Which Hotel Program Is Best for Value and Comfort?

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Million Mile Secrets reader, Leslie, commented:

Which hotel points program do you like the most for value, as well as enjoyment of the hotels themselves?

Thanks for the question, Leslie!

I LOVE Hyatt!  They have incredible hotels all over the world.  And Hyatt points go further than most other hotel points.

I’ll show you how to get Big Travel with Small Money at Hyatt hotels!

What’s So Great About Hyatt?

Link:   Hyatt Hotels

Link:   Hyatt Award Chart

Hyatt’s loyalty program is called Hyatt Gold Passport.

You’ll pay 5,000 to 30,000 Hyatt points for a Hyatt award night, depending on the category:

• Category 1 – 5,000 points
• Category 2 – 8,000 points
• Category 3 – 12,000 points
• Category 4 – 15,000 points
• Category 5 – 20,000 points
• Category 6 – 25,000 points
• Category 7 – 30,000 points

Top-tier Hyatts cost 30,000 points for a free night.  This includes pricey hotels like the Park Hyatt New York and the Park Hyatt Paris – Vendome, where standard rooms can sell for ~$1,000+!

I used 30,000 points per night at the incredible Park Hyatt Sydney when I surprised my mom for her 60th birthday.

To compare, the highest category Hilton hotels cost 95,000 Hilton points per night.  And top IHG hotels cost 60,000 IHG points.

There are other exciting ways to use Hyatt points too!

Reserve a Suite

You can also use your points to book hotel suites!  You can reserve a suite for:

• Category 1 – 8,000 points
• Category 2 – 13,000 points
• Category 3 – 20,000 points
• Category 4 – 24,000 points
• Category 5 – 32,000 points
• Category 6 – 40,000 points
• Category 7 – 48,000 points

There are some restrictions, like a minimum 3-night stay at Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Resorts.  And certain hotels are excluded.  You can read the terms & conditions here.

Another option for using points is to upgrade a paid stay to a suite for a rate of 6,000 Hyatt points per night.  Emily and I have done this lots, like at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok.

Or you can upgrade to a Regency Club or Grand Club room for 3,000 points per night.  This gets you access to the lounge and free breakfast and snacks throughout the day.

Stay at an All-Inclusive Resort!

You can use your Hyatt points to stay at any all-inclusive Hyatt resort.  For example, you’ll pay 20,000 Hyatt points per night for lodging and food (double occupancy) at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.

Available award nights can be trickier to find, so you’ll have to be flexible.  But using points for a free stay at an all-inclusive resort can cover your trip’s room, food, and alcohol!

Points + Cash

Link:   Hyatt Points + Cash Award Chart

Link:   Hyatt Points + Cash Is a Triple Win!

Reserving a room with Points + Cash can be a good idea for folks who want to stretch their points balance.  If you’re willing to pay cash for part of your hotel stay, the option of Points + Cash can increase the value of your Hyatt points!

Points + Cash nights cost half the number of points needed for an award night, plus a fixed amount of cash, depending on the hotel category.

And using this trick makes searching for Points + Cash rates easy!

How to Earn Hyatt Points

Link:   Chase Hyatt

Link:   Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Link:   Ink Plus® Business Credit Card

Link:   Chase Freedom

Link:   Chase Freedom Unlimited

Link:   Ink Business Cash Credit Card

Not only are Hyatt points valuable, they are also easy to collect!

There are lots of ways to earn Hyatt points without ever stepping foot inside a hotel.  Because there are several credit cards that directly and indirectly earn Hyatt points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Hyatt is Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, which makes it easier to collect Hyatt points!

As long as you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Plus, or Ink Bold (no longer available), you can transfer points you’ve earned from any Chase Ultimate Rewards earning card to Hyatt.

We stayed at the Park Hyatt Milan by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt for big savings!

Cards like the Chase Freedom have 5X category bonuses to help you earn a Hyatt award night faster!

Hyatt Credit Card

The Chase Hyatt Visa comes with:

• 3X points at Hyatt hotels
• 2X points on restaurants, airfare, and car rental
• 1X points everywhere else
• 2 free nights at any Hyatt worldwide after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of opening your account
• Automatic Hyatt Platinum elite status
• $0 annual fee the first year, then $75
• 1 free night at category 1 to 4 hotel after membership anniversary

The sign-up bonus of 2 free nights with this card is great!  But for everyday spending, the Chase Sapphire Preferred works just as well.  And the bonus categories of the Chase Freedom and Ink Plus can be even better, depending on your spending habits!

What’s the Catch?

Hyatt is better than the competition in lots of ways.  But one drawback is their quantity of hotels.

Before you put a lot of effort into collecting points with Hyatt, make sure it’s the right option for you.  Hyatt points are not the best choice for folks who value the flexibility to stay in almost any area.

Compared to hotels like IHG and Marriott, Hyatt has very few hotels.  You won’t see a Hyatt hotel in every town you drive through.  And you may find yourself needing a hotel in a place where there isn’t a Hyatt for 50 miles!

You will usually find Hyatt hotels at popular destinations instead of on the road to those popular destinations.

But many Hyatt hotels can be a destination in themselves!

Bottom Line

Hyatt Gold Passport is my favorite hotel points program.  You can use your points at incredible locations for a great value.

And points are easy to earn!  Hyatt is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.  And there’s also the Chase Hyatt card which earns Hyatt points directly.

But investing in Hyatt points is NOT for someone who prefers a hotel chain with lots of locations.  Staying at a Hyatt hotel takes more planning than hotels like IHG or Marriott.

What’s your favorite way to use Hyatt points?