I spent this past weekend in Chicago with one of my sons. It was my first time in the city, and we did some of the typical sightseeing stuff, including the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and Navy Pier. Another highlight was the water taxi along the river through downtown. Hindsight shows me this was far too little time in Chi-Town.
We spent our first night near the airport after a late flight in, but the next two were downtown. I split our two nights between the Thompson Hotel Chicago and the Talbott Hotel. Both are recent additions to the World of Hyatt loyalty program. The Thompson is from the chain of the same name while the Talbott is part of the Joie de Vivre chain (SEE: Reminder: Earn 8,000 Points and a Free Night Trying New Hyatt Brands). I used a Hyatt free night certificate at each.
Value Then, Versus Value Now
When I booked the properties, rooms at the Thompson were going for $206 before taxes. Not a bad use of the free night certificate, but nothing earth-shattering. The value at the Talbott was similar. Queen rooms were priced at $165 per night. Some of you might be thinking its crazy to burn a free night for that, but hey, I like saving cash.
But I do have a limit where I’ll hang onto points or a free night certificate. Unfortunately, I happened to check the Hyatt app just after we’d checked into the Talbott to find that rates for a queen room had dropped to a mere $90 per night! Tack on some taxes, and you’re looking at barely over $100 for a stay at a solidly 4-star hotel near the Magnificent Mile.
This was a major bummer, as it was too late to walk back my use of the Hyatt free night certificate. The property is in award category 3, charging 12,000 points for a free night. I try to always get 1.5 cents per Hyatt point, so no matter how you slice it, cash is the better deal in this cash. I wish I would have taken a second look at the hotel rates a couple days prior!
Free Is Still Free
All I have to fall back on is the fact that our weekend nights in Chicago were completely free. I definitely prefer a free stay over paying cash. But it’s also a bummer to “waste” a Hyatt free night certificate when I could have forked over a single Benjamin.
Or maybe spending a free night this way isn’t really a “waste” as all and I should just be thankful my stay was free. It all depends on perspective. I’m still sitting on a couple more certificates, so maybe it is best that I burnt it.
What do you think? Was this a reasonable use of a free night? Or do you see it as a waste?
Just keep in mind cancellation periods on your reservation, otherwise, you could be paying twice for your room if you try to cancel after the deadline.
Agreed. If I’d have checked earlier but still within the less-than-24-hour window, it wouldn’t have made a difference.
Good article and EXTREMELY good advice. I have a little grid on my computer where I record hotel reservations with all the details. I periodically check those properties to be sure I’m not … GASP … wasting a single point or dollar. I figured this out years ago when I followed a balcony/ocean front room rate for a week at an English seaside resort from 300 pounds to the eventual 104 pounds which I happily paid. I wanted that particular hotel room and none other, so it was worth the picky checking. I never hesitate to pay less than 100 dollars, euros or pounds with cash.
Sounds like a great system!
I don’t think you should feel too bad about it. Sure, you can save a lot by booking last minute but it’s also a gamble. For the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have a place to stay, and a very nice one at that, you got a good deal.
I agree with that. Locked in is better. It was just super annoying to pull up the same hotel last minute and realize I could probably have changed the booking had I looked 24 hours prior!