One of the most exciting developments for the World of Hyatt program in years was the partnership with Small Luxury Hotels. Already, this has opened up a host of hotel possibilities in places that Hyatt has, in the past, been quite weak. In fact, they are now the best major hotel chain to use for point stays in Greece, thanks to these new property associations.

When You Should NOT Book Small Luxury Hotels Through Hyatt

But, there are some times when you should not book these Small Luxury Hotels through Hyatt channels. After all, you are probably here because you want to get travel deals so it is worth noting these situations when you shouldn’t book Small Luxury Hotels through Hyatt.

What You Get By Booking Small Luxury Hotels Through Hyatt

Before we look at why not to, here is a look again at the benefits you get booking Small Luxury Hotels through Hyatt.

• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Daily Complimentary Continental Breakfast for two guests
• Room Upgrade (one category at check-in if available)
• Early check-in (noon, based upon availability at check-in)
• Late check-out (2:00pm, based upon availability at check-in)

Ok, now that you know what every Hyatt member gets when booking a Small Luxury Hotel through Hyatt, here is when you may NOT want to do that!

Don’t Book Through Hyatt When You Are Ok with Prepaid

With hotels, there is always the option to save a bit on your reservation if you are willing to lock it in with a prepaid reservation instead of the ability to cancel it for free later. With all the Small Luxury Hotels through Hyatt, you can only book standard rates which are the ones you can cancel for free (as long as you are outside the cancellation window). This means you are unable to lock in the cheapest prices that would be available if you are willing to pay ahead of time.

The good news is that hotels in the Small Luxury Hotels of the world are independent hotels which means that the coupons and discounts available with Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, Hotels.com and others all will work on these properties! It is not hard to get a 10% coupon pretty much (like BOOKNOW for 10% off at Orbitz right now) at any time and sometimes even a higher discount! These will work on Small Luxury Hotels when you prepay through those online travel websites which means you can save even more off the prepaid rate (which is much less than the standard rate through Hyatt).

But what about those benefits above? Since you are not booking through Hyatt, you will not get any of those benefits. However, many rates do come with things like breakfast anyway. Another thing would be the room upgrade. It is a based-on-availability upgrade so it is not guaranteed. If you want to snag a particular room, you can do that through something like Orbitz for less than a standard room (because of the discount code and prepaid discount).

In one example here, you can save $50 by booking a prepaid rate (with a coupon) through Orbitz instead of the Hyatt standard rate!

Want to save more money? 

Check out this discount you could get through Orbitz instead of booking through Hyatt for the Keemala Hotel in Phuket for the Clay Pool Cottages on a random date – a savings of almost $400 for one night!

Oh, what if you want an even better cottage at this property?

You would still pay much less booking through Orbitz for a cottage that is much larger than the one above! It is the awesome cottage in the featured image.

 

Pros:

• Save money
• Use coupons
• Choose better rooms at better prices
• Earn points with travel sites

Cons:

• Don’t earn Hyatt points or night credit
• Don’t get extra benefits

Don’t Book Through Hyatt if You Have the American Express Platinum Card

The reason I list this as a reason is that the Amex Platinum card gives you access to book through their Fine Hotels & Resorts. This gives you many of the benefits you get through Hyatt plus things like guaranteed room upgrade, dining credit, and other benefits (depending on property). Plus, you can often get a better rate that is not dependent on prepaying as well.

Not all hotels will be available through this channel that are available through Hyatt but it is something you should check out before you book through Hyatt.

Summary

If you want to use points, you still need to do that through Hyatt. But, if you were going to pay cash, you will want to check around first – especially if you are comfortable paying in advance. You could save a lot of money over booking a Small Luxury Hotel through Hyatt!

Featured image is the Keemala Hotel in Phuket – a Hyatt Category 7 hotel