When I make a claim I’m certainly open to corrections in the comments, but also need to highlight my own self-corrections and self-doubts.

I haven’t got a great deal of experience with Hyatt Gold Passport and award redemptions, but each and every time I’ve been on an award stay I’ve seen the internal rate that the hotel is charging Gold Passport for my stay. I’ve seen rates quite low, lower than what I would have expected Starwood Preferred Guest to pay on a similar redemption.

So I thought that Hyatt was an example of figuring out how to get no capacity controls on awards like Starwood has long offered while pay less to their properties for the room nights. And perhaps that’s still true, but I question just how true after checking out of the Andaz 5th Avenue.

I’ve got pleenty of points and while not an inexpensive Gold Passport redemption it made sense because I very much wanted to try the hotel and because the rooms there were going for upwards of $450 prepaid during my stay, and similar properties I’d consider weren’t really cheaper.

Having burned points, on checkout saw that the hotel was billing Gold Passport $426 for my room night. Wow. A far cry from the $30-some dollars I seem to recall the Hyatt Pier 66 in Fort Lauderdale receiving for my (non-points) free night stay there. So to all of my friends at Gold Passport, sorry! I sure hit ya hard this weekend. But thanks!