Mary2e

I always use the discounted rate.

Brendan

Use the lowest gross rate incl. taxes, resort fees, etc., unless a higher rate has extra perks such as free dinner, parking, etc. Ask yourself, 'Which is a better way to rent the room? 16,250 points (15K spent + 1250 not earned) or $250 cash? '
I used to value GP points @ 2.5--3c before the changes of June 2010, now I go with 2 cpp.

kenbo

Ohhh....thanks! I wasn't including taxes/fees/etc. before. I will give that a shot.

richk_30

As a Platinum, I'm going to cross stays 15 and 18 by the end of next week. Checking the Platinum Extra Award possibilities, I see that I can get Regency Club upgrades.

I have two existing award stays for December. Is it possible/valid to apply these upgrade certs against the two existing award reservations?

Brendan

Richk, officially NO, but many front-desk clerks don't read the fine print & will upgrade U anyway. YMMV.

richk_30

Thanks for the quick response Brendan

devastor

That is good information to know.

Kindel

Does anyone know if Department of Veteran Affair hospital physicians are eligible to book under the federal government rate?

Mary2e

You would have to check with your employer to see if they have an agreement with that particular Hyatt and/or check with Hyatt customer service.

I can tell you that I'm eligible for government rates, and some hotels have much better rates than others.

flltravel

Is there a way to check award availability without having enough Hyatt points in the account? From their website it seems like I cannot search till I have at least 5000 points.

I would like to for availability for San Francisco hotels in downtown area as well as near airport for the dates Nov 11 to Nov 13.
If I can find a good deal, I was planning to transfer chase ultimate rewards points to my Hyatt account.

If there is no way I can search then can any of you please check for availability for the above mentioned dates?

mckelveymv

Hyatt reservations can tell you

peteropny

All properties show available. You may also check yourself by checking paid rates, if the base entry room shows available, award nights are available as well right then (no guarantee of later once your points are transferred in though).

flltravel

Thanks a lot for the info!

MerRhosyn

I have about 2.5k points at the moment but my account is slated to expire in December. Can anyone suggest the best way to keep the account open and/or make use of the existing points. I'm open to purchasing points outright if that makes sense value-wise. Thanks in advance for answering this newbie question.

777 global mile hound

Hyatt Gold Passport points are one my most desirable point currencies of any program I am a member of
If you don't decide to simply take a stay between now and December
Buying some points is certainly an option
When I find myself in these situations I typically turn to the many partner
Options of a given program.Without running to the Hyatt website
I can't think of a bad reason not to apply for the Chase Hyatt Visa credit card
Easy to earn points and those two free nights in the first year are sure to keep you smiling and your points protected
Perhaps a car rental from Avis?

These are just some opening thoughts in the middle of my jet lag
However if all else fails what I admire most about the Gold Passport
folks is sometimes just a simple phone call with a promise to do more business
with Hyatt Gold Passport in the very near future may be enough to get a goodwill gesture to extend those points for another 3 to 6 months by simply asking.
In all my decades with Hyatt when it's really been important to me typically
in the end I can depend on the Hyatt folks to come through
And that's just another reason to consider doing more business with Hyatt
They have a sense of cooperation most the time when one calls
Don't hesitate to ask for a supervisor if need be and always keep a record of whom you spoke with
Cheers and don't let those points expire!