OK, look, Hyatt points best value is like Hilton points best value or Marriott points best value — always in the eye of the beholder.
However, and I think most people will agree, the overall value of Hyatt points is higher than Hilton’s or Marriott’s or IHG’s for that matter. Hyatt has become that beacon of hope SPG once was, before Marriott diluted it into a watered-down, tasteless broth of mediocrity.
There are two reasons why Hyatt points are valuable. Unlike its competitors, Hyatt generally runs a tight ship (while Hilton and especially Marriott let their franchisees run amok to save money). Stated benefits for the World of Hyatt elite members still mean something.
The other reason is that there is still such a thing as outsized rewards in the world of Hyatt (pun intended). We love outsized rewards. Maybe this is why I’ve been a little preoccupied by Hyatt recently. Or maybe not. 🙂
Since I mostly travel internationally, I’ve researched some Hyatt hotels outside of the U.S. (for best Hyatt U.S. properties, check this excellent Frequent Miler’s post). I value Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents or more, but take my valuations like anyone else’s valuations, with a grain of salt. These points are worth whatever they’re worth FOR YOU!
Please note
- You might not find cities and places I’ve picked worth visiting. That’s cool; here is the list of Hyatt hotels by Categories.
- Hyatt doesn’t add taxes or resort charges to award stays, so make sure to take it into account when comparing cash and award rates.
- Whenever possible, I’ve checked the rates in high season. Room prices may vary wildly during the year, so make sure to check them for your own dates.
- Hyatt has delayed introducing peak and off-peak pricing until mid-October, so it might happen soon. No pressure. 🙂
Hyatt Category 1: 5,000 points for a standard room –> 8,000 points for a standard suite –> 10,000 points for a premium suite
The Americas
Mexico
- Hyatt Regency Merida ($98+ winter 2022)
- Hyatt Place Los Cabos ($101+ winter 2022)
Europe
- Hyatt Regency Belgrade ($115+ summer 2022)
- Story Hotel Signalfabriken, part of JdV by Hyatt, Stockholm ($223+ summer 2022)
This is a room in Stockholm for 5,000 points, breakfast included! That’s probably the best Category 1 bargain on this list.
Africa and Middle East
Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah ($103+ winter 2022)
Asia
UPDATE 10.14.21
- Studios at Alila Seminyak, Bali ($195+ summer 2022): missed that one!
- Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit ($122+ winter 2022) — This price sounds a bit like wishful thinking to me, but if you do get upgraded, more expensive rooms look pretty nice
- Hyatt Regency Kathmandu ($108+ fall 2022)
- Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort, Malaysia ($76+ winter 2022)
- Hyatt Regency Kinabalu Malaysia Waterfront ($70+ winter)
Hyatt suites can provide exceptional value
You can book Hyatt suites for extra points, but unlike other programs (hello, Hilton Honors), the “extra” is reasonable. For Category 1 hotels you’ll pay 8,000 points for a standard suite and 10,000 points for a premium suite. I consider it one of the best bargains of the World of Hyatt program. You can also upgrade your room for cash, although it can get complicated and not always worth it. In any case, I’ll cover booking suites in my final post in more details, but for now, here is a little open secret that not everyone knows about.
When you book a suite in Hyatt Regency hotels, you often get more than a suite — you get access to the Regency Club. That’s right, you don’t have to be Globalist to enjoy a free breakfast and free-flowing cocktails with snacks. Now, not all Hyatt Regency properties offer this benefit; not all of them offer suites on point redemptions; and not all of them offer both kinds of suites, standard and premium. Some hotels will only upgrade for cash, not points, in which case you need to see if it’s worth it for you. But when a hotel does sell standard and premium suites for points, this can be a huge bargain. Here is an example.
Best category 1 Hyatt suite redemption: Hyatt Regency Belgrade suites
As a Category 1 hotel, Hyatt Regency Belgrade sells standard suites for 8,000 points and premium suites for 10,000 points. Both include access to the lounge. A standard suite looks pretty good already (all screenshots below are courtesy of Hyatt.com).
But the premium 1,000+ square-foot Regency Executive suite lets you REALLY spread out. And you get a study, too. 🙂
Now I’m sure you’ve noticed that the description for the premium suite doesn’t include access to the lounge. I’m almost sure it’s just missing — at least I haven’t seen another Regency Hyatt that would offer Club Access for a standard suite, but not premium. Still, I’d certainly email to WOH to verify.
Now provided it’s just a misprint or whatever, let’s see how much value we can derive from our booking for July 2022 — probably the heat of the peak travel time in Serbia. Please note, you don’t want the cheapest “advance rates” during the pandemic. You want “member rates” that allow you to cancel without penalty.
Here is the math
This is a regular room. Pay 5,000 Hyatt points or $149 — 3 cents per point.
This is a Regency Suite King, a standard suite. Pay 8,000 Hyatt points or $343 — 4.3 cents per point.
This is a Regency Executive Suite, a premium suite. Pay 10,000 Hyatt points or $408 — 4.1 cents per point. That’s provided that my theory is correct and the description mistakenly left out the access to the lounge. If I’m wrong and this Hyatt really provides access for a standard suite only, I’d book a standard suite. 🙂
To recap
There aren’t a lot of interesting international Hyatt Category 1 redemptions, but if you’re interested in any of the destinations in this post, they can provide tremendous values: 2 cents per point when booking a regular room and even more for booking a suite. Booking a suite at Regency hotels can be especially lucrative since they often provide access to the Regency Club for free breakfast and evening snacks. Which means you don’t have to be Globalist to enjoy an upgrade. You just need to pay a little more. 🙂 And Globalists don’t get upgraded to premium suites anyway.
Next: Best Hyatt Points Values for Cat. 1-4 International Hotels Including Suites: Part 2 — Category 2
Andy,
I enjoyed this post. Great to see you posting more content. I am looking forward to the rest of your Hyatt picks. Great job!
Isn’t the Park Hyatt Chennai a Cat1? Great property.
Ah, yeah, I forgot to mention that I didn’t touch China and India. There are too many Hyatts to sift through, and most from low categories are quite cheap on cash. Maybe a separate post.
Great stuff. Fun to dream about getting back out there again. Had no idea about the Stockholm hotel — I agree with you that’s a real bargain. It’s almost impossible to find a low-category hotel in any of the programs in any of the Scandinavian countries. I can’t imagine it stays a Cat 1. Thoughts on the Hyatt Regency Sofia? I’ve had it on my radar (along with the HR Belgrade) if I ever make it to that area. The HP Bangkok Sukhumvit strikes me as a relatively poorer value given the opportunity cost — there are so many cheap… Read more »
Thanks for your comment. I haven’t been to Sofia, but a friend told me once it’s a good place to visit if you have some spare time. It’s a very old city, though. so I can’t imagine there is nothing to see. Belgrade, however, I’ve heard a lot of good things about. And Hyatt in Bangkok is still viable, especially if you get upgraded to a better room.
I stayed at the Hyatt regency Kinabalu on a guy’s trip last year just before Covid hit. I used points and they bumped me up to a regency suite during Chinese new year. Ditto for my GOH and he got a room with a better view. The club lounge was quite nice and breakfast was wonderful. For a category 1 I really couldn’t ask for more. The hotel is showing some wear and tear but overall I’d go back. In fact I was supposed to go back in January on a graduation trip for my sister’s kid but… Covid.
Thanks for your comment Christian! That’s interesting. do you have any status with Hyatt?
Globalist, half from stays and half from business spend on my Hyatt card, although I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a mid tier member got bumped to at least the club level. Just my impression but I don’t think they see many WOH members.