American Airlines and Hyatt Are Launching A Very Rewarding Partnership

The very first hotel points I can remember earning were part of the original Double Dip program Hilton had.  My dad was a big fan of the Hilton program when he traveled for work.  I can remember how excited I was to check-in to a hotel and earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles along with hotel points.  It seems like that idea is back in style with today’s announcement.

American Airlines and Hyatt to “Double Dip”

American Airlines and Hyatt announced a partnership that will benefit both AAdvantage members and World of Hyatt members.  This is a partnership that business travelers should be ecstatic about.  Elite members of both American Airlines and World of Hyatt will enjoy additional benefits when they fly with American and stay at Hyatt:

AAdvantage 

• In addition to World of Hyatt points earned through Hyatt hotel stays, AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, Executive Platinum and ConciergeKey members will be able to earn one AAdvantage bonus mile for every eligible dollar spent at qualifying Hyatt properties.
• On top of earning more miles, American’s invitation-only ConciergeKey members will receive World of Hyatt Globalist status as a new way to extend the care provided throughout the entire travel journey.

World of Hyatt 

• In addition to AAdvantage miles earned by flying on American, World of Hyatt Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist members will be able to earn one World of Hyatt bonus point for every eligible dollar spent on qualifying American flights.

For the more experienced amongst you, I value AAdvantage miles around 1.5 cents each and a World of Hyatt point a bit more.  Those terms can cause some folks’ eyes to blur.  So, let’s look at some real-world examples.

Earning Examples

Business travelers will have a wide range of what they spend on hotels, but it’s safe to say there are plenty of road warriors spending an average of $200 per night on hotel rooms when they travel. Small cities skew lower and big convention cities usually skew higher.  If we assume a 3-night stay, you’ll earn 600 AAdvantage miles if you have elite status with the airline and stay at a Hyatt hotel.  This is in addition to the World of Hyatt points you’d earn.  Now, 600 miles won’t buy you a lot.  But, 20 hotel stays like this over the course of a year would earn you a free one-way airline ticket at the domestic saver level.

Let’s use $500 as the average price for an airline ticket.  If you’re a World of Hyatt elite member, you’ll earn 500 bonus World of Hyatt points if you purchase that ticket from American Airlines.  Do that 20 or so times and you’ll have a free night at any category 3 Hyatt property.  There are plenty of very nice hotels in that category, including the Hyatt Regency Denver, one of my go-to properties for business travel.  Hyatt Regency Bellevue and the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach in Hawaii are also decent hotels to snag a free night at.

Members of both programs will also have access to status match offers for the programs.

The Final Two Pennies

I’m guessing Hyatt won’t love me using Hilton’s old marketing terms, but it sticks well in my head.  I love programs like this.  Business travelers are saving their hard-earned points and miles for vacations.  In my case (and many others) it’s about taking our families on once-in-a-lifetime trips. Some of the truly special destinations around the world continue to get more “expensive” when we use miles and points. We need extra points and miles whenever we can get them.

I’m a huge Hyatt fan.  American Airlines has a special place in my heart after 10 years as an Executive Platinum member.  Being able to earn bonus points with both programs when I’m patronizing the other is a no-brainer for me. With this partnership, Hyatt and American Airlines are attempting to make the every day travel experience more rewarding.  Stick with their brands and they’ll reward you for your consistent patronage.

This is probably another good indication that periodic promotions aren’t getting much more rewarding anytime soon (though I really like Hyatt’s current promo).  My business travel schedule is pretty well set on its own. I prefer promotions where I can earn points or miles that I can use at my own leisure as opposed to free nights.  I also prefer not having to stay a certain number of nights during a time period, since my schedule is controlled by business needs. Business travelers should enjoy the benefits of this new partnership when it launches later this year.

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