Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami: Elite Benefits and Insider Facts

After completing a stay at the Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami, and reviewing it here, I wanted to follow-up with some data points regarding elite benefits and some other insider facts you’ll find worthwhile if you’re staying at this property.

Some Background: I want to elaborate on my check-in experience regarding the “best available room guarantee” for Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond members. Checking-in, I was informed I was upgraded to a City View King room, which wasn’t in fact an upgrade, but rather the original room I booked. Interested, I looked on Hyatt’s website to see which other room categories were still for sale, and funny enough, both a City View King Deluxe, an Ocean View King Deluxe and an Ocean View King view rooms were still available for sale. If they were for sale, and I had already checked in, that technically means I should have been given one of these rooms since they are all better than my current room type, and qualify under the “best available room guarantee.” I called the Hyatt Diamond line and spoke to an agent who saw what I saw, and offered to call the hotel, since he said it was their fault for not assigning the correct room. After being on hold for quite a while, I was told that the hotel already upgraded someone else, though the system still showed better rooms available. He told me the hotel would contact me back in 5 minute. No call. Frustrated, I Tweeted to the Hyatt team who said someone from the hotel had already called me. No they didn’t. In the end, I was able to be put in touch with the Room Director who informed me of a major glitch in their system, still showing better rooms that weren’t actually available. It was a huge debacle that apparently got elevated to the director of Hyatt Gold Passport (done by Hyatt, not me), but in the end, it allowed me to sit down with the General Manager of the property, who offered a $100 food and beverage credit for their mistake.

In sitting down with the General Manager, there’s some data points you should know:

Resort Fees

The resort fee at the Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami will not be waived for any elite members, nor will it be combined into the daily rates. When I mentioned the contention of resort fees at the Andaz property in Hawaii, I was told that the goal of the Hyatt Centric Miami was to appear to be the cheaper property on South Beach. By adding in the resort fee to the room rate, they’d no longer be competitive. So, don’t expect the $20/night resort fee to be waived. The other reason for not waiving the resort fee is a lease payment that is due to the Loewe’s Hotel across the street for beach access, which is payable to them either way regardless of what’s waived for guests.

Suites for Upgrade

There’s only one regular suite on the property eligible for upgrade -whether it be using points or a Diamond Suite Upgrade. It’s going to be very competitive and tough for this one suite, so if you’re looking for an upgrade opportunity, outside those that are willing to pay for it, it’s going to be very limited. The suite will not be ocean view, and will be on a lower floor.

Upgrade Opportunties

The entry-level room on the property is a Hyatt King, which is on a lower floor with no views. There are six of these rooms available, so when you book using all-points, you’ll be assigned to one of these rooms. The hotel is very vocal in wanting to be proactive upgrading Hyatt Diamond and Platinum members to better rooms – which include rooms with views on higher floors.

Deluxe Rooms May Not Be Deluxe

According to the General Manager, some Deluxe rooms may not be deluxe in size, but rather just have a better view. So, not all Deluxe rooms are created equal. You may be assigned a middle room that’s smaller, but just happens to have a decent view. Be warned.

Availability of the Hotel Will Skyrocket Soon

The Hyatt Regency Miami is going to be knocked down soon, according to the General Manager of the Hyatt Centric, since this property is dated and in need of major refurbishment. Hyatt’s plan is to demolish the building, re-build, and open from there. During that time, the Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami will be the only Miami hotel “in the city,” so demand will be sure to go up and be limited during the years of construction for the Regency.

New Restaurant To Occupy the Hotel?

The Hyatt Centric Miami is looking for a high-end restaurant to occupy the bottom floor, facing onto Collins Ave. The goal here is to have Deck Sixteen, a more casual tapas restaurant, on the third floor, and “finer” place on the ground floor as another option. Right now, they’re still looking at options and this isn’t confirmed.

The Future of Hyatt

With the opening of many Hyatt Centric hotels by the end of the year, 4 of which that are new construction, the “Hyatt” arm of Hyatt hotels will be no longer by the end of the year. Hyatt plans to convert all existing “Hyatt” hotels to either Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt or Hyatt Centric.