“I am a Golden God” – Robert Plant 1975 looking down from the Continental Hyatt balcony to a large billboard on Sunset Boulevard advertising the album Physical Graffiti. This wall hanging on the second floor of Andaz West Hollywood is a limited edition of 5 at 44” x 57” selling for $7,000. Starting price is $300 for a smaller 13” x 19” copy.

Photographer Peter Simon captured this photo of Robert Plant in 1975 on the balcony of the Hyatt Sunset Boulevard, affectionately nicknamed “Riot House” in honor of the hotel’s reputation for rock band parties.

left to right: Jerry Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend – The Who, Janis Joplin, George Harrison – The Beatles.

The Rolling Stones Keith Richards dropped a TV out of room 1015. John Bonham of Led Zeppelin is reported to have driven his birthday present motorcycle through the hallways when Led Zeppelin had rented out multiple floors of the hotel for their entourage. Here is a great first-hand account from a photographer who was at the Riot House in 1973 with Led Zeppelin.

Duffy – David Bowie Aladdin Sane Album Cover (1975)

A 40” x 40” signed copy will set you back $5,250. Or as low as $570 for an unsigned 15” x 15”.

David Bowie is one of my great influences. My FlyerTalk handle “satori” originated from the David Bowie song “Memory of a Free Festival” (1969). The stereo sound effect is pretty cool in the original version.

Oh, to capture just one drop of all the ecstasy that swept that afternoon
To paint that love
upon a white balloon
And fly it from
the toppest top of all the tops
That man has pushed beyond his brain
Satori must be something
just the same

- David Bowie “Memory of a Free Festival”

It took several years after I bought the Space Oddity album in 1972 before I was able to find the word “satori” in a dictionary.

Riot Hyatt coffeeshop was a hotel hangout for rock dj and “Mayor of Sunset Strip” Rodney Bingenheimer of KROQ Los Angeles. There is a documentary movie about Rodney Bingenheimer which illustrates the “impermanence of life and the bittersweet transience of things.” It is somewhat of a sad movie to watch Rodney, an L.A. legendary figure from the 1970s rock scene, as a caricature of a faded Hollywood rock star.

The balconies of the historic Continental Hyatt were replaced with picture windows and word art in the Andaz West Hollywood.

Los Angeles view from Andaz West Hollywood.

Tease me with albums and there is no record player in the room? Can I borrow an i-pod?

The front album cover is the hotel guide and room service menus. The back two albums are actually Robert Plant and Duran Duran album covers.

You don’t have to be an Ambassador here to enjoy Andaz free mini-bar.

Everything but the alcohol is complimentary as a hotel guest.

RH Bar

No worries if you drink alcohol and it isn’t free in the room since the Andaz RH bar is the place to be for Hollywood nightlife. But you got to pay for drinks. So here is my tip.

Caro plays music Sunday nights 8-10pm at the Andaz bar. There are happy hour drinks and appetizers and discount parking.

I don’t have pictures of the RH bar since it was filled with guests. I try hard not to photograph people in hotels. I like my privacy too.

The cool thing is Caro was the bartender when I was at the RH bar. I thought about asking Caro for a photograph of her at the bar, but I didn’t. Hopefully, I’ll go back on a Sunday and hear Caro sing. She received high praise for her singing from the hotel staff.

My worn out rock ‘n roll ears prefer the acoustic sounds now.

RH restaurant lets you see the food you will be eating. One of the restaurant’s features is glass door refrigerators revealing all the fruits, vegetables and stuffings to guests.

The entry lobby on the ground floor has the bar and restaurant and some seating. The second floor is a place to chill where most of the rock art is located.

There are many artistic creations adorning the hotel.

Dog art.

Light ornament art.

Word art.

Guitar art.

Wall art.

Live art.

Did I mention the rooftop pool?

Andaz West Hollywood is a place of legend.

I should mention that I was told the Andaz West Hollywood hotel is not really a party hotel these days.

Not that partying has left Sunset Boulevard. I spent some time at the Mondrian Hotel across the street and the staff there told me they regularly have parties happening at their hotel. I guess you can still party like it’s 1975 at the Mondrian and come back to the Andaz for a little sleep.

Andaz full suite room.

Andaz West Hollywood is a Hyatt Gold Passport Category 4 hotel for 15,000 points per night.

There are severely limited quantities of Hyatt points in three of the four sales for various amounts of points from 24,000 to 69,000 point sets. You can buy a maximum of one set of points from each sale for a total four sets of points for a potential 159,000 Hyatt Gold passport points.

This is one of the best values of the five weeks of Daily Getaways sales. Last year these points were basically gone in seconds.  You can be pretty assured to find a large number of Hyatt Hotels where you can potentially save $20 in hotel rate for every 1,000 points you buy here for $10.

Offer #1

24,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points (100 available, 20 presale)

• $234 with American Express payment ($9.75 per 1,000 points)
• $260 without American Express ($10.83 per 1,000 points)
• Maximum purchase quantity = 1 set of points.

Offer #2

30,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points (35 available, No presale)

• $297 with American Express payment ($9.90 per 1,000 points)
• $330 without American Express ($11.00 per 1,000 points)
• Maximum purchase quantity = 1 set of points.

Offer #3

36,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points (15 available, No presale)

• $373.50 with American Express payment ($9.90 per 1,000 points)
• $415 without American Express ($10.38 per 1,000 points)
• Maximum purchase quantity = 1 set of points.

Offer #4

69,000 Hyatt Gold Passport Points (15 available, No presale)

• $697.50 with American Express payment ($10.11 per 1,000 points)
• $775.00 without American Express ($11.23 per 1,000 points)
• Maximum purchase quantity = 1 set of points.

Analysis

The first offer for 24,000 points has the most available items and is the lowest price per 1,000 points. This is also the only offer with a presale opportunity. Like Facebook Hyatt and check it about an hour before the sale to get the access code for noon presale.

A good strategy is to buy the presale 24,000 points and then you can focus on buying a higher amount of points in primary sale.

Good Luck.

I’ll follow-up with more extensive hotel reviews for individual properties once I am settled back at home. Today is a perfectly clear blue sky day for driving Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast back to Monterey. Los Angeles had some big rain Wednesday night and it wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that the sun finally came out after five cloudy days. The cloudy skies made point-and-shoot photography tough.

Andaz West Hollywood (Hyatt Hotels)

Best Western Sunset Plaza, West Hollywood courtyard pool.

The Mondrian L.A. (Morgans Hotel Group)

Historic Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. 

Beverly Hills has old trees on quiet residential streets where you can park a car during the day and walk around neighborhoods. 

Bucolic Beverly Hills is such a contrast to the vibrant music and party scene of adjacent West Hollywood. I enjoyed both locations thoroughly.

Penthouse rooftop view from Beverly Hilton.

Yoga space with a view of Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills from the rooftop helipad at InterContinental Los Angeles Century City. The little white spot at the top of the mountains in the center of this photo is the Hollywood sign.

My entourage missed this scene at the Hyatt Century Plaza.

I drove Sunset Blvd. to sunset on PCH-Highway 1 for the drive north through Malibu and out of Los Angeles County.

And now its time for the Big Sur coast today – I am going home to Monterey.

Update April 30: I uploaded 85 photos of Andaz West Hollywood with captions on Loyalty Traveler Facebook.

Visa Signature – Hyatt Gold Passport 90 Days Trial Platinum link.           Register between March 29 and May 11, 2012.

Visa Signature – Hyatt Promotion FAQ link.

Hyatt Gold Passport Platinum Elite

Hyatt has two elite levels and Platinum is the lower level normally requiring 5 stays or 15 nights at Hyatt brand hotels in a calendar year. This offer requires the member to complete 8 nights within the 90 days to extend benefits to February 2013. That is a lower qualification level than 15 nights, although, the Hyatt Gold Passport member could also complete 5 separate one-night Hyatt stays and qualify for Platinum elite through Feb 2014 by the normal route.

There are close to 500 Hyatt brand hotels globally with Park Hyatt, Andaz, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Resorts, Hyatt House and Hyatt Place. I personally enjoy Hyatt Place as my favorite mid-scale brand due to the large TV, large couch, sink, refrigerator and desk in these cookie cutter style rooms.

Hyatt Place, Dublin, California

There are few participating hotels at the present time. The program has been rolling out the past few months and is supposed to continue adding properties through August 2012 according to the initial announcement by Jeff Zidell, Hyatt VP

Currently there are only 13 properties worldwide listed as participating in the spa program and 9 of these Hyatt hotels do not participate in the dining points option. 27 hotels participate in the restaurant points option. 36 hotels in all is fewer than 10% participation.

Link: Earn and Redeem points at participating Hyatt restaurants and spas.

And once again I must point out that Hyatt posted the list of participating hotels by hotel brand rather than by geographical location designated with country and state. This is a common occurrence for many hotel loyalty programs when listing hotels for promotions as participating or non-participating hotels.

Like a Hyatt Gold Passport member is supposed to know where Hyatt at Olive 8 is located? I have been to the Hyatt at Olive 8. I know it is Seattle.

Real travelers want country and city locations. Most travelers have little use for a hotel list organized by brand.

Don’t the people at Hyatt know how useless a list of participating Hyatt hotels is for the average consumer without including any geographic location?

Redeeming Hyatt Gold Passport points for dining and spa credit.

Earning 5 points per dollar (plus elite bonus points if applicable) is a useful benefit. Less useful is the option to redeem points for dining and spa. The redemption rate is a poor redemption value for Hyatt Gold Passport points starting at $10 credit for 2,000 points. The rate improves at 12,000 points for $75 credit and 32,000 points for $250 credit.

The maximum value is $1,000 in credit for 120,000 points. You are unlikely to be a Loyalty Traveler reader if you have 120,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points you are willing to spend for $1,000 in spa and dining credit.

I look at 12,000 points and the value for a category 3 hotel reward night is easily double that $75 dining/spa value for most Hyatt category 3 hotels.

32,000 points is four nights at a category 2 hotel (4 nights x 8,000 points) or two nights at a Category 4 hotel (2 nights x 15,000 points). Hyatt Regency San Francisco is a Category 4 hotel that is $250 per night most Monday to Thursday weeknights of the year.

I need points for rooms and I certainly do not earn points fast enough to spend for poor redemption values on Dining & Spa awards.

The option to earn points is a nice enhancement for dining and spa as a non-guest at Hyatt hotels.

The ability to redeem points for dining and spa is a limited benefit for people who find themselves with more points than they need for hotel reward nights.

I find many Hyatt hotels offer Restaurant.com discounts. I have certificates for the two Hyatt restaurants at Carmel Highlands Inn and the Monterey Hyatt Regency for $25 discounts. I also have them for several other hotel restaurants in the Monterey and San Francisco area. Lower prices and points sounds like a win-win for this consumer. I’ll save my points for room nights.

This Hyatt Gold Passport points benefit for spa spending is a new benefit I will refrain from sharing with my wife. The Hyatt Regency Monterey spa is in our neighborhood. If and when that spa becomes part of this Hyatt Gold Passport points for spa spend as a hotel non-guest, I do not want my wife telling me what a great deal she gets every week earning 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for massages and treatments.

Avia Napa and Avia Savannah were acquired in July 2011 along with Avia Long Beach, Avia The Woodlands Texas and 16 Hotel Sierra extended stay properties. In September 2011 these properties became part of Hyatt Gold Passport with the Avia upper upscale properties retaining their name. Hotel Sierra properties along with all Hyatt Summerfield Suites were rebranded as HYATT house in 2012.

Andaz Napa will have 141 rooms. This hotel is fairly new (2009) and located in downtown Napa. I visited the Avia Hotel in February 2011 and I found it to be the most interesting hotel in town if you wanted to be some place that had a happening vibe.

Napa, California

Napa, California as a town is a reflection of the mixed economy of northern California. The Napa Valley wine region is primarily north of the city of Napa. The city itself has some beautiful late 19th/early 20th century architecture with Victorian houses, lots of older trees and a small, older central business district that kind of reminds me of a Bruce Springsteen song the times I have walked the streets the past few years.

“Now Main Street’s whitewashed windows and vacant stores
Seems like there ain’t nobody wants to come down here no more”

     – My Hometown, Bruce Springsteen

Downtown Napa has had many businesses go under in the past few years and the tough economy of the old town center has been apparent during my visits since 2009. Yet, there is also a vibrant restaurant and bar scene with new places and new buildings. The supposedly improving economy may just fill many of the older vacant store fronts and new construction complexes along the Napa River with new businesses.

Avia Napa was a real bright spot as a new hotel on First Street opened in July 2009.

Hyatt’s Avia Napa hotel will undergo some refurbishment with the primary change looking to be the lobby conversion into a lounge area. The bar seemed to be the focal point of the lobby when I was there last year with a lot of open space and not much seating.

I like the location of Hyatt’s Andaz Napa better than the Westin Verasa Napa which is on the other side of the river and not really near much of anything except the Napa Wine Train station. There are several restaurants and bars in the downtown area.

Avia Napa was the hotel I considered the best value in town when I was in Napa about a year ago. As Andaz Napa I expect the rates might climb quite a bit higher. Time will tell and the rebranding to Andaz Napa will happen during the peak season dates from July to October 2012.

Rates for Avia Napa this next week are under $200 per night. Last year I think they were around $150 per night this time of year on weekdays when the hotel was not yet a Hyatt. Napa hotels always have higher rates on weekends when tourism substantially picks up.

About Andaz Hotels

Andaz Hotels are currently in London, New York (2), West Hollywood, San Diego and Shanghai. Other Andaz properties in development are locations in the resort area of Papagayo, Costa Rica; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean; Delhi, India; Sanya Sunny Bay, China (a rapidly developing beach resort area with all major luxury brands claiming a bit of beach); and Maui, Hawaii.

Hotel News Now published an article on the Andaz brand this past week that is an interesting read.

Hyatt Hotels press release on Avia to Andaz rebranding (March 8, 2012).

Most participating hotels offer the third night free and the rate includes full breakfast for two and some hotels offer 2pm late checkout.

This offer is only for participating hotels in the US, Canada and Caribbean. Hyatt House and Hyatt Place are not participating brands.

The rate code is FRTIME. There is a website Hyatt.com/freetime that should describe the promotion offer and participating hotels, however, the link is not active at the time of writing.

Not all hotels are participating, but my quick check of six hotels showed the FRTIME rate available for five properties.

Rate Analysis

The pattern I saw for five hotels I checked is the FRTIME nightly rate is $20 more than the Hyatt Daily Rate (BAR). The Hyatt Daily Rate allows refundable cancellation. The FRTIME rate cancellation policy appears to be the same as Hyatt Daily Rate terms. Surprisingly the FRTIME rate is not a prepaid, nonrefundable rate.

Note: Hotels I checked for FRTIME rate allow refundable cancellations. This is not a prepaid, nonrefundable rate which is a common term for third night free rates.

Andaz West Hollywood May 10-13, 2012

• FRTIME Rate = $279/night.                                                         3 night total = $837 – $279 = $598 for 3-night stay.
• Hyatt Daily Rate (BAR) = $259/night.                                          3 night total = $777.
• AAA rate (10% discount) = $233.10/night.                                 3 night total = $699.30.

All three rates have same cancellation policy of day before arrival.

FRTIME 3rd night free rate is $100 less than AAA and also includes free breakfast for two daily and 2 pm late checkout.

FRTIME is a significant rate savings for all Gold Passport members and free breakfast for two adults is likely a $200 value for six breakfasts over 3 days. This is a huge breakfast value for members who do not hold Gold Passport Diamond status.

Finding hotels with Free Time Rate Offer

You can try this link: Hyatt.com/freetime and see if it works yet for a list of participating Hyatt hotels.

Alternatively, search for the hotel you want and look for the special offers tab on the left side of the Hyatt hotel’s homepage. The Free Time offer was listed first for every hotel I checked.

Hyatt FRTIME Free Time Rate Terms:

Offer valid at participating hotels in the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean for minimum 3-night stays beginning on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Stays must be booked between March 20, 2012 and November 30, 2012 and completed between March 20, 2012 and December 30, 2012. Guest must book and stay at least two (2) paid nights to receive one (1) additional free night. Offer also includes free breakfast each morning at participating hotel restaurants for up to two (2) people. Not valid for room service.Offer also includes 2:00 p.m. check-out (local time). See general terms below for additional details.

Advance reservations requesting offer code FRTIME required. Offer varies by property. Contact each property Hyatt.com/freetime for specific terms. For a list of resorts, visit hyattresorts.com. Not valid at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House locations. Specific restrictions may apply at various hotels. Contact each hotel for specific terms and conditions.

Booking window begins at 12:00 a. m. CDT on March 20, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. CST on November 30, 2012. The additional free night must be used on the same stay. Limit one (1) free night per stay. Two or more consecutive nights at same hotel are considered a stay regardless of whether guest checks out. Offer subject to availability. A limited number of rooms are allocated to this offer. No refunds or credit will be issued for unused portions. Offer not valid for groups or convention, award stays, travel agent rates, Hyatt employee rates or stays booked through third parties and may not be combined with other promotions. Additional charges may apply for additional guests or room type upgrades. Blackout periods may apply due to seasonal periods or special events, and normal arrival/departure restrictions apply. Local tax regulations apply.

• Valid only for Friday-Tuesday arrivals at Hyatt French Quarter.
• Valid only for Sunday-Tuesday arrivals at Hyatt Regency Newport.
• Valid only for Saturday-Wednesday arrivals at Hyatt Regency Savannah, Avia Savannah, and Hyatt Santa Barbara.
• Four-day length of stay required for free night at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay from June 15-September 7, 2012.

Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this offer at any time without notice. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts® encompasses hotels managed, franchised or leased by subsidiaries and affiliates of Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Hyatt®, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt HouseTM, Hyatt Gold Passport®, and related marks are trademarks of Hyatt Corporation. ©2012 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.

Registration is required by March 31.

Hyatt nights completed during the promotion period and prior to registration count as long as member registers by March 31.

Don’t delay. Sign up now!

Interesting to me is the main promotion page makes no mention of the 25% bonus points for being a Hyatt Visa card member that was referenced in last week’s informal announcement. The 25% bonus is being communicated privately to Hyatt Visa card members by email. This proved to be a contentious bonus based on FlyerTalk comments from international Hyatt Gold Passport members. The problem is the Hyatt Visa card is only available to residents of the U.S. 50 states and D.C.

Full-service Hyatt hotels outside the U.S. are typically far more expensive than Hyatt Place and HYATT House properties meaning this bonus is likely far costlier to earn for travelers staying at Hyatt properties outside the U.S.

Promotion Offer

• after 4 nights = 4,000 bonus points.
• after 8 nights = 8,000 more bonus points = 12,000 points total.
• after 12 nights = 12,000 more bonus points = 24,000 points total.
• after 16 nights = 20,000 more bonus points = 44,000 points total.

This promotion offers the potential of earning 44,000 bonus points after 16 nights or 55,000 bonus points for Hyatt Visa card members (25% more bonus points).

Loyalty Traveler Promotion Analysis

In my original post last week I called this Hyatt 44,000 bonus points promotion offer a 3-star value meaning I think it is good value, but not a high value or great offer for most members who do not regularly travel that frequently with Hyatt Hotels. 16 nights in 90 days is a high hotel stay pattern for the average traveler.

This is a better value offer if you are elite with another program and decide to go for a Hyatt Diamond Challenge requiring 12 nights in 60 days. The Diamond Challenge will match you to Diamond status immediately and if you complete the 12 nights in 60 days your status will continue through February 2013. Read last week’s Loyalty Traveler post to learn more about combining this promotion with a Hyatt Gold passport Diamond Challenge.

Diamonds may want to go for the points

I do not recommend frequent guests of any hotel chain stay 16 nights in a cheap Hyatt hotel just to earn the 44,000 points bonus. Instead the numbers show me a Diamond member staying 8 or more nights anyway during the February 1-April 30 promotion period should consider buying extra Hyatt hotel nights if you have proximity to a cheap Hyatt and you want to earn cheap points and even a little padding for your elite membership requalification in 2012.

The analysis I provide here is a more detailed look at the numbers for actual hotel stays showing 16 nights is possible at the Hyatt Place Fremont for $1,250 all-in where weekend rates are $64 to $71 per night. There are some other places in the USA with hotels under $75 per night and even full-service Hyatt regency hotels at under $85 per night.

Hyatt Gold Passport is a program with two distinct property tiers. Hyatt Place and HYATT House (extended-stay) are limited service hotels. The main benefits of Hyatt Diamond are complimentary full restaurant breakfast and room upgrade potential (without using upgrade certificate) and 2,500 bonus points for Regency Club closure which happens on weekends at many business hotel locations. These are not benefits that typically apply to Hyatt Place and Hyatt House properties.

While Hyatt Place and HYATT House are likely to be the lowest rate hotels, these are not the kind of hotels that will get you thrilled about being a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond member. Elite status does not offer much at these two Hyatt brands.

Diamond Challenge and 16 Nights Bonus by the numbers

– 8 Friday-Saturday stays

My regional go to cheap Hyatt stay is Hyatt Place Fremont, California.

Hotel rates over the next 8 weekends in this Silicon Valley hotel nestled up against Interstate 880 has weekend rates from $64 to $71. The AAA rate is $71 and may be canceled up to 4pm day of arrival.

Assume Diamond elite membership already or starting a Diamond Challenge.

Weekend stay = $71 Friday and $71 Saturday. 10% tax rate.

Two night weekend = $142 + $14.20 = $156.20.

Points earned per weekend 2-night weekend stay at Hyatt Place Fremont:

• 710 base points = $142 x 5 base points/$1.
• 213 bonus points = Diamond elite 30% bonus points.
• 500 bonus points = Diamond welcome gift per Hyatt Place stay.
• Total Points = 1,423 per $156.20 2-night weekend stay.

Project this data with a hotel rate of $71/night over 16 nights with the 4 night bonuses of the Hyatt Gold passport promotion.

Hyatt Promotion Bonus

First Round of 4 nights

4 nights  = $312.40 total hotel rate.

• 4,000 points = 4 nights Promotion bonus.
• 2,846 points = 4 nights at Hyatt Place Fremont.
• 6,846 Gold Passport total points after 4 nights.

Second Round of 4 nights

8 nights = $624.80 total hotel rate.

• 8,000 points = 8 nights Promotion bonus.
• 2,846 points = 4 nights at Hyatt Place Fremont.
• 17,692 Gold Passport total points = 10,846 (Round 2) + 6,846 (Round 1)

Third Round of 4 nights

12 nights = $937.20 total hotel rate.

• 12,000 points = 12 nights Promotion bonus.
• 2,846 points = 4 nights at Hyatt Place Fremont.
• 32,538 Gold Passport total points = 14,846 (Round 3) +17,692 (rounds 1,2)

Fourth Round of 4 nights

16 nights = $1,249.60 total hotel rate.

• 20,000 points = 16 nights Promotion bonus.
• 2,846 points = 4 nights at Hyatt Place Fremont.
• 55,384 Gold Passport total points = 22,846 (Round 4) + 32,538 (Round 1,2,3)

Spending $1,250 for 55,384 points is equivalent to buying points from Gold Passport for about $22.57 per 1,000 points. Hyatt Gold Passport normally charges $24 per 1,000 points.

My primary point being this is a cheap way to pick up Gold Passport points and earn plenty of nights for 2012 Diamond renewal or meet a Diamond challenge. One-night stays is better if you plan to qualify on hotel stays, but in the San Francisco Bay Area the hotel rates are only low on Friday and Saturday nights.

Hyatt Place Fremont is just one example of a Hyatt hotel where cheap rates make this a good value promotion.

Strategy for the Gold Passport member with only 8 nights planned during the promotion.

Using the outline above the Diamond member who has 8 nights planned can use a similar strategy to pick up the bigger bonus points earned from 12 and 16 nights during the promotion period.

Find a cheap Hyatt hotel where you can buy nights for less than $75 per night. My example with Hyatt Place Fremont is $312 for 4 nights.

A Diamond member buying 8 additional nights for $625 (and up to 8 hotel stays for elite credit)  earns an additional 37,692 points. This brings the cost of points down to $16.59 per 1,000 points.

This is a strategy you may want to consider if you have Hyatt stays planned, but you will not be staying 16 nights. This offer gets better if you need to buy fewer than 8 nights to reach the maximum bonus points.

If you just need 5 additional nights to reach 16 nights then the cost of points drops down to really low levels.

$400 for 5 additional nights earns about 36,000 points and the rate of earning points drops to $11.11 per 1,000 points. Buying points at a rate that low is a good investment in Gold Passport points.

Conclusion

This promotion is a good opportunity for trying the Hyatt Diamond Challenge. This is also a promotion value worth considering additional low-cost nights at Hyatt hotels if you are Hyatt Diamond and you need only 3 to 6 more nights to reach 16 nights during the Feb 1-April 30 promotion period. The bonus points earned for reaching 16 nights by April 30 can be considered a good discount rate for buying points.

• 1,000 – 9,000 points = 10% bonus points; reducing rate from $24/1,000 points to $21.82 per 1,000 points.
• 10,000 to 29,000 points = 20% bonus points; reducing rate to $20 per 1,000 points.
• 30,000 to 40,000 points = 30% bonus points; reducing rate to $18.46 per 1,000 points.
• Points must be purchased in increments of 1,000 points.
• Maximum annual purchase for Hyatt Gold Passport points is normally 40,000 points and this sale offer allows members to buy up to 52,000 points in 2012.

This is a good opportunity to load up on Hyatt Gold Passport points if you have specific plans for using the points in 2012. I could show you loads of hotels where this is a great deal compared to the published rate, but suffice to say this can be a route to discounted hotel rooms. DealsWeLike blog showed a couple of examples where buying points saves major cash outlay at a couple of resort hotels.

Assume you purchase 52,000 points for $960. Here is the table to showing room rate to reward rate equivalent after buying points at $18.46 per 1,000 points.

Hyatt Gold Passport Reward Nights  (Hyatt link to free night rewards)

• Category 1 hotels at 5,000 points = $92.30
• Category 2 hotels at 8,000 points = $147.68
• Category 3 hotels at 12,000 points = $221.52
• Category 4 hotels at 15,000 points = $276.90
• Category 5 hotels at 18,000 points = $332.28
• Category 6 hotels at 22,000 points = $406.12

This table shows the cost or reward nights at each hotel reward level when buying points with the 30% bonus. If the published rate after tax is more than the rate shown here, then the points option is cheaper. Keep in mind though that a Hyatt reward stay does not earn points or elite credit and for Diamond members, confirmed suite upgrades are not applicable to reward stays.

Buy and Transfer Points for Bigger Hotel Rewards is the column I wrote for InsideFlyer January 2012 issue showing the rules for buying and transferring points across the major hotel loyalty programs. The piece shares some strategies and opportunities available to members who may want to buy points for a hotel reward as a cheaper alternative to the published room rates.

One of the features of Hyatt Gold Passport is the free transfer of points between any two members to reach the level needed for a reward stay redemption. This gives a couple the opportunity to purchase and combine 104,000 points with this current Hyatt Gold Passport promotion.

You may only have as few as 6,000 points in your account today and tomorrow you could have 110,000 points after combining points with another member (spouse, parent, traveling companion). Five nights at a Category 6 Hyatt Hotel for $1,920 in points purchases can potentially be a huge discount at some Hyatt Resorts and aspirational properties.

Passports With Purpose 2011 – Libraries for Zambia

What –

Loyalty Traveler blog announces Passports with Purpose raffle prize of 110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points, generously donated by Hyatt Hotels for this raffle fundraiser to build two libraries in Zambia with the organization Room to Read.

Purchase of $10 raffle tickets are your entry for the Hyatt Gold Passport 110,000 points prize or other prizes hosted by different travel blogs for this Passports with Purpose fundraiser.

When –

From November 30 through December 16, 2011 11:59pm PST each $10 ticket purchased at Passports with Purpose is valid for one entry to win the prize you select. Hyatt Gold Passport donated 110,000 points for Loyalty Traveler to host as a Passports with Purpose prize. Those can be some cheaply purchased Hyatt Gold Passport points if you win the raffle prize.

There are about 100 other prizes being hosted by different travel bloggers.

Winner of Hyatt Gold Passport points must be a member of Hyatt Gold Passport to receive prize. You can join Hyatt Gold passport at www.hyatt.com for free if you win and collect your prize.

Where –

Raffle ticket purchase website: http://www.passportswithpurpose.org/donate/

Why –

Passports with Purpose has a 2011 goal to raise $80,000 for building two libraries with books and literacy materials in Zambia.

Who –

About Passports with Purpose.

Passports with Purpose (PwP) is a fundraiser organized by a small group of energetic travel bloggers in Seattle. This annual raffle since 2008 for travel gear and travel getaway prizes procured by travel bloggers raises money for
an international humanitarian project. This year the PwP project is supporting the international organization Room to Read to establish two libraries in Zambia.

Pam Mandel – Nerd’s Eye View, Beth Whitman – Wanderlust and Lipstick, Debbie Dubrow – DeliciousBaby.com and Michelle Duffy – Wandermom.com coordinate travel bloggers and businesses through the travel community for a purpose to help save the world one location at a time.

Two years ago I participated in Passports with Purpose and hosted a Hyatt Gold Passport prize of 50,000 points. The goal in 2009 was $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia. Passports with Purpose must be a successful fundraiser. The goal this year is $80,000 for two libraries in Zambia.

Nice thing Hyatt Gold Passport more than doubled their points donation in 2011 since the Passports with Purpose fundraising goal also more than doubled since 2009. I have a feeling this 2011 Hyatt Gold Passport prize will get plenty of ticket entries.

Pam has a way with words and provides Room to Read links and some of her personal reading preferences in her October 19 post – Passports with Purpose 2011: It’s About Reading!

After reading Pam’s piece I decided to withhold my story for this post about reading Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings when I was 15 during an overcast summer beach camping holiday near Barcelona, Spain.

Over the next two weeks on Loyalty Traveler I’ll remind readers about $10 raffle prize tickets for the Passports with Purpose fundraiser and share some of my stories on libraries, books and my days working as an elementary school reading teacher.

Loyalty Traveler Hyatt Prize Analysis

110,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points is enough points for

• 5 hotel nights are 110,000 points at the best of the best Hyatt Hotels worldwide for 22,000 points per night. Hotels like Andaz 5th Avenue, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.
• 6 nights are 108,000 points at category 5 hotels for 18,000 points per night. Hotels like Park Hyatt Toronto, Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort, Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa, Florida.
• 7 nights are 105,000 points at category 4 hotels for 15,000 points per night. Hotels like AVIA Savannah Georgia, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Hyatt at Olive 8 Seattle.
• 9 nights are 108,000 at category 3 hotels for 12,000 points per night. Hotels like Hyatt Regency Denver, Grand Hyatt Altlanta.
• 13 nights are 104,000 at category 2 hotels for 8,000 points per night. Hotels like Grand Hyatt Santiago, Chile; Park Hyatt Mendoza, Argentina; Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Hyatt Regency Lexington, Kentucky.
• 22 nights are 110,000 points at category 1 hotels for 5,000 points per night. Hotels like Hyatt Place Raleigh-Durham Airport North Carolina; Hyatt Regency Kathmandu, Nepal; Bali Hyatt Indonesia.

This prize will buy from 5 to 22 free hotel nights globally with Hyatt Hotels in the brands of Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Hyatt Place and Andaz.

Enter raffle at Passports with Purpose.

Our kitten Theron sleeping in the "For the Love of Reading" book bag.