My husband and I each have the Chase World of Hyatt credit card. Initially, we applied for this credit card a few years ago because of the sign-up bonus (which was 60k World of Hyatt points at the time). However, we keep this card and pay the $95 annual fee each year because the card includes a free night certificate for a Category 1-4 hotel every year.
In the past few years, we’ve gotten some great value from these free night certificates. Just before the pandemic, we stayed at a beachfront hotel in Miami (which unfortunately has since moved up a category) with a value of almost $1000 for two nights. We’ve also used our free nights at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport and our local Hyatt Regency Dallas. Leana recently used her free nights at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando (see post here).
So, our free night certificates just dropped into our accounts, and of course I already have plans for them.
Hyatt Regency Miami
I decided to use both certificates to stay two nights pre-cruise (our free Carnival cruise) at Hyatt Regency Miami. I chose this particular hotel for several reasons:
- It’s close to the Miami cruise port, only 2 miles away
- The hotel is located in the Brickell area of Miami, which we haven’t explored yet
- It’s close to Frost Science Aquarium and Planetarium and SkyViews Miami Observation Wheel, which we plan to visit
The cost for us is the cost of our two cards’ annual fees, or $190. The cash price for our room for two nights on this holiday weekend would have been:
If I didn’t have the points or free night certificates, I’d probably just pay cash for the nearby airport Hyatt Place. However, two nights there still runs over $400. Inflation has definitely hit the travel industry! So, I feel there is a lot of value in keeping the credit card for the free night certificates.
Have you made plans with your hotel credit card free nights?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
We also stayed at The Confidante before it moved up so disappointed that happened it’s a great location.
We celebrated hubby’s birthday at The Chicago Athletic Association last month in Chicago – we are local – what a great redemption! We want to stay there again.
@Boonie The Chicago Athletic Association is on my wish list! I’ve heard great things about it.
Make sure to visit Cindy’s their rooftop bar/restaurant. Make a reservation in advance it books up fast! We were lucky to get a reservation a few days prior because we were staying there.
@Boonie Thanks for the tip!
I’m actually debating on whether to use my Hyatt certs in DC (for April stay) or burn them for Seattle (June). The latter seems like a better value, but they would be tied to Japan being opened at the time. Decisions, decisions…
@Leana Both are good choices. We loved the Hyatt Place we stayed at in D.C.
Great choice for the certificates. There’s lots of stuff downtown in easy walking distance, including some wonderful ethnic food. I’ve had top notch Balinese, Italian, and Peruvian food in the area. The South Florida Historical Museum is also quite nice. Whatever you do, I’m sure you’ll have fun.
@Christian The food sounds great! I’m excited to explore the area.