Nights: 2 Points Used: 17,500 Cash Price: $315.43 CPP: 1.80

While not the sexiest redemption to kick off the year, I travelled with my dad down for a quick weekend getaway to Atlanta. We wanted to stay in the neighboring Hyatt Regency, which is known for its beautiful lobby and fancy rooms, but it was fully booked. Fortunately the Hyatt Place had a free shuttle that dropped us off and picked us up within a few mile radius of the hotel; and we used that to our advantage to explore all parts of the city. The continental breakfast was as expected, gym was tiny, and the employees made me feel welcomed. 

Value: 2/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 1 Points Used: 12,000 Cash Price: $294.00 CPP: 2.45

Sarah and I decided to stay here for a quick staycation since we had several activities in DC over the weekend. This was our second visit here, and I had reached out to the manager prior to arriving. He had a whole fruit basket delivered to our room.  In the evening we used their 24/7 gym that had every machine we needed and a freestyle water flavoring machine.  The Grand Hyatt is in a great location within the city; it's close to major restaurants, the Capital One Area, and right above a metro station. 

Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5

Nights: 3 Points Used: 120,000 Cash Price: $3,317.55 CPP: 2.76

We began our delayed honeymoon at this luxurious, category 8 Park Hyatt right in the middle of Paris. Service was top-notch, as we felt very attended too after getting off our overnight (free) flight. We were surprised with champagne and rose petals on the bed. This was a pretty expensive stay, even with points, but it allowed us to have the convenience of walking to main destinations, while relaxing in a comfy room. Since we were touring around, we didn't get to using all the amenities. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 5/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 48,000 Cash Price: $1,098.91 CPP: 2.29

Wow. This was probably the best Hyatt stay of the year. We got two connecting rooms for a King suite and the only English channel on TV was SpongeBob SquarePants. In the morning we got to eat at the lounge on the top floor with a view of the Eiffel Tower. There was unlimited French pastries, prosciutto, salmon, fine coffees and tea, and a whole heck more. During their happy hour there were lots of hot snacks and self-serve beer and wine. Having this at the end of our 2-week trip made us feel super restful before going back home. While further from the touristy places, it was close enough to visit the shopping district for some end of trip souvineers.  Staff was friendly and attentive. 

Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 0 Cash Price: $594.22 CPP: N/A

While this was not a points stay, I still wanted to leave a review and share some redemption bonuses I used. First, I booked a base room, so only paid $191.93/night. Two of my credit cards had 15% back on Hyatt purchases, so I saved some money there by splitting the payment per night. Then, I also used a Club Lounge Access Award I had for an upgrade to use the Regency Lounge, which included a hot breakfast and happy hour snacks. So in the end, I almost had a 50% discount to have a staycation in Northern Virginia. The gym was decent and the hotel connected to the mall. 

Value: 3/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 30,000 Cash Price: $678.65 CPP: 2.26

We had another flurry of activities in DC this weekend, so decided to have another staycation at this wonderful hotel. I used another one of my Club Lounge Access Awards, which adds additional $200 to the cash price value (2.89 cpp); we had sushi and burgers during the happy hour evenings and a full hot breakfast each morning. Alcohol was discounted, so we just didn't get any, though staff was happy to let us sample a couple wines. Very worthwhile time to use the club lounge. 

Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 24,000 Cash Price: $471 CPP: 1.96

Sarah had a conference in National Harbor, so instead of driving there and back each day, we decided to stay in the nice town of Alexandria for an easier commute for both of us. Sarah was able to take a short drive over the river and I was able to bike to work. The room was a little small, but we didn't stay in it too much as we worked during the day and walked around old town in the evenings. We had an enjoyable dinner at the Indian restaurant in the lobby, and used their small gym one morning. 

Value: 2/5 Amenities: 2/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 4 Points Used: 30,000 Cash Price: $2,383.23 CPP: 3.42

For my birthday, we went to Chicago and stayed at the very hip Thompson Chicago. I used both points and 2 free night certificates I had earned previously. So the CPP is calculated only on the first two point nights. It was great value, location, and service.  The room had nice views, the gym was well furnished, and staff was friendly. 

Value: 5/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 10,000 Cash Price: $440.88 CPP: 4.41

While Sarah attended a women's retreat with our church, I travelled down to Raleigh with my church buddy for a weekend away. Interestingly enough, this category 1 hotel had the best redemption value out of all the Hyatts I had stayed this year.  It had the standard continental breakfast, gym and pool. It wasn't in downtown Raleigh or Durham, but with a car it was easy to access both towns. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 40,000 Cash Price: $1,016.36 CPP: 2.54

To start our trip to London, we stayed this artsy brand of the Hyatt collection. The room was expectedly small, but very chic. There were a couple small issues like the non-working nespresso machine and a disconnected bulb, but overall a nice place to lay our heads. Their happy hour included some hors d'oeuvres and wine, which we indulged lightly on while exploring the city. This hotel was right next to the Liverpool station so getting around the city was quick. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 17,500 Cash Price: $358.49 CPP: 2.05

Sarah had a Nexus interview (free with our Venture X card) at the Niagara Falls border, so we decided to make a weekend trip out of it. We stayed at this Hyatt Place since it was accessible to both Buffalo and Niagara Falls. We were able to take the free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, but it took a while and then it broke down for the remainer of our stay. The hotel is pretty normal for Hyatt Places; gym, pool, and breakfast bar was all average. Here's a photo of downtown Buffalo since most Hyatt Places look the same. 

Value: 2/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 2/5

Nights: 4 Points Used: 42,000 Cash Price: $917.45 CPP: 2.18

We stayed in downtown Calgary over our Labor Day Weekend for a wedding. I used a Club Lounge Access Award, which gave us free hot breakfast at the lounge in the mornings and happy hour hot foods in the evening. The cash price would have been $1,214.63 total then. While on the outside the hotel looks old, the inside was definitely refurbished and had great amenities. The pool, sauna, gym, and lounge were on the same high floor overlooking the city, so we spent a lot of time in all those places. The staff gave me takeout boxes for breakfast so I could give Sarah a breakfast in bed expereince. While alcoholic drinks cost money, the desserts, juices, and snacks were plentiful and great. The location right in downtown allowed us to walk to everywhere we needed to. Staff were very accommodating and helpful, even providing a quick turnaround for my suit to be dry cleaned. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5

Nights: 4 Points Used: 0 Cash Price: $1,131.24 CPP: N/A

Another non-points stay; we went to Orlando for Sarah's work conference. It was exciting though as this was our first stay as Globalists, and we got upgraded for free to a Family suite - which was worth around $2,000 for our stay. So this included a massaive living room, so I had plenty of space to workout and work remote. We each got our own bathroom AND we had a wet bar. Since their club was closed, we got breakfast vouchers to the connected restaurant downstairs and free drink tickets to the bar. The outdoor pool was large and nice to sit around. During the first half of our stay, the gym flooded so we weren't able to use it. All the staff I emailed with and interacted during the stay were generous and welcoming. Location-wise it's mainly just for conferece/convention center-goers. There plenty of other Hyatts near the parks or in Orlando proper to stay otherwise. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 3 Points Used: 87,000 Cash Price: $1,600.25 CPP: 1.84

Right after Orlando, we went to New York City for a Matoma concert on Saturday. Since the conert was at the Marquee, near Chelsea, we decided stay here. The hotel is very hip, and music/arts centered with an NFT gallery and a rooftop club. We got upgraded from a King Bronze to a King Gold room, which basically just meant a higher floor and really good view of the skyline. The pros of staying here was the location and breakfast. Each morning we could get whatever we wanted from the cafe, ginger shots, coffee, platters, etc. The portions were so large. However, in terms of the amenities and benefits, the hotel was not that great. The gym was extremely tiny and limited, parking wasn't discounted more for Globalists (so still had to pay $60/night), and being near the top meant we heard the bass from the club. Overall though, we did enjoy our stay, but probably wouldn't stay here over other great NYC hotels that have better point value and Globalist perks. 

Value: 2/5 Amenities: 2/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 1 Points Used: 12,000 Cash Price: $240.84 CPP: 2.01

For Sarah's birthday we hosted a party in Arlington. Knowing we didn't want to uber all the way home to the suburbs, we had a one-night staycation in Arlington. We got upgraded to a suite, allowing us to have a living room to pregame. Total cost would have been $386.06 raising it to a 3.07 cpp. It was nice to have that extra space. The breakfast was just a mediocre continental breakfast; I expected more from a Hyatt Centric. Finally, I had to contact the managers to get my parking fee waived, which was annoying to have to do. 

Value: 2/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 3 Points Used: 115,000 Cash Price: $2,780 CPP: 2.41

I booked a Guest of Honor reservation for my brother during his trip to Sydney, Australia. As a Globalist I can book for other people and they can receive the same Globalist benefits such as free breakfast and suite upgrades. You can read more about the benefits and how to achieve Globalist in my other blog post.  Since I didn't stay here, I'm not counting it in my table above, but still wanted to show you the great value from using Hyatt points for premium hotels. The location is right next to the Sydney Opera House and the harbor. 

From my brother, the amenities were nice, he got a cake from them, delicious breakfast, amenity kits, etc. The gym was fine, nice rooftop pool, and of course good balcony view. The staff was very polite, but my brother had to wait an hour to check-in. 

Value: 3/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 30,000 Cash Price: $455.37 CPP: 1.52

i booked another Guest of Honor reservation for my brother at the end of his Sydney trip. Although the CPP redemption value is pretty bad, he will receive club lounge access and free breakfast during this stay, which would be around $683 if he paid for it outright. He thought the hotel was decent, plus he got upgraded to the top floor harbor view. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 1 Points Used: 12,000 Cash Price: $338.61 CPP: 2.82

My dad and I flew into Fort Lauderdale to make sure we didn't miss our free cruise the next day. The airport shuttle was free and useful, but they charged $15/person for a shuttle ride to the port terminal, so we skipped that in favor of Uber. The gym had what we needed for a morning workout and right next to the continental breakfast. The hash browns were good, but that was basically it. The location was good close to Port Evergaldes, making it worth it and convenient. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5

Nights: 3 Points Used: 63,000 Cash Price: $1,435.79 CPP: 2.28

My in-laws went to NYC this weekend and the prices were crazy. So I was able to help them find this Hyatt in a convenient location with another Guest of Honor booking. The hotel is a little old, but it has a lounge and free valet parking. The free breakfast helped them with the costs of touring around New York and being above right next to a major transportation hub helped shuttle them across the city. 

Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5

Nights: 2 Points Used: 58,000 Cash Price: $1,755.43 CPP: 3.03

For our spontaneous trip to Brussels, we could only choose this boutique Hyatt hotel right in the city center. It was a great location since we could walk easily to many of the restaurants and sights nearby, like the Grand Palace. Since this was a Small Luxury Hotel (SLH) brand, we didn't expect many Globalist benefits. However, we did get upgraded to a Prestige room - slightly larger room with a tub and free continental breakfast that included salmon, eggs, and even a honeycomb.  The décor was very posh  and the indoor pool and spa were made it a relaxing time.  I think under normal circumstances, the points for the cost would not be really worth it, since rooms normally run around $400/night. However, because of the New Year timing, the rooms were more expensive, and eventually sold out, so I don't even know how much the prestige room would have cost. Finally the service was great; friendly and helpful hosts and a turndown service each evening. The only minor complaint is the black out shades didn't fully over the windows and that it would have been nice to check-in when we arrived (8am). 

Value: 5/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5