GRP Hotel Policy & Tips
Image courtesy Hyatt.com
Policies:
Free Meals During Company Travel
If free meals are available as part of the stay or as part of the conference you're attending, and you are able to use them with your itinerary but choose not to, those charges should be personal expenses, and not paid for with company credit cards or reimbursed by the company if on personal credit cards if you don't own a company credit card.
An example of where it wouldn't make sense with your itinerary would be if your conference goes until 8 PM, with you attending until that time, and a club lounge stops dinner at 7:30 PM with no free dinner available in the conference. In a case like that, you wouldn't be penalized and could use your company card as if there was no club lounge available.
If Hyatt Guest of Honor Booking (using points or certificates)
We’ll likely get a different confirmation number(s) that I’ll send you later in your name after the booking has processed the shift to a guest of honor booking via the concierge.
Upgrade status perk depending on brand: If space is available at check in, you would have the option to get upgraded up to a standard suite.
If this hotel has any parking fees paid directly to the hotel, destination fees, or resort fees, those shouldn’t be needed due to our status that conveys for this type of booking.
Also, I suggest checking with the hotel to see if you are able to get early check in & check out as late as 4 PM if desired & if there’s availability. Here are more details on the Guest of Honor benefits that confer to you due to our globalist status.
Free breakfast is available at most Hyatt branded & Small Luxury Hotels branded hotels when we use points or free night certificates.
Club lounge perks due to our status: If a location (at most Hyatt hotels) has a club lounge, you have free access to it if it’s open during the stay. Keep in mind that if the lounge is unavailable, you would still have access to free breakfast for up to 2 registered adults & up to 2 registered children in the restaurant. If the lounge is available, you should go there (not the restaurant) for free breakfast and other meals/snacks, with the lightest options typically at lunch, best options at breakfast, & 2nd best at dinner, typically with limited hours. While the evening options are typically called evening hors d'oeuvres, whether or not they can replace dinner depends in large part on the hotel. At Hyatts, it’s not typical for what’s served at lunch to be a meal replacement, & typically doesn’t include hot items. Also, some lounges close on weekends.
Proximity to Destination
Hotels should generally be within 30 minutes of the destination. While closer hotels are prioritized, total costs when considering hotels (including hotel fare in $ or points, meals and transportation costs) are prioritized more than proximity as long as not much over 30 minutes away.
Reviews
We won't typically book a hotel that's rated <3.9/5 across review sources. In some cases, not all review sources are checked. If you find that the composite review score when considering any 3 of the 4 of the hotel-specific website, Tripadvisor, Booking.com & Google Maps is below 3.9/5, and you'd prefer a superior rated hotel, let Adam know. He doesn't always check all review sources prior to a suggestion due to time constraints even though he's most mindful of reviews on the hotel websites.
That said, keep in mind that some fantastic hotels are rated below 3.9/5, so just because you find one where that's the case, do a bit of homework before asking for an alternative, especially on hotels that are newer where they may be working out some kinks. For example, I was hesitant to book someone at the Radisson Resort Miami Beach since it was rated 3.5/5 on Tripadvisor (3.8/5 on Google Maps now, but I believe it was lower then). They loved their stay.
Some would scoff even at 3.9. I was hesitant to book my wife & I for 5 nights at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront because it was 3.9/5 on Marriott.com, but it ended up being likely our favorite staycation we've ever had.
If Unsatisfactory Hotel
If this hotel is not satisfactory for any reason, please let me know and I can look into alternative options based on why you believe this hotel won’t be a good fit for you. If this booking was a points booking, check to see the cost in points of the hotel. Then, select a same tier or lower tier hotel that's also available in points, such as from one of the following 3 maps:
Points or $ Use by Company
If you find an option that is lower in $ costs, it may not always be lower relative to the company, especially if the company is using points for a stay. The company has an elaborate means of finding what hotels are best for booking using a variety of points rates (some including status, i.e. the Hyatt Globalist Guest of Honor benefit; also sometimes the points rates are below the general public rate due to credit card benefits such as on IHG points rates & Wyndham points rates), $ rates (factoring in value available from points earned with the $ payment), & certain special rates (i.e. Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Collection) with options not available to the general public unless they have the right credit card.
Tips:
If Early Departure at Location with Free Breakfast
Check with the front desk about hours for breakfast as it might start later than when you need to leave, but there may be an alternative option for you that the hotel can provide with advanced notice.