Being Diamond with Hilton, it's elementary to pick a room and check in with the app, but I prefer to go to the front desk to inquire if an upgrade is possible. They never ask for identification and just use the card on file for charges.

When checking in at the Hyatt Regency in Rosemont, Illinois the other day, I had to swipe a card. Since I don't carry my World of Hyatt card, I used my AmEx Hilton Aspire card and missed out on getting proper Hyatt points from the stay.

Do all Hyatt properties require usage of a physical credit card (or NFC tap with a phone) upon check-in? If so, that is a real difference (and drawback) of Hyatt vs Hilton.

Apologies if this has been discussed previously, I did a brief search and didn't find a thread.