New Additions to Hyatt in Canada

Hyatt has added hotels in Ottawa and Edmonton, so I thought that I’d give a rundown of the loyalty program.

First of all, Hyatt is a hotel chain that offers a variety of brands including: Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt hotels, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Residence Club.

Hyatt Gold Passport

Hyatt has a loyalty program called Hyatt Gold Passport. Below is a quick summary of the highlights of each status:

Membership

• Qualification: free sign up
• Earn 5 points for every $1 spent at Hyatt locations worldwide

Platinum Membership

• Qualification: after 5 eligible stays or 15 eligible nights in a calendar year
• Earn 15% point bonus (or 5.75 points per $1)
• Receive preferred rooms upgrades (on higher floors or larger rooms) based on availability upon arrival
• Receive free WiFi
• Late check out (until 2:00pm)
• Exclusive Platinum line for reservations

Diamond Membership

• Qualification: 25 eligible stays or 50 eligible nights in a calendar year
• Earn a 30% point bonus (or 6.5 points per $1)
• Receive Club access to the Regency Club or Grand Club lounge
• Receive complimentary breakfast
• Receive free WiFi
• Receive 4 suite upgrades annually on eligible paid nights
• Receive best room available upon arrival
• Receive a Welcome Amenity (special point bonus or food and breverage)
• Receive 48-hour available room guarantee
• Receive late check out upon request (until 4:00 p.m.)
• Receive 2 United Club passes annually
• Share your Diamond benefits with friends and family with “Guest of Honor” (when redeeming points for a free night)
• Exclusive Diamond line for reservations

Note that benefits will vary depending on each specific location.

Redeeming your Points

After accumulating all those points, you can redeem them for free hotel nights. You have the option of redeeming points to cover the entirety of the night, or use the cash and points option. Depending on the category of hotel, it will cost a different amount.

Below are the different categories of hotels and how much it costs to redeem for a reward night:

For a standard room:

• Category 1: 5,000 points or 2,500 points + $50 USD
• Category 2: 8,000 points or 4,000 points + $55 USD
• Category 3: 12,000 points or 6,000 points + $75 USD
• Category 4: 15,000 points or 7,500 points + $100 USD
• Category 5: 20,000 points or 10,000 points + $125 USD
• Category 6: 25,000 points or 12,500 points + $150 USD
• Category 7: 30,000 points or 15,000 points + $300 USD

For Regency Club or Grand Club upgrade award:

• Category 1: 7,000 points
• Category 2: 12,000 points
• Category 3: 17,000 points
• Category 4: 21,000 points
• Category 5: 27,000 points
• Category 6: 33,000 points
• Category 7: 39,000 points

For Suites:

• Category 1: 8,000 points
• Category 2: 13,000 points
• Category 3: 20,000 points
• Category 4: 24,000 points
• Category 5: 32,000 points
• Category 6: 40,000 points
• Category 7: 48,000 points

For room upgrades on paid nights

• Regency Club / Grand Club upgrade: 3,000 points
• Suite upgrade: 6.000 points

List of Hyatt Hotels in Canada

In Canada, there are currently only 8 hotels from Hyatt:

• Hyatt Regency Calgary (category 3)
• Hyatt Regency Montreal (category 2)
• Hyatt Regency Toronto (category 3)
• Hyatt Regency Vancouver (category 3)
• Park Hyatt Toronto (category 4)
• Ottawa Andaz (category 3)
• Hyatt Place Edmonton/Downtown (category 2)
• Hyatt Place Edmonton/West  (category 2)

Expiry Policy

Hyatt points never expire so long as there is activity once every 24 months.

Keeping your Account Active

Unfortunately, there are no Canadian credit cards associated with this hotel chain, so the only easy way to keep your account active is paid stays or redeem your points. Otherwise, there are two other easy enough options.  

Car Rental with Avis

You can earn 500 Hyatt points for each qualifying Avis car rental. Even though it is not a lot of points, it does help keep the account active.

Purchase Hyatt Points

You can purchase Hyatt points directly from Hyatt. Just remember to watch for a sale on purchasing points to get more value.