Hyatt is one of the favorite programs for all in the this community. Perhaps it’s the incredible quality of Park Hyatt hotels, or perhaps it’s the cheap points redemptions. Either way, Hyatt is a great program, has great status benefits, and best of all, has fantastic hotels.
This is the first part of a 4 part Complete Guide that will give an overview of the program, free night opportunities, and give a few lesser known tips on saving money at Hyatt hotels.
Introduction:
An Overview of Hyatt Rewards and Saving money
Hyatt is a partner of Chase in a couple of ways. You can get the Hyatt card to get free nights, or transfer points 1:1 from Chase points. Plus you can earn points the old fashioned way – paying for hotels of course. But Hyatt hotels range from 5,000 points to 30,000 points per night. And they also range from cheaper properties like Hyatt House to incredibly modern and luxurious hotels like Park Hyatt.
In this first guide you’ll not only learn the basics and get a glimpse of a few other guides, but also get a few tricks in saving money.
Chapter 1 Summary
Earning Hyatt Gold Passport Points
Basically any credit card that gives Chase Ultimate Rewards points could ultimately be transferred to Hyatt. 50,000 points for signing up for a Chase card could end up being 10 nights at Hyatt properties. Or the Hyatt Visa could give you two free nights. With Chase cards, there’s no shortage of Hyatt stays.
For those who actually pay to stay at Hyatt hotels there are sometimes good promotions, and tricks to increase earnings as well. Some people purposely stay at hotels with closed club lounges in order to get 2,500 points.
Click to see Chapter 1: Earning Hyatt Gold Passport Points
Chapter 2 Summary
Best Use of Hyatt Points
Hyatt knows how to treat their customers right when it comes to using points. It seems that most every way to use Hyatt points is a great option, but most people don’t know how many options there are. In Part 3 we talk about the nicest hotels to use your free night certificate at, and the nicest low categories to stretch your points with.
But beyond free nights, there are a number of other interesting ways to use points and this section tries to highlight all the best options. Suite upgrades on paid nights, or using a little more points on award nights to get a club room or suite, a relatively low amount of points can get you an incredible suite.
Click to see Chapter 2: Best Use of Hyatt Points
Chapter 3 Summary
Hyatt Status
Hyatt is the best of both worlds. Hyatt requires 25 stays or 50 nights to be a top tier Diamond member. Compare that to Marriott’s top tier “Platinum” which requires 75 nights with no possible stay options.
But the incredible part is that while Marriott status is much harder to earn, there’s not much that Marriott offers that Hyatt doesn’t also offer. In fact, Hyatt Diamond offers way more and is the best status for confirmed upgrades – something most chains don’t even offer.
Part 4 hopefully explains everything you might be interested in knowing about Hyatt Gold Passports’ status benefits.
Click to see Chapter 3: Hyatt Status
Introducing Hyatt
Despite having less than 600 properties worldwide, Hyatt is somehow able to have 14 hotels listed on T&L’s Top 500 Hotels of the World. It is no doubt that Hyatt not only has some of the nicest properties in the world, but their hotels are consistently nice.
Hyatt is a quickly growing hotel chain making a name in the luxury hotel scene. Although recently they’ve been more aggressive in opening more affordable hotels in their brand, mainly “Hyatt Place” and “Hyatt House”.
In the slightly higher priced range business hotels you have many hotels that are just branded “Hyatt” as well as “Hyatt Regency” and a brand new chain called “Hyatt Centric”.
On the top end you have “Grand Hyatt” hotels, and at the very very top are “Park Hyatt” hotels, which usually represent the best of luxury hotels. Park Hyatts are usually more modern luxury hotels and mid sized, and the “Andaz” hotel chain is a smaller Hyatt chain that’s also a luxury chain, but even smaller boutique style hotels.
Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva are all-inclusive resorts currently in the caribbean, and lastly you have the Hyatt timeshare properties, the “Hyatt Residence Club”.
Hyatt prices award nights starting at 5,000 points a night up to 30,000 points a night. There first has to be award availability, not just cash rates. It’s really easy to check with Hyatt as you can just click “Show Hyatt Gold Passport Points” while browsing rates.
5,000 point hotels are usually the Hyatt House and Hyatt Place properties in less expensive cities, and it goes all the way up to Park Hyatt in really expensive cities for 30,000 points.
Extra Savings on Hyatt Paid Stays
Hyatt’s Best Rate Guarantee
Most every hotel chain has a best rate guarantee, but Hyatt’s is slightly better of a savings than the average. Hyatt states that if you book on Hyatt.com and then find a lower rate elsewhere, Hyatt will match the rate and discount it 20%.
Of course, they don’t just take your word for it. You have to file a claim within 24 hours of booking on Hyatt.com and show a lower rate on another site that’s exactly the same room. If they see the rate, they will then discount your rate.
What you need to know:
Discount Codes
Many people tread lightly in this area because many of the codes are intended for companies that negotiated rates for their employees. A few rates are even reported to require an employee ID. But many have shared and used the ones that don’t because they can give huge discounts. You can find the discussion on these rates here.
But not all discount codes fall into the grey area, regular Costco members get a 10% discount (see here).
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Is there a way to find out which menus are included with the all inclusive resorts at Hyatt Ziva/Zilara? Am limited on funds and do not want to make the reservations, only to find out I have to break the bank to eat. Thanks