I lately 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 Collection. That is one in all many actions obtainable by means of Discover, Hyatt’s expertise platform, the place World of Hyatt members can earn and burn factors.
This is the whole lot it’s essential find out about Discover, what my expertise was like and why I believe Discover is price contemplating when planning your subsequent journey.
Associated: Finest resort rewards packages on this planet: Which one is best for you?
What’s the Discover expertise platform?
In accordance with Hyatt’s web site, “FIND is a market that gives entry to fastidiously curated wellbeing experiences to assist encourage individuals to be their greatest selves.” There are at present over 500 experiences in over 75 locations obtainable on the Discover web site.
In case you’re planning a visit (or on the lookout for one thing enjoyable to do at dwelling), you may search by nation or state to see what’s on provide in your vacation spot. It’s also possible to search by class (arts, tradition & neighborhood, exploration and restoration), or you may enter key phrases to slim your search.
In contrast to some resort expertise platforms, which give attention to exhibits or sporting occasions, Discover’s choice runs the gamut. In fact, your choices will rely upon the place you are headed — and large cities appear to have the perfect choice. Costs differ vastly, too.
Some examples embrace 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).
It’s also possible to discover tickets to exhibits and museums, letting you earn and burn Hyatt factors on one thing you could 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 might see “Aladdin” on Broadway for $110 or 7,849 factors.
Some experiences are “curated” by a Hyatt resort, however you usually haven’t got to remain on the resort to ebook the expertise. The exception is for experiences that explicitly embrace a resort keep, like a “Depraved”-themed night time on the Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor ($475 or 33,955 factors).
Every day E-newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Every day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s specialists
Anybody can view Discover experiences, however you have to be a World of Hyatt member to buy them. In case you log into your account whereas looking out, you may favourite particular experiences to avoid wasting them for later.
Associated: The final word information to redeeming your World of Hyatt factors
My World of Hyatt Discover expertise
A Style of Thompson: Chef Collection is an element of a bigger Chef Collection 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 ebook, 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 had been as scrumptious as they regarded.
1 of 3
RACHEL CRAFT/THE POINTS GUY
The five-course meal was equally scrumptious. Though the Discover web site states “no substitutes offered” for company with dietary restrictions or meals allergic reactions, the chef fortunately accommodated my vegan food plan — and it was top-of-the-line 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 get pleasure from their commonplace menu simply as a lot. Everybody — from my husband, who will eat something, to seasoned culinary writers — appeared impressed with the meals.
1 of 8
RACHEL CRAFT/THE POINTS GUY
This dinner on the Thompson Denver was a one-time occasion, however the Chef Collection will proceed with related occasions at California’s Thompson Palm Springs in January and The Cape, a Thompson Resort in Mexico in February. In case you’re considering attending and you’ve got particular dietary wants, I’d suggest contacting the resort to see if they will accommodate you earlier than reserving your ticket since this Discover expertise was nonrefundable.
The Thompson Denver Discover package deal value $832 or 59,428 World of Hyatt factors. Nonetheless, you might additionally purchase tickets to the dinner solely by means of 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 gadgets included with the Discover package deal.
As a lot as I loved my Discover expertise, I want the tickets alone had 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 at present obtainable by means of Discover.
The extra choices Hyatt provides to the Discover platform, the higher as a result of Discover is a great tool for Hyatt loyalists like me. This is why.
Associated: One of the best Hyatt inns on this planet
Are World of Hyatt Discover experiences price it?
In case you redeem World of Hyatt factors for a Discover expertise, most often, you may get a worth 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, but it surely’s not horrible for an expertise redemption.
I maintain the Chase Sapphire Most popular® Card, which lets me redeem Chase Final Rewards factors for actions by means of the Chase Journey℠portal at a fee of 1.25 cents every. Or, I might ebook actions with my Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card; in the event that they code as journey, I might use Capital One miles to reimburse myself at a fee of 1 cent every. The Discover platform gives higher worth than both of those choices.
When you’ve got your eye on a Discover expertise that may be prohibitively costly, otherwise you’re decided to plan a whole trip on factors and miles, it is a strong choice. Nonetheless, you may in all probability get extra worth out of your Hyatt factors by redeeming them for Hyatt resort stays, particularly at luxurious properties or throughout peak dates.
Associated: 22 greatest Hyatt inns on this planet
In case you’d slightly save your factors for a extra aspirational redemption, you’ve the choice to ebook Discover actions with money and earn Hyatt factors. In reality, World of Hyatt members earn 10 factors per eligible greenback spent on Discover — double what you’d earn on Hyatt stays as a primary member. You will earn much more factors in the event you 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 means of Discover rely towards Hyatt elite standing.
Discover works in another way 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 must spend — or in the event you’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 recognize which you could select between incomes or burning factors right here. If an inexpensive exercise catches my eye, I will in all probability buy it with my World of Hyatt Credit score Card to spice up my Hyatt account steadiness. If I discover one thing costlier, just like the Thompson Denver Chef Collection and mixed resort package deal, I would contemplate redeeming factors for it as an alternative.
It’s also possible to reward Discover experiences to household and pals, a pleasant choice to have in the event you’re on the lookout for a distinctive reward thought 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 consistent with different resort platforms.
Associated: World of Hyatt members can now earn factors utilizing Peloton at inns around the globe
Backside line
As a Hyatt loyalist, I believe the Discover platform is an thrilling and doubtlessly useful device. Actions are at all times an enormous a part of my trip plans, and I am thrilled to have a strategy to both redeem factors for them or earn not less than 10 factors per greenback on them. If different Discover experiences are as high-quality because the one I lately attended, they stand to supply nice worth.
