Originally Posted by
peteropny
Well for Hyatt you can book a suite on an award stay at a 50% premium in points to a regular room but with a 3-night minimum (which I wish they would get rid of). I've done this 2x (once at PH Paris and once at GH Kauai - where the base room rates are "too high" to pay with "cash" anyways). Otherwise, your chances at a suite upgrade are still there but not great of course. I've gotten one once at the PH Paris (odd suite of connecting rooms during a sold out period with heads of state in house).
IMO, it's the same comparison to SPG - which is a YMMV issue depending on property (many properties seem to do everything they can to avoid giving the suite upgrade).
Good to know about the suite with points option.
I personally am not one of those people that emphatically state one program is better than the others. In the early days of SPG the benefits were amazing and as time marches on and the program gets bigger the value prop changes. I think Hyatt is starting to struggle with a similar issue.
I didn't mean to turn this into a SPG vs. Hyatt thread. Both are good programs (for sometimes different reasons). I like that they both have aspirational properties (something that Marriott and Hilton lack).
Thanks again for the Suite tip!