High hopes, big letdown: Here’s how a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel treated this Hyatt elite
Don't get too excited.
When TPG learned that Hyatt was acquiring the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel portfolio, many Hyatt elite members (myself included) were happy about the potential integration with World of Hyatt. More than 700 hotels worldwide have become available to book and earn points with World of Hyatt. This is especially important since Hyatt lost the Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership to Hilton. That loss blew a hole in Hyatt's European footprint, but now, there are lots of Mr & Mrs Smith options in Europe.
Related: Hyatt's Mr & Mrs Smith partnership goes live with more than 700 boutique and luxury hotels
I was eager to test out the new partnership since I have World of Hyatt Globalist status, and since I learned that World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) members now earn up to 9 World of Hyatt points per dollar spent on Mr & Mrs Smith stays.
Would a Mr & Mrs Smith property treat me as well as a regular Hyatt would?
Booking Hotel Kompas in Dubrovnik
I booked Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik in Croatia through the Hyatt website as normal.
A regular rate for Hotel Kompas will usually be about 360 euros ($391) or 31,500 Hyatt points per night; this gives you a redemption value of about 1.24 cents per point. Unfortunately, that's not a great value for your Hyatt points, but it's what we are generally finding for points redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. They are dynamically priced, and you'll rarely get more than 1.2 cents per point in value. (For the record, TPG values Hyatt points at 1.7 cents per point as of July 2024.)
Because there is no set award chart for redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, points costs generally reflect the cost to book the hotel in cash.
In my case, I did manage to get a slightly better paid rate of $375 per night for my stay.
Strangely, when I checked in, the hotel concierge told me I would not earn World of Hyatt points for my stay because the hotel wasn't fully integrated into Hyatt. He seemed slightly unimpressed with the Hyatt partnership, suggesting it was a very loose alliance. Fortunately, as I suspected, he turned out to be wrong. I earned Hyatt points, elite night credits and 4 bonus points per dollar by using my Hyatt credit card to pay for the room charges.
Related: World of Hyatt elite status: What it is and how to earn it
For my two-night stay, I earned a total of 4,895 World of Hyatt points. This includes a 30% points bonus on Hyatt spending since I have top-tier Globalist status, resulting in an additional 1.5 points per dollar spent.
I used my World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for the stay.
That charge gave me an additional 4 bonus points per dollar and just over 3,714 World of Hyatt points. That's a total haul of 8,609 World of Hyatt points for the stay, which TPG values at about $146. Not too bad, especially considering the front desk agent at Hotel Kompas told me I wouldn't earn World of Hyatt points.
Related: Points of View: Which credit card should you use for Hyatt stays?
Other World of Hyatt elite benefits at Hotel Kompas
Here's a chart of the other benefits for World of Hyatt members when staying at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels.
Notice the only on-property benefit really fleshed out is that Globalists will get room upgrades upon check-in (based on availability). That certainly didn't happen for me.
World of Hyatt members will also receive credit toward earning tier status and Hyatt Milestone Rewards, credit toward a Brand Explorer award (which allows guests to earn a free night for every five unique Hyatt brands you stay at) and room upgrades for Globalist members at check-in (based on availability).
You cannot use free night award certificates when booking Mr & Mrs Smith hotels. This is a bit disappointing since you can use those certificates at SLH properties under the Hilton Honors program.
Rooms at Hotel Kompas
As I mentioned, I didn't get much of an upgrade for my stay at Hotel Kompas. I ended up with what the hotel calls a "Classic Room" with a partial ocean view. From what I can tell, that's the entry-level room type. The room was comfortable, with two full-size beds put together to form a sort of king-size bed. There was a decent-size closet and a small minibar fridge. There were no free waters for this Hyatt Globalist.
There was a bottle of wine as a welcome amenity — something I've grown accustomed to during my stays at Hyatt hotels. However, I'm not sure if that was a standard welcome gesture for the hotel since there was no note aside from a label saying, "With compliments."
The best part of the room was my small balcony's partial view of Lapad Bay, which drains into the Adriatic Sea. It was a nice spot.
Amenities at Hotel Kompas
Hotel Kompas has a lovely outdoor swimming pool with views of the sea and a small sundeck. There's also an indoor pool, sauna and steam room — free for all guests. At some Hyatts, Globalist status gets you free access to the spa, but this privilege is included for all guests at this resort.
There was also a small gym next to the outdoor swimming pool — again, open to all guests.
Restaurants at Hotel Kompas
Breakfast was included for all guests at Hotel Kompas. Usually, breakfast is one of the best benefits of having top-tier Hyatt elite status, so there was no extra perk for being a Globalist.
The hotel has two restaurants. Sphere is on the ground floor and serves a buffet-style breakfast with coffee service from waiters. You can also get eggs made to order at a chef's station. Breakfast was fine but not out of the ordinary.
I also had dinner one night at Sphere. It's close to a lovely walking path along the water, and there is live music and friendly service in the evenings for a la carte dining. You can also buy all-inclusive packages at Hotel Kompas, which include either lunch or dinner in addition to the free breakfast. I had an amazing pasta and beef dish one evening before taking a nice walk at sunset along the nearby walking path.
The other dining option is Zenith Lobby Bar on the top floor of the hotel. It offers sweeping views of the water and a light bites menu. I had a burger while taking in the ocean views. Again, there were no special discounts or perks for having Hyatt status here.
Bottom line for Hyatt elite members
Mr & Mrs Smith properties are a great addition to Hyatt's portfolio — especially in places like Europe, where Hyatt's footprint is especially small. The good news is that you'll earn World of Hyatt elite night credits and bonus points for most of these bookings. Unfortunately, you shouldn't expect the same elite status treatment that you might get at fully flagged Hyatt properties.
I didn't receive an upgrade, and there was no free water. Plus, any food and beverage benefits I received were also provided to all guests, elite status or not.
You also can't expect to maximize your Hyatt points when redeeming them for these hotels; most points bookings are not good redemptions.
The hotel was excellent, and I had a great stay; however, I didn't feel like I received anything special via my Hyatt elite status. Of course, some of the Mr & Mrs Smith properties may take the Hyatt partnership more seriously than others. I hope that as the partnership matures, the Mr & Mrs Smith properties will expand the benefits to Hyatt's best customers.
In the meantime, I'll continue enjoying those World of Hyatt points and elite night credits when I stay at these boutique hotels.
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