Hyatt Gold Passport in New York reveals the variability in the value of points as room rates wildly fluctuate from week to week and weeknights to weekends. There are six Hyatt properties currently open in Manhattan and the new Hyatt Times Square New York scheduled to open later in 2013. The Hyatt Regency Jersey City is also included with Manhattan hotels due to close proximity. One survey looks at seven hotels in Manhattan and Jersey City separately.

Another 15 Hyatt brand hotels are located within 50 miles of New York City in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. These hotels are grouped together in a separate survey since the room rates and reward rates are substantially lower than Manhattan hotels and provide an alternative hotel option for travelers without the cash or points to stay in Manhattan.

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An interesting graphic I came across shows the number of hotels in the U.S. by the seven largest U.S. hotel chains.

U.S. Hotels domestic supply among major U.S. Hotel Chains

• Hilton Worldwide: 3,382 hotels; 506,455 rooms.
• Marriott International: 3,110 hotels; 501,070 rooms.
• Wyndham Worldwide: 5,815 hotels; 451,755 rooms.
• Choice International: 5,081 hotels; 385,827 rooms.
• Starwood Hotels & Resorts: 495 hotels; 152,693 rooms.
• Hyatt Hotels Corporation: 354 hotels; 91,590 rooms. 
• Carlson Rezidor Hotels: 549 hotels; 59,742 rooms.

Source: STR 12-31-2012 year end data.

I’m not sure why Best Western is missing from the list?

• Best Western International: 2,165 hotels (North America); 178,518 rooms (North America). Source: Best Western. What is impressive about Best Western is 1,312 hotels in Europe.

IHG is a UK based company, although, the majority of properties are located in the USA.

• InterContinental Hotels Group: 3,555 hotels; 449,617 rooms (North and South America and Caribbean). Source: IHG Fact Sheets. IHG has 628 hotels in Europe.

Starwood and Carlson have the highest proportion of hotels outside the USA among these chains. There are roughly 500 to 600 hotels outside the USA for Hilton, Marriott, Starwood and Carlson-Rezidor. 

The high number of hotels outside the USA is one of the features I most enjoy about Best Western Rewards. The Best Western chain can put you in many places the other hotel chains can’t. And for free with points stays.

And when you are in the U.S.A. there are nearly 25,000 hotels in just the top nine chains with global points-based hotel loyalty programs.

Hyatt Gold Passport has changed the Diamond elite member welcome amenity to include the choice of points when staying at hotels outside the US, Canada and Caribbean.

Diamond members can choose to earn 1,000 points instead of a food/wine selection commonly offered at most hotels.

As a Diamond member you may have recently experienced something new with our Diamond welcome amenity.

What’s new?

At Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt® Hyatt Regency® and Andaz® locations outside the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, Diamond members now have a choice of welcome amenity. Diamond members can choose either a food and beverage amenity (locally inspired amenity at Andaz hotels) or 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport® bonus points.

 

What remains the same?

At Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt and Hyatt Regency locations in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, Diamond members can continue to select a food and beverage welcome amenity or 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport® bonus points. And, at all Hyatt Place® and HYATT houseTM locations, Diamond members will continue to enjoy a choice of 500 bonus points or in-hotel selection (complimentary beverage at Hyatt Place or $5 credit in the Guest Market at HYATT house).

FlyerTalk April 11, 2013 – Gold Passport Concierge (Hyatt Gold Passport company representative)

The food and beverage welcome amenity is often a pleasant benefit when arriving at a hotel.

Other times the arrival is so late that a bottle of wine is not desirable before sleep and not allowed as a carry-on item for an early flight. These are times when a welcome amenity of 500 or 1,000 points is a better choice.

More choices for Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite members with no loss in benefits is an improvement for Hyatt Gold Passport.

Tomorrow is the start of the global Hyatt Gold Passport promotion for 3,000 points every three nights. There is a maximum 45,000 bonus points for this offer which should be no limitation to earning bonus points for the vast number of members who will not even come close to 45 nights in paid Hyatt stays over the next three months.

Hyatt Gold Passport members need to register for this offer by April 30, 2013. New members enrolling in Hyatt Gold Passport from March 1 to April 30 will be automatically enrolled in promotion.

Since this promotion is based on nights, some members might find this a good bonus to earn while completing a Hyatt Diamond elite status challenge. Call Hyatt Gold Passport and request a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond elite status match. These are often approved for members who hold Marriott Gold or Platinum, HHonors Gold or Diamond or SPG Platinum.

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Hyatt Gold Passport has opened registration for Hyatt More Possibilities promotion from March 1 through May 31. The basic deal is 3,000 points after every 3 nights or 3,600 points for Hyatt Gold Passport Visa card members (20% bonus). I notice the promotion T&C do not mention anything about the 20% credit card member bonus that was included in the press release I received from Hyatt on Feb 5.

I registered this morning while working in a Hyatt Hotel suite and thinking last night’s stay might qualify and then realizing the promotion does not start for another 11 days. Registration is required by April 30, 2013.

When I registered for the Hyatt promotion the webpage mentioned voting for Hyatt Gold Passport in the 2013 Freddie Awards. Read More…

Late April 2012 the streets were wet with puddles of rain as I drove from downtown Los Angeles to Hyatt Regency Century Plaza near Beverly Hills. A spring rain storm dropped about an inch of water. The rain had ended only a few hours earlier at daybreak. 

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza

2025 Avenue of the Stars,
Los Angeles, California, USA90067
Tel: +1 310 228 1234 Fax: +1 310 551 3355
Maps & Directions

This hotel is located on the Avenue of the Stars in Los Angeles, on the border of Beverly Hills. The hotel neighborhood is filled with entertainment industry businesses and studios. The corporate office building lined drive along this stretch of road also has the InterContinental Los Angeles Century City hotel. Read More…

Hyatt Gold Passport special offers drop from 253 offers at 249 hotels listed today for February 2013 stays down to 21 offers at 20 hotels for stays next month.

The main offer for February is the AAA breakfast rate for USA hotels. This offer is 10% off Hyatt Daily Rate and breakfast. It is a good deal for members without Diamond status with the benefit of complimentary breakfast.

There are a variety of bonus points and miles opportunities at select Hyatt properties worldwide. Here are some of the higher earning offers. Many of these offers will be available in March to combine with the Hyatt More Possibilities promotion March 1-May 31, 2013 for 3,000 points every 3 nights.

Los Angeles

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza: 2,500 bonus points per stay of 2 nights or more Thursday through Saturday through February 28, 2013. Offer code 2500CP. This hotel is walking distance to Beverly Hills and near an upscale mall.

LA Hotel Downtown: 2,500 bonus points per night through May 31, 2013. This is a rebranded Marriott hotel located in the downtown area with LA Live, Staples Center and the LA Convention Center.

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Hyatt Gold Passport calls its first 2013 bonus points global promotion More Possibilities. Earn 3,000 bonus points for every 3 nights at Hyatt brand hotels worldwide. Maximum 45,000 bonus points after 45 nights.

Hyatt Visa card members earn 20% additional bonus points for 3,600 points per 3 nights, up to 54,000 points after 45 nights.

45 nights and earn enough points for 3 free nights at a category 4 or 5 hotel. Really? That is a lot of hotel nights for three months.

Promotion registration opens February 15. Members must register by April 30.

The Hyatt promotion registration link is supposed to go live February 15, 2013 according to the email I received from Hyatt PR.

Analysis of Hyatt’s More Possibilities and G Bonus Opportunities Read More…

Buying Hyatt Gold Passport points normally costs $24 per 1,000 points. Hyatt is running a one week only bonus points offer from January 31 through February 6, 2013 for a 10% to 30% bonus on points purchases.

Hyatt Gold Passport members can purchase a maximum 40,000 points per year. This limited time offer makes possible the purchase of 52,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for $960.

Hyatt Points Purchase link.

But is Hyatt’s 30% bonus points a good deal? 

Promotion Basics:

• Purchase 1,000 to 9,000 points and get a 10% bonus
• Purchase 10,000 to 29,000 points and get a 20% bonus
• Purchase 30,000 to 40,000 points and get a 30% bonus
• Bonus points offer only applicable to member’s purchases for own account. Gifted points do not receive bonus.
• Points purchased post to member’s account within 48 hours.
• Bonus points offer runs January 31-February 6 (no time zone listed, so I assume either ET (New York) or CT (Chicago – Hyatt HQ)). Read More…

A trip to Chicago in a few weeks had me looking at hotel rooms. When I checked Hyatt’s site I was surprised to see Hyatt Chicago Magnificent Mile listed. I was not aware of this hotel before, but a $105 midweek rate certainly grabbed my attention. After a little investigation I learned the hotel was rebranded recently from Wyndham Chicago after an $88.4 million dollar purchase May 2012. The 417-room hotel started a $25 million renovation January 1, 2013 and is taking guests during the remodel period. The renovation is expected to be complete in May 2013.

Those money moguls from Blackstone Group scored another valuable property transaction, buying the Wyndham hotel property in 2010 in a distressed sale and flipping it to Sunstone Hotel Investors at double the 2010 assessment for the Chicago hotel property. Read More…