Lake Tahoe is a massive freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains bordering both the California and Nevada state lines. I booked free accommodation with points in Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort which was used as a base for various hikes. The Hyatt Regency charges a daily resort fee (with a tax of $56.50) along with different parking fees (self-$29; valet-$50).
| Hyatt Hotel | Booking | Globalist Benefits | Pros | Cons |
| Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort & Spa | Cash: $200-400/ night or 21-29K Hyatt points | Suite upgrades & free valet parking. | Location, customer service, and heated swimming pool | Distance from the cottages to the main hotel. |
How I Booked the Hotel Room
I moved my Chase points to Hyatt and booked a 5-night stay in Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe to explore the region with day hikes. I also used a soon-to-expire Globalist category 1-7 certificate to book one night. This may not be the best use for the certificate and the Hyatt points, but I wanted to avoid the steep parking fees that come with the cash booking. Soon after completing the online booking, I called Hyatt customer service to apply for one of my suite upgrade certificates and confirmed a standard one-bedroom suite. The screenshot below shows the typical suite prices for November (low season) and the prices usually double in the high season.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort – Location
The hotel is located on North Lake Tahoe with beach access and lakeside cottages. The main hotel is separated from the lakeside by a street, which can also be crossed using a conveniently covered overpass. Most Hyatt elites usually get upgraded to one of the lakefront cottages (our cottage location is highlighted in the picture below) and to go to the breakfast area or casino one must cross the street.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort – Check-in
We landed at Reno airport, Nevada around 9 pm and rented a car to drive ~40 minutes to reach the hotel. We initially gave the car to the valet for parking and went in with our luggage to check into the hotel. The front desk employees were very friendly and upgraded us to their top-of-the-line upper beachfront cottage, which usually goes for 1-2K per night based on the time of the year. They also told us to drive straight to the cottage and park in front of our room, so we asked the valet to bring the car back and reloaded the luggage.
Upper Beach Front Cottage
After we parked the car near our cottage, we had to take the luggage up one flight of stairs and we could not find any elevator. It was easy for us since we had carry-on luggage only, but people with large luggage (e.g., winter gear) should ask for help at the front desk.
The cottage is divided into a living room with a fireplace & deck area, a kitchen area, a separate bedroom with a comfortable king-size bed, a dressing area, and a bathroom. When we woke up the next morning, we saw the beautiful lake Tahoe from the deck. See some of our room pictures below.
Breakfast
Globalists get one coupon per day that covers breakfast for 4 people, which can be used for either full-service dining or take-out (packed sandwiches, drinks, etc.,). We only used our coupons for full-service breakfast every day but noticed several people purchasing at the take-out counter. You present the coupon to the hostess before ordering from the menu with no paper bill to sign at the end and a tip is included. The breakfast menu did not change from day to day and contained several egg dishes, pancakes, waffles, and oatmeal. I will not post unnecessary pictures of the food menu in this post. Overall, the food choices, presentation, quantity, and taste were very good.
Some of the Lake Tahoe Region Hikes
There are hundreds of hikes in the region and we picked the top 10 from alltrails.com and completed as many trails as possible during our stay. Some of these hikes include Tahoe Rim Trail to Picnic Rock Viewpoint, Mount Judah Loop Trail, Five Lakes Trail, Marlette Lake from Chimney Beach, and Castle Rock Trail. See some of our hike pictures below.
Summary
We had a blast exploring the trails in the Lake Tahoe region and Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort is reasonably priced with a great lakefront location. I highly recommend anyone interested in visiting Lake Tahoe stay at this place with either cash or points. The daily resort fee (with tax $56.50) and the parking fees (self-$29; valet-$50) are steep as expected for this resort and both were waived for my stay due to award booking and the Globalist status (https://awardcracker.com/why-every-traveler-should-be-a-member-of-world-of-hyatt/#ib-toc-anchor-8). I would love to come back to this hotel for a winter trip to learn skiing due to the perfect location. This is not a ski-in/ski-out equipped place (compared to Grand Hyatt Vail or Park Hyatt Beaver Creek) and you have to take a bus to the ski lifts.