Hyatt hotels deal: 50% off on third night for holiday travel

Now’s the time to start watching for the over-the-top holiday hotel deals. We’ll post what we think are the best holiday travel deals here, starting with this one: Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is offering the third night free for rooms booked during the holiday season.

Starting now, when guests book two nights for stays between November 19 and January 17 at participating Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotels, they will receive 50% off their third consecutive night. Rates at many hotels beginning at just $79, which is a steal if you’re visiting the family for the holidays and don’t want to sleep on the pullout sofa in the basement.

Hyatt Place has more than 150 hotels participating and more than 30 Summerfield Suites hotels located across the U.S. have jumped on board, which means your odds of finding a hotel in your destination are pretty good.

We did a quick check on HyattPlace.com and found the only blackout dates to be over New Year’s Eve. However, the promotion runs through mid-January so you can still get your discounts after the holidays are over.

Reservations may be made by visiting hyattplace.com or hyattsummerfieldsuites.com and you must use booking code *HOLID3 *when making reservations.

Hyatt hotels offer hypoallergenic rooms

While down pillows and duvets add a plush decor to hotel beds, allergy sufferers find this added perk a nuisance and not a luxury. Hypoallergenic pillows and non-fragrant amenities can be requested from any hotel guest, but would it be easier to just designate a few rooms in the hotel as “hypoallergenic rooms”?

Hyatt thinks so, which is why the hotel company announced their “allergy friendly rooms” across its brand of hotels.


The rooms will be priced at an extra $20 to $30 per night, but will be free of dust mites, which live and multiply in bedding, carpeting and upholstered furniture. The move comes as Hyatt and other hoteliers look to capitalize on the growing number of allergy sufferers. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 54 percent of Americans are sensitive to at least one allergen, which results in sneezing, itching and in some cases, asthmatic attacks. The presence of odors, mold, dust or animal dander can be harmful to those with severe allergies.

To help alleviate the suffering for some travelers, Hyatt is relying on Pure Solutions, a privately held New York-based company that claims it can remove 98 percent of bacteria and viruses from hotel rooms. With this new partnership, Hyatt plans to designate a total of 2,000 rooms at 125 Hyatt Resort, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt and Andaz properties across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean as hypoallergenic rooms available by the end of 2010. If the rooms prove to be popular, Hyatt will pay to expand the program.Just how will Pure rid the rooms of allergens?

“Pure’s technicians first take apart the air-handling system in the room, disinfect the parts, treat them with an agent to ward off moisture and add a tea tree oil cartridge that releases a natural anti-microbial agent. After disinfecting every surface in the room, Pure “shocks” the room for two to three hours with highly concentrated ozone to kill mold, bacteria and other unwanted organisms. They then spray carpets, curtains and surfaces with a bacteriostatic shield, Brault said, which lasts up to two and a half years and bonds with bacteria on a molecular level.”

The rooms are also equipped with medical-grade purifiers that eliminate dust, odor and small particles; beds and pillows are encased in microfiber that is impenetrable to dust mites, and allergens in the pillow feathers are removed.

The idea and effort behind these rooms are worthy of accolades but I have to wonder: Why not just do it for all rooms? Surely, everyone would appreciate breathing a little easier at night.

To find a hypoallergenic room, visit pureroom.com.

Gadling Giveaway – Win a free night at any Hyatt Resort!

To celebrate the launch of their Resorts Facebook site, Hyatt has asked us to pick two lucky winners for their own free night at any Hyatt resort. Hyatt has 46 resorts worldwide, from luxury downtown properties like the Park Hyatt to beachside properties in Hawaii and Key West.

To enter the contest, head on over to the Hyatt Resorts Facebook site, click on “trip generator” and tell us what Hyatt considers to be your perfect resort. Leave your answer in the comments below.

  • To enter, simply leave a comment answering the question posted above.
  • The comment must be left before Thursday October 14 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • Two Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive one free night at any Hyatt Resorts property. The included properties are listed here.
  • There is no requirement to sign up for a Gold Passport account for entering the contest unless you are selected as a winner. If you are selected as a winner, the free night will be credited to your Hyatt Gold Passport account and can be cashed in much like frequent flier miles. Winners can sign up for a Gold Passport account at no cost.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • The total value of each prize is approximately $220
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

New Abu Dhabi tower and Hyatt hotel crowned “world’s furthest leaning”

Usually, when you think “leaning tower”, the Leaning Tower of Pisa comes to mind – but a new tower in Abu Dhabi is well on its way to changing that. The 35 story Capital Gate leans an insane 18 degrees – a whole 13 more than the Pisa tower.

The tower was crowned “world’s furthest leaning” by the Guinness Book of World Records on June 5th. But the best part is that this building is more than just a new skyscraper on the Abu Dhabi skyline – you’ll soon be able to spend the night in one of its rooms, thanks to the 5-star Hyatt Capital Gate.

With 189 rooms (including 1 diplomatic and 1 2,475 sq. ft. presidential suite), this luxury hotel is set to offer some of the best views ever thanks to its floor to ceiling windows. The hotel is also home to five restaurants, including an 18th floor tea lounge. The Hyatt Capital Gate is scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2010.

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Hotel review – Summerfield Suites by Hyatt

In line with our regular reviews of budget friendly hotels, our travels took us to a Hyatt Summerfield Suites. This chain joined the Hyatt brand in 2005, and currently has 34 different properties throughout the country.

Summerfield Suites are extended stay hotels – so rooms come with the kind of amenities you need on stays of more than a couple of nights. Of course, this does not exclude them from people looking for a short term stay.


Check-in was extremely efficient and came accompanied with freshly baked cookies – something all hotels should consider. Within a few minutes I was on my way to the room.

The chain offers several types of room – studio, one bedroom and two bedroom. I had booked a one bedroom, and at just $63 this was probably the best hotel bargain I’ve encountered all year.

The room had obviously been renovated in the past 12 months and was outfitted with a decent flat panel TV (with line inputs on the side for your iPod). The sitting area/sofa bed was quite comfortable, and a very nice corner to sit and watch some TV.

The desk comes with a comfortable office chair, cordless phone and Ethernet cable. The hotel offered wired and wireless Internet (both free) as well as in-room printing to the business center. Internet speeds on the weekend were around 2 mbit/s, but those will probably drop during the busier week.

The bedroom has all the small touches you’d expect from a hotel room – its own AC unit, an alarm clock with line-input and surprisingly decent bedding. For me, a good bed and reliable climate control are all I need to be happy – but I could have done with a flat panel in the bedroom, sadly this property had left the bedrooms with old tube TV’s with lousy reception.

No surprises in the bathroom – but they did provide the nice massaging soap bars I’d encountered at the Hyatt Place properties.

The well equipped kitchen is perfect for a TV-dinner, or a more adventurous cooks. A dishwasher means you also don’t need to worry about making too much of a mess. The hotel also provides a grocery shopping service, and will pick up anything you need and place the items in your kitchen/fridge for you to prepare your own meal when you get back to your room at the end of the day.

The (free) breakfast was also one of the better I’ve come across – the assortment included eggs, French toast, sausages, a variety of fruits, cereal and yogurt and fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

On a busy Saturday morning, the line took some time to pass through, but the staff did their best to keep all stations fresh and full.

A decent pool, sauna and fitness center provide a great way to end the day or to to keep your kids entertained – the hot tub was a huge hit.

Final thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, Summerfield Suites are a fantastic bargain – prices will of course vary from location to location, but in most cities, you’ll be able to find weekend rates around $75 (lower with a AAA membership) – and when you consider that you get a large room, pool access and free breakfast, you’ll understand why I’m so impressed.

With prices like this, you don’t even need a reason to visit a hotel – I find a trip to a local hotel to be a perfect way to get away from it all. Best of all, if you enroll in the Hyatt Gold passport program, you can get one free night for every two nights you spend at a Hyatt property. You do the math – two nights at a $75 hotel, and you can treat yourself to a free night at a luxury property that normally goes for $300 a night.

Click here to learn more about this chain, or to find locations near you.