Hyatt Free Night Promotion to begin March 26

Update: Monday, March 22, 2010 – No longer a rumor. I received an email from Hyatt PR confirming the “Big Welcome Back” details and they are the same as posted here. So I deleted the word rumor from the original title post.

Original Post content below

I don’t like to report promotions before they are posted, but since TMTravelWorld, Lucky at One Mile at a Time, and Flyertalkers are spreading the word, I’ll mention the rumor.

The rumor at this point in time based on FlyerTalk posts is the Hyatt Gold Passport “Big Welcome Back” promotion will be one free night earned after every two stays or 5,000 bonus points for every two stays between March 26 and June 30. The redemption date for free nights is April 1- August 31.

To repeat: this is not official from Hyatt until the offer is posted sometime this next week, but FlyerTalk is generally where the news breaks first.

Some people actually prefer points over free nights, but since a free night can be used at a category 5 hotel normally costing 18,000 points per night, the free night is much higher value for most of us.

I am particularly looking forward to accumulating some nights since my wife has nine weeks of summer vacation to really take advantage of some nice extended hotel stays.

Some additional items to point out:

1. Costco is selling two $50 gift certificates for Hyatt stays for $80. This can cut your cost down by 20%. I saw a huge rack of Hyatt certificates when I was in my local Costco this week.
2. In several comparative studies I have made over the past month for five different cities, Hyatt has been the highest average price of all the major hotel chains for their properties. Compare prices, shop around, and use Costco certificates to bring the price down.
3. Check special offers. Hyatt Hotels sometimes have incredible discounts on senior rates if you are eligible.

A full analysis will come on this promotion once the official terms are posted on Hyatt’s website. As far as hotel loyalty promotions go, a free night after every two stays is as good as they get.