A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a note about thethe Grand Hyatt San Francisco club lounge closing its doors after this weekend, apparently for good (at least for now).
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You can access Grand Hyatt San Francisco here.
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Reader’s Note:
I wondered if you’d heard about some news from San Francisco. It appears the Club lounge “grand club” at the Grand Hyatt, Union Square, is closing tomorrow, February 1st.
Staff and management mention it’s due to occupancy at the hotel (which incidentally is almost fully booked this week and next during my stay) they also are still selling and upgrading people to club rooms (as of Thursday) but obviously giving folks 48 hours to enjoy the lounge.
The lounge is obviously a great benefit and they’ve offered up breakfast in the hotels limited service restaurant as a compromise. The restaurant is tiny and surely won’t be able to host lounge guests and standard hotel guests at peak times.
I thought it was interesting that they are quietly closing the lounge at this full service Grand Hyatt property. Surely this is a brand standard? All the other full service Hyatt properties in SF offer excellent lounges, including the recently renovated and repaired revolving lounge at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero.
Anyway, I thought this was strange and wondered if you’d heard of other Hyatt properties globally or in the US closing their lounges and therefore removing a key benefit for Globalists – in a world of cost cutting and benefit devaluation, I thought this was one to watch.
I looked at the Hyatt’s website, and there was a notice that the club lounge at this hotel will close on February 2nd.
There has been a trend in the US where full-service hotels have been ripping apart and closing their executive lounges, as these are not considered revenue-generating operations but negatively affect hotels’ F&B sales.
The reason is that too many guests have lounge access, especially with Hilton and Marriott, when you can get their lounge-level elite tier by merely signing up for specific premium credit cards.
The situation is not this dire YET with Hyatt, but these transferrable Club Access and Guest of Honor certificates that are widely sold and traded on various platforms have transformed the program into a “World of Fraud,” and hotels are left to deal with this mayhem.
Some had decided to curtail elite benefits, such as closing lounges.
Considering Grand Hyatt San Francisco’s rates, keeping the lounge lights on shouldn’t be a “challenge.” The hotel could always offer lounge benefits at open F&B outlets if there are lower occupancy periods.
It is not that difficult.
Conclusion
Overall, Hyatt’s situation is still good, especially compared to Hilton and Marriott. We certainly don’t want the Regency and Grand Clubs to close or become spaces with practically no services or something minimally acceptable.
Have you noticed recent lounge closures or reduced services with Hyatt? Please comment below.
