Best Uses for Hyatt Annual Free Nights in the US/Canada/Mexico

If you’re a longtime reader of 10xTravel or a member of our Insider’s Facebook Group, you probably know that the World of Hyatt loyalty program is one of our favorites. First, Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards which gives them a big leg up. Second, and perhaps most important, Hyatt has more reasonable award rates compared to other brands such as Marriott and Hilton. This combo makes it great for booking hotel award stays.

With World of Hyatt, you can earn free night certificates from hotel stays and via The World of Hyatt Credit Card. With the Hyatt Card, you can even get two free night certificates per cardmember year — more on that later.

In this article, we’re going to examine how to earn these Hyatt annual free night certificates, as well as some of the best uses for these free night certificates in the US, Canada, and Mexico. In some other articles, we’ll explore some international destinations as well.

How to Earn a Free Category 1 – 4 Night

There are a few ways to earn free category 1-4 Nights from World of Hyatt.

One of our favorite ways is with The World of Hyatt Credit Card. Simply by being a cardholder, you’ll earn one Category 1-4 Hyatt free night certificate every time you pay your $95 annual fee. You can get some big value out of this as a night at many Hyatt properties will cost more than $95.

Additionally, if you spend $15,000 during a cardmember year on the Hyatt Card, you will earn an additional Category 1-4 free night certificate.

If you stay at Hyatt properties regularly, staying 30 qualifying nights or earning 50,000 base points in a calendar year earns you a free Category 1-4 free night certificate. Keep in mind that your award stays also count toward your qualifying nights.

And finally, another way for you to earn a Hyatt free night certificate is by the ongoing Hyatt Brand Explorer promotion. By staying at 5 different Hyatt brand properties, either on paid or award stays, you’ll earn a free night certificate. With 17 brands under the Hyatt umbrella, this means that you have the opportunity to earn up to 3 Category 1-4 free night certificates.

Note that this program doesn’t technically reset, so as of now, once you stay at a property and once you complete the promotion, it won’t reset. This promotion has been running since March of 2017 and we’ve seen no signs that it will end or reset anytime soon.

Hyatt Award Chart

The current Hyatt award chart is as follows:

• Category 1 – 5,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 2 – 8,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 3 – 12,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 4 – 15,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 5 – 20,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 6 – 25,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 7 – 30,000 points per night (standard room)
• Category 8 – 40,000 points per night (standard room)

So, when running searches to find properties to utilize the free night certificates, we’re specifically looking at properties in Categories 1, 2, 3 or 4. However, maximum value is most often realized in Category 4, though sometimes a Category 3 can be a very good value too.

Featured Hyatt Properties with Annual Free Nights Certificates

With your Category 1-4 Hyatt free night certificate in hand, let’s look at a handful of destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

We’ve selected some of the best Hyatt properties based on location, amenities, brand of the hotel, etc. Additionally, the average cash prices for the room type were also considered.

Andaz San Diego and Andaz Savannah

Andaz and Park Hyatt are the top 2 brands underneath the Hyatt brand umbrella, so to be able to have 2 US Andaz properties where a category 1-4 certificate can be used presents a great value for a wonderful experience. Both properties are located in excellent locations for their respective cities, and with cash rates ranging from $200-$400 per night, these locations provide an excellent value when using certificates.

Thompson Chicago

With the recent 2019 addition of the Thompson Hotels to the World of Hyatt portfolio, your category 1-4 certificate now offers you accommodations at a hotel offering tremendous views of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, and the Magnificent Mile. With cash rates averaging about $300+ per night, this boutique-feeling Category 4 hotel is a great redemption.

Hyatt Place Park City

It’s not quite ski-in-ski-out like the Hyatt Centric Park City nearby, but just about a half-mile away from Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort via the free shuttle, this brand new hotel offers a wonderful value for your free night certificate. Cash rates for January 2020 are showing over $350/night, making this a terrific redemption. Even better is that Hyatt Places offer much larger rooms with a living area as well as breakfast included in your stay, so you could theoretically fit 3 or 4 people per room, further stretching the value out of your certificate.

Hyatt Place Keystone

Similar to the Hyatt Place Park City, the Hyatt Place Keystone is 1/3 of a mile from the base of Keystone Resort, and offers another fantastic use of your free night certificate. Keystone resort offers a free shuttle that you can use, but you can also take advantage of red wagons to haul all of your ski stuff for the 1/3 mile hike to the mountain.

One bonus perk that should definitely be taken advantage of – kids 12 and under get to ski free when you stay at the Hyatt Place Keystone. With kids lift tickets ranging from $72–$92 each per day, this can save a lot of money quickly.

Further, on the day you arrive to Keystone, you and your group are eligible to get lift tickets good from 4pm-8pm on the night of your arrival. Adult night skiing lift tickets usually cost $80 per person for 4 hours of night-skiing, so this represents a tremendous value.

The Grand Hotel Minneapolis

Formerly the Kimpton Grand Minneapolis and now a part of the World of Hyatt program, the Grand Hotel Minneapolis is located downtown in the heart of Minneapolis just a few blocks from the US Bank Stadium and Target Field. If you’re visiting in the wintertime, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s a part of the heated walkway network that is throughout much of downtown, limiting your exposure to the brutal cold!

As a former Kimpton property, the rooms are a bit bigger and feel more open, which contributes to it being a comfortable hotel. Cash rates for the Grand Hotel Minneapolis range from $125-$225 per night, so it doesn’t present as valuable of an offer money-wise as some of the other hotels, but it’s certainly a nice and unique property that would be a great stay.

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course

Maybe you find yourself cruising up and down the PCH on a scenic drive? Or on an epic golf trip to the likes of Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay and others on the Monterey Peninsula. If so, be sure to check out this hotel. It doesn’t look like any other Hyatt Regency you’ve ever seen. It’s situated right on Del Monte Golf Course, which is one of the courses that is a part of the Pebble Beach Resort.

It’s a great coastal getaway in the heart of Monterey spread across 22 acres, and offers great amenities that you’d expect at a Hyatt Regency hotel, such as a number of restaurants, a pool, tennis courts, a full spa, and other amenities. Cash rates start around $300 and go up from there, making it an excellent value for the Hyatt free night certificate.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

If you find yourself in the hill country in Central Texas outside of San Antonio, the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa is a fantastic place for you to redeem your Hyatt free night certificate. It might just be one of the best Hyatt award chart values there is. It offers non-stop activities for your entire stay, thanks to a 5 acre water park, a 950 ft long Ramblin’ River lazy river, a 22 ft tall water slide, huge pools, golf, a spa and much much more.

This 500 room hotel feels more like a grand country estate than it does a hotel thanks to its architecture and nicely appointed decor. Cash rates run $500+ in the summer, and about $240+ in the off-season. They do charge a $35 daily resort fee on paid stays, but Hyatt waives resort fees on award stays.

Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa and Marina

If its location along the San Diego waterfront, with the stunning 360-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and Mission Bay weren’t enough, the fact that this resort boasts a gorgeous private marina, spa, world-class fitness center, and three fantastic pools should be enough to make you want to visit. Oh, and you guessed it – as a Category 4, it’s available to use your Hyatt free night certificate as well.

Cash prices start at roughly $250, and also requires a daily resort fee of $32, although that is waived on award stays.

Hyatt Place Asheville

If you haven’t been to Asheville, NC yet, you need to add it on your radar. The secret is out, and this formerly small city tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina has seemingly been on every “Best” list there is in the last few years. The surging growth of breweries that have opened up in the area, the spectacular restaurants supporting this “Foodtopia” town, and the cooler summer climate serves as an escape from the heat just a few hours away, translates into tons of growth of visitors and unfortunately a shortage of hotels.

During just about every weekend of the year, there are all kinds of events happening in Asheville. So much so that hotels that cost $125/night on Monday and Tuesday often run $300-$400 and more on Thursday-Sunday of the same week due to the hotel room shortage.

Because of this, hotels like the Hyatt Place Asheville really shine. As a Category 3, it only costs 12,000 World of Hyatt Points per night for a stay, and Hyatt free night certificates are also valid here, making it a spectacular deal when compared to paying $300-$400 per night for a Hyatt Place. But be warned, you’ll need to book in advance as much as possible as award space fills up quickly as these hotels sell out.

Park Hyatt Toronto

The former Four Seasons Toronto closed in 2017 for an extensive renovation. It’s slated to open in early 2020 as a category 4 Park Hyatt hotel. If you’ve ever stayed at a Park Hyatt, you know how meticulous these hotels are, so to be able to use a category 1-4 certificate on a stay at a freshly renovated Park Hyatt should be a real treat.

SLH Hacienda Peña Pobre: Mexico City

Thanks to the recent partnership between Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), The Hacienda Peña Pobre in Mexico City became a part of the World of Hyatt portfolio. It is the only category 4 SLH property in North America, which makes it a fun way of using your Hyatt free night certificate. Cash rates for this property average between $200-$300/night, making it an excellent redemption.

Final Thoughts

While the Hyatt free night certificates are limited to Categories 1-4, there are plenty of great ways to use them. Hopefully, the options above will give you a little inspiration and have you thinking about where you can use them in North America. If you’re planning a trip abroad, make sure you check out our favorite options from around the world (soon to be published).