At the end of last year, World of Hyatt announced that it would be expanding its footprint in Las Vegas through a partnership with The Venetian and Palazzo. The two sister properties are upscale casino/resorts with nice rooms, attractive pools and good food and beverage outlets.
At first glance, that seemed exciting given Hyatt’s lackluster footprint in Sin City, and its even more lackluster off-strip crown “jewel,” The Rio. However, since Hyatt introduced dynamic off-chart pricing with its introduction of Mr & Mrs Smith (MMS) last year, new additions have largely centered around a similar theme: nice properties, yucky award pricing.
Well, both of these Las Vegas hotels are are now live in World of Hyatt and the news isn’t good: there’s little in the way of elite benefits and award pricing is sometimes more than a normal Hyatt Category 8…even midweek.
World of Hyatt / Venetian Details
The Venetian and Palazzo are now live and can be booked via World of Hyatt with points or cash. Here’s the sordid details:
- Award prices are dynamic, revenue-based and overall are a terrible value. I checked several weekend and midweek dates throughout the Spring and found values that ranged from ~0.7-1.0 cents per point (we peg the reasonable redemption of Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each).
- Resort fees aren’t waived on award stays, unlike most properties in World of Hyatt. The fees are folded into the total points price, so you don’t have to fork over cash, but you’re still paying for them indirectly.
- There’s little in the way of benefits for elite members and no free breakfast for Globalists. The terms indicate that elite members can receive benefits like “Invited Guest check-in; late checkout and early check-in (pending availability), suite upgrades (pending availability); and discounts on gondola rides and select retail locations.” That’s it. Nothing except for priority check-in is guaranteed and Discoverists get the exact same benefits as Globalists.
- No free parking for Globalists on awards stays. But, by now you assumed that, right?
- The Venetian counts as a unique brand under Hyatt’s Brand Explorer promotion, so I guess that’s something.
- You only get points-earning, elite night credit and other Hyatt benefits when booking through Hyatt. This could be a reasonable option for folks that were going to pay the full direct cash price anyway, as the rates seem to usually be quite close. That said, there are often 3rd-party offers for less. In those cases, there is an opportunity cost to getting these limited benefits (although it could be useful for those who need elite nights).
Quick Thoughts
I’m actually a fan of both The Venetian and Palazzo. I’ve stayed at each one multiple times, usually on good-value, midweek Fine Hotels and Resorts stays to use up Amex Platinum credits. The rooms are spacious and well-appointed, the location on the strip is central and I like the selection of restaurants.
I also like World of Hyatt. However, I’m not a big fan of the combination of the two, at least in its current form.
You only get benefits if you book through Hyatt, but cash rates are fairly high and the award prices make many Mr & Mrs Smith properties look like a value. Even if you do part with the mountain of points required, you still have to pay for resort fees, parking and breakfast, regardless of your elite status. There’s just not a lot to like here, unless you were already going to pay the direct cash rate anyway. In that case, you can at least earn Hyatt points and elite nights.
This is only the latest in a series of underwhelming additions that Hyatt has made to World of Hyatt in last year or two, in terms of the benefits and value that it offers Hyatt members. Hopefully that changes at some point, but for now there’s little reason for most folks to book either The Venetian or the Palazzo through World of Hyatt.
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