As many of you know I am a divorce attorney in Pennsylvania. I do not regularly travel for business. This past weekend I attended a conference in Washington D.C. Lucky for me the conference was held at one of my favorite hotel chains – Hyatt. Since I am a Diamond member of their frequent guest program, Hyatt Gold Passport, I was given some perks.
At check-in I was given a choice of a Diamond amenity. I was offered a selection of food and beverage items delivered to my room or extra Hyatt points. Earning and using hotel points and airline miles is my hobby, so I took the points.
As a Diamond member I am also given four free suite upgrades each year on paid stays. I reserved a room at the conference rate of $229 and got a free suite upgrade. My suite was very spacious with two full bathrooms, a large dining table, bar area with stools, refrigerator and microwave. Since I was sharing my room with another attorney and we were meeting with other collaborative professionals, the suite was a great place to for small groups of us to meet.
Another perk was the use of the club lounge which was located on the top floor of the hotel. Why do I like to be able to use the club lounge? It is a private area in the hotel that serves food and beverages for no extra change (beer and wine $3.00 and liquor $4.00). This club lounge was open from early in the morning until late at night. Non-alcoholic beverages and snacks were always available. Continental breakfast was served in the morning including fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, various spreads and breads including delicious croissants. Hors d’oeuvres included a selection of crudities, cheeses, dips, and crackers and later in the evening dessert was served. For this business trip the lounge was a wonderful place to meet in the morning, eat breakfast and take a quiet break from the conference later in the day.
As a Diamond member I also received free internet access for my stay at the hotel. To save money for this business trip, I purchased a number of Hyatt $100 gift certificates for $79.99 at Costco and used those to pay my bill at checkout.