Best Park Hyatt to Stay 2 Free Nights with the Hyatt Visa

The Hyatt Visa offers an excellent sign-up bonus of 2 free nights at any Hyatt property in the world after spending $1000 within the first 3 months. Park Hyatt is Hyatt’s luxury brand, and in destinations such as the Park Hyatt Maldives, even the standard room costs $1000 or more per night, making the potential face value of this benefit $2000 or more. If your spouse or partner and you also signs up for the card, that’s 4 nights and a potential $4000 in value!

Another good benefit of the card is Hyatt Platinum status as long as you’re a cardholder. The most valuable Platinum benefit is complimentary WiFi, and it also entitles you to a better room within the room category you booked—perhaps the largest one of that type, or one with a nice view. And some properties have been known to upgrade Platinum members to a higher room category, on availability, or even provide complimentary breakfast vouchers, even though that’s typically a Diamond perk. In any case, it can’t hurt to be Platinum rather than have no status. For full Hyatt Visa benefits, see our summary on the Best Travel Credit Cards page.

Tips for using your Hyatt Visa free nights:

Your 2 Hyatt free nights are earned after first use of your Hyatt Visa, and are valid for 1 year from the date they are issued

If you know you won’t be able to use your Hyatt free night certificates until more than a year from now, make sure you apply for your card a bit later, and only use your Hyatt Visa for the first time on a date less than a year prior to when you would be using your free nights

Free nights are only valid on standard rooms (and some properties keep a separate “pool” of standard rooms for Hyatt free night/Gold Passport redemptions) so book well in advance

When calling to redeem your free nights, make sure the agent searches one night at a time, not two nights together. Even online, you'll need to book each night one at a time

If you need or want a higher room category, you can often pay the difference in rate between the standard room (which you’re redeeming your free night for) and the higher room category. Call the property to check.

You cannot combine a suite upgrade certificate with a free night; suite upgrade certs are only valid on paid stays.

With that, here are some of the best value uses for your 2 free nights. This is not to say that other Park Hyatts aren’t wonderful, but the Park Hyatts in these particular cities have both gotten great reviews from most recent guests, and are in very expensive markets, where booking a paid hotel stay would be very expensive.

1. Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa

Pros:

Beautiful, deserted white sand beaches
Great house reef for snorkeling, and superb, pristine environment to see marine life
Resident marine biologist can guide you on the vast array of sea creatures and where to see them
Complimentary breakfast provided until noon daily (for all guests, not just Diamond members)
Eco-conscious: resort recycles much of its waste, generates its own electricity, desalinates its own water and provides the water in reusable glass bottles, not plastic ones (see Park Hyatt Maldives Back of House Tour)

Cons:

Takes about 2 hours from Male: 1 hour flight plus waiting time plus 30 minute speedboat transfer
Food and drinks, as you’d expect in such a remote destination, are expensive, and of course as the only resort on the small island you have no alternatives
Some inconsistency with how the same dishes are prepared day to day

Standard Room Types (eligible for free night): Park Villa

Standard Room Prices

December 22-23, 2012: $1160
April 20-21, 2013: 640 EUR $986

Tips:

Book well in advance for high season: December (especially around Christmas and New Year’s)-April
Note that since the standard “room” is a Park Villa and is actually a suite, you cannot use suite upgrades at this property, even on a paid stay. You can, however, ask to pay the rate differential between a Park Villa and Park Pool Villa or Park Water Villa.
For tips on getting to the Maldives, see:
Tips for Booking Award Tickets to the Maldives
Best Qatar Award Flights Bookable with United Miles

2. Park Hyatt Vendome Paris

Pros:

Great location, walking distance to the Opera Garnier, Champs-Elysees, Louvre and Notre Dame
One of the best value uses for your free nights: standard rooms range from ~$750-850 per night
Excellent concierge service
Elegant although small Park Hyatt Paris breakfast buffet (complimentary if you’re a Hyatt Diamond)
Even standard rooms have both a soaking tub and rain shower
Bicycle Valet Program: with a refundable deposit, borrow a bicycle, lock, helmet, and pump free of charge for 4 hours or more. Biking map and bottled water provided.

Cons:

Standard Rooms only come with a queen or 2 twin beds and are small: 280 square feet
No rollaways in standard room; maximum capacity is 2 people in a standard room, with the possibility of a crib
Courtyard rooms are quiet but a bit dark; if you prefer more natural light, request a street facing room
Rooms tend to be perfumed; inform the hotel in advance if you’re allergic or sensitive to deodorizers or perfumes, so that they can find you a more suitable room
Food and beverages are expensive, but it’s easy to go outside the hotel for better deals

Standard Room Types (eligible for free night): Park Queen, Park Twin (maximum 2 adults and 1 infant). Or redeem 33,000 Hyatt points per night for a minimum of 3 consecutive nights for a Park Suite (maximum 3 people)

Standard Room Prices

December 22-23, 2012: 570 EUR (~$756)
April 20-21, 2013: 640 EUR (~$848)

Tips:

Book well in advance: this is perhaps the most popular Park Hyatt that Hyatt Visa holders use their 2 free nights for, and their standard rooms are capacity controlled
Note the standard room that is eligible for a free night is the Park Queen or Park Twin; Park Deluxe Rooms are *not* eligible for a free night
For more Paris tips, see these posts:
Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome Review
Tips for Booking Award Flights to Paris
Romantic Paris
Paris for Foodies: Where to Eat
Le Cinq at Four Seasons George V, Paris Restaurant Review
The Best Paris Restaurants Open in August

3. Park Hyatt Tokyo

Pros:

Incredible views: the hotel starts on the 41^st floor of the building it’s in
Superb attention to detail by virtually all staff
Stunning rooftop atrium pool and well-equipped gym, with panoramic city views
Excellent concierge service

Cons:

Location is not the best (surrounded by offices and government buildings), although the hotel does offer a regular free shuttle to Shinjuku Station
Modern look could be seen as sterile and bland

Standard Room Types (eligible for free night): Park King, Park Twin

Standard Room Prices

December 22-23, 2012: 77,785 JPY (~$975)
April 20-21, 2013: 70,855 JPY (~$889)

Tips:

Check-in time is 1pm on weekdays (3pm weekends) so if arriving on a weekday, take advantage of the earlier than usual check-in time
The concierge service can help you secure hard to get Tokyo reservations, especially if contacted in advance; take advantage of their knowledge and contacts well before your arrival
Children 12 and older will require an extra bed, available for 9240 JPY/night (~$115/night)
For more Tokyo tips, see
Airlines and Routes with First and Business Class Award Availability to Asia
Budget Travel Guide to Tokyo, Japan