Hotel chains deliver loyal guests to their properties, and guests earn points that they can redeem for free nights in the process. Hotels actually get paid for those free nights, too! The chain gets compensated by hotels when points are awarded, and they pay hotels when the points are redeemed.
These free nights are usually deeply discounted when a hotel is empty. They’re getting a guest to fill an empty room, and the hotel chain’s loyalty program is the single largest buyer of rooms at most hotels.
When a hotel is booked full, though, the property generally gets its average room rate for the night from the program. That way they aren’t losing money on a room they might have sold to someone else.
Still, some hotels don’t want award guests. They might think they can sell all of their rooms not at their average rate but at a premium, at least some nights of the year. Or they may just have a negative view of program members – they like getting paid nights from these members, but not having to host them on points.
Here are four Hyatt hotels that currently do not let members spend their points for free nights when searching the chain’s website or mobile app.
- Park Hyatt Tokyo. As of this writing, there’s only availability for tonight and tomorrow night – and nothing else at all through the entire booking window over the next year. When I asked Hyatt about the hotel’s compliance, not offering anything a year out, they pointed out that the property will be closing for renovation… a year from now. In other words, something that has nothing whatsoever to do with why there’s zero award availability in the meantime.
- Hyatt Place Allentown Lehigh Valley. There’s no award redemption online, ever. I asked about this last August and was told, “The mapping of the rate plans for award redemption at this hotel is malfunctioning. Members can still secure award redemptions for any available dates [by phone] until the fix is in place on our digital channels.” Nine months later members would assume it’s just not possible to use points here.
- Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Currently offers free night awards on only 14 nights between now and the end of March 2024. They figured out a loophole and Hyatt confirmed they’re in compliance – even when the hotel is empty they just do not offer standard rooms for sale, and therefore no award nights are available (since those are tied to the standard room rate plan).
Marriott requires hotels that aren’t ‘all suites’ to offer a minimum percentage of its rooms in the standard category. Apparently Hyatt does not, and hotels like Park Hyatt Aviara have figured this out.
- Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach shows zero individual nights over the next year where they offer free night awards using World of Hyatt points. The hotel claims to have 20 rooms that are considered ‘standard’ and therefore eligible for redemption, which is just 9% of their inventory. But they don’t make those rooms available when searching for a single night.
First, they created their standard room category as restrictively as possible. They often charge about $5 more for a basically identical deluxe room, and $10 more for the same exact room on a ‘high floor’. But that wasn’t enough to keep Hyatt members at bay. They also impose minimum stay requirements on those ‘standard’ rooms and on no other room type. You’ll only ever see rooms for points redemption when booking longer stays. This hotel has turned off awards for guests looking for just a night in Honolulu on the way in or out of the islands.
Credit: Hyatt
If there’s an upside here, it’s that sometimes bad actors do reform themselves. The Andaz West Hollywood, for instance, carved out a subset of rooms for awards, and imposed a 3-night minimum stay on those rooms in order to limit redemptions prior to the pandemic. Now you can redeem for the Andaz West Hollywood most of the year!
And the Andaz Maui – one of the original hotels that actively worked to keep loyal guests away, and where a manager there once called me to explain they were trying to get Hyatt to stop forcing them to give away for free what they might sell for cash – has even gotten better for award stays.
For the next six months reward night availability at the Andaz Maui appears most of the time. However there are only two nights available for standard room redemptions starting November 8 through end of March 2023. They clearly still play games – but are generally allowing redemptions within six months of booking.
Non-compliant hotels isn’t just a Hyatt problem. It’s an issue at Marriott and Hilton, too. But it does seem a problem that Hyatt’s rules have loopholes, and a few hotel properties drive a truck through them.
You should do another post properties that play suite upgrade shenanigans.
The Andaz Tokyo is the superior hotel anyway
I just tried to reserve a room at the Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport. It said they are not accepting points for reservations.
My understanding is the Park Hyatt Tokyo is closing this week for a year to renovate.
@ Gary — I’m thrilled that we already have our 7-night 215,000 points stay + TSU confirmed at PH Tokyo later this year! That works out to be a sweet deal for a 1BR suite (about $515 per night by my valuation versus the current rate of $1,100 per night for a base room).
Hi Gary, have a look at the Hyatt Place LHR also….
FWIW, Hyatt Place Lehigh Valley does have reward availability for July 4 weekend:
https://www.hyatt.com/search/Hyatt%20Place%20Allentown%20%2F%20Lehigh%20Valley?checkinDate=2023-05-18&checkoutDate=2023-05-19&rooms=1&adults=1&kids=0&rate=Standard&rateFilter=woh
Park Hyatt Sanya plays games
Hotel du Louvre also used a remodel to broadly restrict award bookings. They still play games but it’s too exhausting to keep track of the shenanigans. They should leave the brand if they don’t like its rules.
We have 4 nights on points at PH Tokyo later this year with confirmed suite upgrade. PH Kyoto was more difficult to find available on points, but thanks to open hotel alert, we snagged a few!
@Gene – I am sadly about to cancel a PH Tokyo points + confirmed upgrade stay booked months ago. Sigh.
@larry – they are closing a year from now for a year
Most of their properties in Punta Cana play the same games, only offering suites or club rooms.
Keep pushing on the PHT. Some of us actually want to experience the old version one last time before it gets hit with the “fresh modern look”!
@ Gary — We made do the same. Always depends on work demands!
The Hyatt Regency Mission bay also had 0% availability on MaxMyPoint.
I know this is a Hyatt thread, but sometimes the games/shenanigans are for a specific timeframe- St. Regis Punta Mita (and a number of others) during the “Festive Period”, for example…
How about the SLH hotels who – in theory – are supposed to take Hyatt points? I’ve been trying to book a hotel – the HACIENDA PENA POBRE – in Mexico city and I tried every day until Christmas. Nothing. Meanwhile I call the hotel and ask if they have standard rooms available and they say they do.
The Hyatt Centric Waikiki has not offered award avaliability since the pandemic started, going on for three years now with zero rooms available to book with points.
You always forget Hyatt Regency Aruba. They are forever limiting, if they offer them, award nights to two rooms they couldn’t possibly sell.
How about a post on properties that refuse to apply suite upgrades, when they have standard suites available. Just happened to me this week with Andaz Maui.
@ Brodie — That is ridiculous. I would raise hell with the Globalist folks and escalate beyond that if needed, but then again I just avoid this property.
I looked through the Aviara points calendar a few months ago and managed to snag a point saver night in August. I just live a couple miles from the resort so wife and I will make it a date night.
@Gene. I did! I got nowhere with the chat function, Twitter team, as well the Globalist line. I was transferred to a manager and the call disconnected. I’m with you, the Andaz will never see my business.
@Gary any advice on getting a room on points at PH Paris-Vendome in June? So far, no availability.
Keep in mind that some of these properties (looking at you PH Tokyo especially) will have zero availability until you book multiple nights over a specific period. For example, recently I looked for a weekend booking; no availability for a Saturday and Sunday, but when you look Thursday to Sunday, it’s magically available.
Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch will become a Park Hyatt summer of 2024.
Please do your research before whining. Park Hyatt Tokyo is closed for renovations.
@Mikako – Nope, Park Hyatt Tokyo will close a year from now for renovations.
Aruba is virtually impossible to find award nights in past experience.
Thanks for calling this out.
The HR Mission Bay was mentioned above – this is now a problem with pretty much all the San Diego properties.
I didnt know Park Hyatt Tokyo would not show award stays. I ahve not checked in years and assumed thery were, as had been the case in the past.
Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile is another “everything is special somehow” property: they have lots of rooms, but between “high floor”, “deluxe”, “Eiffel Tower View”, “Montmartre View”, and “club access”, there don’t appear to be standard rooms available more than a couple days this year.
With all this top hotel properties playing their own game.
I’m glad I was able to secure a couple of bookings for PH Kyoto and Waldorf Maldives from StayWithPoints. I’m tired up keeping track what properties are doing with their award inventory.
It’s also impossible to find any nights available at the Inn, English Harbor Antigua
Two years ago I abandoned the hotel loyalty game. Now I stay what is most convenient and clean. I’ve been top tier on IHG and Hilton. But way too often upgrades or benefits weren’t available or curtailed, or other shenanigans seemed to be at play. I’m just gave up and now a free agent. Brand means nothing to me.
I struck out at Grand Hyatt Athens Greece for many dates in Oct 2023. They just say no point stays available over this time frame… yet do have rooms for sale. Not even that great a property.
In the last year, I haven’t been able to reserve with points at the Hyatt Place Long Island City, even when I try months ahead.
Very timely post Gary.
I’ve actually been going back/forth with my Hyatt Concierge regarding this for the Honolulu Waikiki hotels and their minimum 5-night stay to book with points or free nights. There is currently no availability between Christmas and New Years (obviously a very busy time of the year) for points redemptions for stays shorter than 5 nights.
I can however book with points at equivalent Marriott and Hilton properties on Waikiki and will most likely do so!
My major issue with the hotels is these blackout dates and restrictions are never published and not consistent across Hyatt let alone individual brands. This leaves the user with no idea if the inability to book is due to unavailability of rooms or other restrictions.
Ultimately, if you’re restricting use of points and free nights, tell me – don’t hide it or play games with me as it leaves quite a bad taste for the customer.
Its sad that Hyatt has allowed hotels to carry on with such scammy business behavior
They were once a highly reputable company.In the end I’ve moved much of my business away from them.Lack of trust will hurt any business relationship and they will have to market to new customers more heavily that are hopefully unaware and less informed
The Hyatt Park Aviara has 1 night points stay Apr 15,24 and later. The normally require 3 nights. It will probably get closed off soon.