If you order the Elite certificates all you need to do is present the certificate. It covers the full charge for room and tax - no matter what rate the hotel is charging. They do have blackouts and capacity controls. For most locations you can check availability on-line. To do this, type in the name of the hotel in the "Hotels Search" box at http://www.hyatt.com . You will then get to a page for the hotel which lists as one of the choices "Gift Certificate Redemption". Follow the directions, and you can check for availability. (For some reason at a few locations this isn't a choice, i.e. Scottsdale) As an example, at Beaver Creek, which is charging a minimum of $500/nt in season, I was able to get availability mid-week, but every weekend in season showed as not available. The one downside - no Gold Passport points are earned on the value of your certificate (although you will get credit for the nights as long as you have some incidental charges).