You Paid How Much? | March 4 ✈️
You Paid How Much? | March 4 ✈️
Hyatt devaluation, premium economy to Doha, + cheap spring flights to Europe
Happy Saturday, kinfolk 👋🏾 I’m at the Women’s Travel Fest this weekend (and speaking on Sunday) — if you see me, make sure to say what’s up!
Travel News From Vikkie
The biggest news coming out of this week is Hyatt’s category changes.
As the adage goes, when a loyalty program becomes more popular and people learn how to use it to their advantage, devaluations are likely to come.
More than 200 Hyatt hotels around the globe will change categories. Some will increase in categories (which means you’ll need to pay more points), while others will decrease. Much has been made about Hyatt’s changes, which go into effect on March 28, but the thing I want to point out is the devaluation of properties eligible for Category 1-4 free night certificates.
If you aren’t familiar, Hyatt has certificates you can redeem for a free night at a Category 1-4 property worldwide. You can earn these by having a Hyatt credit card, hitting a Milestone Reward, or participating in the Brand Explorer program. These are some of the easiest ways to earn free nights and are highly popular among Hyatt’s elite members.
There have been some fantastic Category 4 hotels around the world that you could book free night awards. In 2019, I stayed at the then-Category 3 Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico (which was the Hyatt Coco Beach back then) and had a completely free three-night stay thanks to a handful of Category 1-4 certificates.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve has been one of the most popular hotels for award stays in the Caribbean, as it’s a short flight from the continental U.S., a passport isn’t required, and is reasonably priced compared to other Hyatt resorts in the region, such as Baha Mar in the Bahamas and the Ziva and Zilara resorts in Jamaica.
But that’s not an option anymore.
When Hyatt moves Category 4 hotels into Category 5 (or higher), they drop out of the window — which means you can’t use this free night certificate. Some notable hotels moving from Category 4 to 5 include:
Andaz San Diego
Grand Hyatt Seoul
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam
Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico
Lahaina Shores Beach Resort
The Eliza Jane
Thompson Madrid
This isn’t great news. Hyatt is certainly decreasing the number of good-value properties to use the certificate on. We saw this last year, when some good-value resorts, such as the Park Hyatt Zanzibar, increased from Category 4 to 5. I do want to note that some hotels, particularly on the African continent and in the Asia Pacific, are decreasing from Category 5 to 4, thus becoming eligible for a Cat 1-4 certificate reservation.
Hyatt says that reservations booked before March 28 will follow the current award chart — meaning, you should book any Category 4 property scheduled for an increase before that date.
Still, it’s clear that Hyatt is paying attention to how travelers are using their certificates — some of the hotels increasing in categories have have been notable sweet spots. With this change, the value of a Category 1-4 certificate just got a little cheaper.
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Travel Deals from Vikkie
Deal of the Day: New York to Doha for $1,180 round-trip on American Airlines for September 2023 dates (PREMIUM ECONOMY):
This is the nonstop route between JFK-DOH in premium economy
Washington to Cancun for $266 round-trip on United for April 2023 dates:
Both flights are nonstop and are in basic economy
Miami to São Paulo for $367 round-trip on Copa for May 2023 dates:
Both flights include a short layover in Panama City
San Francisco to Curaçao for $408 round-trip on American for April 2023 dates:
New York to Porto for $451 round-trip on Swiss for September 2023 dates:
Both flights include a stopover in Switzerland
Chicago to Paris for $503 round-trip on American for April 2023 dates:
Both flights are nonstop and in basic economy; regular economy is $170 more
You can bring 1 carry-on
Atlanta to Copenhagen for $525 round-trip on Air Canada for April 2023 dates:
Detroit to Stockholm for $549 round-trip on Delta for April 2023 dates:
Both flights are in basic economy
The outbound flight has a long layover in JFK
Washington to Nairobi for $592 round-trip on EgyptAir for March 2023 dates:
Both legs include a layover in Cairo
Dallas to Athens for $627 round-trip on Air France and Delta for April 2023 dates:
The cheapest flights are in basic economy; regular economy is $170 more
Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji, for $777 round-trip on Fiji Airways for May/June 2023 dates: