We are big fans of the Hyatt all-inclusive portfolio having visited 5 different Ziva or Zilara properties over the years. So, despite potential outcry from the “bloggers kill deals” crowd, I wanted to publish this trick as it may be going away soon anyway considering Hyatt acquired the Ziva and Zilara (and other) properties from the operating company Playa Resorts (then promptly sold the physical buildings).
For those not familiar, Hyatt offers a Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) program where if you find a publicly available rate that is lower than the hyatt.com rate (lowest rate that is not the Member Rate – this is key), you can get matched to the lower price and then choose between either 5k bonus points on that stay or a 20% discount.
Given how expensive these properties have become, and especially for a multi-night stay, we are going to focus on the 20% option. I can confirm this still works post-Playa Resorts acquisition as I just helped my neighbors do this a few days ago, to come with us to a Ziva property this fall.
The trick to get this to work is that for several years, the rate on the Playa Resorts website (again, the company that actually operated the hotels) has matched the Hyatt Member Rate. Since the member rate is not technically “publicly available” despite being free and easy to qualify for, this created a loophole that can be leveraged!
The reason I put price match to “themselves” in quotes in the title is because if you book via the Playa Resorts website, it appears as though you are booking directly with Hyatt including a World of Hyatt logo on the top and a “Reasons to Book Direct” side bar.
BRG step by step process
1. Look up the room you want for the same number of people (all-inclusives charge per person) on both hyatt.com and playaresorts.com
2. Confirm the Playa rate matches the Hyatt Member Rate
3. Book the Standard (NOT the Member) rate or whatever the next cheapest rate is after the Member Rate on hyatt.com. (This is the step that is confusing to most people I have shared this trick with. We are going to price match to Playa which requires booking the publicly available rate directly with Hyatt)
4. Submit the BRG claim within 24 hours to Hyatt here: Hyatt’s Best Rate Guarantee | Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. Alternatively, you can do it over the phone with Hyatt customer service. I used to prefer that for the instant confirmation, but that has been hit or miss for the past year or so and is only available during daytime business hours.
5. When filling out the BRG form, note playaresorts.com as the competing site with the better rate and list the rate for the same room type you booked. Put in your confirmation number for the Hyatt direct booking and be sure to check the box for the 20% off the matched price, not the 5k points
6. Within 24 hours you should see the new rate reflected in your reservation and get a confirmation email that looks like this:
Taking the 5 minutes for this extra step can easily save you a lot of money on a stay. In fact, when I helped my neighbors do this last week, they saved ~ $1350 on a 5 night stay! Here is an example for the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Jamaica. See how the Playa Resorts rate matches the Hyatt Member rate.
TL;DR: It has been possible for several years to use the Playa Resorts website to price match and save 20% with a best rate guarantee claim for the Hyatt ZIva and Zilara all-inclusive properties. Even with the recent acquisition by Hyatt of the properties from Playa, this avenue is still currently possible. Using this trick can potentially save over $1000 on a stay!
