Why my favorite use of Hyatt points is a Category 1 airport hotel

Hyatt points are my favorite hotel points to earn and redeem.

Many other major hotel loyalty programs have done away with award charts in favor of dynamic pricing, and seeing nightly award rates of 100,000 points or more isn’t uncommon. However, World of Hyatt has kept its published chart, and redemptions across virtually the entire portfolio still offer great value.

The program has also added dozens of all-inclusive properties across Europe and Central America, giving you more ways to earn and redeem points.

Related: This is how you do a luxury all-inclusive: Zoetry Mallorca, bookable with Hyatt points

While I love a luxury property just as much as the next person, there is one hotel I have redeemed Hyatt points for repeatedly, and it’s not glamorous.

Here’s why my favorite spot at which to redeem World of Hyatt points is an airport hotel on a highway.

I live in North London, about 80 minutes from Heathrow Airport (LHR) during off-peak times, but my transit time can approach two hours during peak times. I fly out of Heathrow every few weeks, and from time to time have a flight departing early in the morning, before 8 a.m.

This means I may have to wake up as early as 3 a.m. to ensure I have enough time to get to Heathrow before an early flight. Even if I go to bed early the night before, I’m usually pretty exhausted from waking up well before dawn.

Related: The best ways to get from Heathrow Airport into London

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My solution to these early starts is to consider staying at a cheap and cheerful airport hotel the night before. While I’m still up relatively early, my transit time to Heathrow drops to just five or 10 minutes, giving me at least an hour of extra sleep. More importantly, I feel much better for the rest of the day.

Heathrow has no shortage of airport hotels, with $100 being the average nightly price in my searches.

Plenty of these properties can be booked with hotel points, with Marriott options around 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night and Hilton options from 30,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

Instead of parting with this many points for a short stay at a forgettable hotel, I always choose the only Hyatt hotel in the Heathrow area: the Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport.

Cash rates for this Hyatt Place are consistently around $120 per night for a base room, rising slightly to $140 on peak dates, such as the night before a holiday weekend.

This is a little higher than the average cost of a Heathrow hotel, but not by much.

Rather than spending at least $120 per night, I can redeem just 5,000 Hyatt points per night for this Category 1 property, with no resort or destination fees.

Technically, with Hyatt’s off-peak, standard and peak pricing, a Category 1 property should be between 3,500 and 6,500 points per night. However, I’ve never seen the pricing for this property at anything other than the 5,000-points-per-night rate.

Although I haven’t been able to book it for as low as 3,500 points, I’ve also never been charged the peak rate of 6,500 points, so I’m happy with that. Award stays also count toward status and Hyatt’s fantastic Brand Explorer promotion.

As for the property itself, I understand it has both a restaurant and gym available. However, I’ve never experienced either of these amenities, as I have the exact same routine each time I stay:

• I arrive after 8 p.m.
• I check out before 7 a.m.

In fact, I’ve never stayed more than one night at a time, and my time at the property has never exceeded 11 hours. It’s simply a place to sleep to ensure my trip starts off on the right note.

The rooms are comfortable, quiet, clean and dark, which is all I want for a one-night airport hotel.

Related: 11 of the coolest airport hotels in Europe

The Hyatt Place doesn’t operate a shuttle to the airport (which is not unusual for Heathrow). However, a public bus stop directly outside the hotel is especially convenient for terminals 2 and 3 and costs just $2.15 each way.

Alternatively, there is the expensive Heathrow Hotel Hoppa bus service at $8.30 per person each way, or if you have several people traveling together, a cab or rideshare takes just five minutes from Hyatt Place to the terminals at around $15.

Related: Watch us race to London Heathrow by cab, the Heathrow Express and new Elizabeth Line

How to earn World of Hyatt points

Even if you’re not a frequent Hyatt customer who earns points on your stays, there are many ways to boost your World of Hyatt account balance through everyday activities.

For starters, Hyatt offers both a personal and business credit card, a great way to earn points.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee and offers a welcome bonus of up to 60,000 points. You’ll earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. Plus, earn up to 30,000 more points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent on purchases that normally earn 1 point (on up to $15,000) in the first six months of account opening. Here’s what you’ll get with the card:

• An annual Category 1-4 free night certificate
• A second Category 1-4 free night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year
• Automatic Discoverist status for as long as your account is open
• Five elite nights every year, plus two elite nights every time you spend $5,000 on the card in a calendar year

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card ($199 annual fee) offers 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Here are some of the benefits of the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card:

• $100 in Hyatt credits each anniversary year; spend $50 or more at any Hyatt property and earn $50 statement credits up to two times each anniversary year
• Hyatt Leverage membership
• Discoverist status for the cardholder and up to five employees
• Earn five tier-qualifying-night credits for every $10,000 spent on the card in a single calendar year

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card.

I’m a huge fan of the World of Hyatt loyalty program, especially the excellent Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer option. As much as I dream of a weeklong stay at a fancy Park Hyatt or Andaz in a beautiful location, I prefer to save at least $120 for every 5,000 Hyatt points I redeem at the Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport.

Consistently obtaining well over 2 cents per point (above TPG’s valuation of Hyatt points) is a great way to save cash and enjoy a little extra sleep before every one of those dreaded 6 a.m. flights.

And with dozens of similarly priced properties around the world, there are many opportunities for you to do the same.