Let’s be honest, accruing miles and points can be a bit of a pain sometimes if you’re an addict. For example, all the torturous domestic redeye flights I take with the sole intention of earning miles suddenly become worth it when I find myself in Cathay Pacific first class headed somewhere warm.
Similarly, I’ve done a countless number of hotel “mattress runs” over the years, and while they’re hardly “painful,” they do still require quite a bit of effort. And similar to redeeming miles for first class on a premium airline, Park Hyatt stays make earning hotel points so rewarding.
This past weekend I stayed at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, and had a flawless stay. I’m a pretty tough critic when it comes to hotels (many call it whining, I call it sharing the positives and negatives), though I don’t think there’s a mainstream chain that delivers as consistently as Park Hyatts. And my favorite thing about the chain is how unique each property is. The only thing they have in common is a modern decor and consistent treatment and benefits, while each property is unique and local.
I’ve stayed at the Park Hyatts in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Istanbul, Melbourne, Mendoza, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo, and just about each stay has been as close to flawless as possible.
And my stay this past weekend at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires (a category five property for which I redeemed 18,000 Gold Passport points per night) may just have been one of my favorites.
The hotel itself is stunning, with both a historic wing and a contemporary wing, which are separated by a beautiful courtyard and an underground walkway (which in reality is an art gallery).
Historic wing lobby
Park Hyatt Buenos Aires courtyard
Park Hyatt Buenos Aires courtyard
Park Hyatt Buenos Aires pool
The rooms were stunning. The service was spectacular (including housekeeping!). And the hotel was even super generous with Diamond benefits. You could have breakfast in either of their restaurants or via room service with no limits (at least not any they mentioned).
8AM check-in? No problem. 8PM check-out due to a late flight? No problem (though in fairness they weren’t totally full and I had no expectation of this, as I’ve never had a hotel be so generous before).
I hate to say it, but I think hotels are giving me my new points redemption “highs.” Redeeming points for Park Hyatts makes me just as excited as snagging a Lufthansa first class award ticket.
The other funny thing about Park Hyatts is that with every stay at one I’m reminded why Gold Passport is my favorite hotel loyalty program. Hyatt is lacking in terms of the number of properties they have (though they’re growing quickly), but they more than make up for it with their reasonable redemption rates at some of the world’s most aspirational properties.
I love other programs for the ability to convert points into miles or for mid-tier property redemptions, but I think Hyatt is the winner by far for high end redemptions.
Don’t change a thing, Gold Passport (actually, if you’d like to introduce cash & points, allow suite upgrades to be used on award stays, and count award stays towards elite status I wouldn’t mind, but other than that…). 😉
Anyone else as addicted to Park Hyatts as I am?
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