Hyatt has some airline miles opportunities happening. Earn up to 25,000 Aeroplan miles with Hyatt stays globally. Hyatt’s newest airline miles partner is Hawaiian Airlines.

Up to 25,000 Aeroplan miles after 10 Hyatt stays.

A big summer bonus is 2,500 Air Canada Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay globally from July 1 to September 30, 2011. This is 5x miles per stay since Hyatt stays normally earn 500 miles for most airline partners. A maximum of 25,000 Aeroplan miles may be earned with 10 stays.

Earning Hyatt miles requires the member to request miles at hotel check-in and provide Aeroplan frequent flyer number. You still may find points post instead of miles and a quick call to Hyatt Gold Passport customer service should rectify any errors in Aeroplan miles postings.

It is just a fact of hotel loyalty programs that many transactions do not post correctly and following up by phone or email is often necessary to correct missing promotion and hotel stay credit points. I still need to contact SPG about 4,000 missing points from two Best Rate Guarantee stays in May that never posted to my account.

Hyatt Gold Passport Aeroplan Bonus Registration

Promotion registration required for this offer using this link or by calling 1-800-228-3360 and request enrollment code AC001 for promotion.  

New members may join Hyatt Gold Passport and be automatically enrolled in Aeroplan promotion using link: www.hyatt.com/ACSUM11.

You must also be an Aeroplan member for this promotion. Join Aeroplan here.

Hawaiian Airlines is new Hyatt partner

Hyatt stays are now eligible to earn 500 Hawaiian Airline miles per stay. Here is a list of all 35 airline frequent flyer miles partners, including Amtrak.

Related posts: One Mile at a Time – 2,500 Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay through September 30 (July 1)

The Points Guy – 2,500 Aeroplan miles per Hyatt stay (July 4)

Hyatt offers Southwest triple rewards points for stays from June 1 – August 31, 2011. The bonus offers 1,800 Rapid Rewards points for each stay with a 10,000 points bonus after the 5^th stay. This offer is available for any Hyatt brand hotel worldwide.

Hyatt promotion registration required for Southwest Triple Points.

By the Numbers:

Stay 1: 1,800 points
Stay 2: 1,800 points
Stay 3: 1,800 points
Stay 4: 1,800 points
Stay 5: 1,800 points + 10,000 point bonus

Total: 19,000 Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points 

To participate in this promotion:

• Register online or by calling 1-800-30-HYATT (provide promotion code WN001).
• Stay at any Hyatt hotel between June 1 and August 31, 2011.
• Provide your Rapid Rewards account number at time of check-in.
• Pay an Eligible Rate during each stay.

FlyerTalk Hyatt Gold Passport forum moderator Peteropny states this promotion can be combined with the current offer for 10,000 points after 5 nights and 5,000 points for each additional two nights through June 30.

Choosing Southwest miles means member does not earn 5 points/$1 for hotel stay, but the 10,000 point bonus after 5 nights with Possibilities promotion is a separate sweep which should allow earning both the Possibilities points bonus and the Southwest points bonus for the same stays through June 30.

FlyerTalk member TooManyBooks estimates 19,000 Southwest points have a value of $317.

Looks like a great double dip points & miles opportunity with Hyatt for the next few weeks. Five one-night stays before the end of June can provide an airline ticket and one or two free hotel nights.

Hyatt Hotels has a 48-hour sale for Tuesday May 17 and Wednesday May 18 ending at 11:59pm central Time (Chicago time). Only about 90 select hotels in the USA, Canada and Caribbean are participating.  Rates are advertised as 15% to 30% off and hotels I checked in the San Francisco Bay Area show the lowest rates I have seen lately. Main caveat is these rates are prepaid and nonrefundable.

Starting and ending dates for hotel stays are slightly variable within the dates of May 27-September 5, 2011.

Some hotels do not allow stays until after the first week of June and Hyatt Mar Monte in Santa Barbara, California for example only offers this sale rate through June 30.

Participating Hotels

Arizona
Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert 
3275 S Market Street, Gilbert, AZ

Hyatt Place Phoenix/Mesa  

1422 West Bass Pro Drive, Mesa, AZ

Hyatt Place Phoenix-North 

10838 N. 25th Ave, Phoenix, AZ

Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town 
7300 East 3rd Ave, Scottsdale, AZ

Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa
7500 E. Soubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale, AZ 

Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix Airport  

1413 W. Rio Salado Pkwy, Tempe, AZ

Hyatt Place Tucson Airport  
6885 SWB. Tuscon Blvd, Tucson, AZ

California
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport
1333 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Spa & Golf Club
7100 Aviara Resort Drive, Carlsbad, CA

Hyatt Carmel Highlands
120 Highlands Drive, Carmel, CA

Hyatt Regency Orange County
11999 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA

Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas and Spa
44-600 Indian Wells Lane, Indian Wells, CA

Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa
21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA

Hyatt Regency Long Beach
200 S Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA

Hyatt Place Sacramento/ Roseville
220 Conference Center Drive, Roseville, CA

Hyatt Regency Sacramento
1209 L Street, Sacramento, CA

Hyatt Regency La Jolla
3777 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA

Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina
1441 Quivira Road, San Diego, CA

Grand Hyatt San Francisco
345 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA

Hyatt Regency San Francisco
5 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA

Hotel Mar Monte
1111 E Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara, Ca

Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
5101 Great American Parkway, Santa Clara, CA

Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa
170 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa, CA

Hyatt Regency Valencia
24500 Town Center Drive, Valencia, CA

Colorado
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa
136 East Thomas Place, Avon, CO

Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center
7800 East Tufts Avenue, Denver, CO

Hyatt Place Denver Tech Center
8300 East Crescent Parkway, Englewood, CO

Hyatt Summerfield Suites Denver Tech Center
9280 E. Costilla Avenue, Englewood, CO

Hyatt Place Denver-South/Park Meadows
9030 East Westview Road, Lone Tree, CO

Florida
Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa
301 South Gulfview Blvd, Clearwater, FL

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa
5001 Coconut Road, Bonita Springs, FL

Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six
2301 SE 17th Street Causeway, Ft Lauderdale, FL

Hyatt Place Lake Mary/Orlando-North
1255 S International Parkway, Lake Mary, FL

Hyatt Regency Miami
400 Southeast 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
One Grand Cypress Blvd, Orlando, FL

Hyatt Regency Sarasota
1000 Blvd Of The Arts, Sarasota, FL

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
6200 Courtney Campbell, Tampa, FL 

Hyatt Regency Tampa
211 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL

Georgia     
Grand Hyatt Atlanta
3300 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA

Hawaii
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
1571 Poipu Road, Koloa, HI

Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa
2424 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI

Illinois
Hyatt Deerfield
1750 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL

Hyatt Lisle
1400 Corporetum Drive, Lisle, IL

Hyatt Rosemont
6350 North River Road, Rosemont, IL
 

Indiana
Hyatt Place Fort Wayne
111 W. Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne, IN

Hyatt Regency Indianapolis
1 South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN

Kansas
Hyatt Place Kansas City/Overland Park/Conv Cntr
5001 W. 110th Street, Overland Park, KS

Hyatt Regency Wichita
400 West Waterman, Wichita, KS

Kentucky
Hyatt Place Louisville-East
701 South Hurstbourne Pkwy, Louisville, KY

Maryland
Hyatt Regency Bethesda
One Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, MD

  
Michigan
Hyatt Regency Dearborn
Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn, MI

Nevada
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort
111 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, NV

New Jersey
Hyatt Place Fair Lawn/Paramus
41-01 Broadway, Route 4 West, Fair Lawn, NJ

Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson
2 Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ

Hyatt Morristown
3 Headquarters Plaza, Morristown, NJ

Hyatt Place Princeton
3565 US Route 1, Princeton, NJ

Hyatt Regency Princeton
102 Carnegie Center, Princeton, NJ

New Mexico
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM

Hyatt Place Santa Fe
4320 Cerillos Road, Santa Fe, NM

Hyatt Regency Tamaya

1300 Tuyana Trail, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM

New York
Hyatt Regency Buffalo
Two Fountain Plaza, Buffalo, NY

Hyatt Regency Rochester
125 East Main Street, Rochester, NY

Ohio
Hyatt Regency Cleveland – The Arcade
420 Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH

Hyatt on Capitol Square
75 East State Street, Columbus, OH

Hyatt Regency Columbus
350 North High Street, Columbus, OH

Oklahoma
Hyatt Regency Tulsa
100 East Second Street, Tulsa, OK

 
Pennsylvania
Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport
1111 Airport Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA

 
Texas
Hyatt Summerfield Suites Austin Arboretum
10001 N. Capitol of Texas Highway, Austin, TX

Hyatt Regency Dallas
300 Reunion Blvd, Dallas, TX

Hyatt Place Fort Worth/Cityview
5900 Cityview Blvd, Fort Worth, TX

Hyatt Summerfield Suites Houston Galleria
3440 Sage Road, Houston, TX

Hyatt Summerfield Suites Houston West Energy Corridor
15405 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa

575 Hyatt Lost Pines Road, Lost Pines, TX

Hyatt Place San Antonio – North/Stone Oak
1610 East Sonterra Blvd, San Antonio, TX
 

Utah
Hyatt Escala Lodge at Park City
3551 North Escala Court, Park City, UT

Hyatt Place Salt Lake City Airport
52 N. Tommy Thompson Rd., Salt Lake City, UT

Virginia
Hyatt Place Richmond/Chester
13148 Kingston Ave, Chester, VA

Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes
12777 Fair Lakes Circle, Fairfax, VA

Hyatt Regency Reston
1800 Presidents Street, Reston, VA
               
Hyatt Place Richmond/Arboretum
201 Arboretum Place, Richmond, VA

Hyatt Place Sterling/Dulles Airport-North
21481 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, VA

Washington
Grand Hyatt Seattle
721 Pine Street, Seattle, WA

Hyatt at Olive 8
1635 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA

Canada
Hyatt Regency Toronto
370 King Street West, Toronto, Ontario

Hyatt Regency Vancouver
655 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia


Caribbean

Aruba
Hyatt Regency Aruba
J.E. Irausquin Blvd #85, Palm Beach

Curacao
Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
Santa Barbara Plantation, Porta Blancu, Nieuwpoort

 

Hyatt Hotels released its financial statement February 17. These reports reveal the number of hotels in each brand. Hyatt Hotels added 31 properties in 2010 and apparently lost two properties for net growth of 29 hotels; nearly 7% increase in hotel properties.

I have been stating all week as I report hotel numbers for different loyalty programs that Loyalty Traveler counts hotels rather than using the hotel industry norm of room count. By rooms Hyatt Hotels only grew by 4.2% in 2010. This reflects the smaller room size of Hyatt Place hotels compared to full service Hyatt Regency properties.

The following properties were added to the portfolio during the fourth quarter of 2010:

• Hyatt Place Des Moines/Downtown (franchised, 95 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Pittsburgh-North Shore (franchised, 178 rooms)
• Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land (managed, 214 rooms)
• Hyatt Escala Lodge at Park City (managed, 153 rooms) (Classified as Hyatt Regency)
• Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany (managed, 303 rooms)
• Hyatt Regency Pune, India (managed, 219 rooms)

Hyatt is Expanding

Hyatt Hotels is poised for major growth with approximately 140 hotels signed as of December 31, 2010 to be Hyatt brands. This will add nearly 31% more hotels to the chain and provide a much expanded geographic reach for Hyatt Gold Passport members. Approximately 70% of the new Hyatt hotels will be located outside North America.

Hyatt Average Daily Rates

Room rates for the three months ending December 31, 2010 were $167.57 for comparable systemwide properties.

North America has significantly cheaper average rates than international properties.

North America Full Service 119 hotels (all brands except Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites)

• ADR = $158.12
• Occupancy = 64.7%

North America Select Service 158 hotels (Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites)

• ADR = $91.03
• Occupancy = 69.9%

International 92 Hotels  

• ADR = $234.16
• Occupancy = 69.1%

 The significance of this information for this loyalty traveler is the fact that Hyatt Hotels offer the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest the opportunity to earn points and stay credit at low priced Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites properties in the U.S. and redeem points for much higher priced hotels when traveling international.

Hyatt has 104 international properties. Here is the geographic distribution.

• Asia Pacific = 51 hotels
• Southwest Asia = 13 hotels
• Europe, Africa, Middle East = 33 hotels
• Other Americas = 7 hotels

Over the next couple of years the addition of nearly 100 hotels in these global regions will double the geographic coverage of Hyatt outside North America.

Hyatt Hotel Brands By the Numbers (Hyatt Properties as of Dec 31, 2010)

• Park Hyatt = 25 hotels (5,049 rooms)
• Andaz = 5 hotels (1,096 rooms)
• Grand Hyatt = 37 hotels (21,568 rooms)
• Hyatt Regency/Hyatt = 167 hotels (72,577 rooms)
• Hyatt Place = 161 hotels (20,434 rooms)
• Hyatt Summerfield Suites = 34 hotels (4,582 rooms)
• Hyatt Vacation Ownership and Residential = 24 hotels (2,201 rooms)

Hyatt Hotels Global Total = 453 properties as of 12-31-2010

And finally – the question on all our Gold Passport loyalty members’ minds is when will Hyatt announce a systemwide 2011 loyalty promotion?

Hyatt Gold Passport is currently offering 409 bonus offers at 273 hotels. That is an impressive number of points-earning opportunities for a hotel chain with just around 425 hotels.

Gold Passport points bonuses are often referred to as “G” Bonuses on FlyerTalk. These points and miles bonus opportunities contribute significantly to earning points quickly through Hyatt Gold Passport.

Most full service Hyatt Hotels offer a G bonus for 1,000 bonus points per stay, 1,500 points or 2,000 points per stay depending on the days of week. Some hotels limit the bonus to weekday stays, some hotels limit bonus to weekends and some hotels offer a bonus any day of the week.

Spend $200 and you earn only 1,000 Gold Passport base points at the earn rate of 5 points per dollar. Add on 2,000 bonus points per stay and this is like earning 3x points for a $200 hotel stay.

There are several regional promotions for 2,000 bonus points per stay for hotels in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia-Pacific and U.S. These regional offers are listed below. There are also over 200 hotels with an individual hotel G bonus points offer.

Loyalty Traveler Note: Hyatt promotion code links below go to a specific property offering the promotion. These links are provided solely to show a webpage with offer. These promotional offers apply to several Hyatt Hotels in the specific promotion region.

Southeast U.S.

• Promotion Code 10GPX2 = Double Points on Southeast Stays
• Earn 10 points per dollar.
• Rate includes 10% off hotel dining and bar.
• Book any eligible rate (AAA, senior are allowed.)
• Promotion offer dates January 19 – April 24, 2011.

Western U.S.

• Promotion Code 2,500GP  = Plot a Post-Holiday Winter Getaway promotion.
• 2,500 points for stays at participating hotels in California, Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
• Promotion offer dates January 19 – March 31, 2011.
• Minimum 2-night stay.
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
  • The 15% off spa services is valid at Hyatt Regency Calgary’s Stillwater Spa, Hyatt at Olive 8′s Elaia Spa, Grand Hyatt Seattle is valid at Olive 8′s Elaia Spa, Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa’s Vineyard Creek Spa, Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa’s Accista Spa, Highlands Inn guests at either Accista Spa or for in-room spa treatments, Hyatt Regency Century Plaza’s Equinox Spa, Hyatt Regency Newport Beach’s Wellness Day Spa, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay’s Blue Marble Spa and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego’s Kin Spa.
  • Lunch and dinner 15% discount is not applicable for tax, gratuity or alcoholic beverages, and is only valid for in-room dining at Hyatt Regency Bellevue and at Grand Hyatt Seattle for in-room dining or at Urbane restaurant at Hyatt at Olive 8.

  

Europe, Middle East and Africa

• Promotion Code GP 481  
• 2,000 points per stay at participating hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
• Promotion offer dates January 15 – April 15, 2011.

 

Germany:

Grand Hyatt Berlin, Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Hyatt Regency Mainz, Hyatt Regency Cologne and Park Hyatt Hamburg. 

• Promotion Code LH397  
• 1,000 Lufthansa Miles per stay. Must choose to earn miles instead of points at hotel check-in.
• Book Hyatt Daily Rate.
• Receive 20 EUR fodd and beverage credit per stay.
• Promotion offer dates January 15 – April 15, 2011.

 

Asia Pacific

• Promotion Code GP643 = Regency Club bonus
• 2,000 points per stay at participating Hyatt Regency hotels in Asia Pacific.
• Must book Regency Club room type rate (includes Regency Club access for stay).
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible, but must book Regency Club room type for bonus.]
• Promotion offer dates December 20 – February 28, 2011.

 

Asia Pacific

• Promotion Code GP647 = ‘Weekday Stays are more rewarding in Asia Pacific’
• 2,000 points per stay at participating Hyatt Regency hotels in Asia Pacific.
• Must stay a weekday Sunday through Thursday.
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible.]
• Promotion offer dates January 20 – March 15, 2011.

Australia/New Zealand

• Promotion Code GP646
• 1,500 points per stay at participating Hyatt hotels in Australia and New Zealand.
• No day of week or room type restrictions.
• Book any eligible rate. [LT note: advance purchase, AAA, senior rates eligible.]
• Promotion offer dates January 20 – March 15, 2011.

 

Master List of Hyatt Gold Passport Bonus Offers 

The Hyatt Gold Passport list used to be a much more condensed format enabling hotels to be searched significantly more quickly than the typically slow-crawl Hyatt website currently allows.

Hyatt has 28 pages with 273 hotels and 409 bonus offers at the time of this post. 

One of the issues I frequently have with Hyatt Gold Passport is missing G Bonus points from hotel stays. Simply call up Hyatt Gold Passport customer service a week or two after your stay if the points do not post. This generally works well for getting missing points added quickly to your account.

Here is a selection of interesting hotel news on remodels, rebrands and end of life tales.

Grand Hyatt New York Makeover

The New York Times ran a Jan 11 piece about the 1,300 room Grand Hyatt New York and its history with Donald Trump. The Pritzker’s, Hyatt Hotels founding family, bought out Trump in 1993. The hotel is undergoing a $130-million remodel while remaining open.  Apparently gold is out of fashion. The 30-year old flagship Grand Hyatt New York has been joined recently by two Andaz properties, Andaz Wall Street and Andaz 5^th Avenue. A Park Hyatt is scheduled to open 2012 in New York City.

Vladivostok, Russia for Hyatt

Vladivostok is geographically closer to Darwin, Australia than Moscow. Traveling by air to San Francisco is shorter mileage than the train to Moscow. Russia is a vast land and Hyatt puts easternmost Russia a little closer to the US with two new hotels planned for 2012 openings. Sources for the hotel news are English language Russian sites Vladivostok Times and BSR Russia.

Le Meridien Bora Bora Re-Opening January 23, 2011

Le Meridien Bora Bora has been getting a makeover since November 2010. The general manager even has YouTube videos in multiple languages discussing updates to the property and welcoming guests back to French Polynesia.

This FlyerTalk thread discusses the advantages of Four Seasons Bora Bora and St. Regis Bora Bora with the general consensus that either property is a dream vacation and heads above other hotels.

Although, I must also mention Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach and Private Island earned a perfect 100 score for Hotel Rooms in the just published Condé Nast Gold List 2011 and Condé Nast mentions this property might be the hotel to find cheaper overwater bungalows than other locations.

JW Marriott Hotel Cannes, France

Last month Marriott announced the acquisition of the Palais Stephanie Hotel in Cannes. The hotel rebranding will occur over the next few months.  The 261-room hotel has several ocean-facing suites with panoramic views of Cannes and the Mediterranean Sea.

I am interested to see what reward category assignment the JW Marriott Cannes will receive. Marriott Rewards category 8 hotels are few in number. I am thinking, perhaps a category 7 at 35,000 points? We will know soon enough.

JW Marriott brand is positioned to grow by 20 properties over the next five years according to the press release.

On the gruesome side of hotel life

InterContinental New York Times Square made the news for a 34^th floor castration mutilation murder last Friday, January 7. The victim Carlos Castro was a 65-year old high profile Portuguese fashion and music journalist and openly gay rights personality.

The suspect Renato Seabra is a 20-year old Portuguese model and TV reality show personality in Portugal where he was a finalist on a model search TV show. He is under arrest and has been at Bellevue Hospital for his own injuries. He reportedly confessed to the crime and provided gruesome details revealed in this NY Post Jan 12 article.

On the tragic side of hotel life (San Francisco Examiner story link)

Hyatt Regency San Francisco at the Embarcadero has a large open atrium with the Eclipse sculpture and a shallow fountain beneath it. A mother and nanny with twin 18-month old toddlers stopped in the Hyatt lobby on Wednesday afternoon December 8. While taking pictures of lobby decorations they lost track of the young boy who was found after several minutes drowned in the shallow fountain beneath the Eclipse sculpture. He survived nearly three days before dying Saturday December  11, 2010. Investigators concluded from lobby surveillance the event was a “tragic accident”.

This story touched me since I have visited the Hyatt Regency San Francisco lobby many times over the past 30+ years as a beautiful space to seek shelter from the city and admire the architecture, design and art in the open atrium.

Fountain beneath Eclipse sculpture at Hyatt Regency San Francisco

Hyatt Regency San Francisco lobby atrium design and architecture

Hyatt Stay Certificates and Hyatt Weekend certificates are a prepaid payment option for Hyatt Gold Passport stays. There has been a slight increase in the cost of Hyatt Stay Certificates for the three lower tiers of the five tier certificate program.

Hyatt Stay Certificates are available at 5 price levels: 

• Classic $109 (formerly $99)
• Choice $145 (formerly $135)
• Premier $185 (formerly $165)
• Elite $249 (no increase)
• Inspire $319 (no increase) 

Hyatt Hotels are sometimes available with a Hyatt Stay or Weekend Certificate for a lower price than the prevailing room rates offered for the dates of your stay. 

The best strategy for your wallet may be ‘forget the points and save money’. Hyatt Stay and Weekend Certificates are a prepaid option to remember when the room rate at the Hyatt Hotel is quite high for your dates. This strategy will not always work for the hotel you want, but when it does the savings can be significant. 

The biggest savings are likely to be found with hotels at the Hyatt Stay Elite and Inspire level certificates. These prepaid stay certificates cover room and tax. 

Hyatt Stay and Weekend Certificates – List of Participating Properties 

 

Booking Stay and Weekend Reservations 

Hyatt’s reservations website has a “Redeem Gift Certificates” tab for checking hotel availability if you already have purchased certificates and have codes to enter into the reservations webpage. 

If you have not purchased certificates yet, then call Hyatt Reservations and check availability over the phone before purchasing Stay and Weekend certificates. These prepaid Stay certificate nights are capacity controlled so you need to check certificate stay availability for your dates with Hyatt reservations.

There is no credit given for using a higher priced certificate for a hotel property that accepts lower priced certificates. The best strategy is to check availability for certificate nights before you purchase the appropriate certificate for your stay.

Hyatt Stay Certificate Saves Hundreds at New York Andaz 5^th Avenue  

Hyatt’s Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York, for example, is listed as a participating property at the Stay Certificate Elite ($249) and Inspire ($319) level. 

Monday March 7 – Wednesday March 9, 2011 is available at the time of writing for booking using a Hyatt Stay certificate Elite ($249/night). A two-night Hyatt Elite Stay certificate is $498 and covers room and tax.

Hyatt Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York

Monday March 7 – Wednesday March 9, 2011

Hyatt Stay Two-night Elite Certificate = $498 (room + tax)

Hyatt Lowest Paid Rate = $798.84

$300.84 saved using Elite Stay Certificate 

Are you going to get $300 value from a stay credit and bonus points?

You should still receive your elite benefits on a Hyatt Stay Certificate stay. Unless you plan to use a Diamond elite confirmed suite upgrade certificate necessitating a paid stay, there is little reason to pay an extra $300 for this two-night stay. 

Saturday May 7 – Monday May 9 are dates available using Hyatt Stay Elite certificate.

Hyatt Andaz 5^th Avenue, New York

Saturday May 7 – Monday May 9, 2011

Hyatt Stay Two-night Elite Certificate = $498 (room + tax)

Hyatt Lowest Paid Rate = $1,028.36

$530.36 saved using Hyatt Elite Stay Certificate

Hyatt Stay Certificates come in 5 price levels. 

Classic ($109/night)

Some Classic level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
• Hyatt Regency Cleveland
• Hyatt Place Portland Airport PDX
• Hyatt Regency Cancun
• Hyatt Place Phoenix Airport
• Hyatt Place Atlanta Buckhead
• Hyatt Manila, Philippines 

 

Choice ($145/night)

Some Choice level Hyatt Hotels include the 

• Grand Hyatt Denver
• Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, Florida
• Hyatt Dulles Airport
• Hyatt Regency Vancouver, Canada
• Hyatt Regency Dubai
• Hyatt Regency Casablanca, Morocco
• Hyatt Regency Cologne, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Auckland

 

Premier ($185/night)

Some Premier level Hyatt Hotels include:

• Hyatt Regency Newport Rhode Island
• Grand Hyatt Dallas DFW
• Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, South Africa
• Hyatt Regency Warsaw, Poland

 

Elite ($249/night)

Some Elite level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, Nevada
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio
• Grand Hyatt Seattle
• Park Hyatt Philadelphia
• Park Hyatt Washington D.C.
• Park Hyatt Istanbul
• Andaz London
• Hyatt Regency London The Churchill

 

Inspire ($319/night)

Inspire level Hyatt Hotels include the

• Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow
• Park Hyatt Dubai
• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
• Grand Hyatt Mumbai
• Grand Hyatt Tokyo
• Park Hyatt Melbourne
• Park Hyatt Sydney
• Hyatt Regency Aruba
• Park Hyatt Buenos Aires
• Hyatt Regency Maui
• Grand Hyatt Kauai
• Park Hyatt Chicago
• Hyatt Regency Paris Madeleine 

Hyatt Stay Certificates can be purchased for one, two, or three night stays. There is no discount for purchasing a multi-night Stay Certificate, so it is advisable to purchase single night certificates and combine them if needed.  You do not retain any residual credit if you burn a three night certificate for a two night stay. 

Participating Hyatt Hotels for Hyatt Stay Certificates accept different levels of certificates. Stay certificates are capacity controlled. For this reason it is best to check availability before purchasing the certificate to be sure you have the correct level for your desired hotel.

The main caveat in using Hyatt Stay Certificates is no points are earned on the paid certificate portion of the hotel stay.  Certificates count like free nights for Hyatt Gold Passport.

Hyatt Weekend Certificates  

Hyatt also offers Hyatt Weekend Certificates for hotels in USA and Canada. These 2-night or 3-night certificates are valid for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights and include breakfast. Far fewer properties participate in the Weekend Certificate offer, however, this option is sometimes cheaper than the Stay Certificate. Compare prices.

Hyatt Select Weekend Certificate US $298 for two nights ($447 3-nights) 

Hyatt Prestige Weekend Certificate US $418 for two nights ($627 3-nights)

Interestingly, there are some properties listed as accepting a Prestige Weekend Certificate that otherwise would require an Elite level Stay certificate.

There is an obvious advantage to the Hyatt Weekend Certificate at $209 per night including breakfast compared to $249 per night without breakfast for an Elite Stay Certificate at some Hyatt hotels. 

The following hotels are classified as Elite level Hyatt Stay ($249/night) and offer Hyatt Prestige Weekend Certificates which include breakfast for two and three night stays ($209/night).

• Park Hyatt Toronto
• Hyatt Grand Champions Resort (Palm Springs, CA area)
• Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Florida (Naples area)
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida
• Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, New Mexico
• Grand Hyatt San Antonio
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort, San Antonio, Texas
• Grand Hyatt Seattle
• Hyatt at Olive 8, Seattle
• Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C. 

Link to Hyatt Stay Certificates

Link to Hyatt Weekend Certificates

Link to List of Hyatt Certificate Participating Hotels and Hotel Level

There is potential for saving money on the hotel room rate if you are willing to forego points and stay credit. Elite benefits should still apply on these stays.

Redeem 40,000 Priority Club points for a free night at the Venetian or the Palazzo in Las Vegas. Or maybe 40,000 points for the new Marriott Autograph Collection hotel like the Algonquin New York or o 35,000 points for the Marriott Rewards category-7 Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas.  The Planet Hollywood Las Vegas used to be available using 10,000 SPG Starpoints and in 2011 you may be able to book free nights with Wyndham Rewards points. Park Hyatt Bermuda and Grand Hyatt Nassau will be hotel reward options in a few years. Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria Collection doubled in size with hotel branding acquisitions the past two years.

Big hotel chains, big money and big marketing back up big hotel partnerships.

So what is the lure of US-based resort hotel brands associated with Marriott, Wyndham, Starwood, Hilton, IHG, Choice and Hyatt?

A good read in The Tribune Bahamas paper about Bahamas tourism gives some insight to answer this question. U.S tourists comprise 80% of international visitors to the Bahamas. Only 24.5% of hotel rooms in the Bahamas are associated with the major U.S. hotel brands.

                U.S. Brand Hotel Rooms in Bahamas

• Wyndham 5.1%
• Starwood (Sheraton) 4.2%
• Choice 1.9%
• Hilton 1.7%
• Other U.S. brands 11.6%
• No Marriott or Hyatt or IHG brand hotels in the Bahamas

A June 2010 Bahamas Tourism report cited in The Tribune Bahamas paper: “We can conclude that many of the Caribbean islands, especially the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic have a defined need for US-branded hotels to accommodate the significant volumes of US visitors.”

“It is in our opinion that US-branded hotels are, overall, under-represented in the Caribbean, and that there are opportunities for conversions or new developments of US-branded hotels in the region.” 

“I think that what these brands also do is induce demand,” Mr Jordan said (HVA Bahamas Director). “What that means is that people go to that destination because of that brand, and others do not go to that destination – they go to another. The brand assists destination marketing.

“What we need to understand is that when the US customer travels to a destination, they look for familiarity a lot of the time. Some like going to the Marriott, others like going to the Hyatt. ”

The Difference between Airline and Hotel Brands

Unlike airlines with large corporate control over the flight routes, planes and frequent flyer programs, hotels are a series of partnerships between hotel owners, management companies and hotel loyalty programs for marketing hotel properties.

Baha Mar Ltd. is a hotel development company in the Bahamas. They have signed a deal with Hyatt Hotels to create a 700-room Grand Hyatt Hotel as part of the 1,000-acre Cable Beach, Nassau, Bahamas resort. Baha Mar Ltd. is also planning hotels at Cable Beach with Morgans Group and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand with high-end U.S. resorts.

The company reportedly planned to work with Starwood Hotels to develop the Cable Beach Bahamas resort complex, but ultimately decided to diversify and work with several other hotel brand companies to branch out marketing opportunities for the US$2.6 billion resort complex.  Cable Beach Nassau Resort will develop with several U.S. based hotel brands. Baha Mar Ltd. already owns the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort.

While frequent guests may have loyalty commitments to specific hotel chains, the hotel owners are looking to diversify and improve their reach across the markets of potential visitors.

Related links:

Hotel Interactive has the best article I have seen on the Priority Club and Las Vegas Sands Corporation partnership to brand Venetian and Palazzo hotels as “InterContinental Alliance Resorts”. (Oct 28)

IHG Press Release on Sands deal (Oct 25)

Baha Mar and Cable Beach Nassau Bahamas Development (BCworldtravelnews-Oct 18)

The Tribune Bahamas - US hotel brand 24.5% market share costing the Bahamas (Oct 28)

Hyatt Card “Nights On Us” Sweepstakes is available on Facebook for a chance to win two free nights at any Hyatt worldwide or 7,000 Gold Passport points. The entry period is September 15 through October 15, 2010 eastern time.

This sweepstakes promotes the new Hyatt Visa card, but there is no purchase necessary and you do not need to apply for the credit card to enter the sweepstakes.

Simply enter a Hyatt location where you would like to have two nights and write a 50 word or less description of what activities you would like to do there.

You have to be a registered member of Facebook to see the Hyatt Facebook page and enter the Sweepstakes.

There are two sets of sweepstakes prizes. The sooner you enter, the better your odds.

5 Grand Prize drawings will occur for two night stay prizes.

The drawings occur:

• 9/17;
• 9/24;
• 10/1;
• 10/8;
• 10/18.

 

12 prize drawings will occur between September 15 and October 18 for 7,000 points. A winner will be randomly selected from among all entries to date on:

•  9/16/10,
• 9/20/10,
• 9/22/10,
• 9/24/10,
• 9/28/10,
• 9/30/10,
• 10/4/10,
• 10/6/10,
• 10/8/10,
• 10/12/10,
• 10/14/10,
• 10/18/10.

Stay 5 nights at any Hyatt brand hotel worldwide between September 15 and December 15, 2010 and earn 10,000 bonus points. This is a good and straightforward deal. You can earn up to 180,000 bonus points from this offer if you spend every night in a Hyatt Hotel during the promotion period.

No double/triple points threshold of 10 nights like Starwood Preferred Guest. No ridiculous 30 Saturdays or 75 nights like some IHG Priority Club members received. No targeted Hilton HHonors Diamond member bonus that could be either a free night anywhere or just 25,000 bonus points after ten nights this fall. No exclusive credit card tie-in like the Marriott Rewards MegaBonus offers requiring Visa payment.

Hyatt Gold Passport Great10K registration is required.

ELIGIBILITY/HOW TO REGISTER: To participate in this Promotion, you must be a Hyatt Gold Passport member and register for this promotion. Current member registration begins August 24, 2010 by calling 1-800-228-3360 or you’re nearest Hyatt Worldwide Reservation Centre.

Current member online registration is available beginning September 15, 2010 by visiting goldpassport.com/welcome10K. New member enrollments between September 15, 2010 and December 15, 2010 will be automatically registered for the promotion.

Hyatt Gold Passport follows the Promotion Nights Trend

The Hyatt Great 10K promotion rewards nights rather than stays, following the pattern for most of the hotel loyalty program promotions running this fall.

The advantage of a promotion based on nights is you have the ability to fulfill the promotion requirements with extended stays. Technically an extended stay is defined as four or more nights according to some document I saw last week. Promotions counting nights like the Hyatt Great 10K allow you to go to Hawaii for five or seven nights and still earn 10,000 bonus points tacked on to your regular stay points and other bonuses.

Many Gold Passport members were hoping for another few months of Hyatt’s Stay two times and earn a free night promotion. Hyatt Gold Passport marketing probably felt the time was right for a cease and desist of the free night offer after having run the free night offer for more than 11 months of the past 24 months. I suspect Hyatt Gold Passport needs to save some promotion firepower in reserve for a good roll-out promotion with the new Hyatt Visa credit card coming this fall.

A free night after two stays offer encourages hotel hopping as a strategy to maximize the free nights bonus. Free nights is a good game for those of us with highly flexible hotel arrangements, yet leaves some of the more profitable customers with multi-night stays feeling a little cheated when the $3,000 week-long Hawaii vacation does not earn a single Hyatt free night while someone hopping around Hyatt Place hotels picks up three free nights to use anywhere in the world, even Hawaii, for under $500.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis of Hyatt Great 10K Promotion

10,000 points after five nights is an additional 2,000 bonus points per night on top of base points, ‘G’ bonuses and elite bonus points if applicable. The Great 10K can still earn quite a few bonus points even for the one-night stand kind of traveler.

Sample Hyatt Stay itinerary:

Sep 17 Grand Hyatt San Francisco $175.20 (G Bonus = 2,000 points)

Sep 18: Hyatt Regency Santa Clara $84.15 (G Bonus = 1,000 points)

Sep 21: Hyatt Vineyard Creek Santa Rosa $151.20 (G Bonus 1,500 points)

Oct 8-10: Hyatt Regency Chicago $592.20  (G Bonus 2,000 points)

$1,002.75 base rate for 5 Hyatt hotel nights 

(Remember this is just an example. I could have just as easily pieced together five nights for under $400 staying at Hyatt Place hotels.)

$1,002 x 5 points/$1 = 5,010 base points + 6,500 G bonus points + 10,000 Great 10K bonus points

21,510 Gold Passport points earned for five nights.

If you are elite, then you also receive 750 bonus points as a Platinum elite (15% base points) or 1,500 bonus points as a Diamond elite member (30% base points).

You should be an elite member of Hyatt Gold Passport unless you are new to the Hyatt Gold Passport program or you squandered your opportunity for maintaining complimentary elite status since Hyatt Gold passport gave free elite membership to anyone who asked from mid-2009 to May 2010. Five stays at Hyatt and you will receive Platinum elite and its benefit of complimentary internet.

Hyatt Gold Passport Hotel Reward Categories

Hyatt has the majority of its 400+ hotel properties in the lower half of the Gold Passport free night award hotel categories in Category 1 = 5,000 points; category 2 = 8,000 points; and category 3 = 12,000 points. The upper tier properties are category 4 = 15,000 points; category 5 = 18,000 points and category 6 = 22,000 points.

In the example itinerary above the elite Gold Passport member earns enough points in 5 nights for a free night at any Hyatt in the world.

 

Earning Miles with Hyatt’s Great 10K promotion

Hyatt Hotels extends its generosity by allowing Gold Passport members who want miles to double dip with the Great 10K points bonus. There are some high value miles promotions concurrently running with the Great 10K offer.

Gold Passport Concierge posted Great 10K promotion FAQ on FlyerTalk. It says members who are earning miles rather than points will still be eligible to earn the Great 10K bonus of 10,000 points after five nights. 

Great 10K offer is combinable with current airline miles bonus offers

Hyatt currently has high value bonus mile offers for at least ten airlines. There is the American Airlines 60,000 miles bonus for 3,000 miles each stay through October 15, 2010. There is also the 1,000 miles per night promotion running through September 30 with a choice of nine airlines. 

Choosing miles means you are not eligible for Gold Passport base points or G bonus points offers. Some G bonus offers are actually for double miles so be sure to check. Basically you get the registered promotion miles bonuses and the 10,000 Gold Passport points bonus after five nights.

In the California and Chicago itinerary shown above, the Gold Passport earning AA miles would receive these bonuses:

$1,002 spent on 4 Hyatt stays (AA promotion stays must be by October 15, 2010)

• 12,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles
• 10,000 Gold Passport points

or

$1,002 spent on 5 Hyatt nights with the 1,000 miles per night promotion (assume 5 nights for this promotion completed by Sep 30).

• 5,000 United Mileage Plus miles (or 5,000 miles in any other participating airline for 1,000 miles/night promotion through Sep 30)
• 10,000 Gold Passport points in Great 10K bonus

Hyatt Gold Passport’s Great 10K may not be as easy for some members to earn free nights as the Big Welcome Back promotion of spring 2010, but this is one of the best hotel loyalty promotions currently available for fall 2010. And if you actually need extended stays at Hyatt Hotels, then this is your opportunity to rack up more points than you could with the Big Welcome Back offer last spring for 5,000 points after every two stays.

Loyalty Traveler Post-Analysis:  

While many Gold Passport members were hoping for free nights and feel disappointment, there were eleven months in the past 24 months with the promotion for a free Hyatt hotel night after two stays. Hyatt was basically the only hotel loyalty program with a recurrent high value, low stay requirement free night offer open for general Gold Passport members these past two years.

The worst hotel recession since the Great Depression spawned free night offers across the spectrum of hotel loyalty programs for the past 16 months. These high value free night offers were an aberration in hotel loyalty program marketing in my ten plus years of following hotel loyalty programs. Hyatt Hotels is the standard-bearer in free night promotions and I suspect we will see another free night offer before too long.

Past Promotions for Hyatt Gold Passport Free Nights

Spring 2010 Big Welcome Back

Loyalty Traveler post, March 20, 2010

• Earn: March 26 – June 30 2010
• Redeem: April 1-Aug 31, 2010

Fall 2009 Hyatt Gold Passport Faster Free Nights Promotion and combined promotion offers

Loyalty Traveler promotion post , (Oct 1, 2009)

• Earn Oct 1, 2009 – Jan 31, 2010
• Redeem: March 31, but extended to April 30 general members, May 31 Platinum, June 30 for Diamond

Fall 2008 Faster Free Nights

Loyalty Traveler post, Aug 22, 2008

• Earn: Sep 1, 2008 – Dec 30, 2008;
• Redeem: Sep 15, 2008 – Feb 28, 2009