Today is January 7, 2014 and Hyatt Gold Passport introduces Category 7 hotel awards at 30,000 points per night and a new discount award option with Points + Cash awards at 50% points + cash payment.
30,000 points per award night.
Ouch!
This is what it looks like for category 7 hotel listings in 2014.
Hyatt Gold Passport has six Category 7 hotels as of today, January 7, 2014.
These hotels all increased from 22,000 points per night to 30,000 points per night for award stays booked today. This is 36% more points.
Thank you Chase bank.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort & Spa cracks me up as category 7. Rates are $500 per night in February peak snow season. Rates in July are under $250 and include breakfast for two with AAA rates.
No other hotel in category 7 has such low rates at any time of year I imagine.
July 23, 2014 at Hyatt Category 7 hotels
- Hyatt Daily Rate at Category 7 hotels for Tuesday July 23, 2014
- Park Hyatt Beaver Creek = $269
- Park Hyatt Tokyo = 49,000 JPY
- Park Hyatt Zurich = 650 CHF
- Park Hyatt Milan = 550 EUR
- Park Hyatt Sydney = 840 AUD
- Park Hyatt Paris Vendome = 830 EUR
Take a look at these foreign currency rates and then read the US Dollar conversion below.
- Park Hyatt Beaver Creek = $269
- Park Hyatt Tokyo = 49,000 JPY = $468
- Park Hyatt Zurich = 650 CHF = $715
- Park Hyatt Milan = 550 EUR = $749
- Park Hyatt Sydney = 840 AUD = $749
- Park Hyatt Paris Vendome = 830 EUR = $1,130
Even in peak ski season, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek barely ranks with the other Hyatt Gold Passport category 7 hotels for room rates.
Hyatt Points + Cash Awards reduce the rate from 30,000 points to 15,000 points + $300 per night for a category 7 hotel award stay.
Park Hyatt Sydney is 30,000 points per night at 8,000 more points in July 2014 compared to yesterday. Today the price is 7,000 points less than 22,000 points, the former category 6 rate for these six newly minted category 7 hotels.
The new Hyatt Gold Passport Points + Cash award for category 7 hotels is 15,000 points + $300 per night cash payment. Those are some expensive points at nearly $43 per 1,000 points to save 7,000 points if you had booked yesterday. $300 to save 15,000 points under the new award tables is a better value of course. Stop looking to the past when it comes to travel loyalty programs. Today and what you can do with your points now is all that matters.
And you have to call Hyatt Gold Passport to even find out if Points + Cash Awards are available.
Hyatt Points + Cash Awards require a Hyatt Gold Passport customer service call at 1-800 228-3360 to check award availability.
There does not appear to be good value in Hyatt Gold Passport category 7, unless you have a strong desire to be at one of these hotels more than simply being in the city where these Hyatt hotels are located.
I think there are likely many great values to be found with Hyatt Points + Cash Awards. I just did not feel like calling Hyatt today to speculatively check for award availability. I’ll call Hyatt when I actually want to book a room.
Hopefully online availability for Hyatt Gold Passport Points + Cash awards will be a feature introduced before too long.
I hate making phone calls for award reservations.
*****
Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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