shawn67

I have made reservations for my wife and I to do a points stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos next weekend (I currently have to status with Hyatt). We booked in a two double bed room (no kings available on points) are planning to catch a late flight on Sunday. The Ziva is all-inclusive but in talking to Gold Passport it sounds like any perks will be non-existent. I'm considering switching to doing Sheraton Hacienda Del Mar Los Cabos on points, though it is not all-inclusive, I am an SPG Platinum so I should at least be able to get a better room and hopefully some flexibility on a later checkout. Was wondering if anyone had thoughts on these hotels especially how status vs non-status is treated? I'll freely admit that I have gotten spoiled by having mid-to-top status at most major hotel chains and that being just a regular "member" at Hyatt may not be as bad as I fear.

Thanks!

lizs

I was Platinum when staying at the Hyatt Ziva but other than enhanced check-in and an upgrade to a pool view room there wasn't any different treatment throughout the stay. I would simply contact the hotel and request a king sized bed. We had the same problem and we were switched to a king before we even arrived there.

If you're the type that will get a good ROI at an all inclusive I'd stay at the Hyatt. The booze quality was good and you can ask for the top shelf stuff with no issues. The food obviously wasn't amazing but much better than some all inclusives I've stayed at. And the service was simply awesome our whole time there.

shawn67

Thank you lizs. Much appreciated!

Rusdude

Based on reading reviews of other Hyatt all-inclusive properties, you should be able to get a paid upgrade in advance by contacting the hotel or doing it during check-in. Not sure about Los Cabos, but Zilara Cancun also sells packages which include upgrade + some other perks (like dinner on a beach).

shawn67

Gold Passport said that was not possible...maybe the old fashioned "upgrade request" a (well placed high-denomination greenback) might work...

javabytes

I spent last week in Los Cabos, with three nights at the Sheraton Grand Hacienda del Mar and four at the Hyatt Ziva.

A few days before I checked in at the Hyatt, I got a stay planner form emailed to me... one of the boxes was to check topics you would like to be contacted about, and one of the boxes was Room Upgrades. I checked the box and was never contacted. But it seems like this is supposed to be a thing.

At check-in, we were upgraded from a Master King (booked using awards) to a Ziva Suite as Hyatt Platinums. Great ocean view, but I wouldn't recommend the Ziva Suite unless you're traveling with children. Most of the space is wasted on a separate living room and bathroom you will never use, and you get a tiny "Juliet" balcony instead of a big one with chairs, and no jetted tub.

I would not expect free upgrades without holding status, so I would suggest contacting the hotel directly (not Hyatt central reservations) in advance, or upon arrival, about paid upgrade options. Again, avoid the Ziva Suite, but the Ocean View Master rooms are quite nice. The rate difference between then Master and the Ocean View Master for 2 people this time of year is about $90/night at their "standard" rate which I've never seen anyone pay, and about $45/night at their 55/60% off promotional rates which are always available, if that helps with determining what would be a fair upgrade offer. Pool View room upgrades are dirt cheap - maybe $30/night at "standard rate" and less than $15 extra at the promotional rates. Especially on arrival, you should be able to negotiate something.

The biggest benefit of status at the Hyatt Ziva was the ability to make dinner reservations for the restaurants. (Lounge access seems kind of pointless at an all-inclusive resort.) Normal checkout was 12:00 noon. Elite checkout was 2:00-4:00 depending on status level; not sure what you can arrange with no status. Other than that, there's nothing else to really want for at the Hyatt.

The Sheraton was completely booked during our stay, and we received no real benefits other than the welcome drinks/points. No preferred rooms. (I also found their bedding to be awful.) The Sheraton is a collection of smaller buildings scattered throughout the property... maybe a dozen on the hotel side, and the rest on the timeshare side. However there are only three buildings along the oceanfront, and the rest are tucked back... one, perhaps two more buildings would be able to get a more distant ocean view from some rooms. Because of this layout, it seemed like chances of upgrading out of a garden view room into an ocean view room were slimmer... though as a Platinum, you may have better luck than we did as Golds. And late checkout may be useful to you depending on what time your flight on Sunday is.

If you are interested in an all-inclusive experience, I inquired about add-ons with the Sheraton staff in advance of our stay. We were quoted $119/person/night for a "Meal Plan package", and that this could be added on to our Cash + Points stay (though we did not ultimately partake):