One of the most highly rated hotel loyalty programs is the Hyatt Gold Passport. There are three main tiers of membership with different qualifying requirements in this program:

Hyatt Gold Passport Membership - None although sign-up is required
Platinum Membership - Five eligible stays or fifteen eligible nights
Diamond Membership - Twenty-five eligible stays or fifty eligible nights

The Hyatt Benefits

The Diamond Membership offers generous benefits for the member and here are the ones that matter (to me at least):

30% Points Bonus (total of 6.5 points per eligible US$1 spend)
Upgrade to the best room upon arrival (excluding suites)
Guaranteed club access with complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres. Full breakfast is offered in hotels without a club lounge.
Complimentary suite upgrade (guaranteed at time of reservation) four times annual on eligible paid nights (each upgrade is eligible for up to 7 consecutive nights).
Welcome point bonus or F&B amenity
Late check-out (up to 4pm)
Access My Elite Rate - 20% off the daily rate on any standard room (subjected to availability)

Hyatt Points can be utilised for free stays or for upgrades but the greatest benefit in my opinion is the complimentary suite upgrade that is guaranteed at the time of reservation. If you're planning a special vacation for your family or friends, put your mind at east - you now know that your room will be upgraded to a suite! Although you can only use these four times a year, each upgrade lasts up to seven consecutive nights.

Hyatt in Singapore

Once again, there are no credit cards in Singapore that give you instant Hyatt status. Qualifying for the Diamond Membership tier is extremely costly as most Hyatt properties here cost a lot. The cheapest room at the Grand Hyatt Singapore on an Advance Purchase rate will cost S$413 (approximately US$330) after eligible taxes a night.

The Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond Challenge

With all that being said, you may request for a Hyatt Diamond Challenge - 12 eligible nights in 60 days. “Eligible nights” include published rates, corporate rates, AAA rates, senior rates, and even Points + Cash bookings. It is worth noting that you will get instant Diamond status (for the period of the challenge) alongside four suite upgrades that you will be able to utilise. Completing this challenge will give you the Diamond Membership status until February 2016 (02/2016). You will also receive 1,000 bonus points per night for the first six nights during this challenge.

Elite members with the following programs can request a Hyatt Diamond trial. Do note that you will most likely need to register at least one stay with your participating program before it will be approved.

Hilton Honors: Gold & Diamond
Marriott Rewards: Gold & Platinum
Starwood Preferred Guest: Platinum
IHG Rewards Club: Platinum

The easiest way to enrol for this Diamond Challenge will be to contact the Gold Passport team at goldpassport@hyatt.com and simply just ask them about the challenge. Be sure to supplement information from an aforementioned program in your email.

Hyatt Mattress Run in Asia

Mattress running for those who are unfamiliar with the term or concept, refers to staying in a hotel for the sole purpose of promotion qualification or collecting eligible nights towards a loyalty status. Since the only Hyatt property in Singapore (Grand Hyatt Singapore) is pretty costly as mentioned previously, mattress runs are not exactly feasible here. However, if you do happen to be a couple of nights short of completing your Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond challenge, you may wish to consider the following Hyatt properties that have relatively lower average price in Asia-Pacific - usually the Hyatt Regency properties but the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur which offers great views of the city, is an amazing property for a reasonable price!

Here are a couple of properties you may wish to consider for mattress runs around the region:

Hyatt Regency Bandung
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 80 SGD+ applicable taxes

Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 95 SGD + applicable taxes

Hyatt Place Shenzhen Dongmen
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 108 SGD + applicable taxes

Hyatt Regency Hotel & Casino Manila
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 117 SGD + applicable taxes

Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 145 SGD + applicable taxes

Hyatt Regency Kinabalu
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 154 SGD + applicable taxes

Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Sha Tin
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 174 SGD + applicable taxes

Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Cheapest Room Rate (My Elite Rate): 187 SGD + applicable taxes

If there's anywhere else in Asia-Pacific that has relatively low room rates for completing the Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond Challenge, please do leave a message and let the rest of us know!

My Elite Rate Terms and Conditions: Rate is valid for current Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum and Diamond members for reservations booked and stays actualized by December 31, 2014 at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide. To qualify for My Elite Rate, Platinum and Diamond members must sign in to their membership account via Hyatt.com or contact a Worldwide Reservation Center and provide their Hyatt Gold Passport membership number at time of booking. My Elite Rate is 20% off the Hyatt Daily rate, valid for only one room, and is non-transferrable. Member must actually occupy the room.