In mid-January I reached out to Hyatt after hearing from several folks that they were unable to book rooms at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and apply club level upgrade certificates. For instance,
The best news I got from Super Bowl Sunday was learning the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar now allows you to use club access awards. Saves me almost $300/night (the difference between a normal room and a room with club access)
— Ralph (@PointsCentric) February 3, 2020
Comment just came in on this article: https://t.co/VJUDhu8qas
Can anyone confirm that it's true that @HyattConcierge @BahaMarResorts is no longer accepting Club Upgrade Awards? pic.twitter.com/wIaVJkgpc7— Angelina Aucello (@angelinaaucello) January 28, 2020
First I wanted to check my understanding of the rules. Hyatt confirmed suite upgrades are valid any time a standard suite is for sale. There are no capacity controls on confirmed suite upgrades. These are the upgrades given out starting at 50 elite nights each year.
But does the same rule apply to club upgrades given out at 20 and 30 nights each year? In other words if a club room is for sale, should a member be able to use a club upgrade? Or does a hotel have to have chosen to make the club room available as a points redemption for a member to use an upgrade certificate?
Hyatt confirmed that these certificates are not capacity controlled (although points upgrades may be),
Club Access awards are redeemable at any hotel with a Club lounge, and these awards are not inventory controlled. When a hotel with Club is selling Club room types or when Club access is available, Club Access awards can be used. If a hotel has sold out of Club rooms and the Club has reached its maximum occupancy for those dates, then Club Access awards will not be available.
World of Hyatt Club Upgrade Awards (point redemption – 3,000 point per night) are not required to be available to redeem Club Access awards.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Credit: Hyatt
Despite club rooms being available for sale, though, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar was rejecting club upgrades and Hyatt was telling customers these upgrades weren’t available.
After reaching out to Hyatt they got in touch with the hotel and straightened things out. Hyatt tells me, “The hotel should now be in compliance with the program, making club upgrade certificates available when club rooms are for sale.”
The best news I got from Super Bowl Sunday was learning the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar now allows you to use club access awards. Saves me almost $300/night (the difference between a normal room and a room with club access)
— Ralph (@PointsCentric) February 3, 2020
Another game of whack-a-mole, and fortunately this is one where the hotel was actually out of compliance with a rule and the chain was able to do something to fix it.
@ Gary
How can I reach you for a story idea?
Do you have an email that I could use to reach you?
@FamTaYul – gary -at- viewfromthewing.com
@ Gary — Awesome! Can you also contact Delta about the 640,000 miles they want for a round-trip business class award on their metal ATL-LIS? Surely it’s an error. 😉
@Gene when I have asked questions like that I have been told ‘not an error’ 😛
@Gary, great, thank you for the update! I wonder if a list of these scheming hotels would be possible? So that I never go there (unless absolutely necessary due to location, or work)!
Gary, thank you!! I was the poster on Rebecca’s site after being told by Grand Hyatt they wouldn’t honor my club access upgrade. I just came across your article this morning and called into Hyatt to see if again, it could be applied. I was told they would get back to me sometime this afternoon with a confirmation or explanation. Fingers crossed!!.