Can You Use Hyatt Lounge Access Certificates On Free Night Stays?
One of the better perks of Explorist status used to be the 4 lounge access certificates you would get for achieving the status. It is possible to earn them one more time before the end of February if you status match between MGM and Hyatt.
Going forward you will earn 2 certificates after 20 elite night credits and another 2 after reaching 30 elite nights. These nights can be earned via award stays, cash stays, and from the World of Hyatt credit card. I know you can add the lounge access certs to award stays but how about for free night stays? These are the category 1-4 free night certificates you get yearly for holding the World of Hyatt credit card, from reaching 30 elite nights, and from the brand explorer perk. The short answer is no you can not add lounge certificates to free night stays.
My Experience
I recently tried to attach one of my remaining lounge access certificates to an upcoming stay. I had used two free night certificates for the stay and asked the Twitter team to combine the two nights into one reservation. For some reason you can not use more than one free night certificate at a time. Something that should be corrected but asking the Hyatt Twitter team to combine them is a semi easy workaround.
After completing that task I asked to apply a lounge certificate to the stay. I was informed that the Hyatt Regency I was looking at did not have a lounge and that it was not possible to attach lounge certs to free night stays anyway. I found this strange since you can attach them to award nights.
Potential Work Around
The potential work around may be to book the first night or nights with cash or Hyatt points and attach the lounge access certs. You could then book the final night with the free night certificate and ask the front desk to combine the reservations and they may just grant you lounge access for every day on property.
If you are a Globalist then you don’t need to worry since you can get in the lounge anyway.
Conclusion
This is a confusing decision on Hyatt’s part but one we should be aware of anyway. If you have a property that you want to use your lounge access certificate at be sure it is a cash or points stay and not a free night certificate stay.
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I’ve been wondering how hotels are handling this also. I may try Grand Hyatt in DC with points and a free night and see if they will combine or just let me have lounge access for whole stay.
Let us know how it works Lynn!
You also cannot apply Globslist Suite Upgrades to a free night reservation. Just found that out last week.
Thanks for letting us know Gaurav – makes sense they would treat those two things the same.
That is just a bizarre choice, especially since a Glibalist will also have a cat 1-7 to burn.
Globalist*
You can attach a club lounge award to a reservation on points, but not one on free night certificates. I recently attached one to my 6 night award stay at the Grand Hyatt Kauai no problem.
And if you are a Globalist staying at a Hyatt without a lounge, you get alternative breakfast arrangements. Not so with the pitiful Explorist trying to use a Lounge Access Certificate — no lounge, no breakfast, sucker.
As you say, Mark, another “confusing decision on Hyatt’s part but one we should be aware of anyway.”
I would love to be able to use it just for breakfast if there was no lounge. Good point and something that would be a huge bonus.
Good to know.
On a separate note, I like your posts so please don’t take this personally, but is Shawn still alive?
I’m here. Still running things and posting occasionally. I will have a lot more posting coming up soon.