Amy sent us this reader success story to Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. She didn’t even go on this trip but facilitated the trip for her family. Here’s her story:

I have three kids in their twenties who have started opening their own cards to dabble in getting points and miles. My 25-year-old son and his girlfriend just did their first big redemption (with much coaching and guidance from mom!). I wanted to share a few things about their trip and how grateful I am (and he is!) to have this hobby because, in the end, it came in clutch and may help someone in the future.

 

The Basics:

• They used 32k Delta SkyMiles total for two one-way flights in each direction—taxes and fees on card_name.
• They transferred 100k Ultimate Rewards® to Hyatt for four nights at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in a standard room.

 

 

Extra Help I Got From the TMS Group:

• Someone graciously donated a Guest of Honor award, which he could apply to his stay.
• I searched for posts about the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, and someone had posted about using Zena’s Taxi Service with success, so I had him contact them. He used Zena’s for all airport transfers.
• I also searched for Guest of Honor perks people had received at Baha Mar so they could anticipate what they might get.

 

Lessons Learned:

• Unfortunately, Pam’s email template didn’t work for them, so there was no nice note or welcome gift. However, they were upgraded to an ocean-view room with a Juliet balcony on a high floor because of the Guest of Honor award. At check-in, they were told this was all that was available. I looked at availability for their stay period and saw that there was a standard suite available as well as ocean-view rooms with fully furnished balconies.
• I suggested trying “HUCA” (“hang up, call again”) in person, so they went to the front desk and politely asked for a better upgraded room. They got the full balcony ocean view—not a suite, but a better room, so mission accomplished!  
• Their flight home was initially delayed before they even checked out of the hotel. I suggested they ask for a late checkout, which should be accommodated because of the Guest of Honor award. They called the front desk and were told noon was the best they could do. I suggested HUCA in person again, and they went to the front desk, asked someone in person, and immediately were told they could have a 3 p.m. checkout. Mission accomplished again. 

 

 

Challenges

• The “short” version is that their flight was canceled after a more than six-hour delay. Although it had been snowing in the northeast, it wasn’t enough to cause a full-day delay and cancellation. Rumors were circulating among the other passengers in line that they didn’t have a pilot for the flight. 
• My son is not the calmest in stressful situations and was quite anxious about how they would get home. He was at the airport, standing in a long line of people waiting for hotels for the night and needing to rebook their flights. I was on my phone checking Delta flights from the Bahamas to anywhere on the East Coast, and every Delta flight from the Bahamas was sold out for a few days. He was trying to rebook through his Delta app, but there were no flights. 
• While that was going on, I searched other airlines. We live in Boston, but I was looking anywhere in New England where I could get him. There was one nonstop JetBlue flight from Nassau to JFK for about $650/ticket (ouch) or 19,600 points each. I only had 23k points in my JetBlue account. 
• While I had my son on the phone and he was standing in line, I went into “Mom Stealth Mode.”  I told him to stay with me while I “did something.”  It was just a matter of time before the price of the flight would skyrocket or become fully booked.  I immediately went to my Chase account and transferred 20k points to JetBlue. I crossed my fingers for an instant transfer and boom—there they were. I booked them both on the flight to JFK, but of course, the only seats left were Even More Space seats at $70/each. In my mind, I kept saying the goal was to get them home, and we would try and recoup whatever additional expenses we could from Delta and Chase once they were back. I went for it (row 1!) and booked both for 39,200 points plus $360 in taxes, fees, and seat upgrades. I watched the spinning circle while it told me to please wait and then got the “You’re Booked!” message. I sighed in relief and told them they were good and were just coming home a day late. Then all we had to do was figure out how to get them from JFK to BOS. But for this piece, mission accomplished. 

 

 

Final Notes:

• My son’s girlfriend is from CT, so her parents offered to pick them up at JFK, and then I’d meet them in CT to bring them home. This relay race of driving was the fastest and least-expensive option. Despite a surplus of flights daily from JFK to BOS, they were overpriced both in cash and points and not worth it for them to spend either when it was only 3 1/2 hours from home and personal chauffeurs willing to help out!

 

 

Final Thoughts

Thank you, Travel Mom Squad, for all the guidance you’ve provided to so many of us. As you can see, it’s so great to share it with your kids as well!!!

Having points and miles helped fix the problems on this Reader Success Story for Grand Hyatt Baha Mar!

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