Hyatt has just introduced a great initiative, which coincides with the US starting to require pre-travel testing for all arriving international travelers.
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.
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