Hotels hate third party travel websites like Expedia. The reason being is everytime someone books through a third party, the hotel has to pay a commission to the travel agency. Instead, hotels would rather you pay for a room directly with them. The added benefit you receive is you generally wont receive nights toward status if you don’t book directly with the hotel.
Policy Change
In order to curtail third party travel agencies, Hyatt has offered a “best rate guarantee”. Think of this as a price match guarantee whenever ever you buy an item at the story. If you make a reservation directly with a Hyatt hotel, and someone offers a cheaper room rate, you would not only receive that lower room rate, but Hyatt would give you a $50 credit. Unfortunately the credit would expire after a year.
Now though, Hyatt has updated its policy. If you find a lower rate elsewhere, instead of giving you the $50 credit, Hyatt will offer you the choice of one of the following:
- 20% off of the room rate
- 5,000 Hyatt points
Final Thoughts
I think this is a pretty neat change. It’s weird that there’s not an option for a $50 credit, but still. Both of these options are pretty good ones that can offer a ton of value. If you booked a hotel room for $300 a night, you’d receive $60 back. Additionally, the if we valued Hyatt points at 2 cents per point, that would be worth $100! Both of these are pretty nice redemptions.
I think it’s always worth booking directly with the hotel due to status earning. However, it looks like Hyatt has a pretty neat policy when it price matches these travel agencies. It wouldn’t hurt to shop around next time you plan to stay at a Hyatt!
Does this sort of policy make you more inclined to book directly with Hyatt hotels? Let us know below!
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