In a past post about my perfect Hyatt mattress run, I mentioned paying more to secure a beachfront room. In response, a reader asked why I didn’t use a Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award for that purpose. The answer: Hyatt’s Suite Upgrade Awards don’t work at Destination Residences properties (which this was). And that makes sense because Destination Residence properties are apartment style usually with living room, dining, and kitchen areas separate from one or more bedrooms. In other words, you get a suite (or better) automatically. This question, though, made me wonder where else can’t we use our Suite Upgrade Awards?
Hyatt confirmed suite upgrades
With Hyatt, there are several ways to confirm a suite in-advance without paying the cash rate for the suite:
- Suite Free Night Awards: Hyatt’s free night award chart includes pricing for booking suites with points. Suite availability for awards is not guaranteed.
- Complimentary Suite Upgrade Awards: Through Hyatt’s Milestone Rewards, it’s possible to earn Suite Upgrade Awards (starting at 40 nights). On any paid or award stay, you can apply a Suite Upgrade Award to be upgraded to a suite for the entire length of your stay. One upgrade award can be used for a stay of up to 7 nights. Suite Upgrade Awards can be applied as early as the time of booking. To apply a suite upgrade award, a standard suite must be available for the entire length of your stay.
- Suite Upgrade Awards with Points: On qualifying paid rates, it’s possible to upgrade to a suite using points:
- Suite Upgrade: 6,000 points per night
- Premium Suite Upgrade: 9,000 points per night
Suite Award Ineligible Properties
Within World of Hyatt’s terms & conditions you can find a list of “Suite Award Ineligible Properties.” These are properties where you can’t book a suite through any of the methods described above. Here’s the list of ineligible properties:
- Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
- Park Hyatt Sydney
- Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa
- Park Hyatt Johannesburg
- Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
- Andaz Lisbon
- Hyatt Regency Kyoto
- Hyatt Paris Madeleine
- Hyatt Herald Square New York
- Hyatt Key West Resort and Spa
- Hyatt City of Dreams Manila
- Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami
- Hyatt Centric Midtown 5th Ave New York
- Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria
- Spirit Ridge at NK’MIP Resort
- Cheyenne Mountain Resort
- Hyatt Rosemont
- Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest
- Hyatt Regency Lisle near Naperville
- Hyatt Regency Newport Beach West
- Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment
- Hyatt Regency Madrid Residences
- Hyatt Regency Morristown
- Hyatt Regency Manchester
- Grand Hyatt Kuwait Residences
- Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami
- Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach
- Hyatt Centric MG Road Bangalore
- Hyatt Centric Old Town Alexandria
- Numu Boutique Hotel San Miguel de Allende
- Thompson Seattle
- Thompson Hollywood
- Chicago Athletic Association
- Hotel Revival Baltimore
- Hotel Avatar
- Waterfront Hotel
- Park South
- The Laurel Inn
- Hotel Kabuki
- Alila Manggis
- Studios at Alila Sminyak
- Alila Villas Uluwatu
- Alila Taihu Suzhou
- Alila Ubud
- Episode Hsinchu
- EPISODE Daan Taipei
- Ronil Goa
- Hyatt Raipur
- Hôtel du Louvre
- Ventana Campground
- The Standard, Hua Hin
- The Standard, London
- The Standard, High Line
- The Standard, East Village
- The Standard, Maldives
- The StandardX, Melbourne
- StandardX Bangkok Riverfront (The StandardX, Bangkok Phra Arthit)
- The Standard, Singapore
- Sunscape Sabor Cozumel
- Dreams Aventuras
- Dreams Royal Beach
- Now Emerald Cancun
- AluaSoul Alcudia Bay
- AluaSoul Menorca
- Alua Leo
- AluaSun Far Menorca
- AluaSun Mediterráneo
- AluaSun Cala Antena
- Alua Boccaccio
- AluaSun Lago Park
- AluaSun Doblemar
- Lindner Hotel Frankfurt Hochst
- Lindner Hotel Dusseldorf Seestern
- Lindner Hotel Frankfurt Sportpark
- Lindner Hotel City Plaza Cologne
- Lindner Hotel Nurburgring Ferienpark
- Lindner Hotel Nurburgring Motorsport
- Lindner Hotel Nurburgring Congress
- Lindner Hotel Bratislava
- Brunfels Hotel
- Caption by Hyatt hotels or resorts
- Hyatt Place hotels or resorts
- Hyatt Studios hotels
- Me and All Hotels properties or
- Any Destination by Hyatt Residences property, except as otherwise expressly set forth in the Destination by Hyatt Residence Award Terms.
Suite Upgrade Ineligible Properties
In addition to the list of “Suite Award Ineligible Properties,” above, one brand is ineligible for suite upgrades (but apparently may be available for Suite Free Night Awards):
- Hyatt Residence Club hotels or resorts
Short Answer
If you’re anything like me, you’ll never remember the specific list of ineligible hotels, but you may be able to remember the much shorter list of Hyatt brands that don’t allow suite upgrades:
- Caption by Hyatt hotels or resorts
- Hyatt Place hotels or resorts
- Hyatt Studios hotels
- Me and All Hotels properties
- Destination by Hyatt Residences
See Also
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I’m not surprised the Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment is exempt. This is an awful property that should have never been allowed to convert from Crowne Plaza to Hyatt Regency. No club lounge either.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico, “does not participate” in suite upgrade awards, according to my Hyatt Concierge when I tried (twice) unsuccessfully to apply one.
It is reassuring that only 4 Park Hyatts are on this list……….but it is somewhat depressing that 2 of the Paris Hyatt hotels are on this list……..I am assuming since you are in Paris you are using a suite upgrade during your stay?
I did not realize this about the HR Manchester; however, I apply SUAs often, and for weeks at a time, at the HH Manchester, and have exceptional experiences. The one time I stayed at the HR due to the HH being sold out for my last minute stay, I was upgraded complimentary by the manager, who has to be the nicest and kindest human–born for the hospitality industry. It is my understanding that the HR only has a single suite? (I believe Anthony at The Bulkhead Seat wrote about this. I thought, NO WAY! Then he showed the same room, number and all, I was in, 1010!). So that would make a lot of sense if only one exists–or at least one standard suite–I loved it though. I am headed back Thursday for a few weeks to HH, and I plan to ask. Either way, the Manchester Hyatts are fantastic, and frankly, I will return and go out of my way for them.
The Standards seem to be setting one I dislike already.
And some of them–e.g. Paris Madeleine, may not participate, but are known for upgrades. I was met by the manager (of some type, guest relations maybe?) there and personally welcomed on a full points stay, and upgraded and treated like some important guest. Wonderful stay. Cannot say enough good! And didn’t even need to burn a SUA for that. So it is not all negative. But I do get the sentiment people express with some of the preemptive DO NOT PARTICIPATEs.
Similar experience this month at Hotel du Louvre: Could not upgrade in advance, but got a wonderful room (standard suite) on arrival. You never know, but it happens often enough with Hyatt that it makes me want to stay a Globalist.
It would be helpful if you indicated the properties added to the list, in the note mentioning the update or elsewhere. My guess it was the Standard properties, but perhaps there are others? Thanks.
The Standard properties were among the additions. The last time this post had been updated was back in 2021 though, so there had likely been a lot of other additions along the way rather than just recently. Other properties added included many of the all-inclusive hotels that Hyatt’s picked up in recent years.
This list is getting out of control. Soon we’ll just need a list of where we can use them*
*subject to non existent availability
Andaz Miami is cheating the system…playing games, only allowing suite awards when they want to.
That is a quite a list of places Globalists can’t use their suite upgrades. I’m a Globalist and had no idea.I have encountered situations where no suites were available for certificate use. In any event, I do get A LOT of suite upgrades as a Globalist upon check-in, and they don’t really give us that many certificates, so it’s hard to be too disappointed about the certificate exclusions.
Is there an article on which Hyatt locations have clubs where you can use Club Access?
No, but others have asked! I don’t know any good way to get that info though
Amsterdam!
Greg, Some of the suite award ineligible properties may be incorrect. I booked a suite using points at the Hyatt Regency Lisle near Naperville just two months ago.
That being said, great post. I’m glad the PH Kyoto isn’t on the list as that is where I was planning on using one of my suite upgrades.
Good to know, thanks!
You could add the Hyatt Regency Tokyo and Tokyo Centric Ginza as well. I don’t know if they “officially” take SU’s, but I have been told “No” on two separate trips.
Odd I just used an SUA for Centric Ginza, online no problem.
I thought Ventana is an Alila brand not destination. And they can be used at alila no?
Yes, that’s right. At Ventana you can use suite upgrades, but not at Ventana Campground. Note that there are a couple Alila properties in the ineligible property list as well:
Just a tiny roast, Greg, but I’m sure that you meant to use “complimentary” not “complementary” suite nights.
Oops! Fixed.
This bonvoyesque list is making Globalist lite (not going for the 60 night milestone awards) look even better.
Will Hyatt Place upgrade Globalist to suite if available at check in? Don’t laugh. In looking at one where the suite is 800 sf.
Yes, they absolutely will.
It’s a “brand standard” issue because a significant percentage of HPs don’t have a true “suite”. And actually many of the larger rooms could be considered suites even though they are standard rooms (ie 2Q + sofabed).