyatt, you’ll keep Hyatt Platinum status through February 2017
• Within the next 60 days, if you stay 12 nights at any Hyatt, you’ll keep Hyatt Diamond status through February 2017
  • You would then also get 4 confirmed Diamond Suite upgrades for 2015 and 4 more for 2016.  These suite upgrades can be used on Points + Cash stays but not on strictly Points stays.
• You’ll get a bonus 1,000 Hyatt points on each of your first 6 stays.
• Award stays do NOT count, but Points + Cash stays DO count

The fine print (this was received by a Flyertalk member and posted on the thread wiki

To qualify for this offer, new members must enroll and current members must register between June 1, 2015 and April 30,2016.
member will receive a trial Platinum membership for 60 days. To maintain Platinum membership through February 2017, member must complete six (6) eligible nights at any participating Hyatt worldwide within 60 days of enrollment. If member completes twelve (12) eligible nights at any participating Hyatt worldwide within 60 days, member will receive Diamond membership through February 2017.

Member will also receive 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points on their first six (6) eligible nights within 60 days. Maximum 6,000 Hyatt Gold Passport bonus points may be earned. Platinum 15% point bonus will be awarded for all eligible stays during the 60-day trial membership period when member chooses points for their stay. If member completes the night requirements, they will receive a new membership card valid through February 2017, within 3-4 weeks of qualifying. Membership benefits will be available when member provides their Hyatt Gold Passport number at time of reservation and check-in.

Limit one Elite Tier offer per member. Hyatt Gold Passport will track all eligible nights in which a Hyatt Gold Passport account number is provided. An eligible night is defined as a single night at any participating Hyatt in which an eligible rate is paid. Eligible nights at M life resorts will not count toward promotion. An eligible rate is defined in the complete Hyatt Gold Passport terms and conditions.
Hyatt Gold Passport reserves the right to alter or withdraw this promotion at any time without notice.

This promotion is subject to the complete terms and conditions of the Hyatt Gold Passport program, available at goldpassport.com. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts® encompasses hotels managed, franchised or leased by subsidiaries and affiliates of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The trademarks Hyatt®, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Centric™, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Zilara™, Hyatt Ziva™, Hyatt Residence Club®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation and its affiliates. ©2015 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

I have not signed up for the new Hyatt Diamond Challenge, though I’ve thought about it.  I think that the new Hyatt Diamond Challenge is much more sustainable and much more likely to stick around for awhile.  The Diamond status is good for nearly 2 years (through February 2017), so if you’re thinking about doing the challenge, you’ll want to do it sooner rather than later!

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