Mistake story: I booked an award keep on the mistaken airport lodge — right here’s what occurred

Once I booked my October honeymoon in Madagascar roughly six months upfront, 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, understanding the planning was executed.

Think about my shock when, the morning we have been supposed to go away for our journey of a lifetime, I acquired an automatic electronic 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 quite a lot of hassle discovering flights house as a result of a quirk in Ethiopian Airways’ associate 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 means of Chicago, however I forgot which airport.

This is without doubt one of the few downsides of enjoying the factors and miles recreation. While you use factors and miles to guide free journey, issues can get a little bit 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 handle 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 “commonplace” evening on the Class 2 Hyatt Place Chicago/Halfway Airport. There was an virtually equivalent property close to ORD: the Hyatt Place Chicago/O’Hare Airport. This lodge can also be Class 2, however apparently it categorised my date as “peak,” so it price a barely larger 9,500 factors for one evening.

I had no drawback paying just a few extra factors to get a lodge the place we may simply crash after our flight landed round 11 p.m. Nevertheless, 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 evening’s payment. Oh, properly — 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 referred to as a World of Hyatt consultant, I discovered the cancellation coverage is a little bit completely different from what I anticipated. Apparently, once you cancel a factors reserving after the deadline, your factors shall be refunded — and your card on file shall be charged the present room fee for one evening’s keep. Yikes.

Associated: Your information to reserving refundable journey

Assist from Hyatt

However simply in case there was a method to keep away from paying this cancellation payment, I attempted explaining the state of affairs to the consultant. I did not need to cancel my reserving, precisely; I wished to switch it to a property nearer to the precise airport.

The consultant began by checking with the second lodge to substantiate they’d availability. Then she referred to as the primary lodge to clarify that I used to be rebooking at one other Hyatt, they usually agreed to waive the cancellation payment. They canceled my unique reservation, and the 8,000 factors instantly appeared again in my account. Thanks, Hyatt!

I did not have sufficient factors in my World of Hyatt account for the consultant to guide the brand new 9,500-point lodge (I had spent all of them on my upcoming European Christmas journey), however I advised her I may switch them from my Chase Final Rewards account. Fortunately, due to Chase’s (sometimes) superfast transfers, the additional factors I wanted have been in my World of Hyatt account a couple of minutes later, and I used to be capable of guide an evening on the Hyatt Place Chicago/O’Hare Airport. The money fee was $295 earlier than taxes and costs, giving me a wonderful worth of three.1 cents per level (in comparison with TPG’s December 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents for Hyatt factors).

Your complete course of took lower than an hour, and I had the remainder of the morning to pack and put together for my Madagascar journey earlier than we headed to the airport. General, I am glad Hyatt despatched me the check-in electronic mail and I spotted my mistake early. If I hadn’t observed it till we arrived on the airport at 11 p.m., it may have been a lot more durable — and extra annoying — to repair.

What if I hadn’t been capable of get my factors again, or the Hyatt I wished had been absolutely booked?

My husband and I would not have needed to begin our honeymoon by spending the evening in ORD, Tom Hanks-style. There are many motels close by. I may have transferred Chase factors to Marriott Bonvoy to guide an award evening on the Marriott Chicago O’Hare, for instance, or paid money on the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport. Worst case, if there had been completely no rooms open round ORD, I may have merely paid for a 45-minute Uber experience to and from my unique Halfway lodge.

However due to Hyatt’s customer support and some additional Chase factors, I used to be capable of make our evening in Chicago as streamlined as attainable with out spending a dime.

Associated: Final-minute methods for incomes World of Hyatt standing

Backside line

Lesson discovered: Do not assume {that a} metropolis has just one airport or just one worldwide airport. Do not guide the primary lodge with “airport” within the identify, like I did. And once you end reserving a visit, double-check all of your reservations to verify the dates and areas line up.

Additionally, if this occurs to you, do not merely rebook on-line and pay the cancellation payment. It is price attempting the cellphone helpline first — they could be extra beneficiant than you anticipate.

Lastly, it is all the time a good suggestion to have some additional transferable factors saved up for conditions like this. And we advocate establishing any lodge and airline accounts it’s possible you’ll use sooner or later and linking them to your transferable factors account now, as this can pace up the method if you find yourself needing to switch your factors final minute.