Hyatt has just introduced a great initiative, which coincides with the US starting to require pre-travel testing for all arriving international travelers.
In this post:
Hyatt’s free coronavirus testing at LATAM properties
Through at least May 31, 2021, all 19 Hyatt resorts in Latin America will be offering complimentary on-property coronavirus testing:
- Up to two registered guests per room are eligible for this perk
- This is valid for guests traveling to the US after their stay
- This is specific to Hyatt resort properties, so it doesn’t include non-resort properties (like city hotels), and also doesn’t include Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties (since that’s just a marketing partnership)
- Some hotels may have minimum length stays required to take advantage of the free testing
- Latin America includes Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and South America
- Hotels will offer either rapid antigen testing or RT-PCT testing, both of which are accepted by the US for travel
This is a fantastic development. I recently wrote about hotels in Mexico are making it easy and affordable to get tested, though that was on an individual property level. It’s nice to see this introduced as a consistent perk, even if there are restrictions.
Hyatt Zilara
Hyatt offering “Travel Delay Rates”
For those who can’t complete their travel back to the US due to test-related reasons, Hyatt is introducing Travel Delay Rates:
- This is intended for those who experience a delay in testing or test results, or those who test positive
- This offers up to 50% savings on standard rates (excluding Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara properties), and up to 30% savings on food & beverage spending (excluding alcohol)
- These rates are eligible to earn points and elite nights
- These rates can only be booked on-property
Obviously we don’t want to joke about anyone getting coronavirus, but I’m sure some mattress runners sure would love to have their test results delayed to take advantage of discounted rates to easily qualify for Globalist status.
In all seriousness, this is one of the important things to consider if you are planning international travel. What happens in the event you do test positive? Can you isolate at the hotel, or do you have to go to a government facility? What kind of rates will the hotel charge you?
The Cape, a Thompson Hotel
Bottom line
Hyatt is the first hotel group to introduce some sort of a coordinated effort to offer free coronavirus testing on-property. Not only that, but in the event that you are delayed due to this new testing requirement, Hyatt is offering discounted rates.
Hopefully we see lots more hotels introduce similar policies.
Non-essential travel is just contributing to the crisis this country is in. Like seriously what don't people get at this point. All we need is a variant that is resistant to the vaccine and it will undermine all the efforts and set the country further back. Stay home for gods sake. So what if you test negative right when you go to depart. That doesn't mean you didn't pick up the virus while you were...
Non-essential travel is just contributing to the crisis this country is in. Like seriously what don't people get at this point. All we need is a variant that is resistant to the vaccine and it will undermine all the efforts and set the country further back. Stay home for gods sake. So what if you test negative right when you go to depart. That doesn't mean you didn't pick up the virus while you were there. It could just mean that the virus hasn't built up enough to trigger a positive test or even that you picked up a new variant that the test is not responsive to. Look at what is happening in Brazil with the new variant. They are building graves vertically now because there is no space for all the bodies.
Will they also give you a free room for 14 days when you return?
Participating resorts include:
● Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino
● Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour
● Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Bahamas
● Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
● Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
● Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Jamaica
● Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Jamaica
● Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo
● Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
●...
Participating resorts include:
● Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino
● Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour
● Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Bahamas
● Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
● Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana, Dominican Republic
● Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Jamaica
● Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Jamaica
● Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo
● Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
● Thompson Playa del Carmen Beach House, Mexico
● Thompson Playa del Carmen Main House, Mexico
● The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
● Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, Mexico
● Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen, Mexico
● Thompson Zihuatanejo, a Beach Resort, Mexico
● Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, Mexico
● Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
● Hyatt Zilara Cancun, Mexico
● Hyatt Ziva Cancun, Mexico
Only travel back to the USA is included.
What about guests traveling back to Canada?
Great, but if they really want to attract visitors they need to be able to ensure “wink wink” you will have a negative test. People will want to know they can buy their way out of a silly quarantine.
And best of all, all test results will show you're negative. Woo-hoo! The pandemic is over!!!
Your Headline is Hyatt Offering Free COVID-19 Testing At Resorts In Latin America. Why are you showing a picture of the Hyatt Baha Mar which is not in Latin America?
Hi Ben,
The main image you have is of Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. I didn’t see them mentioned in your article but they are also offering 2 free Rapid test.
Hyatt has been absolutely killing it since the start of the pandemic. They were already the best hotel chain, but since March 2020 they've pulled so far ahead of Hilton and (especially) Marriott that it's no longer even a competition.
How do you stay relevant...follow Hyatt’s lead.
Playa Resorts website (which runs the all inclusives) says free testing if you stay a min # of nights. Does not specify max of 2 people.
This is a nice perk, I stayed at the park hyatt st kitts over the holidays and the onsite testing was $150 per person which adds up quickly for a family. It's great to see they now have a plan if you test positive. I inquired ahead of our trip if they had a procedure if we test positive and they had no clue so its good to see they are taking the initiative.
Do you have a list of the resorts? Off the top of my head can think of 12 hyatts in Latin America, and I'm pretty sure there are more than 19.
Excellent news! We've had a trip planned to Andaz Costa Rica in February that was in question. With this update, we'll definitely be going!
Hyatt is simply the best hotel program. I wish their footprint was bigger but they continue to lead the pack. Once COVID is over they will come out out ahead of the other chains.
Ok, a nice start, but what does it cost for additional tests? If I get 2 free tests for me and my wife, but then we're charged $300 for the other 2 tests for our kids, that's not going to entice me to go to Cancun.
Well done Hyatt