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

 

Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa officially rebranded April 1 from the formerly independent Alila Villas Hadahaa Resort. This is the first Hyatt in the Maldives, a chain of 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean southwest of India. The Hyatt press release states the hotel is located just south of the equator, yet every map I have seen including Hyatt’s own hotel location map shows Huvadhoo Atoll just north of the equator and Hadahaa island at Latitude 0⁰, 30 N.  Atoll is a word derived from the Maldives language according to Webster. Hyatt’s press release reminds me of the 1969 film Krakatoa, East of Java. Krakatoa is actually an island west of Java in the country of Indonesia.

Park Hyatt Maldives rates look to start around $1,000 per night and increase to $1,200+ for a pool villa. 13.5% tax is additional. Dan of Dan’s Deals states Gold Passport Diamond confirmed suite upgrades will not be accepted at the Maldives property.

At 22,000 points for a category 6 reward night this hotel gives great point value. Hyatt points are worth about $50 per 1,000 for this Maldives vacation. Free nights saves money for all the other expenses of a trip to the Maldives which some guests who have actually been there estimate at $400 to $800 per day for meals, drinks and an activity or two.

 

Las Vegas Resorts The Venetian and The Palazzo officially are now hotel partners of IHG Priority Club in a new type of IHG brand called InterContinental Alliance Resorts. Priority Club members earn 2,000 points per stay and reward nights are 40,000 points per night. InterContinental Ambassador benefits apply to stays.

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.

Hyatt Resorts has a sale at 21 U.S. and Caribbean properties for stays through March 31, 2011.  This 48-hour sale started at midnight yesterday and ends at 11:59pm Central time tonight.

• Special Offer Code: R48HY
• Full non-refundable prepayment required.
• 25% discount based on Hyatt Daily Rate.
• Valid for hotel stays through March 31, 2011
• Book by 11:59pm central time Wednesday January 26.

Hotels and dates I checked were lower than AAA rates.  Price compare since AAA rates often include breakfast and that is a rate consideration if you are not Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond with complimentary breakfast benefit. And AAA rates have more flexible cancellation policy.

Hyatt Resorts sale rates are “Use It or Lose It” rates, so keep that in mind when booking a $1,000 hotel stay. Trip insurance can be useful.

Hyatt Resorts Sale reservations link.

Participating Hyatt Resorts:

• Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch  Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
• Park Hyatt Aviara Resort  Carlsbad, California, USA 
• Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, Villas and Spa  Indian Wells, California, USA
• Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa  Orange County, California, USA 
• Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA
• Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa  Key West, Florida, USA
• Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa  Bonita Springs, Florida, USA
• Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa  Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA 
• Hotel Victor  Miami, Florida, USA 
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida, USA 
• Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa  Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa , Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii, USA
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa  Maui, Hawaii, USA

• Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina , Cambridge, Maryland, USA

• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino  Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

• Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa , Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

• Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa  Austin, Texas, USA

• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa,   San Antonio, Texas, USA  

• Hyatt Escala Lodge at Park City  Park City, Utah, USA

 

Caribbean

• Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino  Palm Beach, Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
• Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina  Curacao, Netherlands Antilles

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.

The highlight of my week in Chicago last month was ending the trip with a stay at the Park Hyatt Chicago. Several FlyerTalkers at the Chicago Seminar DO responded favorably on the Park Hyatt when I asked where I should stay in Chicago. I was happy I took their advice.

Park Tower, completed in 2000, is 67 stories and at 844 feet is currently the eleventh tallest building in Chicago according to Wikipedia. Architecturally, Park Tower Chicago was the first building in the U.S. designed with a tuned mass damper – a 300-ton steel pendulum that prevents building sway. Architects Lucien Lagrange posted 17 photos of the building with some hotel shots and great penthouse views on their website. GlassSteelandStone.com is a Chicago architecture blog with several photos of the Park Tower building exterior.

Park Hyatt Hotel is the lower 18 floors of Park Tower at 800 North Michigan Avenue and Water Tower Place, adjacent to the historical Chicago Water Tower, survivor of the great 1871 Chicago fire when the entire downtown and its hundreds of miles of foot traffic wooden sidewalks burned to the ground.

The luxury hotel Peninsula Chicago is directly across the street from the Park Hyatt. Both hotels have south facing entrances so the entrance to the Peninsula Hotel is on the opposite side of the hotel from the Park Hyatt entrance.

 

The lobby alcove contains large fossil specimens in wall cases.

The 7^th floor is NoMIRestaurant and Bar. There is a reception table by the 7th floor elevators to direct people into the bar and restaurant. The place was packed at 8pm on a Tuesday night. NoMI Restaurant is where I ate a delicious crab omelette breakfast.

 

 

Park Hyatt Chicago Spa and Pool

One design feature of the hotel I did not like was the Spa, workout rooms and pool are on the same floor as the NoMI Restaurant and Bar. You have to pass by the restaurant entrance to access the spa and pools. Waiting for one of the two elevators to take you back to your room floor might feel a little uncomfortable while standing in your bathrobe in the middle of mingling million dollar babies on their way in and out of the bar.

Park Hyatt Chicago Room 1806

Room 1806 is a top 18th floor hotel room with a great view of the Water Tower.

The window ledge cushioned bench was a delight for sitting with a view of the John Hancock Center, Water Tower and North Michigan Avenue.

Double Bed Room

Park Hyatt bathroom has sliding door divider between tub and room. Toilet and shower have glass doors.

This was the second hotel (Trump Chicago) I saw in Chicago with candles in the bathroom. I enjoyed the candlelight feature.

Electronic shades are a feature of the Park Hyatt Chicago room.

The furnishings were nicely arranged and little touches stood out around the room despite a rather minimalist design. The room had a large flatscreen TV and glass desk although I failed to take a decent photo of that side of the room.

Mieko Yuki, born 1943 Japan – You Can Do It (2004), An interview here gives a little insight into the artist.

Park Hyatt Chicago is a Hyatt Gold Passport category 6 hotel reward at 22,000 points per night. I redeemed points for my stay when the lowest published room rate was $422.50 or $487.56 per night after tax.

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)