If you start getting into points and miles travel, you will quickly learn that Hyatt is the hotel chain of choice by many. The biggest reason is because of the value you get for the amount of points you spend. An example would be, a Hyatt category 1 hotel would range for 3,500-6,500 points per night. A Marriott of the same type category would be closer to 25,000 points at minimum. Hyatt’s value is often almost 2-3X the value of its competitors. If you have a co-branded card, meaning a credit card specifically for Marriott, Hilton, IHG, etc. you may earn more points than with a Hyatt card, but you have to take into account what these hotel points are actually worth. You will definitely want to do the same when comparing sign-up bonuses.
When you sign up for a card from our favorite bank, you have the option to transfer to a variety of hotels and airline brands, so you will always want to make sure you are getting the most value for your points, and in this case, Hyatt will almost always win.
Another perk of Hyatt is that when you book hotel stays with points, you will not have any additional fees, specifically, resort fees. You will literally pay nothing for your stay if you do it all on points!
Finally, Hyatt has a category tiered hotel system vs. a dynamic pricing system. This means, depending on the tier a specific Hyatt is categorized as, points will be fixed. For each category, Hyatt will have 3 point levels (off-peak, standard, and peak). These point levels won’t change once set. Other hotel groups that have dynamic pricing can fluctuate based on interest. When planning to book with Hyatt, you can look at the “points calendar” on each hotel’s website to know exactly how many points you will need prior to booking. This is definitely helpful when planning your points stay in advance.
The one downside to Hyatt is that their “footprint” is not as large as Hilton or Marriott. We can find Hyatts in most larger cities and even smaller cities, but there aren’t as many Hyatt hotels as other brands. Hyatt is constantly growing though. They have recently bought a luxury group to add to their collection and are starting a new collection of hotels next year!
If you want to use points and miles to travel for free, Hyatt is the way to go. They have the best redemptions and so many great options!
