The last ten nights of our West Coast trip were all at Hyatt hotels, and they showed what World of Hyatt Globalist status is really worth. Suites, breakfast, lounges and free parking carried our food and transport budget through three very different cities. (For the whole route and what it cost, see Portland to LA on Points.)
How Globalist worked for us
My wife earned Globalist by staying 60 nights the previous year, about half of them during a month-long stay in Montreal. On this trip it brought:
- two Suite Upgrade Awards, used in Sacramento and San Francisco
- a complimentary suite at the Andaz West Hollywood
- breakfast at every Hyatt
- lounge access in Sacramento
- food vouchers in San Francisco
- free parking on our Sacramento award stay
Compare that with Portland, where our Marriott AC Hotel offered none of those perks, even with the Platinum Elite status that comes with the Bonvoy Brilliant card. Our food costs dropped sharply once the Hyatt stays began.
Sacramento: the surprise stop
We had never considered Sacramento a destination. Then a hotel deal caught our eye, we did some digging, and it turned out to be a great stop.
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento, within walking distance of Old Sacramento. We paid 57,000 World of Hyatt points for four nights and applied a Suite Upgrade Award, and we were given a huge suite. Because it was an award stay, our Globalist status also got us free parking. The lounge serves breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres, so although we ate out a bit, Globalist benefits covered a lot of our food here.
In our opinion, Old Sacramento is worth a half to full day. The California State Railroad Museum was very interesting. We spent another half day on the Capitol grounds, where labeled trees come from around the state and around the world and the rose garden is huge. It's a lovely area for an evening walk.
Honestly, we needed a rest. Sacramento was a good place to catch up on paperwork and bills while lounging in the suite.
Napa Valley would have been the logical next stop, but we had to skip it this time. Next time, we'll definitely stop through.
Know before you go
- The California State Railroad Museum (111 I St.) is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4:30, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day (museum).
- Capitol Park covers 40 acres around the Capitol (Capitol Commission). Its World Peace Rose Garden holds more than 650 roses in a Victorian-style layout and is free (Capitol Museum).
- Hyatt Globalists get free parking on award nights where parking can be charged to the room; call ahead to confirm. One Suite Upgrade Award covers up to seven consecutive nights.
San Francisco: a rare Grand Hyatt splurge
We dropped the rental car at a neighborhood location in San Francisco and checked into the Grand Hyatt San Francisco.
A Grand Hyatt is unusual for us. Somehow we stumbled onto the three cheapest nights of the month and paid $961 cash for four nights, about $240 a night. That's still above our normal daily budget, but it was worth it. A Suite Upgrade Award got us a suite on a high floor, which made it a truly memorable stay.
The club lounge here is closed, but we received food and drink vouchers for the hotel bar and restaurant, and breakfast was included as usual. Once again, that helped our food costs a lot.
We walked to Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown. Chinatown was packed for the Autumn Moon Festival, with street vendors, performances and even a dumpling-eating contest. Waymo's driverless cars are everywhere; they're cool to try, but not affordable for daily getting around.
Know before you go
- The 2026 Autumn Moon Festival ran September 19 and 20 on Grant Avenue between California and Broadway. It's free, and the dumpling contest is on Sunday afternoon (Funcheap SF). It usually lands in mid- to late September, so check dates if you're planning around it.
- Dropping a one-way rental at a neighborhood branch rather than SFO can avoid airport fees, and it saves paying for overnight hotel parking downtown.
Los Angeles: the Riot House and a Kimmel taping
We flew from SFO to LAX ($457 for the two of us) for our final stop in West Hollywood. Ubers between LAX and West Hollywood ran about $100 to $130 each way; next time I'd price out flights into Hollywood Burbank Airport, which is much closer to Hollywood.
We stayed at the Andaz West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip, a hotel with a wild past. Cowboy star Gene Autry opened it in 1963 as the Hotel Continental. Hyatt took it over in 1966 as the Continental Hyatt House, and its rock-star guests soon earned it the nickname "Riot House" (Wikipedia). Led Zeppelin rented whole floors, and Keith Richards reportedly threw a TV out of a 10th-floor window (InsideHook). After a 2008 renovation, it reopened in 2009 as the Andaz. The old balconies are now glass-enclosed sunrooms, and the restaurant is still called Riot House (SoCal Landmarks).
We booked two nights for 40,000 Hyatt points and were upgraded to a suite at no cost, without even using a Suite Upgrade Award. The area is nice, but most Hollywood attractions are a short Uber ride away. Rides to Hollywood Boulevard cost us $10 to $20 each way, depending on the time of day and surge pricing. Globalist breakfast meant we only had to cover dinners.
About a month ahead, we arranged free tickets to a Jimmy Kimmel Live! taping. It was cool to see how the show comes together. We were a little disappointed to miss Guillermo, who was away competing on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars. Like live sports, it's fun once in a while, but watching from home is a lot less trouble.
LA was a fun experience, but we have no desire to go back to Hollywood Boulevard. We'll explore more of the city someday; it just isn't budget friendly. After two nights, we met our son at LAX, crashed for a night at the Holiday Inn LAX (25,000 IHG One Rewards points), and caught our flight to Tokyo Haneda.
Know before you go
- Kimmel tickets are free but must be reserved in advance through 1iota. Tickets are handed out beyond capacity, so arrive early; entry isn't guaranteed.
- Tapings are at the El Capitan Entertainment Center on Hollywood Boulevard, above the Hollywood/Highland Metro station.
Details were checked in October 2026. Rates, benefits and ticket rules change, so confirm before you go.
What we took from it
If you collect hotel points, pay attention to what the brand adds on top of the room. Globalist status turned Hyatt's points into suites, breakfast and parking. Our Marriott points, with fewer perks attached, didn't go nearly as far. For how to build balances like these, see our guide to travel credit cards for slow-traveling couples.