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Why my favorite use of Hyatt points is a Category 1 airport hotel
Ben Smithson is a senior writer for TPG and is based in London. Originally from Australia and a qualified lawyer with a financial services background, he has almost a decade of experience writing about a broad range of travel and loyalty topics.
November 15, 2023 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
World of Hyatt maintains a published award chart, allowing for predictable and often valuable redemptions, unlike many other hotel programs with dynamic pricing.
Staying at airport hotels, particularly the Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport, can be a strategic use of points for early flights, offering comfort and convenience at a low redemption rate.
Category 1 Hyatt airport hotels typically require 3,500 to 6,500 points per night, while Category 2 properties range from 6,500 to 9,500 points, depending on demand.
There are numerous low-category Hyatt airport hotels globally, providing affordable options for travelers needing a restful night before or after a flight.
What to consider
Award pricing at Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport has consistently been 5,000 points per night, with no resort or destination fees.
The hotel does not offer a direct shuttle, but public transportation and taxis are easily accessible for airport transfers.
Award stays count toward elite status and certain promotions, adding further value to these redemptions.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of airport hotel options and practical tips for maximizing World of Hyatt points at low-category properties worldwide.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Hyatt points are my favorite hotel points to earn and redeem.
Many other major hotel loyalty programs have done away with award charts in favor of dynamic pricing, and seeing nightly award rates of 100,000 points or more isn't uncommon. However, World of Hyatt has kept its published chart, and redemptions across virtually the entire portfolio still offer great value.
The program has also added dozens of all-inclusive properties across Europe and Central America, giving you more ways to earn and redeem points.
While I love a luxury property just as much as the next person, there is one hotel I have redeemed Hyatt points for repeatedly, and it's not glamorous.
Here's why my favorite spot at which to redeem World of Hyatt points is an airport hotel on a highway.
Heathrow Airport hotels
I live in North London, about 80 minutes from Heathrow Airport (LHR) during off-peak times, but my transit time can approach two hours during peak times. I fly out of Heathrow every few weeks, and from time to time have a flight departing early in the morning, before 8 a.m.
This means I may have to wake up as early as 3 a.m. to ensure I have enough time to get to Heathrow before an early flight. Even if I go to bed early the night before, I'm usually pretty exhausted from waking up well before dawn.
My solution to these early starts is to consider staying at a cheap and cheerful airport hotel the night before. While I'm still up relatively early, my transit time to Heathrow drops to just five or 10 minutes, giving me at least an hour of extra sleep. More importantly, I feel much better for the rest of the day.
Heathrow has no shortage of airport hotels, with $100 being the average nightly price in my searches.
GOOGLE HOTELS
Plenty of these properties can be booked with hotel points, with Marriott options around 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night and Hilton options from 30,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
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HILTON.COM
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MARRIOTT.COM
Why I redeem Hyatt points at Heathrow
Instead of parting with this many points for a short stay at a forgettable hotel, I always choose the only Hyatt hotel in the Heathrow area: the Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport.
HYATT PLACE LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT/FACEBOOK
Cash rates for this Hyatt Place are consistently around $120 per night for a base room, rising slightly to $140 on peak dates, such as the night before a holiday weekend.
This is a little higher than the average cost of a Heathrow hotel, but not by much.
HYATT.COM
Rather than spending at least $120 per night, I can redeem just 5,000 Hyatt points per night for this Category 1 property, with no resort or destination fees.
Technically, with Hyatt's off-peak, standard and peak pricing, a Category 1 property should be between 3,500 and 6,500 points per night. However, I've never seen the pricing for this property at anything other than the 5,000-points-per-night rate.
HYATT.COM
Although I haven't been able to book it for as low as 3,500 points, I've also never been charged the peak rate of 6,500 points, so I'm happy with that. Award stays also count toward status and Hyatt's fantastic Brand Explorer promotion.
As for the property itself, I understand it has both a restaurant and gym available. However, I've never experienced either of these amenities, as I have the exact same routine each time I stay:
I arrive after 8 p.m.
I check out before 7 a.m.
In fact, I've never stayed more than one night at a time, and my time at the property has never exceeded 11 hours. It's simply a place to sleep to ensure my trip starts off on the right note.
The rooms are comfortable, quiet, clean and dark, which is all I want for a one-night airport hotel.
The Hyatt Place doesn't operate a shuttle to the airport (which is not unusual for Heathrow). However, a public bus stop directly outside the hotel is especially convenient for terminals 2 and 3 and costs just $2.15 each way.
Alternatively, there is the expensive Heathrow Hotel Hoppa bus service at $8.30 per person each way, or if you have several people traveling together, a cab or rideshare takes just five minutes from Hyatt Place to the terminals at around $15.
Thankfully, this option isn't limited to Heathrow. There are a number of Hyatt properties near airports in the U.S. and around the world that fall into one of Hyatt's lowest two categories for award rates.
Category 1 airport hotels
As noted above, these properties price at 3,500, 5,000 or 6,500 points per night, depending on whether the date of your stay is classified as off-peak, standard or peak. Here's just a sample of eligible locations at this price point:
Hyatt Place Atlanta Airport-North and Airport-South
Hyatt Place Cincinnati Airport/Florence
Hyatt Place Baltimore/BWI Airport
Hyatt House Charlotte Airport
Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport
Hyatt Regency Dulles
Hyatt Place Milwaukee Airport
Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport
Lindner Hotel Dusseldorf Airport
Category 2 airport hotels
Under Hyatt's award chart, these properties require 8,000 points per night on standard dates, though the price drops to 6,500 points on off-peak dates and climbs to 9,500 points on peak dates.
Hyatt House Colorado Springs Airport
Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Denver Airport
Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Orlando Airport
Hyatt Place Chicago/Midway Airport
Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago
Hyatt House Mall of America/MSP Airport
Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport
Hyatt House and Hyatt Place Nashville Airport
Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport (connected to Terminal C)
Hyatt Place Salt Lake City Airport
Hyatt Regency Crystal City at Reagan National Airport
Hyatt Place Aruba Airport
Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport
Any of these options could be a great use of World of Hyatt points if you have an early flight (or a late-night arrival) and don't want to start (or end) your trip exhausted.
How to earn World of Hyatt points
THE POINTS GUY
Even if you're not a frequent Hyatt customer who earns points on your stays, there are many ways to boost your World of Hyatt account balance through everyday activities.
For starters, Hyatt offers both a personal and business credit card, a great way to earn points.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee and earns a welcome bonus of earning two free nights after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening.
A second Category 1-4 free night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year
Automatic Discoverist status for as long as your account is open
Five elite nights every year, plus two elite nights every time you spend $5,000 on the card in a calendar year
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card ($199 annual fee) offers you to earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
$100 in Hyatt credits each anniversary year; spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year
I'm a huge fan of the World of Hyatt loyalty program, especially the excellent Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer option. As much as I dream of a weeklong stay at a fancy Park Hyatt or Andaz in a beautiful location, I prefer to save at least $120 for every 5,000 Hyatt points I redeem at the Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport.
Consistently obtaining well over 2 cents per point (above TPG's valuation of Hyatt points) is a great way to save cash and enjoy a little extra sleep before every one of those dreaded 6 a.m. flights.
And with dozens of similarly priced properties around the world, there are many opportunities for you to do the same.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
