A Hiring at World of Hyatt Portends Big Changes Ahead — Business of Loyalty
Photo Credit: Hyatt, which is investing in alternative accommodations, wants to give World of Hyatt members the chance to meet with local experts to enhance the discovery of new destinations. Hyatt
Skift Take
Hyatt's loyalty program may be in for some interesting changes next year as the hotel chain vacuums up talent from Starwood.
It's been a busy season for Hyatt and its loyalty program, World of Hyatt. After a quiet summer, the group appointed Mark Vondrasek, who came from the Starwood Preferred Guest program, to oversee all of loyalty and new business platforms at the hotel empire. Now, Amy Weinberg is joining the team to officially lead World of Hyatt.
Prior to joining Hyatt, Weinberg worked for 12 years as the senior vice president of consumer insights for Starwood, overlapping significantly with Vondrasek's tenure. And now that Starwood's loyalty program is slowly melting into Marriott's, it's a good move for Hyatt to start vacuuming up talent.
What's still unclear is whether Starwood's legacy will affect Hyatt and its loyalty program. Over the years, SPG has earned a cult following among business travelers for its strong partner program, wide variety of hotels and co-branded credit card — which allowed for easy point accrual.
Hyatt, no doubt, would also like to reach this level
