Why Hyatt Place Is My Favorite Hotel Brand
Hyatt Place, did he say Hyatt Place? He must mean World of Hyatt is his favorite hotel chain right? Nope, I said it and I mean it. Hyatt Place is my favorite hotel brand! I haven’t lost my mind, I swear it. I think the Hyatt Place brand is the best thing since sliced bread. Not St. Regis, Park Hyatt, Conrad or Intercontinental brands, none of those brands hold a candle to my favorite. I promise I have not gone crazy so let’s get into the reasons why I think Hyatt Place is all that and a bag of chips.
Hyatt Place Hotels Are Usually Cost Effective
A while back I talked about how you could get Hyatt rooms for only 2,000 points a night with a promo they were running. You know what most of those hotel options are? Hyatt Place hotels. A large portion of category one locations are Hyatt Place or Hyatt House hotels in the US. You very rarely see Hyatt Place hotels for more than 15,000 points a night, besides in big cities like New York etc. That means most Hyatt Place hotels are on the lower end of the cost spectrum and most are eligible to use a free night certificate at (although I wouldn’t unless it was a category 3 or 4 hotel).
Hyatt Place hotels are usually cheaper on the cash side of things as well. I stayed at the Hyatt Place Daytona Beach for $104 for the night back in February and it was right on the ocean. I also find that Hyatt Place hotels offer amazing cent per point redemptions too. It isn’t all that rare to see a category 1 Hyatt Place going for $150 a night including tax which is 3 cents per point when you redeem 5,000 World of Hyatt points for the stay.
Hyatt Place Is The Most Consistent Brand
It seems like every day a new hotel brand is being created. Why, I have no idea. I think there are way too many brands out there but it is easier to recreate a new one versus refreshing an old one.
As brands grow in age they tend to differentiate from their roots. Or as you get to the nicer brands each property is unique and doesn’t follow the same blue print. Not with Hyatt Place, the room is the same pretty much no matter where you go. And I find comfort in that since I know exactly what I will be getting.
The lobbies have been updated, for the better, in the newest Hyatt Place hotels but the room design has remained pretty much untouched.
Every Room Is A Suite – The All Important Pull Out Couch
If I am being honest this is the biggest key for me and the main reason I love Hyatt Place hotels. Don’t get me wrong there are other all suite hotels but they are not as consistent as Hyatt Place is. But that pull out couch is a life saver for family travel.
If you have a family of 5 then you can somewhat comfortably fit into a Hyatt Place room and not have to rent two rooms, at least in the US. For my family of 4 it allows my son, who moves non stop while sleeping, to get the pull out couch so everyone can spread out a little bit. The queen beds are a little tighter than I would like for adults so me or my wife sleeps with my daughter and the other adult gets their own bed. It consistently makes for some of the most restful sleep we can get while traveling.
Free Breakfast That Isn’t Cereal & Bagels
World of Hyatt made a change a few years ago that only people who book direct get free breakfast at Hyatt Place hotels. I don’t ever see them enforce this rule but they have it. That isn’t an issue for most of us since we book direct with points or cash.
Hyatt Place has a decent free breakfast too. It isn’t just muffins, bagels and cereal like you will see at Holiday Inn or Days Inn etc. They usually have 3 hot plates to choose from plus all of the normal dry options. Bacon or sausage and eggs are a usual staple plus a third option. It isn’t the best bacon and eggs you will ever have but it gets the job done.
My Favorite Hyatt Place Locations
I figured that since I professed my love for Hyatt Place so much I should share some of my favorite locations. These are the ones that stood out to me in my travels:
- Hyatt Place Marathon Key – Getting a hotel in the Florida Keys for only 15,000 points is a mini miracle. The hotel has a restaurant out back that it partners with, two pools and a great view of the marina. My full review is linked above.
- Hyatt Place Daytona Beach – you could call this recency bias but it is really a great location. It is located directly on the beach, is only 12,000 points a night (check for cheap cash rates), and has a nicely appointed pool overlooking the ocean too.
- Hyatt Place Cleveland/West Lake/Crocker Park – This location recently jumped from 5K a night to 8K a night which broke my heart some. Before that it was my favorite category one hotel. It is 30 minutes from downtown but is right in the middle of a very nice outdoor mall which opens a lot of food and entertainment options when staying here.
- Hyatt Place Royal Oak – I have to throw in this hometown option. It recently went from a category one to two as well. In my review I called it the best option in Metro Detroit. It is located in the popular Royal Oak area and is only 20-25 minutes from Downtown Detroit.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there are many reasons why Hyatt Place is my favorite hotel brand. When I am traveling I do not spend a ton of time in the room and I value function over style. In my opinion this is the best chain out there for family travel which is big chunk of my trips. It is also an affordable option that is the most consistent brand out there.
Sure I like to get bougie from time to time and staying in a Park Hyatt or Intercontinental etc. is always fun. But the hotel I find myself spending the most nights at year after year is Hyatt Place.
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Hyatt Pl., Moab, UT. I believe the redemption is 8000 points. In the peak summer. The cash rates are almost $400. Five cents per point. Great hotel with a great pool with great views. Best Hyatt place I’ve ever stayed at.
You’re right on the money, Mark. I love Hyatt Place. My wife and I stayed at the Hyatt Place Tokyo Bay and because of the price, I was worried. It ended up being one of the best hotel experiences we’ve ever had. In fact we checked out and went to the Ritz-Carlton. After one rather snobby night at the Ritz, we checked out and returned to the Hyatt Place for the remainder of our visit to Tokyo.
That is a crazy story 🙂 – thanks for sharing John. It is amazing how often up tier properties can disappoint though.
I think hotels like this are going to be more popular these days for a lot of reasons. Luxury hotels are not going to be able to offer luxury services for awhile (RIP hotel lounge buffets), so people are more likely to go with buget options. My only complaint about Hyatt Place is that the insulation between rooms is usually terrible. After a few loud stays we are close to writing them off.
I have more issues from hallway noise in them (most hotels have the issue though). But walls do seem less insulated versus higher up Hyatt brands for sure.
Thank you, Mark for acknowledging that Hyatt Place gives you a lot of bang for your buck and gets the job done. I’m not a hotel snob. Why go to all this effort to earn elite status just to get “free breakfast” when Hyatt Place gives you free breakfast.
Great point Jamin and why I don’t chase Globalist. About half of my stays are at a HP so status doesn’t do much. I find the 4 lounge access certs are more than enough from Explorist so I have never chased Globalist.
So if you stay at the Hyatt Marathon Key how far is that from Key West ?
About an hour drive down from there. Awesome scenery on the way too 🙂
Awesome!
I agree, and I’d include Hyatt House too. Ironically, I just booked a stay at a Hyatt Place as part of my first post-COVID trip this morning.
Hyatt House is another great one. I like Hyatt Place rooms a little better but Hyatt House breakfast is superior for sure.
Good info. Thank you!
Traveling with kids the Hyatt Place is a no brainier because with the couch everyone gets their own bed (2 kids). It’s too bad that the Hyatt Places in Europe aren’t set up the same. And I do love the Hyatt Place breakfast… I hope it survives Covid.
I have not stayed at one in Europe yet…now I am intrigued haha
I totally agree! Perfect for our family of 4 with the pullout and free hot breakfast. My #1 use of UR (in the beforetimes)
Should we just start calling UR points Hyatt points? I think that is all most people use them for these days.
Daytona and Royal Oak?? Mark, you not only like Hyatt Place but also a watch lover Lol. Hyatt needs open a HP nautilus.
Ha – I had never heard of Royal Oak watches before. You learn something new every day James!
I like Hyatt Place hotels just fine, although not as much as you. The desk and extra space are always welcome. I don’t think that I have any kids so the sleeping arrangements don’t matter as much to me but I do have one major gripe: the bathroom. Not only are they tiny but it’s pretty much impossible to use the bathroom at night without turning on the light to maneuver in that tiny space, which disturbs anybody who’s sleeping. If that doesn’t wake them up then having a light on to wash your hands likely will. As I said, good chain but weird bathroom and sink setup.
I think it depends on which set up you get. If it is the older ones with the bathroom in the back then I agree 100%. The newer ones that are up front with the frosted glass sliding door are nice bathrooms imo. A needed change for sure though.