As I’ve mentioned few weeks ago, my husband and I were supposed to go on a two-night getaway without kids. I said “supposed to” because as you’ve probably guessed, the trip didn’t materialize.
I booked a two-night stay in Hyatt Place St. Petersburg/Downtown. Ever since I spotted this new property and saw that it costs only 5,000 Hyatt points per night, I knew I had to check it out. See my post A Car-less family vacation in Florida with the help of Hyatt points for reasons why you may want to consider it as well.
Unfortunately, sometimes life doesn’t go the way you plan it. We were all set to leave on Friday and boy, was I looking forward to my escape! I love my kids dearly, but at times I feel like I will go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs (permanently) any minute now.
Anyway, around noon on Thursday I got a phone call from my mother-in-law telling me that my father-in-law was taken to the hospital because he had a hard time breathing. They were running some tests, and he was scheduled to have some procedures done over the next few days.
Obviously, going to St. Petersburg wouldn’t be wise under those type of circumstances. I knew that Hyatt policy stated that I had to cancel the reservation 48 hours in advance in order to avoid penalty. I was prepared to call and beg for them to make an exception. After all, this was a legitimate medical emergency.
As an aside, any time you have an expiring hotel certificate or you are past cancellation deadline, call and ask them to make an exception. What do you have to lose at that point? Be polite and courteous and don’t pull a DYKHYA (do you know who I am?) Chances are, the rep will be able to make an exception, especially if there is a medical reason.
But as it turns out, I didn’t even have to beg this time. I totally forgot about this new consumer-friendly Hyatt policy:
The reservation was booked using my husband’s Hyatt points, and he happens to be an Explorist (via MLife match) It cost us absolutely nothing to get this elite status, no mattress runs or any other shenanigans aside from a few clicks of the mouse. I wasn’t able to cancel online for some reason, but calling did the trick.
I ended up making a tentative reservation at the same Hyatt hotel later in the month. Fingers crossed, nobody gets sick or has a heart attack. Grandpa, I’m looking at you.
The takeaways
1) Hotel points provide flexibility that you simply can’t get when you book via AirBnB.com or VRBO.com.
They are not the right tool for every single vacation, especially when you need a lot of space. But they sure come in handy for a quick getaway with your spouse.
2) Things happen.
Make sure you protect the money you “invest” in your vacation, especially when it’s a substantial amount. I’m a great believer in travel insurance, and was able to cash in on it several times.
Obviously, I didn’t get a policy for this particular trip because I was using points, and my losses would be minimal regardless. When my out-of-pocket cost is substantial, I make sure that my family is protected in case of an emergency. Sometimes I rely on credit card insurance, but more often than not, I buy a standalone policy.
3) When you get a chance to attain elite hotel status a no cost, take it.
You never know when it will come in handy. Elite status won’t give you anything in Hyatt Place properties, but it will let you cancel 24 hours ahead without penalty.
4) If your spouse has elite Hyatt status and you don’t, make sure to transfer points to his/her account
It costs nothing, so why not? It takes a few days for transfer to go through, so doing it in advance is prudent. Redeem points from that account whenever possible.
5) Don’t get disheartened if your dream trip falls through.
Life can throw a wrench in your plans at the last minute. As long as you still have decent health and some savings, you can always try again.The kids were upset because they were supposed to go on a getaway of their own with my sister-in-law. I told them it’s not like grandpa started gasping for breath just to mess up our plans. At least I hope not!
There is some uncertainty with our upcoming summer trip to South Pacific. For now, we plan to proceed with the whole thing, but anything can happen at this point. I have to accept this reality and take comfort in the fact that at least I won’t suffer any major financial losses. Plus, Tahiti isn’t going anywhere, right?
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Sorry to hear about your father-in-law. Hope it’s minor and he gets well for the big trip. Hotels are sometimes very understanding when there’s an illness involved. Same thing happened to us, but they let me cancel with less than 24 hr notice as one of the dangerous flus we’re going around and my oldest came down with something. It never hurts to ask and to be polite.
@Stephanie I’m sorry your kid was sick, as well as the fact that it messed up your travel plans. My in-laws are both sick right now, and we are quite worried. Flu has been awful this season.
As far as my FIL’s condition, sadly, there is no possibility of significant improvement. His heart is very weak. But he is a tough bird, and I hope we can have him around for a long time to come. Getting old is just plain awful.