How I saved 50,000 points and $400 in fees with this ongoing hotel promotion
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
As we round the corner into 2021, hotels will be more eager than ever to get your business.
One travel brand, in particular, has captured my attention thanks to generous offers throughout the pandemic. That company is Hyatt.
With numerous World of Hyatt promotions, it can be a lucrative time to stay at and be loyal to Hyatt properties — whenever you may be ready to stay at a hotel again.
Over the past six months, I've used points for 12 nights at Hyatts across the U.S. for staycations, work trips and nature getaways.
World of Hyatt points redemptions don't typically earn anything except elite-night credits, but that hasn't been the case recently. Because of enhanced rebates with the World of Hyatt Credit Card — along with waived parking and resort fees — I've been able to score an extra 50,000 Hyatt points and save over $400 in cash.
View this post on Instagram
This offer is valid through Feb. 28, 2021, so there are a few weeks left to take advantage of it. Let's dive in to see how I did it — and how you can, too.
Related: 5 ways I use my hotel card benefits to travel in luxury
The Hyatt promotions, at a glance
There are several ongoing Hyatt offers (and yes, you can stack them). The full list of promotions is below. For this story's sake, I'm focusing on the award nights offer and waived resort fees on points stays.
Paid nights ('Bonus Journeys' promotion)
For paid nights — and charges billed to the room during your stay — you'll earn three times more Hyatt points than you usually would (typically 5x points, now 15x) with up to 4x at select Hyatt resort properties through the World of Hyatt Credit Card.
In addition, this promotion includes an offer for bonus elite-night credits. For every tier-qualifying night, you complete now through Feb. 28, 2021, you'll receive an additional night.
Related: How to earn two years of top-tier Hyatt elite status after just 9 nights
Award nights
When it comes to redeeming Hyatt points, all World of Hyatt members receive 15% of their redeemed points back. On the other hand, World of Hyatt cardholders get 25% back. Further, all award stays include free parking — a perk typically limited to top-tier Globalist elite members. And similar to the "Bonus Journeys" offer, you'll earn double elite nights through Feb. 28.
Other permanent perks
Besides these limited-time promotions, World of Hyatt members don't have to pay egregious resort or destination fees when booking an award stay. Additionally, if you pay for any part of your Hyatt stay with the cobranded credit card, you'll get 4x points per dollar spent.
Related: Review of the World of Hyatt card
Taking advantage of award night stays
By redeeming my World of Hyatt points, I've been able to get thousands of points back in the form of a rebate and saved hundreds on resort fees and parking. Here's the breakdown of the 50,000 extra bonus points and $400 cash back in my pocket.
- Limited-time offer, award bonus: ~50,000 points
- Earned via 25% rebate on points redemptions
- Limited-time offer, free parking: $200 saved
- Earned via free parking on all award stays
- Permanent offer, no resort or destination fees on award nights: $200 saved
- Earned via booking an award stay
I also earned 4x points per dollar spent on my room charges by paying with my World of Hyatt card, but I didn't include it in the math above. Finally, as a Discoverist elite member at the onset of this promotion, I got an extra 0.5 points per dollar (also not included).
Even better, I have been able to level up to Hyatt Globalist with these stays under my belt.
Related: Why I went all-in on the World of Hyatt card
Earning 16,250 bonus points at the Miraval Berkshires
I used 65,000 Hyatt points for two nights (and two people) at the newly opened Miraval Berkshires resort last summer. This stay was the perfect escape from city life — and one of my first trips after being locked down for several months.
What made this redemption incredible was the ability to stack a BOGO award night offer (specifically for the Miraval) along with the 25% points rebate for all World of Hyatt cardholders. Nightly rates easily surpass $1,200 per room, so this was an excellent redemption.
In total, for a two-night stay, I earned 16,250 points back as a bonus (25% of a 65,000-point redemption).
Related: You can now try the work-from-hotel trend at more than 25 Hyatt properties
Earning 10,000 bonus points at the Andaz West Hollywood
Next up, to bookend a trip to cover the flying experience on American and Delta during the pandemic, I redeemed 40,000 Hyatt points for two nights at the Andaz West Hollywood.
In the process, I earned 10,000 points back as a bonus (25% of a 40,000-point redemption).
Saving $130 in destination and parking fees
The Andaz West Hollywood charges $35 per night for self-parking and $30 per night as a destination fee. Both fees were waived thanks to the limited-time parking offer and no destination fees on award stays.
Earning 6,000 bonus points at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
Next up, I redeemed 24,000 Hyatt points for two nights at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach over Labor Day weekend. I earned 6,000 points back (25% of a 25,000-point redemption).
Saving $120 in resort and parking fees
The property charges $30 per night for self-parking and $30 per night as a resort fee, both of which were waived thanks to the limited-time parking offer and no resort fees on award stays.
Earning 8,000 bonus points at the Hyatt Place Moab
In the fall, I visited several national parks for some outdoor recreation and hiking. In Moab, Utah — outside of Arches National Park — I stayed at the Hyatt Place Moab for four nights. With cash rates over $300 per night, a points redemption was a steal at 8,000 points per night.
For the four-night stay, I earned 8,000 points back as a bonus (25% of a 32,000-point redemption).
Earning 10,000 bonus points at the Park Hyatt Aviara
Later in the fall, I stayed at the newly reopened — and completely renovated — Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad, California (review to come). The Park Hyatt Aviara is another fantastic value on points at 20,000 points per night for a base King Garden View room. Cash rates easily exceed $600 per night, plus parking and resort fees.
I earned 10,000 points back as a bonus (25% of a 40,000-point redemption) for the two-night stay.
Saving $168 in resort and parking fees
The Park Hyatt Aviara charges $40 per night for valet parking and $44 per night as a resort fee, both of which were waived thanks to these offers.
Bottom line
According to TPG valuations, 50,000 World of Hyatt points are worth $850. Combined with the over $400 I saved in resort fees and parking, my Hyatt hotel redemptions went pretty far in the latter half of 2020. Hyatt continues to impress with its promotions during the pandemic, luring travelers back into their portfolio of hotels.
Combine that with reduced elite requirements and an easy way to hit top-tier Hyatt Globalist status this year, 2021 is looking up for Hyatt enthusiasts.