World of Hyatt’s Discover experiences: Learn how to earn and burn Hyatt factors

I not too long ago had an opportunity to attend a five-course dinner on the Thompson Denver resort, a part of the Hyatt model’s A Style of Thompson: Chef Sequence. That is one in every of many actions obtainable by Discover, Hyatt’s expertise platform, the place World of Hyatt members can earn and burn factors.

This is every part that you must learn about Discover, what my expertise was like and why I believe Discover is value contemplating when planning your subsequent journey.

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What’s the Discover expertise platform?

In keeping with Hyatt’s web site, “FIND is a market that provides entry to rigorously curated wellbeing experiences to assist encourage folks to be their finest selves.” There are presently over 500 experiences in over 75 locations obtainable on the Discover web site.

For those who’re planning a visit (or in search of one thing enjoyable to do at house), you may search by nation or state to see what’s on provide in your vacation spot. You may also search by class (arts, tradition & neighborhood, exploration and restoration), or you may enter key phrases to slim your search.

Not like some resort expertise platforms, which concentrate on reveals or sporting occasions, Discover’s choice runs the gamut. In fact, your choices will rely on the place you are headed — and large cities appear to have the most effective choice. Costs fluctuate enormously, too.

Some examples embody a beer tasting in Prague ($33 or 2,377 World of Hyatt factors), a snorkeling tour in Honolulu ($184 or 13,148 factors) and a half-day tour of Marrakech ($349 or 24,960 factors).

You may also discover tickets to reveals and museums, letting you earn and burn Hyatt factors on one thing you’ll have already been planning. For example, an entry ticket to the Nashville Nation Music Corridor of Fame and Museum prices $31 or 2,225 factors, or you would see “Aladdin” on Broadway for $110 or 7,849 factors.

Some experiences are “curated” by a Hyatt resort, however you usually do not have to remain on the resort to e book the expertise. The exception is for experiences that explicitly embody a resort keep, like a “Depraved”-themed night time on the Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor ($475 or 33,955 factors).

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Anybody can view Discover experiences, however you should be a World of Hyatt member to buy them. For those who log into your account whereas looking out, you may favourite particular experiences to avoid wasting them for later.

Associated: The last word information to redeeming your World of Hyatt factors

My World of Hyatt Discover expertise

A Style of Thompson: Chef Sequence is an element of a bigger Chef Sequence occasion that’s obtainable on Discover as half of a bigger package deal, which incorporates tickets for 2 to the dinner, a meet-and-greet with the chef, a predinner cocktail hour and one night time’s keep on the resort — in my case, it was the Thompson Denver.

My expertise additionally included a number of goodies ready for me in my room: a signed copy of the chef’s recipe e book, a field of three of his favourite spice blends, a Thompson water bottle, glowing wine and mineral water on ice, and house-made ganache bites (made specifically vegan for me).

The ganache bites have been as scrumptious as they seemed.

The five-course meal was equally scrumptious. Though the Discover web site states “no substitutes supplied” for company with dietary restrictions or meals allergy symptoms, the chef fortunately accommodated my vegan eating regimen — and it was probably the greatest meals I’ve eaten. It was not solely flavorful but in addition protein-packed and filling (a tough mixture to search out in vegan restaurant choices).

My omnivorous companions appeared to take pleasure in their commonplace menu simply as a lot. Everybody — from my husband, who will eat something, to seasoned culinary writers — appeared impressed with the meals.

This dinner on the Thompson Denver was a one-time occasion, however the Chef Sequence will proceed with related occasions at California’s Thompson Palm Springs in January and The Cape, a Thompson Resort in Mexico in February. For those who’re concerned about attending and you’ve got particular dietary wants, I’d suggest contacting the resort to see if they’ll accommodate you earlier than reserving your ticket since this Discover expertise was nonrefundable.

The Thompson Denver Discover package deal price $832 or 59,428 World of Hyatt factors. Nonetheless, you would additionally purchase tickets to the dinner solely by Thompson’s web site for $135 per particular person or $195 with wine pairings. This included the welcome cocktail hour and one of many chef’s signature spice blends however not the opposite objects included with the Discover package deal.

As a lot as I loved my Discover expertise, I want the tickets alone have been obtainable through Discover. The identical applies to Thompson Denver’s different occasions, together with a chocolate-making workshop, a vacation drag present and a New Yr’s Day pajama brunch — none of that are presently obtainable by Discover.

The extra choices Hyatt provides to the Discover platform, the higher as a result of Discover is a useful gizmo for Hyatt loyalists like me. This is why.

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Are World of Hyatt Discover experiences value it?

For those who redeem World of Hyatt factors for a Discover expertise, most often, you may get a price round 1.4 cents per level. That is decrease than TPG’s December 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents every for World of Hyatt factors, however it’s not horrible for an expertise redemption.

I maintain the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card, which lets me redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for actions by the Chase Journey℠ portal at a charge of 1.25 cents every. Or, I may e book actions with my Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card; in the event that they code as journey, I may use Capital One miles to reimburse myself at a charge of 1 cent every. The Discover platform presents higher worth than both of those choices.

You probably have your eye on a Discover expertise that might be prohibitively costly, otherwise you’re decided to plan a complete trip on factors and miles, this can be a strong choice. Nonetheless, you may most likely get extra worth out of your Hyatt factors by redeeming them for Hyatt resort stays, particularly at luxurious properties or throughout peak dates.

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For those who’d relatively save your factors for a extra aspirational redemption, you will have the choice to e book Discover actions with money and earn Hyatt factors. The truth is, World of Hyatt members earn 10 factors per eligible greenback spent on Discover — double what you’d earn on Hyatt stays as a fundamental member. You may earn much more factors for those who maintain Hyatt elite standing or pay with a Hyatt bank card, as much as a most of 17 factors per greenback. Plus, factors earned by Discover rely towards Hyatt elite standing.

Discover works otherwise than different resort platforms, like Hilton Honors Experiences and Marriott Bonvoy Moments. These require you to bid factors on experiences, so that you by no means know precisely what number of factors you may have to spend — or for those who’ll even get the expertise. And with most resort platforms, you do not have the choice to pay money and earn bonus factors.

Hyatt’s flat charges make it simpler to plan your trip, and I admire that you could select between incomes or burning factors right here. If an affordable exercise catches my eye, I will most likely buy it with my World of Hyatt Credit score Card to spice up my Hyatt account steadiness. If I discover one thing dearer, just like the Thompson Denver Chef Sequence and mixed resort package deal, I might think about redeeming factors for it as a substitute.

You may also present Discover experiences to household and associates, a pleasant choice to have for those who’re in search of a distinctive present concept for a hard-to-shop-for cherished one. And, in 2023, Hyatt launched a brand new characteristic: A choose few Discover experiences at the moment are offered with factors at public sale, extra in keeping with different resort platforms.

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Backside line

As a Hyatt loyalist, I believe the Discover platform is an thrilling and probably invaluable instrument. Actions are at all times a giant a part of my trip plans, and I am thrilled to have a approach to both redeem factors for them or earn at the very least 10 factors per greenback on them. If different Discover experiences are as high-quality because the one I not too long ago attended, they stand to supply nice worth.