I have the CSR card and used to convert to United miles for premium cabin travel. Lately, I have been finding the I value the United miles much less than formerly, maybe as little as 1 to 1.5 cents per mile for the flights I want to take. What do you value the Hyatt points as being worth if convert my CSR points to Hyatt?

The points guy I think gives them a value of about 1.8 cents/pt, which I think is overall fair. Most of my upcoming stays this fall at full service Hyatts would be valued at 1.5 and 2.0 cents per point if I used points instead of just cash. Right now, I only use points when I get a value over 2.5 cents a point, because I don't accumulate all that many points to use up and can be choosy about when to use them. But if you have too many points to redeem or you like using points on vacations because it feels good, then 1.5 cents/pt or even less could be a more reasonable valuation -- a lot of vacation-spot Hyatts have room rates of $200-300 while having point rates of 20,000 pts/night, this only gives a 1-1.5 cents per pt value.

I find the most value when using points at Hyatt Places and Hyatt Houses as points+cash. They aren't full service hotels, but a lot of times they serve my needs perfectly well. All too often, I find that though their prices are 20% cheaper than HRs in most of the cities I visit, but more importantly, they only require 1/2 or 1/3 of the points as HRs. My consciousness of the point value has resulted in me nearly always paying the cash rate at full service hyatts and points + cash rates at the HPs and HHs. The cash+pts also allows for my nights to count towards status, which as a borderline Discoverist/Explorist matters.

1 example -- I have a stay at the new St Paul Hyatt Place next month and the $50 + 2500 pts rate is being used instead of paying the daily rate of 189$. Those 2500 points are worth a bit over 5.5 cents/pt!

I just booked two rooms at the Hyatt Regency Montreal for two nights each with Club access for 48,000 points total. The rooms would have cost $1,200 USD paying with cash, so the points were worth 2.5 cents each for this booking. A recent two-night stay at the Hyatt Centric in Times Square was 50,000 for a room which would have cost $815 USD, for a redemption rate of only 1.63 cents per point. We take a lot of weekend trips which wouldn't happen if we were paying cash for hotels and flights so I'm willing to take a lower redemption rate sometimes.

Points plus cash redemptions can be great values when offered, and they count as eligible nights.

For instance, PH Palacio Duhau in Buenos Aires is 10,000 points + US$125 per night, versus rates of about $500 per night, maybe $450 for AAA/AARP/etc. That's about 3.5 cents per point, although you earn fewer points for the stay.

That's the usual range.

They're worth more if you're a Globalist (just as UA miles are worth more if you're a 1K).

Oddly I got a points and cash booking at the Hyatt Place Bloomington Indiana for 4000 points plus $31.25. Came to exactly $35 with taxes, so it seems intentional (I first assumed it was an IT glitch, and might have been, but). New policy? Individual hotel choice?

The rate was quoted at 31.25 when you booked? If so, then maybe 35$ was just a happy accident of taxes. Perhaps the hotel was aware and they get some pleasure showing a round total due.

I stayed at Hyatt House Houston Galleria last April for a $35 + 4000 points and I just pulled the folio and it was $35 plus another 7 bucks and change for all the taxes.

One thing I have yet to figure out is when that $35 (vs the more common 50 or 55$) is the cash+pts rate at cat 1s and 2s. That stay, the cash only price was ~$140, so the pts value was decent enough, but when I was looking at the exact same hotel for a possible trip in a few months, the cash+pts was 55$+4000, and cash only was $98, making the point value very low.

Could you be seeing high versus low season or weekday versus weekend rates?

1.6c/p is conservative estimate if use reasonably.

That's a great suggestion. Thanks. Hyatt Places can be very nice--just stayed at one in Park City, Utah.

I stayed. Rate was $31.25 plus taxes = $35 for each of the two nights. Normally $55 and tax. No idea why. I tend not to ask as they might fix things. I should have, but was a busy work trip. This must have been intentional, I would think. Yet going online it shows the standard 4000pts and $55 (plus tax) now.