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ICYMI
In Case You Missed It… A ton of Hyatt hotels have changed category, 259 to be exact, and it’s bittersweet one this time around. We lost some good cat 4s this time around, but we also gained some that I’ve been looking to stay at, and some great Asian cat 4s dropped. Hello newly renovated Grand Hyatt Beijing for just 12k a night. Seriously, one of the best city pools I’ve ever seen. Pizza in Motion has a comprehensive list, but I’ve complied the properties that piqued my interest both going up and down.
How does it work?
Properties officially change on March 19th. So you can book up to March 18th and lock in current prices. However…if you have a property locked in at a higher rate on the 18th, you’ll have a nice surprise on Tuesday morning: the difference will get refunded. Thanks Hyatt that’s a solid one and something Marriott announced it wouldn’t do/didn’t do when new rates went active last year.
Dropping:
Chicago landed a couple of fantastic, centrally located hotels with both Hyatt Centrics dropping down to cat 4. The Grand Hyatt Beijing, as mentioned above, is also a fantastic property within walking distance to Forbidden City and underwent a renovation. I stayed at the Park Hyatt Siem Reap a couple years ago and can vouch that its a fabulous property that is a steal at 12k a night. If I were returning to the temples I’d stay here without a doubt.
Andaz Liverpool Street London 6 to 5
Andaz San Diego 5 to 4
Hyatt Centric Mag Mile 5 to 4
Hyatt Centric Loop 5 to 4
Hyatt Centric Waikiki 5 to 4
Grand Hyatt San Diego 5 to 4
Park Hyatt Istanbul 5 to 4
Grand Hyatt Beijing 4 to 3
Grand Hyatt Bangkok 4 to 3
Park Hyatt Siem Reap 4 to 3
Hyatt on the Bund 4 to 3
Bummers, going up in price:
One of the most notable on the list, and has been a cat 4 icon for years, is the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica. One positive to it being pulled off cat 4 and bumped to cat 5 is perhaps more nights will be available. It has long been a complaint that the resort played with inventory to avoid having to honor certs. I was lucky this past year to stay at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires and can atest that it and the Carmelo Resort in Uruguay are worth their new pricing at category 6. They were both steals. Funnily, the Park Hyatt Maldives has jumped again ( it was cat 7 until 2015 when it dropped to 6 )
Hyatt Regency Bali 1 to 2
Andaz Papagayo 4 to 5
Grand Hyatt Seattle 4 to 5
Hyatt at Olive 8 4 to 5
Carmelo Resort Uruguay 5 to 6
Hotel Du Louvre 5 to 6
Park Hyatt Buenos Aires 5 to 6
Park Hyatt Mallorca 5 to 6
Park Hyatt Seoul 5 to 6
Park Hyatt Maldives 6 to 7
Andaz Tokyo 6 to 7
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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