CHICAGO (June 19, 2009) – When Hyatt asked the question, “How would you spend 365 free nights at Hyatt to create an unforgettable experience?” as part of a global contest called ‘The Big Welcome,’ it received answers from tens of thousands of people from around the world, including Emmy award-winning Philadelphia musician Bill Jolly, whose entry, featuring his own music, dancing puppets and a montage of Hyatt locations far and wide, was chosen as the winner for the North American region.
‘The Big Welcome’ was launched to celebrate the introduction of an enhanced Hyatt Gold Passport™ loyalty program through a larger than life kick-off, including a 10,000 free nights sweepstakes and a 365 night giveaway – in three regions worldwide – for a total of 31,095 free Hyatt nights.
“We created ‘The Big Welcome’ to express Hyatt’s dedication to making a difference in people’s lives through authentic hospitality,” said Mark S. Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Hyatt Corporation. “‘The Big Welcome’ clearly struck a chord with travelers around the globe. We were astounded and delighted by the number and the quality of the entries that came in.”
Meet Bill Jolly, Winner of ‘The Big Welcome’
Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Bill Jolly is a three-time Emmy Award-winning composer, musical director and keyboardist who has performed alongside a bevy of music royalty. He will now add another notch to his long list of accomplishments as the North American region winner of ‘The Big Welcome’ Contest. Bill’s winning entry put all his skills to work – he created a one-ofa-kind music video, complete with an original song, great travel photography and dancing puppets to demonstrate how he would spend his 365 free nights at Hyatt.
“After music, traveling the world has always been a passion of mine and when I learned about this contest, I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up,” said Jolly.
From Australia to Hawaii, Bill has a long list of must-see destinations, but he hopes to make his first stop in Egypt, followed by Italy and France with his 14-year-old daughter, Bianca.
“In the music business, things don’t always turn out the way you want. That is why I feel so blessed to be the winner and have the opportunity to travel and show my daughter all that the world has to offer.”
To view Bill’s entry, visit TheBigWelcome.com.
The Enhanced Hyatt Gold Passport™ Guest Loyalty Program To make its guests feel more than welcome, Hyatt redesigned the Hyatt Gold Passport™ guest loyalty program to make it more generous and more rewarding. Hyatt Gold Passport™ members can now take part in a wider range of exclusive privileges, ranging from free night awards with no blackout dates to complimentary Internet access, suite upgrades and exclusive check-in areas for elite members.
“Hyatt Gold Passport™ has evolved from a rewards-focused program into a true service and recognition initiative that better delivers Hyatt’s unique brand of authentic hospitality to our most valued guests,” said Jeff Zidell, vice president, Hyatt Gold Passport™. “The program’s many new offerings emphasize our ‘do whatever it takes’ culture by demonstrating Hyatt’s loyalty to its guests, and not the other way around.”
To learn more about Hyatt Gold Passport™, or to enroll in the program, visit www.GoldPassport.com. New members can also enroll by calling 1-800-51-HYATT, or by filling out an application at any Hyatt hotel.
About ‘The Big Welcome’ Contest: 365 Free Nights
‘The Big Welcome’ Contest was a one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life contest that asked the question “How would you spend 365 free nights at Hyatt to create an unforgettable experience?” Three people (one person per region – North America, Europe and Asia) were selected to win 365 free nights at any Hyatt hotel around the world.
Contestant’s entries were awarded a maximum of 40 points for originality; 40 points for creativity; 10 points for incorporation of Hyatt brand attributes and 10 points for organization/clarity and grammar. To help tell their story, entrants had the option of submitting video, audio, photo, or an original drawing to earn up to (5) bonus contest points.
The 365 free nights can be used at any Hyatt hotel worldwide (valid through June 30, 2014). To help winners make the most of this once-in-a lifetime experience, Hyatt also provided each winner with one million frequent flyer airline miles to be applied to a Hyatt Gold Passport™ travel partner.
All entries were judged by Hyatt agency personnel in a Preliminary Round and 20 entries advanced to the Semi-Final Round, where visitors to TheBigWelcome.com then had the chance to select the Top Five entries through online voting. One Grand Prize Contest Winner was selected per region (North America, Europe and Asia).
About Global Hyatt Corporation
Global Hyatt Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the world’s leading hospitality companies with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of Hyatt associates in 46 countries strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The company’s subsidiaries own, manage or franchise more than 380 hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Grand Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt Summerfield Suites® and Andaz™ brand names and have additional locations under development on five continents. Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc., a Global Hyatt subsidiary, develops and operates vacation ownership properties under the Hyatt Vacation Club® and Hyatt Residence Club® brands. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.
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Farley Kern
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Director of Brand Public Relations
(312) 780-5506
farley.kern@hyatt.com