I have expectations for the Official UVC FB group that they're unwilling to meet. I want them to answer my membership questions, help resolve disputes, advocate on my behalf with the resorts and keep me updated on the status of properties coming and going from the UVC inventory. Also, it wouldn't hurt if they'd treat me more respectfully. They just want to sell me more stuff. So, I've come to think of that group like I think of $2,400 VIP Weeks. In some circumstances and under a specific set of facts, you might find a little bit of value there, but they're largely worthless. Here are some examples.
1. Back in October 2023, there were increases to many costs members are charged for various UVC services (e.g. the transaction fee members, and the cost to deposit a week of TPUs into an RCI account). Members weren't notified by UVC of these increases, or what the new costs would be. In almost all clubs, subscriptions, memberships I'm involved with, members, especially loyalty members, get a notice in advance of cost increases. That didn't happen in Hyatt's UVC. I was hearing rumors in my FB groups of impending cost increases, so on October 30, 2023, I asked the Official UVC FB group if there would be official notification.
Not only did they not answer my question, but they wouldn't even publish the question to the group. To this day, it sits in Official UVC FB group purgatory, unpublished.
2. In October 2024, UVC started accepting reservations for Secrets Baby Beach which was still under construction but projecting a Spring 2025 opening. I was interested in visiting. I checked pricing. I read the resort guide. It left me with some questions, so I asked them in the Official UVC FB group. They responded, but they didn't answer my question. A response that's not an answer to the question asked is a common ploy of this group. I asked them a second time to get me answers. The second time, they didn't respond at all. Really? UVC asks members to spend thousands of dollars on a week's stay at a new resort, but they refuse to tell members what they'll get for their money?
Having been stonewalled by the Official UVC FB group, I emailed the resort directly and got my answers. This is something UVC should have done. It would have been useful to all members for UVC to get answers to my questions and then provide those answers to the entire group membership. Serving member interests is not what the Official UVC FB group is about. I had to get the answers for myself. When I did, I posted the answers to my own questions in a comment on my original post. That comment was deleted by the moderators. Eventually, the whole post was deleted. This is Hyatt's UVC.
Does UVC work for its members? If they did, they would have pursued answers for me. All members would benefit from a UVC that works as our advocate with the resorts. Hyatt's UVC doesn't work for the benefit of members. Hyatt's UVC works for the benefit of Hyatt.
3. In June of 2025, Hyatt announced they had closed on the purchase of Playa Hotels and Resorts. By June 12, 2025, I noticed all of the former Playa properties acquired in the purchase already appeared on hyattinclusivecollection.com and could be booked by World of Hyatt members with their discount. Eight of the former Playa properties were the original Ziva and Zilara properties that remained as Zivas and Zilaras but with Hyatt now as their management firm. UVC members weren't given access to these Zivas and Zilaras, but Hyatt does include them in their Inclusive Collection with all other properties in the UVC inventory. Five of the former Playa properties were rebranded by Hyatt to AMResorts brands, yet not even these appeared on the UVC members' website for members to book. Hyatt was denying members access to five AMResorts-branded properties despite contract language that tells me I can use my club benefits at all AMResorts properties.
Again, the Official UVC FB group didn't respond and wouldn't publish my post to the group. It, too, sits in Official UVC FB group purgatory keeping my October 2023 post company.
How many other memberships or subscriptions do you have that treat their customers the way Hyatt treats its UVC members? Costco? Netflix? Your local newspaper? Your gym? Most businesses treat their loyalty customers very well. They want to keep them as customers. That's not Hyatt's UVC. In Hyatt's UVC, I'm often treated like I'm the enemy. Instead of an honest response to some basic questions, this UVC member got ignored. Who is UVC serving with this behavior? Not members.