Hyatt’s New Customer-Centric Approach to Meetings

This content was created collaboratively by Hyatt and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.

Over the last few years, the shifting needs of attendees and planners have been a major topic of discussion across the meetings and events industry — and Hyatt has been listening. Challenges from smaller teams to shorter planning windows are impacting planners’ ability to achieve sustainability metrics, create memorable wellbeing experiences, and more.

As customers and planners across industries increasingly seek out brands that understand their needs, providing the best possible event experience with knowledge and empathy remains vital. These discussions have shaped Together by Hyatt, the company’s approach to meetings and events.

Hyatt has always been powered by its commitment to care, sustainability, and wellbeing. In January, World of Hyatt introduced the Be More Here brand platform, which invites guests, members, and customers to lean into the transformative powers of travel and be more present. Together by Hyatt only builds on that commitment, as Hyatt offers even more of what planners need to elevate an ordinary meeting into much more.

Initially introduced in 2021, the new Together by Hyatt has four distinct benefits, each intersecting holistically to make each meeting experience one to remember. “We’re helping our customers be more efficient, feel more cared for, be more impactful when it relates to the environment, and be more intentional,” explained Steve Enselein, Senior Vice President of Events.

Read on to learn more about the benefits offered by Together by Hyatt.

More Cared For

Every aspect of Together by Hyatt has always started with the customers. In looking to lead the industry forward, Enselein asked himself — and 300 leading meeting planners — how the company could stand out in their care for the planner community. The result is a refreshed Together by Hyatt philosophy, a way of doing business that addresses the needs of today’s planners, who can then, in turn, meet their attendees’ needs.

Hyatt’s in-depth understanding of what makes today’s meetings successful helps differentiate the brand in a crowded industry. Looking to make planners’ jobs less stressful, Hyatt has assembled a team of colleagues at its hotels to carry out all aspects of a meeting. Culinary experts, AV specialists, and other support teams collaborate with planners on everything from room setup to menus and lighting so attendees are in the best place possible during the meetings. Hyatt even provides a Know Before You Go with important information — transportation options, weather predictions, etc. — saving planners’ time from answering attendees’ most frequently asked questions.

World of Hyatt, Hyatt’s loyalty program, recognizes the impact planners have on Hyatt’s overall business. As of January 2024, planners have even more opportunities to earn qualifying room nights and tier status with World of Hyatt. Meanwhile, the Hyatt Resort Alliance and Hyatt Convention Alliance feature a network of hotels catering to specific types of conferences and events of all sizes. It’s another way to offer scale and facilitate the meeting planning process.

More Efficient

Bringing all of this together is Hyatt’s proprietary technology, which puts the planner in control. Resources like the Event Experience Guide, Event Concierge App, and Hyatt Planner Portal take planners through the entire event life cycle and are one-stop shops to collect information and make quick adjustments. “We allow planners to do what they want when they want,” said Enselein.

The process begins long before attendees arrive on-site through the Event Experience Guide, which is built to anticipate and answer most of planners’ questions before they ask them. Planners can access information about:

• Current seasonal menus
• Wellbeing and sustainability experiences and offerings
• FAQs related to loading dock hours, distance from airports, transportation, nearby providers and other key vendors familiar with the hotel, and more.

The Hyatt Planner Portal is a user-friendly tool for running reports on historical and current events, including rooming lists, room pickup, and no-shows, among other important information. Planners can also collaborate on room layouts in the portal. For ease, planners can pre-schedule reports to be delivered to their inbox at a certain time, or they can view them instantaneously. Likewise, event organizers can pull up up-to-the-minute billing information in the portal. The results speak for themselves, reported Enselein. “Last year, planners self-serviced over 300,000 reports from the Hyatt Planner Portal,” Enselein noted, adding how this eliminated the need for many emails that clog inboxes and instead get the planner what they need when they need it.

The Event Concierge App allows for rapid adjustments to temperature, room setup, food and beverage, and other important on-site details.

More Impactful

An example of how Together by Hyatt’s beliefs blend seamlessly with planners’ priorities is its commitment to sustainability. This is evident with best-in-class food and beverage, which aptly has adopted the philosophy, “Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served.” Menus are built around regional goods and services provided by local, minority, and women-owned vendors that impact their surrounding communities. “Our key pillars are healthy people, healthy planet, and healthy communities,” explained Enselein.

Chefs craft menus with the same principles in mind. There are no artificial ingredients or unnatural sugars, reduced portions, and a greater emphasis on fruits and vegetables. Through personalized sustainability guidance, planners can create healthier meetings by accessing information related to:

1. What Hyatt, as a global company, is doing to care for the planet
2. What the individual hotel hosting the meeting is doing (on-site EV charging, on-site composting, etc.)
3. Tips to help plan a more sustainable meeting

“Our goal is to amplify what planners are already doing and to take it to the next level for them and their organization,” said Enselein.

More Intentional

In line with the emphasis on care is Hyatt’s commitment to wellbeing, Hyatt has thoughtfully added small and big touches to allow meeting planners and attendees to be in the moment.

The experience begins in the guest room and extends to meeting rooms. Care stations provided at the back of meeting rooms offer items such as cleansing wipes, mints, adhesive bandages, blankets, vitamins, and stress balls. “We really believe these care stations go a long way in helping attendees feel more comfortable, and thus more engaged in the meeting,” Enselein said.

Among the tools available in guest rooms and on the World of Hyatt app are:

• Headspace: This exclusive collaboration provides guests with complimentary access to mindfulness and sleep content, including relaxing sounds from Headspace’s premium colored noise collection.
• MasterClass: Attendees can learn from the world’s best across several categories, including health and wellness, arts and entertainment, business, and cooking.

These in-room content options provide wellbeing experiences throughout the day, adding to the traditional morning yoga or 5K runs planners often organize.

Conclusion

The four benefits of Together by Hyatt work in unison. This holistic approach serves planners well, as they’re increasingly accountable for not just planning and executing a meeting but also ensuring it positively impacts the organizations and overall industry.

To experience Together by Hyatt in person at IMEX America, please visit booth E2041 and add it to your schedule here.

Learn more about Together by Hyatt.

This content was created collaboratively by Hyatt and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.