Hyatt has introduced two new rates – both with flexible cancellation until 24 hours prior to arrival – for stays through April 4, 2021.

• Book Now & Save 20% is going to be 20% off the Daily rate, though of course not 20% off the best rate you would’ve otherwise been able to find.

• Members Save More offers 22% off. It’s the paean to the old ‘you need to book direct’ idea, even though now most guests aren’t the loyal book direct type.

Both require booking by December 6, 2020. At the 20% or 22% level you should do better than a AAA rate, which was always the Achilles heel of the ‘Member Rate’ where you’d prepay to get a better deal than Expedia might offer.

My bet is that summer 2021 is going to see a lot of travel, and that fall 2021 is going to look a lot more like normal life than the last 8 months has. Uncertainty is likely still to prevail in the first quarter of 2021, so fully flexible rates matter a great deal. It makes sense to try to get customers to lock in plans early on the chance they travel. Although these days most people are booking late, even when terms are flexible, because of questions around:

• What travel restrictions will look like by the time a trip approaches
  
• What virus spread will look like, either at home or the destination
  
• Whether kids will still be going to Zoom School or if they’ll return to in-person learning (which is less flexible for leisure travel)

Nonetheless these rates, which don’t require much commitment, could be an opportunity to save on future travel.