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Author: Matthew and Sarah
December 4, 2024
Yes, you read that right, we stayed at 34 nights of Hyatt hotels this year, completely for free. I used a combination of Hyatt points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and free night awards that I earned to help me stay at a whole range of Hyatt hotels in the US and other countries. See the table below for the breakdown, and if you want to dive deeper into my review of the hotels plus see some bonus Guest of Honor stays at the bottom.
If you want to learn how we got all these points, read this post on How We Earned Over One Million Chase Points In 2023
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Note, the total cash price in the chart represents the basic room booking and does not include the total value from free parking, free breakfast, suite upgrades, and other perks and benefits. That's why we estimate almost $27K+ in value. Additionally we booked over $6,000 worth of stays for friends with Guest of Honor Awards
Definitions and Attributes
Definitions and Attributes
Definitions
Definitions
Nights: The number of nights stayed at the hotel.
Points Used: The number of Hyatt points used to book for the entire stay
Cash Price: How much I would have had to pay for the stay if I booked in cash. (Determined at point of booking)
CPP: The cash value divided by the points used. This determines how valuable the points are. Typical credit card point redemptions are 1.00 or 1:1, meaning 1 point is cent.
Attributes
Attributes
The ratings range from 1-5, with 3 being the average - everything is working as expected; and 5 being the best - it's a big bang for your book, has everything you need for a great stay, and staff went above adn beyond.
Value: How "worth" it is it to stay at this hotel when comparing the price or points to what you get.
Amenities: How many perks are available to use and how good are they (e.g., gym, pool, lounges, etc.)
Service: How helpful, friendly, and supportive the staff is, from housekeeping to front desk to managers.
Hyatt House Orlando Airport
Hyatt House Orlando Airport
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9,500 Cash Price: $242.72 CPP: 2.55
Before our free cruise out of Port Canaveral we flew in the night before to make sure there weren't any delays. We used the spacious gym to workout and enjoyed the continental breakfast in the morning before heading out. It was a pretty standard Hyatt House, unfortunately they ran out of toothbrushes and didn't offer to send us any. Matthew also had to take a work call and there weren't any closed off business centers to take calls in.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 3/5
Watch our review!
Hyatt Place Arlington/
Courthouse Plaza
Hyatt Place Arlington/
Courthouse Plaza
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9,000 Cash Price: $119 CPP: 1.32
Definitely not the best value, but we had a lot of activities going on in Arlington this weekend, so it helped to get early check-in and 4pm check-out for our one night stay. The hotel was pretty standard for a Hyatt Place and self-parking was pretty convenient.
Value: 2/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 4/5
Grand Hyatt Athens
Grand Hyatt Athens
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9,000 Cash Price: $105 CPP: 1.17
Being the only Hyatt in Athens (and Greece) we were stuck with this choice. Although the value seems pretty poor and we could have just bought this hotel with cash, we wanted to keep this honeymoon trip as free as possible. We also got upgraded to a corner suite and had a great amenity gift of wine and snacks. The club lounge was filling for both afternoon snacks and for hot breakfast. The hotel also has a shuttle to the Acropolis and was located in a great location. Although we only spent a day here, it was a great pit stop to see Athens.
Value: 1/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Nights: 5 Points Used: 140,000 Cash Price: $8,076 CPP: 5
There's a lot of details in this booking as we used a Category 1-7 Free Night Award and booked a beach villa for two nights and then the overwater bungalow for 3 nights. See our write-up and vlog for the details! In terms of our rating, the value is a 3 because all the prices are inflated (for good reason). Even though our cpp is so high, you do use a lot of points - but then points don't cover everything like the $500/person boat transfer, meals, and room upgrades. The resort is still expensive, but it has amazing service and amenities. The staff were always ready to help and assist, and even though the island was small we could do many activities from snorkeling to Globalist happy hour.
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
Park Hyatt DC
Park Hyatt DC
Nights: 2 Points Used: 40,000 Cash Price: $752.84 CPP: 1.91
This was probably our most disappointing Hyatt stay this year. For a Park Hyatt we expected amazing service and attention to details. Instead no one really looked us in the eye or proactively offered any assistance. Requests on the app were slow or missed. We used a suite upgrade award to get the junior suite which came with a tiny living room, which wasn't worth it. However, the massive stone shower helped compensate. For breakfast we got access to the former Michelin star Blue Duck Tavern, so that was worthwhile. Finally, the gym was a bit small, but at least the pool wasn't crowded. We do like the Georgetown neighborhood, so we may give this place a second chance.
Value: 2/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 1/5
Watch our review on the right!
Hyatt House Charlotte/Center City
Hyatt House Charlotte/Center City
Nights: 2 Points Used: 18,000 Cash Price: $606.30 CPP: 3.37
Matthew went with his rugby team to Charlotte for the weekend. This hotel was located right next to the Hornets stadium, so it was fun and central place to be. The outdoor pool helped us cool off after our Saturday game. Overall, being able to fit 3 rugby boys, have free breakfast, and get free valet parking made it great value. Staff were helpful in supplying plenty of towels and toiletires.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 4/5
Thompson Central Park New York
Thompson Central Park New York
Nights: 2 Points Used: 58,000 Cash Price: $1,464.33 CPP: 2.52
The same weekend Matthew went to Charlotte, Sarah used Matthew's Guest of Honor award to stay in New York City for the weekend with her sister-in-law. For the two of us it was a luxurious stay topped off with great breakfast where we did in-room for one morning, and then at the restaurant the other. Being near Central Park offered convenience to a lot of attractions. Thought it was compact, it's expected in NYC and we still got a bed each to ourselves.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5
Watch our review on the right!
Hyatt Centric Philadelphia
Hyatt Centric Philadelphia
Nights: 2 Points Used: 18,000 Cash Price: $879 CPP: 2.48
We used points for one night and a Category 1-4 Free Night Award for the other. There was some college volleyball tournament going on the same weekend which inflated the prices. The breakfast waffles and pancakes were amazing. We also got upgraded to a higher floor and utilized the in-and-out privileges of the free valet. Other times we were easily able to walk around the city. Even the gym was spacious and has mostly what we needed.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5
Watch our video on the left!
Hyatt Regency Crystal City
Hyatt Regency Crystal City
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9,500 Cash Price: $258.03 CPP: 2.82
We stayed here one night after attending a banquet. We got upgrade to a corner suite which was very helpful to hold a bunch of banquet materials. The service as super as the front desk was very responsive over text - answering our questions and fulfilling our requests. Breakfast was at the Cinnabar restaurant and had plenty of hot foods and options. We didn't get to use the crowded outdoor pool.
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 5/5
Watch our review on the right!
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Nights: 3 Points Used: 105,000 Cash Price: $2,628.14 CPP: 2.50
There are a lot of details about our Hawaii trip here. To share briefly, this hotel helped us kick off an amazing vacation on the islands. The club lounge had an amazing breakfast spread and their snacks and happy hours kept our tummies full in between meals around the island. Our Globalist status gave us free access to the spa area that allowed the ultimate relaxation with the saunas, lounge areas, and lap pool. The gym had everything you needed and there was even a yoga hut. The lazy river, saltwater lagoon, and beach met every expectation.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
The Lodge at Kuku'iula
The Lodge at Kuku'iula
Nights: 4 Points Used: 180,000 Cash Price: $6,397.37 CPP: 3.55
No longer under the Hyatt umbrella, The Lodge is a different type of luxury from the Grand Hyatt Kauai. This felt more remote and peaceful. We had our own bungalow which featured a kitchen so we could even cook our own meals. We ignored breakfast since it was just continental muffins at the main lobby. There were a lot of amenities from bikes, tennis courts, multiple pools, and more. We just have one knock off service because some of the younger staff didn't seem very attentive to everything (e.g., forgetting to give us spinners to whisk flies away during dinner)
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 4/5
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa
Nights: 5 Points Used: 115,000 Cash Price: $2,088.85 CPP: 1.82
With the only 3 Hyatts on Oahu within Waikiki, we chose the Regency because of the club lounge and closeness to the beach. Overall it was okay enough - decent breakfast and happy hour to get some food. Unfortunately the self-parking garage was very narrow and filled up quickly, forcing us to do valet almost every night. While it was free for us, it still cost time and tips. We did get upgraded to an Ocean view which was nice and the hotel had soem fun activites, but overall Waikiki in general isn't where we ideally like to be anyways.
Value: 3/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5
Hyatt Place Charlottesville
Hyatt Place Charlottesville
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9,500 Cash Price: $412,91 CPP: 4.35
The price is a little inflated because we went down during UVA's moving day to help Sarah's brother move-in. Despite this, it was an above average Hyatt Place. Matthew talked to the chef because the potatoes were well seasoned and the whole spread had a step above a normal Hyatt place breakfast. Location wise it wasn't walkable to downtown, but it had its own nice area to walk around in.
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 5/5
Hyatt Regency Calgary
Hyatt Regency Calgary
Nights: 1 Points Used: 9000 Cash Price: $180.26 CPP: 2.00
Yes... we were here a year ago also on Labor Day weekend for a friend's wedding. This time we stayed just one night after landing before heading to Banff/Canmore. Value-wise it was pretty solid and we enjoyed the offerings and amenities. Unfortunately since we checked in late (because we were out getting good food) we didn't get a suite upgrade. At least we got a high floor with a decent view. Same positive review and score as last year1
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
Thompson DC
Thompson DC
Nights: 2 Points Used: 0 Cash Price: $707.64 CPP: N/A
We decided to use our soon-to-expire fre night awards for a staycation in DC. We haven't stayed at this Thompson yet so we were excited. It was in a great location by the Navy Yard and the rooftop bar was a nice way to enjoy the evening. Breakfast was at the restaurant, which was pretty good. The staff were helpful and welcoming. In total we saved 30,000 points, and obviously saved a lot based on the cash price.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 5/5
Watch our review on the right!
Hyatt Centric Arlington
Hyatt Centric Arlington
Nights: 1 Points Used: 0 Cash Price: $240,84 CPP: N/A
With another busy weekend in Arlington and another free night award to burn, we stayed at this hotel again, about a year after we had last stayed. Breakfast this time had the omelet bar which was great. We did get upgraded to a suite, but had to wait past normal check-in time to get it, which was kind of annoying post-rugby game, but definitely our choice.
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 3/5
Guest of Honor Redemptions
Guest of Honor Redemptions
We gave several Guest of Honor awards and even redeemed points for some friends and family.
Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
Nights: 3 Points Used: 90,000 Cash Price: $2,915.56 CPP: 3.24
For our friends' honeymoon in Tokyo we booked this newly opened hotel where they got an amazing upgrade (yes that's their room), free breakfast, and a relaxing stay.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Grand Hyatt Tokyo
Nights: 2 Points Used: 50,000 Cash Price: $1,610.10 CPP: 3.22
For yet another friends' honeymoon in Japan, we booked the Grand Hyatt Tokyo where the service, upgrade, and meals were outstanding.
Value: 5/5 Amenities: 5/5 Service: 5/5
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Nights: 3 Points Used: 87,000 Cash Price: $2,058 CPP: 2.37
Gifted a stay for a friend's trip and was able to use a suite upgrade award as well to get even more value!
Value: 4/5 Amenities: 4/5 Service: 4/5
Hyatt Regency Irvine
Hyatt Regency Irvine
Nights: 1 Points Used: 12,000 Cash Price: $211 CPP: 1.76
Not a great value redemption, but it was a friend!
Value: 2/5 Amenities: 3/5 Service: 3/5
Max Value
Max Value
I shared the most conservative numbers upfront, but as you've read, there are a lot of times where I've gotten upgrades and used awards to get me even more value. Below is the total breakdown in how much market price I earned for free this year, based on the club access and suite upgrade awards I received. This does not account for all the water bottles, alcoholic beverages, and restaurant breakfasts I got.
Max Cash Price of Hyatt Stays: $27,838.36
Cash Price of Guest of Honor Bookings: $6,794.66
Total Cash: $34,633.02
Total Hyatt Points Used: 968,500
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