I reserved a standard room at Park Hyatt Mendoza with points several months ago and called the Globalist line and used one of my suite upgrade certificates to book a Park Suite.
Hyatt Confirmation Email after Points booking
Award Booking Switched to Cash Booking Without my Knowledge
For some unexplained reason, my award booking was switched to a cash booking soon after the suite upgrade certificate was applied.
When Did I realize This Error?
I never paid attention to the “nightly rate per room” when I got the second email several months ago. I was looking through the Hyatt app about my upcoming (3 days) stay details and suddenly realized that I owe a lot of money instead of points (see image below).
Switching Hotel Booking to Points From Cash
For my particular travel dates, Hyatt Mendoza has no available rooms to book with points and I had to call the Hyatt Globalist line for help. A friendly representative understood the mistake on their part and discussed it with her supervisor. They reached out to Hyatt Mendoza management to rectify the issue. I eagerly waited several hours yesterday to get a confirmation email from Hyatt Globalist customer service (see image below).
My reservation details have been switched over to award booking instead of cash (see images below).
In the Hyatt app, the total per room is listed as “confidential” for some reason (see image below).
My Alternative Option if Hyatt Mendoza Refused a Last Minute Points Booking
I am glad that Hyatt Mendoza understood the error (made by the Hyatt agent) and agreed to switch the cash booking over to a points booking with just 3 days notice. This is obviously not their fault and happened during the process of suite upgrade certificate implementation.
I was just going to Mendoza to stay at the Park Hyatt and enjoy their local wine/dining and I was able to cancel the entire stay without penalty one day before arrival. I was trying to see my options to visit alternative destinations in Argentina from Bariloche if I have to skip traveling to Mendoza. I would have lost all the money I paid for the flights and paid extra for new flights and accommodations.
What would have happened if I did not realize this error till the time of check out?
I don’t even want to think about this possibility since I would be at the mercy of Hyatt customer service on the last day of my Argentina trip. Since I have all the booking emails, I am confident that Hyatt customer service would have helped in the same way, but the whole process would be more stressful.
Conclusion
I wanted to post my experience here so it serves as a reminder for everyone to always check and see the award booking nightly rate per room after any modification emails arrive in your inbox. This happened to me once at an SLH property in Lake Come (review) and I always verify with the front desk at the time of check-in.