Hi Globalist! Where Are You Redeeming Your Free Night?

I was suffering from pre booking stress disorder. After receiving my Globalist card in the mail which is now framed over the fireplace, I started looking for aspirational properties to redeem my free night before it expires in a year. It’s never too early to find a place to burn a certificate. Waiting only leads to bad decisions. (see Hilton Stay Certificates) Obviously, the redemption has to be at a high-end, expensive property. I have a fixation for getting the best value and for staying at properties I have not been to.

Category 7 Options

• Park Hyatt NYC: I stayed here before and the title of my post was Consistently, Inconsistent. This was not a great hotel and I won’t return. #lemeridien
• Park Hyatt St. Kitts: This hotel is supposed to open this spring. I’m not going to wait on it. For three years, I waited for the Park Hyatt Marrakech and it never opened. Not Open
• Park Hyatt Sydney: My koala went missing here years ago. It’s too painful to return. PTSD
• Grand Hyatt Changsha: No idea where Changsha is. Perhaps it’s on the poll for where TPOL should move next. 不
• Park Hyatt Tokyo: I’ve been to the jazz bar at the top. From what I read, the hotel is dated. Skip 
• Park Hyatt Zurich: I have no interest in going to Switzerland, even to up my Country Count list. They weren’t nice to the Jamaicans. #coolrunnings
• Park Hyatt Paris: Booked one night here with my Chase stay certificate for my upcoming Round The Atlantic Tour. I could add another one. #freebreakfast
• Park Hyatt Milan: Booked one night here with my Chase stay certificate for my upcoming Round The Atlantic Tour. #versaceversaceversace
• Other US Options: There’s no point in burning stay certificates in the US. Adventure is abroad. I am puzzled why the Hyatt Place Cincinnati is on the list! 

Category 6 Options

• Vegas: This would be such a waste. Here are the hotels and my reviews of them:
  • Bellagio: The most overrated hotel on The Strip.
  • Delano: Good for the Mandalay Bay pool party, especially if you are M-Life Diamond.
  • Aria: A great place for a Vegas drinking game.
• New York: The hotels are nice but not for a stay certificate. Here is where I have stayed:
  • Andaz Wall Street: Wall Street is boring but if you have business down there, this is a good choice.
  • Hyatt Herald Square: The best value in all of NYC. Thus, not worth using a certificate.
• Aruba & Mexico: Like the other US locations in Category 6, Aruba & Mexico are not exotic enough to use a certificate.
• China
  • Grand Hyatt Hong Kong: I’m sure it’s better than the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong. Still, I’d rather save my certificate and stay at the Chungking Mansions.
• Japan: There are three Category 6 Hyatts in Tokyo. I recommend the Conrad Tokyo but these Hyatt options are available if you aren’t interested in the Park Hyatt.
• Maldives: Of all the Category 6 options, this one is the most appealing. I stayed at the Conrad Maldives as part of my $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World and have no desire to return until I’ve visited the rest of the globe.

After combing through this list, I am not disappointed that I will be losing my Globalist status next year. There aren’t a lot of properties that tickle my fancy. To burn my certificate, I tacked on another night at the PH Milan. It was the safe choice.

Where are you burning your certificate?