Few Hyatt properties are more divisive than the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, also known as the Highlands Inn. Nestled in California’s Carmel Highlands, this hotel offers one of the most majestic ocean views in the world. Beyond that, the style, comfort, and amenities of this hotel are routinely criticized, and rightfully so. Nevertheless, my family just […]
Why I (Still) Love the Hyatt Carmel Highlands
My friend Ben from One Mile at a Time had an objectively bad stay at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands. One reason he stayed there was because I encouraged it both in conversation and on my blog. So how could we possibly have such diametrically opposite experiences? How Could Ben And I Have Such Different Experiences […]
Review: Hyatt Carmel Highlands [2019]
I spent the weekend in Carmel, CA with my family at the Highlands Inn, our favorite Hyatt property in the Golden State. My previous reviews remain relevant, but I do want to draw your attention to a few positive changes at the property. > Read More: Hyatt Carmel Highlands Review > Read More: Hyatt Carmel Highlands Review […]
Review: Hyatt Carmel Highlands (Townhouse Spa Suite)
While standard rooms are hardly memorable, Townhouse Spa Suites at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands offer an ideal space for enjoying the beautiful California coast. You can read additional details about the hotel including information on dining, parking, fitness, and other amenities in my full hotel review. This review will focus only on the Townhouse Spa […]
The 33 Hyatt Hotel Category Changes That Matter Most To Me
The annual Hyatt hotel category shuffle has been announced and the 2024 changes are a bit different than in years past. Looking over the list, there are 33 changes that were of interest to me, most of them negative. Hyatt Category Changes 2024: The 33 That Mean Most To Me This year, 183 hotels will […]
Review: Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa
As much as I love the Mar Monte in Santa Barbara, we’ve found a new Southern California weekend getaway at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, which checks off (almost) all the boxes for my family and is particularly generous to World of Hyatt Globalist members. Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Review We spent Thanksgiving weekend at the […]
World Of Hyatt Erodes Value With 2023 Devaluation, But Remains Incredibly Valuable
The latest raft of “category changes” in the World of Hyatt program is brutal…there is no denying it…but in a world of inflation and demand exceeding supply, it is hard to fault Hyatt for tightening the screws. Even with the price hikes, World of Hyatt remains (in both objective and relative terms) an extremely valuable […]
A Sweet Thanksgiving Getaway In Carmel, California
After two years of being sidelined due to the pandemic, my family returned to Carmel, California over the weekend and had a wonderful time together exploring the beauty of the California Coast. A 2022 Return To Carmel, California Can you believe that the last time we traveled to to Carmel was after Thanksgiving in 2019, […]
Park Hyatt Doha: A Nice Hotel I Will Return To (Unlike One Mile At A Time…)
My friend Ben from One Mile At A Time shared about his disappointing upgrade experience at the Park Hyatt Doha and I thought I’d share mine, since it was very different. Park Hyatt Doha: No Upgrade Games For Me It all was very simple for me. I booked a room on hyatt.com, checked in about […]
Review: Ventana Big Sur, An Extraordinary Alila Resort By Hyatt
My wife and I recently spent a weekend at the Ventana Big Sur, an adults-only, all-inclusive Alila resort along the beautiful California Coast. Not only did we have a fantastic stay, but by using our World of Hyatt points to pay for it we enjoyed one of the best values in the entire world of […]
Review: Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa
The Hyatt Regency Monterey is a comfortable hotel on a golf course, ideally located just minutes from downtown Monterey. Hyatt Regency Monterey Review Check-In We arrived in the late evening and found no wait at the front desk to check in. The agent greeted me, swiped my card, and handed me a room key: the […]
A Rainy But Lovely Weekend In Carmel
I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Carmel, which has now become a family tradition. Even with the rain, we had a wonderful time together. A Great Weekend In Carmel California highways and interstates can get very crowded around the holidays, but the five-hour journey between Los Angeles and Carmel does not have to be miserable when […]
My Park Hyatt St. Kitts Dilemma…
The Park Hyatt St. Kitts is offering an incredible deal right now. It is also a resort I’ve talked about visiting for more than a year. Yet I’m struggling over whether to book it. At around $255 night with generous resort credit and beautiful accommodations, this is truly an exceptional deal. I’ve talked about visiting […]
How I Earned Hyatt Globalist Status thru 2019
I ended 2017 with 65 qualifying nights at Hyatt, helping me to secure Globalist status through February 2019. The value proposition of Hyatt Globalist status really depends on the type of properties you stay in. For example, if you are staying mostly at roadside Hyatt Place or Hyatt House properties, your benefits as a Globalist […]
My Hyatt Globalist Status Requalification is Complete
Although I once questioned the value of it, I have successfully re-qualified for Hyatt Globalist status with 60 nights in the bag for 2017. Last year I barely squeaked by, earning Hyatt Diamond status with 25 stays. Hyatt has since done away with stay-based status. Instead, stay credit is only awarded based upon nights. On […]
My Favorite California Hyatt is Now a Category 7
I’ve written before about the Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn in Carmel, CA. It’s my favorite Hyatt in California and a hotel my whole family enjoys. It also is now a Category 7 property, meaning a night will set you back 30,000 points. First, I want to express disappointment that Hyatt so poorly communicated this week’s category changes […]
My Favorite Hyatt in California
I’m just back from a relaxing long weekend at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, my favorite Hyatt in the state of California. To be fair, I have not stayed at every Hyatt property (yet) in CA, but I’ve been to all of the finer ones so let me explain why I like this one best. First, […]
My Top 10 Hotel Stays In 2022
As 2022 draws to a close, it is time for my annual “Top 10” series. Here, I’ll look back on my 10 favorite hotel stays from 2022. As a reminder, this is not a top-1o all-time list, but only covers my hotel stays this year. I stayed at more hotels in 2022 than in 2020 […]
Hotels Continue To Exploit Pandemic To Cut Costs
Travel is starting to boom again, but that has not stopped hotels from using the pandemic to justify numerous cutbacks. Sometimes, though, the hypocrisy is just glaring. Pandemic-Era Hotel Cutbacks Remain, Over Two Years Later Take for example the Park Hyatt Melbourne. It’s a lovely hotel that I stayed at a few years ago and […]
My Top 10 Hotel Stays In 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, it is time for my annual “Top 10” series. Here, I’ll look back on my 10 favorite hotel stays from 2019. As a reminder, this is not a top-1o all-time list nor does it even contain the 10 most luxurious or expensive hotels I stayed at this year. Rather, […]
