IHG Loses Venetian After $1.5 Billion Renovation – Will Hyatt Members Win Big or Expect Disappointment?

IHG is losing Venetian and Palazzo at the end of the year after 15 years. That burns.

It turns out that the 7,000-room property, which just completed a $1.5 billion renovation, is partnering with Hyatt instead.

• We know it will collect and redeem points
• And there will be benefits, but details are not yet clear. Rio, for example, is fully integrated into World of Hyatt. It’s not clear if Venetian will be available for things like breakfast, upgrades and late checkout. I asked Hyatt these questions.
• Venetian Rewards members also enjoy Hyatt benefits. Perhaps this means that the two levels match. This still needs to be shared.

The property will be its own brand for Brand Explorer Category 1-4 free nights, which is cool. And it’s great to have a much nicer Hyatt option in Las Vegas. Instead of complaining about Ghetto Rio costing $42.50 a night, members can complain about how expensive Venetian is.

How valuable this partnership will likely be depends on the extent to which Venetian and Palazzo fully participate in World of Hyatt. If suite upgrades are offered – and it’s not clear what constitutes a standard suite in a hotel that makes the somewhat exaggerated claim that all rooms are suites – and breakfast and late checkout are taken into account, then that would be it Making property very attractive indeed.

On the other hand, if it’s just about earning and redeeming points, earning elite nights, and status matching at lower levels, the use case is much more limited. Stay where you want and get the best deal on the Strip, check in to Rio to get elite night credit (but definitely don’t stay there), and you can’t for the same Night elite accommodations in Rio and Venetian Despite it…

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