Hotels block booking guests rewards night, Hyatt Regency San Francisco is blocking award redemptions

Guests claim that some hotels' loyalty programs can block booking their rewards night. Some of these hotels offer rooms on points whenever a standard room is available for sale, but Hyatt pioneered what they call as true redemption, which has no blackout dates and no capacity controls.

Hyatt moved to the no capacity control model, but the trick is what a hotel says as a standard room. Most members think of it as the most common room, but there might be just a couple of suboptimal rooms that may not even be sold. But that could be called award rooms in a hotel looking to limit the number of guests staying on points.

According to the View From The Wing, the Hyatt Regency San Francisco is doing their basic room that is often only made available as part of rate package. The inventory for the Daily Rate, which is what Hyatt Gold Passport book awards from appears to never have that basic room type available. 

Hyatt guests have complained about limited award space at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on the Embarcadero. And as of now, it is purportedly still happening after Jeff Zidell, VP of Gold Passport, tried to address a complaint by Gary Leff via Travel Codex. At these hotels, the most common culprit claimed by clients is a so-called business plan room, which the hotel claims is an upgrade rather than a specific package.

A business plan room could get the guests a free premium internet access, complimentary breakfast in the restaurant, and free local and long-distance calls. Other than this, every single amenity in the room is the same as for a standard room, which can still be looked up by visiting the Hyatt Regency San Francisco via Hyatt official website and reading the room descriptions. The size and pictures of the room are the same, too, which is not considered an upgrade.

Some room packages, including parking or breakfast, are less expensive than the basic room rate. That's probably because those packages offer value-add services alongside the standard room while the basic Hyatt Daily Rate never shows that room type available.

Meanwhile,  many Hyatt customers still complain of the missing internet access, free breakfast, and phone calls specific to any room. They are allegedly complimentary benefits handed out at the front desk and removed from the bill, which makes the business plan more accurately be described as a package.