Hyatt just introduced a new promotion for Hyatt Regency hotels called stay 3 nights, get the 4th night free but you can just as easily call it stay 4 nights, pay for 3. We always like free nights, right?
STAY 3, GET 4TH FREE LINK
Basics: Must book by May 11, 2019, and stay 3 eligible nights at select Hyatt Regency hotels through May 15, 2019 to receive your 4th night free.
Participating Hyatt Regency hotels: There are 94 Hyatt Regency hotels included in this promotion. According to the drop down link, 26 of the hotels are located in Asia, 3 in Australia and the Pacific, 4 in Latin America and 61 in North America.
Interestingly, the 4 hotels in Latin America do not include Hyatt Regency Mexico City and the 26 in Asia do not include the Hyatt Regency Tokyo. Likewise, there are no Hyatt Regency hotels in Europe included.
Beware: prepayment and nonrefundable
This can be a good deal depending of course on the price, if there are lower eligible rates that you are entitled to use, and whether you can commit to a nonrefundable reservation.
My Upcoming Trip to Cartagena, Colombia
photo: Hyatt Website
I will be traveling to Cartagena and staying at the Hyatt Regency Cartagena during the applicable promotion period. I therefore immediately researched whether the promotion would work for me.
My stay is for 5 nights. On the dates I am traveling, the member rate is approximately $144 per night. The promo “stay 3” rate is $124 per night.
The reservation I am currently holding is on all points. The hotel is currently a category 2 (8,000 points per night), changing to a category 3 (12,000 points per night) after March 18th. I think that it’s a steal at 8,000 points per night, or 40,000 points for my entire stay. (There is also a promotion whereby I will receive 1,000 points back for each night, so essentially, the stay will only be 35,000 points).
I am queasy about non-refundable rates. Things happen. In the last year, due to family health issues, I’ve had to cancel trips, where I thought the plans were etched in stone. I don’t like to prepay when I don’t have to.
There is a 19% tax in Colombia added to the hotel bill. This is called an IVA tax. I’ve done a little research and learned that the tax is theoretically refundable for foreigners (but I’m sure this would be a hassle and a procedure I might otherwise skip).
For all of these reasons, I’m sticking with the reservation I’ve made on points.
What would you do?
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
I’m an American living in Colombia, so I don’t qualify for the IVA refund, but it’s not too difficult. Unfortunately it doesn’t include lodging or anything else “consumed” in Colombia (e.g. food, tours, etc). But if you do buy anything to take back (gifts, clothing, etc), you can easily get the refund on your way out of the country. Just keep your itemizedreceipts and you can fill out a form and get your refund (in Colombian pesos) at the DIAN counter at international Colombian airports. Just keep in mind that it may not be open if you have an early morning or late night flight.
thank you so much for this valuable information!