Great Value with Few Points – My Favorite Hyatt Category One Properties
I’ve previously described how I don’t mind point splurges when I’m meeting my travel goals. Often, I’ll spend more miles and points than necessary on flights and hotel rooms out of convenience. But I still like stretching my points and miles when I can without too much effort. One of my favorite examples of where I do so is with Hyatt points. We can undoubtedly get great value out of Hyatt points at the higher categories. However, I prefer the opposite – huge value in the lowest category at 5k points per night. Here are some of my favorite Hyatt category one properties and why I think they’re special.
Hyatt House Dallas/Richardson
North of downtown Dallas and with quick access to North Central Expressway, the Hyatt House in Richardson holds generously-sized rooms and suites. All the usual Hyatt House staples are here: complimentary full breakfast, bar, and in-room kitchens. My favorite mall (yes, malls still exist) in the entire country, NorthPark Center, is located less than a 10 minute drive south. That’s pretty close, actually – in Dallas, everything seems to be a 20 minute drive away! Also, Love Field – superior to DFW Airport for domestic travel, in my opinion – is relatively close. For a room on the last Saturday night in June, I found a value of 1.9 cents per point (I’ll use a similar timeframe for determining the rest of the valuations).
Hyatt Regency Fairfax
One of the few domestic Hyatt Regency properties in category one, the Hyatt Regency Fairfax is located just off I-66 with direct access to Washington, DC to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. Enjoy the amenities of this full-service hotel while also having convenient access to nearby dining and sights. One of my favorite museums in the States, the Udvar-Hazy Center, is located seven miles away. If you like the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in DC, you’ll love the more vast Udvar-Hazy Center. I found a value of 2.6 cents per point at this property.
Hyatt Place Chesapeake – Hyatt Category One Near the Beach!
The “next door neighbor” city to Virginia Beach, the Hyatt Place in Chesapeake is a great cheaper points alternative for beachgoers who are open to driving to the oceanfront. The rooms at this property are standard Hyatt Place and generally no different than what you’d find elsewhere. The hotel is within walking distance to a variety of dining and shopping. Routinely, I’ve found the best values at what could be considered “basic” Hyatt Places. That’s definitely the case with this property, especially during the summer tourist season. I found a value of 3.7 cents per point at this property.
Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit
This property is conveniently located in the heart of Bangkok in the Sukhumvit area, close by to the Phrom Phong SkyTrain station. The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool and rooftop bar with impeccable views of downtown. All rooms are updated with modern decor, and the hotel is next to great shopping and dining within walking distance. I found a value of 2.3 cents per point.
Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah
I absolutely love Dubai. The beach area in Jumeirah is a favorite, but so are the many restaurants and bars located nearby in all the hotels. As far as this hotel itself, I found the interiors to be particularly striking. It looks more like a Grand or Park Hyatt on the inside than a Hyatt Place. This location also has multiple restaurants, as well. You aren’t far from shopping at some of the most over-the-top locations in the world, either. I’ve found local transportation prices in Dubai to be remarkably reasonable, allowing one to discover various parts of the city without spending much. I’m fond of the juxtaposition of the old and new within Dubai. While I only found a value of 1.4 cents per point at this hotel, the fact that this nice a property is only 5k points per night amazes me.
Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha
The closest to an airport hotel on this list, this full service property holds a spa, pool with swim-up bar, jazz club, and several restaurants. While one is conveniently located to Hamad International Airport, downtown Doha is easily within reach for more exploration. The rooms here have a warm, familiar feel to various Grand Hyatt and Regency properties I’ve visited. I found a value of 2.4 cents per point at this property.
Hyatt Category One – Conclusion
These are just a few of the great Hyatt category one properties available. If I was to list all of the solid values, I don’t think I’d ever be finished writing! Another surprise I found while researching this article are properties that I thought were a great value in category two that are now category one (like the Hyatt Place Chesapeake). Even better! Of course, you may be able to get even more value per point depending on your travel goals. Regardless, from my perspective, Hyatt has the most consistent, reliable product and value at the lowest category level compared to all other brands. What are your favorite Hyatt category one hotels? With what other hotel chains have you found great value in the lowest category?
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LOL HH Richardson was likely a former Assisted Living Facility! Over 20 years old with popcorn ceilings, no dividers between the bed & the living room. Noise off the interstate is bad. Super dark hallways reminiscent of The Shining. If you don’t score a first floor room you will have to haul it up 20+ stairs to the next floor(s).
For the same 5k points try beautiful Hyatt Place Dallas/Rockwall, about 20 minutes (!) east of downtown Dallas. Clearly one of the nicest HPs in the entire brand – tons of services nearby along with a nice lake. With Globalist you can score a free upgrade to a 1,000 sq ft suite.
There are some good ones near ORD.
toomanybooks,
You definitely would know!
I’m doing 9 nights starting Feb. 17 at the Fairfield Inns and Suites Houston Hobby for a mattress run to Titanium. Total cost? $353.05!! Thanks Marriott Best Rate Guarantee! $33 per night. It’s a Cat. 2 and goes for 9000 points right now. I’ll also be bagging a ton of bonus points and $50 off from the AMEX $200 credit! I booked through a shopping portal for an additional 3% back. They’re practically paying me to rent the room!
Good stuff!
Not to rain on your parade but it’s typically $49/night at that place, anyway. I guess a 33% savings is nice but I would personally be a bit less enthused to stay near Hobby Airport or to earn Marriott Titanium status. To each his own.
No love for Hyatt Regency Wichita? That one is a hidden gem!
I didn’t want to be accused of kissing up to the big man. 🙂
I would recommend Hyatt Regency Dulles (also Category 1) over HR Fairfax, as the one in Dulles has nicer/newer rooms and a good view of Dulles airport (if your room faces that way). HR Dulles is much closer to the Udvar-Hazy Center as well, right on the other side of Route 28. The pool at HR Dulles is open, while the pool at HR Fairfax is closed. And lastly, I think staff and customer service are a notch or two better at HR Dulles (in my limited experience with both).
Quo Vadis,
Thanks for your comparison. I had a less than satisfactory experience at the Hyatt Regency Dulles location previously, but that was years ago. Yes, it may be a bit closer to Udvar-Hazy, but not as convenient for other DC-area activities. It may be a toss-up with these two properties, though – location really comes down to one’s specific activities/priorities.
P.S. One thing I just noticed… a standard suite at HR Dulles isn’t any bigger than a regular room. Whereas at HR Fairfax, the standard suite is more spacious. So that may be a factor in favor of HR Fairfax for Globalists.
Which one is better for taking public transportation to D.C.?
Christian,
They’re both several miles from the closest Metro stations; Hyatt Regency Dulles is slightly closer. For drivers, Hyatt Regency Fairfax is less reliant on toll roads to get around. Perhaps others can chime in here, too.
So neither, lol. It was worth a shot. Still a nice write up.
Great question. There are probably more buses running by HR Fairfax, but search WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) bus schedules to confirm. On the flip side, the HR Dulles is closer to the Metro Silver Line, which currently terminates in Reston along the 267 toll road. The Silver Line is being extended and will eventually (it should have been completed already, but contract delays and overruns, Covid-19, etc.) run all the way to Dulles airport. Once that happens, HR Dulles should have faster public transportation to D.C.
Just for location, I think the Hyatt House Colorado Springs deserves consideration. While fairly standard suburban property, being just a couple of miles from Garden of the Gods really helps. Actually did the bulk of my Globalist mattress run there
Mowogo,
I appreciate you mentioning this one!