BabuSoge

For our anniversary (which happens to fall around Labor day weekend), we wanted to go to Page, AZ, and nearby areas. Page is a popular long weekend destination for folks across the US.

As we were planning for the Labor Day weekend, and looking for accommodation options in hotels or clean and well-reviewed Airbnb homes, we noticed that it was really expensive (not surprising since it is a long weekend !) — like $350 to $400 USD for just one night which was a lot more than what we wanted to spend. Thankfully, we had something helpful: Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points. UR points can be transferred to different travel programs, like airlines or hotels. What’s also nice about UR is that we can bring all our reward points together into a single account and transfer them to airline partners/hotels.

In the last year, we managed to collect a good bunch of UR points because we got a couple of credit cards from Chase. We transferred some of these Chase UR points into Hyatt hotel points. The process of changing our UR points into Hyatt points was quick and easy. We did it online through the Chase website. Once the points were in our Hyatt account, we could use them to book our hotel. Booking the hotel was simple too via Hyatt’s website. Hyatt Place, Page Az is a Category 3 hotel and Hyatt prices its awards (excluding all-inclusive and Miraval hotels) according to the chart below. It took 15,000 points for each night. We thought this was a good deal since we were able to get a value of around 2.78 cents per point (calculated as total cost for 2 nights as this hotel divided by the total number of points used for the same stay) as opposed to 1 cent per point if we had redeemed it for good ol’ cash back. Also, there are no resort fees, taxes, etc. when the stay is paid for using points, and it is freely cancellable till 48 hours prior to check-in.

Important Note: To transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points to partners, you need either the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card. You can accumulate UR points with Freedom, Freedom Unlimited, Sapphire Preferred, or Sapphire Reserve, but all points must be consolidated in your Sapphire Preferred/Reserve account for partner transfers. Additionally, Chase allows pooling points with your family’s accounts.

When we arrived in Page, AZ, we checked into the Hyatt Place using the confirmation number from the email. The hotel staff were nice and helpful. They gave us our room key and told us about the facilities at the hotel. Sruthi called the hotel a week before our arrival and told them that we would be there for our anniversary, and was wondering if they had something complimentary for our special occasion. They very kindly upgraded us from a standard room to a room with a wonderful view of the valley for no additional charge.

Our room was comfortable and cozy. The Hyatt Place brand offers free breakfast at the hotel and that was great — it felt freshly prepared with good quality ingredients, and there was enough variety; despite being vegetarians we ate a hearty breakfast that kept our tummies content as we explored the areas near Page. It felt amazing to think that we were staying here without “spending” our own money. During our stay, we enjoyed exploring Page’s famous spots like Horseshoe Bend, Slot Canyons, and Monument Valley. We took lots of photos and made great memories. Our anniversary trip turned out lovely with a little planning and the right use of rewards.