Earlier this year, I wrote about the strange, new Category 7 that Hyatt had – a converted Marriott property in Istanbul that was going for less than $150. Eventually, Hyatt dropped it to a more appropriate Category 3. Well, the prestigious Category 7 level of Hyatt properties has new hotels yet again, 4 new ones to be exact. And these 4 new Hyatt Category 7 hotels are even crazier than the previous addition!
4 Crazy New Hyatt Category 7 Hotels
Hyatt’s categories are setup that way for award redemptions and not relevant if you only pay cash for hotels (unless you are paying way more than you would if you did Points+Cash redemptions). Like all hotel award categories, there are different variables that come into play with designations. They can be based on things like the cost per night, location (something like a midtown NYC hotel could demand a higher category than if that same property was in Duluth), etc. Normally, it is the luxury brand in a hotel portfolio that has the top-tier category designation. So, obviously these 4 new Category 7 hotels are mistakes in designation, based on those things.
Here are the 4 new Hyatt Category 7 hotels:
- Hyatt Place Keystone (Colorado)
- Hyatt Place Sarasota (Florida)
- Hyatt Place Athens (Georgia)
- Hyatt Place Cincinnati (Ohio)
That’s right – the new Category 7 hotels are all Hyatt Place properties! Yes, these are obviously mistakes! With the exception of the Hyatt Place Sarasota, none of these properties are even taking reservations yet (the Hyatt Place Sarasota is open for reservations starting May 24).
Yes, that is a Hyatt Place at 30,000 points per night! 🙂
Not only are they in the wrong category on the Hyatt website, the Hyatt Place Sarasota is actually requiring 30,000 points per night (as Category 7 hotels charge)! But, when you try to pay with Points+Cash, it shows no points and $55, which is the amount for a Category 2. Obviously, that is what this is going to end up as.
The Points+Cash indicate it will be a Category 2 – but you cannot even book this rate yet.
Takeaway
Yes, these have to be mistakes, but I am not sure why all these new properties are located in the Category 7 listings. It is obviously a mistaken category designation with each property instead of just a typo on the site since the only Hyatt Place taking reservations actually is requiring 30,000 points per night. At some point, we will likely see all 4 of these hotels drop to a Category 2 or so. In the meantime, you could book a Category 7 for only $130+ per night! 🙂 But, please, do not book it as a point reservation! 😉
I have noticed that when Hyatt is about to open new hotels, they put them under category 7 for a temporary amount of time, before moving them to the appropriate category. It seems like an intentional move, not a mistake.