Originally Posted by EC Traveler
The Hyatt in Denver TC can be had for $66/nite plus tax - so say $75. IF you were to do 8 stays (one night each...and I am NOT advocating trying back-to-back, but in theory if you did true "1-night stays" where you checked in for a night and had another night later tha week or something...) you could earn:
16,000 points using GP2000
~3000+ points for your revenue, plus Plat/Dia bonuses
4 FFN
for which you could then redeem for 5 nights anywhere; such as Kauai. All for the grand total of $600 including tax. I have read the other postings about checking in/out; but bottom line, if you live in Denver, and want to go to Kauai for 5 nights, this is a darn cheap way to do it.
Is it abusing the FFN as others have suggested? I suppose it depends as many have stated; but while there are threads about cheap rates, this may not be the cheapest, but when adding in the GP2000 it sure is the best IMHO.
FFN has converted me I must say. I guess that's why the promos are there; to get people to convert. FFN, and the GP codes are great ideas. SPG is #2 now...
Anyone care to comment?
Yes, the FFN promotion is an excellent deal if you work it correctly. In Houston, the airport Hyatt had weekend rates of $60 ($70 after tax) plus a GP1000 (or 1500) bonus. I did reserve several unneeded nights simply to obtain the FFN credit.
However, in order to use the FFN, you need to be able to travel within the promotion timeframe AND there needs to be availability at your hotel of choice. Because I had flexible travel dates and reserved at soon as I had the FFN nights generated, I was able to obtain rooms at the Paris Vendome (a bargain at the $140 "cost" for each night) for most of my stay. I imagine that Hyatt limits the number of rooms, ie only allocates FFN rooms that most likely would otherwise go unused. The free nights at their nicest hotels is probably considered a reward for their return customers. Plus, the hotels profits from any incidental charges, and given how the Hyatt program works, most award stays probably generate significant incidental charges. That said, Hyatt's program is definitely the most generous out there and I now reserve a Hyatt whenever possible!