After I booked my October honeymoon in Madagascar roughly six months prematurely, I knew my journey to the East African island would contain an 11-hour layover at Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD). As a Hyatt loyalist who holds the World of Hyatt Credit score Card, I booked an evening in a Hyatt lodge close to the airport with factors. Then I sat again to get enthusiastic about my journey, realizing the planning was accomplished.
Think about my shock when, the morning we had been supposed to go away for our journey of a lifetime, I acquired an automatic e mail asking me to examine in on-line — on the Hyatt Place Chicago/Halfway Airport, a 45-minute drive from ORD. How may I’ve made such an apparent mistake? And will I rebook us on the proper lodge with out forfeiting my factors?
Associated: Errors to keep away from when reserving vacation journey
What occurred?
To chop myself some slack, the reserving course of for our flights had been relatively difficult. After reserving our flights to Madagascar on factors, we might had loads of bother discovering flights residence on account of a quirk in Ethiopian Airways’ accomplice award flight coverage. It had taken a number of days of on-line looking to get our returning flights squared away — and in that point, I had forgotten the small print of our outbound flight. I knew we flew by way of Chicago, however I forgot which airport.
This is without doubt one of the few downsides of enjoying the factors and miles sport. Whenever you use factors and miles to e book free journey, issues can get somewhat extra difficult, making it simpler to miss small errors like this.
Fortunately, my flight left late within the afternoon, giving me loads of time to deal with the problem.
Associated: Chicago O’Hare vs. Halfway: Which Chicago airport ought to I fly into?
Hyatt’s cancellation coverage
I instantly logged into my account to take a look at my reservation. I had redeemed 8,000 World of Hyatt factors for a “normal” night time on the Class 2 Hyatt Place Chicago/Halfway Airport. There was an virtually an identical property close to ORD: the Hyatt Place Chicago/O’Hare Airport. This lodge can also be Class 2, however apparently it categorized my date as “peak,” so it price a barely greater 9,500 factors for one night time.
I had no downside paying a number of extra factors to get a lodge the place we may simply crash after our flight landed round 11 p.m. Nonetheless, in accordance with the lodge’s cancellation coverage, if I canceled inside 24 hours of 11:59 p.m. native time, I’d be charged one night time’s price. Oh, nicely — I figured I might relatively pay 8,000 factors for my mistake than the $264 I’d have paid with money.
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However once I known as a World of Hyatt consultant, I realized the cancellation coverage is somewhat completely different from what I anticipated. Apparently, once you cancel a factors reserving after the deadline, your factors will likely be refunded — and your card on file will likely be charged the present room fee for one night time’s keep. Yikes.
Associated: Your information to reserving refundable journey
Assist from Hyatt
However simply in case there was a technique to keep away from paying this cancellation price, I attempted explaining the state of affairs to the consultant. I did not wish to cancel my reserving, precisely; I wished to switch it to a property nearer to the proper airport.
The consultant began by checking with the second lodge to verify that they had availability. Then she known as the primary lodge to clarify that I used to be rebooking at one other Hyatt, they usually agreed to waive the cancellation price. They canceled my authentic reservation, and the 8,000 factors instantly appeared again in my account. Thanks, Hyatt!
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