It took a while, but I think I’m starting to fall for Hyatt.
Not too long ago, I didn’t think we’d ever stay at their hotels. It just wasn’t on our radar. But things started shifting in 2022 and 2023. That’s when we found ourselves at places like the Grand Hyatt Kauai, the Park Hyatt in Saigon, and a bunch of Hyatt Place properties—ranging from your standard cookie-cutter design to ones housed in historic old Custom House buildings.
Somewhere along the way, I started to understand what Hyatt loyalists have been saying for years: Hyatt just does things differently.
And no, I’m not saying this as someone with Globalist status who’s getting suite upgrades and free breakfast every stay. My wife and I are just lowly Discoverists, and that’s only because we have the World of Hyatt credit card.
But even at that level, the differences are noticeable.
When a Perk Is Actually a Perk
Let’s talk about something simple: late checkout.
Marriott and IHG technically offer late checkout as a benefit for elite members. Still, it’s always “based on availability,” which means the hotel can deny it for just about any reason. They can say they’re full, and that’s the end of the story.
But with Hyatt, even Discoverists get a guaranteed 2 pm late checkout. That’s written in black and white.
And it’s not just that it’s available—it’s that hotels offer it proactively. At our last few Hyatt stays, front desk agents actually asked if we’d like a late checkout when we checked in. That’s a level of service I just haven’t seen elsewhere.
Even at the Hyatt Place in Fort Worth, where I had an early flight and wouldn’t need a late checkout, the staff mentioned it and said I could always ask later if my plans changed.
When Something Goes Wrong—and They Care
On a recent stay at a Hyatt Regency, I got a text before check-in asking if there was anything they could do to prepare for our arrival. I didn’t have any special requests, but I texted back to confirm our arrival time.
Fast forward to after checkout. We hadn’t had any real problems, but the bathroom sink was draining slowly. Nothing that affected our stay—it just seemed like something the next guest shouldn’t have to deal with.
So I replied to the same text thread and let the hotel know. They thanked me and said they’d inform engineering.
That would have been enough. But later, I got an email from the engineering department apologizing for the issue and letting me know they were depositing 500 World of Hyatt points into our account.
We didn’t complain. We didn’t ask for anything. It seriously was just a heads-up. But the hotel still wanted to make it right—and that says a lot.
Compare that to our stay at Nobu at Caesars Palace, where the curtains were literally hanging off the hooks. We reported it three times. It never got fixed.
Or the time my showerhead fell apart at a Residence Inn and I didn’t even bother asking for anything—I just hoped they’d fix it before the next morning.
Building a Habit
We didn’t stay at many Hyatts in 2024—we weren’t traveling as much. But in just the first four months of this year, we’ve already had two Hyatt stays. I still have my free night from the Hyatt credit card, and I’m strongly considering spending enough on the card this year to earn another one.
My wife’s also just one brand away from completing her Hyatt Brand Explorer and earning a free night that way.
We’re not exclusively Hyatt people—at least not yet. But it’s getting easier to understand why some travelers stick with them.
And if things keep going like this, I might be planning more trips around where we can find a Hyatt.
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