Family Travel Friday: Child’s Birthday Party in a Hyatt Suite!

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I’ve often said the best use of miles & points is for travel that’s important to you.  It’s not always about champagne and caviar in First Class or award stays at fancy resorts.

And I love hearing from folks who’ve used this hobby to create memories with their families and friends.

Million Mile Secrets team member Jasmin recently held her daughter’s sleepover birthday party at the Hyatt Regency Rochester.  And because she has Hyatt Diamond elite status, the experience was even more special!

I’ll let Jas tell you about it!

A Party That Won’t Be Soon Forgotten!

Jasmin:   Thanks Daraius!  My daughter asked for a sleepover for her 9th birthday, so I thought it would be fun to have a “girls night out” in the city.

I’d earned Hyatt Diamond elite status during Hyatt’s (brief!) status match promotion last December.  I matched my Hilton Gold (free from the Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express) status – so easy!

My plan was to book 2 rooms and upgrade 1 to a suite.  You can’t use Diamond suite upgrades on award nights, just Points + Cash and paid rates.

The Hyatt Regency Rochester is a category 2 hotel which costs 8,000 Hyatt points per night.  The Points + Cash rate is 4,000 Hyatt points + $55.

But the paid rate was only $89 so I booked it.  It didn’t make sense to use 4,000 Hyatt points to save ~$34 (I’d rather use them for more expensive stays).  I called Hyatt at 800-228-3360 for the suite upgrade.

And I paid with my Chase Hyatt card, so I earned 3 Hyatt points per $1.

I followed up by calling the hotel directly and explaining I wanted connecting rooms.  And mentioned my daughter’s birthday when I asked for a couple of rollaway beds.  They said they’d try to do something nice for us…

How Suite It Is!

Imagine our surprise when we got to the hotel and discovered they’d given us a studio suite with TWO connecting king bed rooms.

It was huge.  I’ll let my daughter give you the grand tour:

We were so grateful to the folks at Hyatt for giving us the extra space!

And the Diamond amenity was a lovely fruit and cheese tray and bottle of wine.

The kids said they felt like VIPs!  And they scarfed down the snacks in short order – even the “stinky cheese!”

We spent the night swimming in the hotel pool, making iPad music videos, doing hair and makeup, and watching movies until the wee hours (we kicked the boys out for the sleepover part!).

The next morning, the girls and I enjoyed the free Diamond breakfast in the hotel restaurant.  Because I’d booked 2 rooms, we were eligible for 8 breakfasts (4 per room).

The Regency Breakfast Buffet was ideal for a group of hungry girls!  Several of them said the croissants were amazing – and much bacon was consumed.  🙂

Because we had a late check-out (as late as 4:00 pm for Diamond members), there was plenty of time to swim and enjoy the hot tub again.

And the girls agreed it was the best hotel room and party ever!  Thanks Hyatt Regency Rochester!

Bottom Line

I love it when folks think outside the box and use miles, points, and elite perks for special events like this!  What a fun way to celebrate a birthday.

Have you used miles, points, or elite status for an unusual trip or event?  Please share your experiences in the comments!  Or drop me a note to share your success story!