Staying at a New Hotel Could Earn You Extra Points. Here’s Why I Always Check.

Here’s a hotel loyalty benefit that is surprisingly easy to overlook.

World of Hyatt offers members 500 bonus points per qualifying night at participating newly opened hotels.

No complicated promotion code.

No giant spending requirement.

And according to Hyatt’s current promotion, you don’t even need to register.

If you’re staying at one of the participating properties during its promotional period, you can earn the bonus automatically on qualifying nights.

That’s worth knowing before you book.

Why New Hotels?

Hotel companies obviously want travelers walking through the doors when a property first opens.

A new hotel has to establish itself.

It needs reviews.

It needs repeat customers.

It needs occupancy.

And it needs loyalty members to start considering it when they visit that market.

Giving existing loyalty members extra points is a pretty straightforward way to encourage that.

As of September 1, The Points Guy identified 32 recently opened Hyatt properties participating in the offer.

The participating list changes as hotels open and promotional periods expire, so this isn’t something I’d memorize.

It’s something I’d check.

Award Stays Can Count Too

Here’s where the promotion gets more interesting.

According to the current terms summarized by The Points Guy, award stays booked with Hyatt points and eligible free-night certificates can also qualify for the 500-point new-hotel bonus.

Think about that.

You can potentially redeem points for the room and still earn bonus points back because the property is new.

That’s the kind of loyalty-program detail that frequent travelers should know exists.

Every Hotel Has Its Own Window

This isn’t one giant promotion with one expiration date.

Each participating property has its own eligible period.

For example, the current list includes properties with bonus windows extending into October, November and December.

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana, one of Hyatt’s newest all-inclusive resorts, currently offers the new-hotel bonus for qualifying nights through November 30.

Other properties have different deadlines.

That’s why I wouldn’t assume anything.

Before booking, check the current list.

New Hotels Have Another Advantage

There’s also something nice about staying somewhere new.

The mattress hasn’t hosted thousands of guests.

The furniture hasn’t been beaten up.

The USB ports hopefully still work.

The hallway carpet hasn’t spent five years battling rolling suitcases.

Everything should feel fresh.

But notice that I said should.

New Doesn’t Always Mean Perfect

Newly opened hotels can have growing pains.

That’s normal.

Staff may still be learning systems.

Breakfast operations may still be getting figured out.

A restaurant may not have opened yet.

The pool may technically exist but still be waiting on final approvals.

Some amenities shown on the website may still be coming online.

That’s one reason I always recommend checking recent reviews when booking a very new property.

Look specifically at reviews from the previous few weeks.

Not six months ago.

If five recent guests mention that the restaurant isn’t open yet, believe them.

Can You Stack Promotions?

Sometimes.

Hyatt promotions can potentially overlap depending on the individual terms.

So a stay at a new Hyatt might qualify for the 500-point new-hotel bonus while also qualifying for another eligible Hyatt promotion.

Don’t assume they’ll stack, but definitely check.

One minute looking at the current offers page could turn a stay you were already going to book into several thousand additional points.

That’s a pretty good return on one minute of research.

Don’t Chase Points at the Expense of the Trip

There is an important rule here.

Never choose the wrong hotel just because somebody offers you bonus points.

Five hundred points per night is a nice extra.

It should not convince you to stay 30 minutes farther from where you need to be, pay substantially more or book a hotel with terrible reviews.

Points are supposed to make travel better.

Don’t make the trip worse trying to earn them.

The ideal situation is simple.

You’re already considering two comparable hotels.

One happens to be offering an additional loyalty bonus.

That’s when the promotion becomes meaningful.

My Take

Hotel loyalty programs contain dozens of little opportunities like this.

Most travelers never know they exist.

The hotel companies certainly aren’t going to stop you before booking and say, “Before you reserve that property, you should see if another hotel is offering extra points.”

That’s our job as travelers.

Before I book, I want to know:

Is there a promotion?

Do I need to register?

Does this hotel have a new-property bonus?

Can I stack offers?

Does an award stay qualify?

Those questions take a few minutes.

Over a year of traveling, those few minutes can add up to a lot of points.

Travel smart,
Tommy Pags.