Exactly. Including taxes, average of 13 stays was just under $90/night. Got a few free breakfasts for what it's worth! Also purchased a bunch of $50 Hyatt gift certificates at Costco for $40 each which brought my total cost down.

Each of the hotels seemed to be part of one points bonus or another. The best part is that of the six nights we "earned" in this promotion, four were spent at the Park Hyatt in DC and two will be spent at the Grand Hyatt in NYC. Forgetting upgrades, the rooms go for $300/night plus taxes. Do the math, then add the free breakfasts and internet and this one was a total no-brainer for me.

In addition, we ended up with approximately 30,000 Hyatt points, good for two more nights at their next to top level.

Please understand that my argument is not anti-Starwood. Starwood also has double-stay promotions and they have helped me to maintain status over the years, for which I'm grateful. I do think the bonus nights are pretty extraordinary but it's just a promotion. And to be fair, Starwood rules call for you to be upgraded to that suite even if it is a reward stay, which Hyatt does not (altho as I wrote above, you can certainly get lucky at Hyatt and unlucky at Starwood).

The big issue to me is that when you check into a Hyatt, if you have used one of your four guaranteed suite upgrades, you know what you will be getting. If not, you are promised nothing at all so whatever you get, you are grateful for. There is absolutely none of the sense of "contention" that I sometimes feel at Starwood properties. The rules are so much clearer that all you get is consistently pleasant and professional interactions with no arguing or suspicion. Hyatt's reputation then is not at the disgression of the individual hotel and the benefits promised are what you get, including the valuable free breakfasts and free internet. Those two alone were worth about $90 per night on our free stay!

More to the point, this thread is what FlyerTalk should always be about. When it started, there was almost a full month left in the double-stay, free night promotion. It's a chance to get the lowdown on a program that has been made much better so you can evaluate if it is proper for you to test out. It's not to argue that one program is great and the other stinks. I learned about this promotion earlier on FT and I can't even come close to computing all that I've learned here and how it has enhanced my knowledge and my travel experiences. The reason I check it our everyday is not to join in arguments but to see what is new that I can learn and use and to share what I can to repay the favor!