The great thing about Hyatt, which is also challenging when compiling a “Best Redemption” series, is that it has excellent properties around the world, especially abroad. At 12,000 points per night, Category 3 properties offer exceptional value abroad.
Club rooms can be booked for an additional 3,000 points and suites are available for 18,000 points per night. With a focus on location, redemption value, and ratings, here are the Best Hyatt GoldPassport Redemptions for Category 3:
Americas
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay (Tampa Bay, FL)
Distinctions: Tripadvisor #7 Hotel in Tampa
Accommodations: For 12,000 points per night, guests can book a 350 sqft room with city and bay views. Bathrooms come equipped with granite bath and are stocked with Portico spa products.
Location: The hotel is just 5 minutes from Tampa International Airways. Guests receive complimentary shuttle service to the airport and International Plaza. While the hotel offers a relaxing oasis for guests, those who want to venture out can head over to Busch Gardens, Florida Aquarium, or the beach.
Honorable mention: Grand Hyatt Atlanta
Hyatt Regency Vancouver (Vancouver, BC)
Distinctions: 2012 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Winner
Accommodations: The hotel claims to have the “largest guestrooms of any Vancouver hotel.” It’s unclear whether this refers to standard rooms, which are 380 sqft, or one of their suites, which start at 750 sqft.
At the standard level, guests get a nicely appointed room with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the nearby mountains, skyline, or park. Many of the standard rooms at this property have their own balconies. If you’re hoping to snag such a room, I recommend emailing the hotel ahead of your stay.
Location: Located in the heart of downtown, this hotel is 10 miles from Vancouver International Airport and a $10 cab ride from the cruise ship dock. This makes it a great place to stay if you’re taking a cruise. A variety of restaurants and shops are in the nearby area. A train station is right across from the hotel, making it cheap and easy to get around town.
Honorable mention: N/A
South America
Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Source: Tripadvisor
Distinctions:
- Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2013 Winner: #7 Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Brazil
- Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2013 Winner: #15 Top 25 Hotels in Brazil
Accommodations: A standard award gets you into a 400 sqft Grand room, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering skyline or river views. The bathrooms feature separate shower and soaking tub, and digital scale. Guests can enjoy in-room coffee maker, and goose down pillows and duvet.
Club rooms are slightly large at 440 sqft and offer city views. Aside from Club Lounge access, guests staying in these rooms get 1 hour of Club Lounge meeting room use.
Location: The hotel is in the Berrini area, the city’s financial district. Within walking distance, you’ll find several shopping centers, and if you want to venture out and explore the nightlife, you won’t have to go far – the Vila Olimpia nightlife district is just under 1.5 miles away.
If you’re an art fan, Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto has a gallery within walking distance of the property. If museums are your thing, the hotel is within 10 miles of the following museums: Sao Paulo Museum of Art, Pinacoteca do Estado, Ipiranga Museum, Portuguese Language Museum, Soccer Museum. The hotel can also arrange city tours for those looking for a comprehensive overview of the city.
The hotel is 23 miles from the international airport, and 3 miles from a domestic airport. Cab fare between the airport and hotel costs $70, or you can book a private car through the hotel for $120.
Honorable mention: N/A
Asia/Pacific
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa (Danang, Vietnam)
Distinctions:
- Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice 2014 Winner: #21: Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Vietnam
- Tripadvisor #7 hotel in DaNang
Accommodations: Even standard rooms are luxurious at this resort, featuring marble bath and floor-to-ceiling windows that open up onto a private balcony/patio. Guests can book either 450 sqft Twin or King Room with for 12,000 points per night. All rooms have universal electric outlets, which means you can leave your adapter at home.
Location: With it’s picturesque location along the South China Sea, this is a perfect place to shut out the rest of the world. For those who do want to wander outside, the Cham Museum and Han Market are both within 4 miles of the resort. For a bit of history, take a day trip two UNESCO sites – My Son Sanctuary and Hue City – which are 34 and 74 miles from the resort, respectively.
The resort is just 3.4 miles from Danang International Airport and the train station.
Honorable mention
- Grand Hyatt Bali
- Grand Hyatt Goa
- Grand Hyatt Jakarta (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Europe, Africa & Middle East
Europe
Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf (Dusseldorf, Germany)
Distinctions: Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice 2013: #18 Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Germany
Accommodations: This is a relatively new property, opened in 2010. Standard rooms are 345 sqft and are modernly furnished, with floor-to-ceiling windows that open. Guests receive coffee and tea provisions, 30 minutes of free wifi, Satellite TV, video concierge, walk-in shower, and more.
Location: The hotel is located on Media Harbour, directly on the Rhine. Guests can reach the airport in 20 minutes, and the city center is less than 1 mile away. Koenigstrasse, a great shopping district, is 2 miles from the hotel and can be reached via nearby public transit.
Honorable mention: Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki
Africa
Hyatt Regency Casablanca (Casablanca, Morocco)
Distinctions:
- Tripadvisor #3: Hotel in Casablanca
- Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice 2013: #17 Top 25 Hotels in Morocco
Accommodations: At the standard level, guests can book a 400 sqft room with views of Casablanca or old Medina, the ocean, and the Great Hassan II Mosque.
Location: Located in United Nations square, at the center of the city, this hotel is within walking distance of Old Medina, the Quarter of Habbous, the central market, and other attractions.
For those looking to venture towards the sea, the port of Casablanca is just 1 mile from the hotel.
Several public transit options are available within walking distance of the hotel.
Honorable mention: Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa
Middle East
Hyatt Regency Dubai (Dubai, UAE)
Distinctions: N/A
Accommodations: The rooms were renovated a few years ago and are well maintained. At the standard level, you’ll get a 365 sqft room. The hotel claims the windows in the rooms can be opened, but this was not the case both times I stayed there.
Club Rooms are only 3,000 additional points per night, and the lounge offers an extensive breakfast spread and complimentary drinks and snacks throughout the day. Guests staying on the Club Level also receive complimentary airport transfer, though I am not sure if this applies to award stays.
The hotel contains a mini-shopping mall with high-end boutiques and its own ice skating rink. If you want to splurge, the spinning Al-Dawwar restaurant is a great place for dinner.
Location: Having stayed here twice, I can attest it’s a great hotel. Front desk service issues aside, this is a great property in a good location. Although the hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to the Mall of the Emirates and other attractions, it’s the nearby Nayef market that’s really worth visiting. Most of the shops are run by South Asians, and you can find great merchandise from the region at a great price. The market is indoors and nicely air-conditioned, offering relief from the high temperatures and humidity. In the afternoons, you’ll see a crowd of these South Asians on the dust fields outside the hotel, partaking in a wrestling competition.
The hotel is 20 minutes from the airport, Jumeira Beach, and other attractions.
Have you stayed at any of the hotels on this list? Please comment below.
I would add the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado, Puerto Rico to that list. It’s a Hyatt Vacation Club right on the beach. Studios go for 12,000 points – same as a Cat 3. As far as I can tell it’s the lowest points redemption available for a property on the beach in the Caribbean. It’s 30 minutes from San Juan, so pretty convenient, but away from the city. I haven’t been myself yet, but it’s on my list for my next trip to Puerto Rico.
Hadn’t thought of vacation club properties! They are a surprisingly great value on points.
By the way, I love this series. Not sure what you’ll do once you get to Cat 4 for. There’s a bunch of great properties on that list (DC Hyatt, Santa Barbara, Tamaya resort in New Mexico come to mind). I’ve a cat 4 cert coming soon, and I’m trying to decide how I’ll use it.
No idea! This was so much easier with Club Carlson, which has a few gems. Hyatt on the other hand has great properties all around.
One more great cat 4: The Bellvue in Philly. Historic hotel, plus you can go see historic reinactors! (I’m geek)