“Chasing” hotel status is not for everyone.  I get it.  For us, award travel is about saving money, being able to travel more (and smarter), and minimizing other travel-related costs as much as we can.  Part of that strategy includes hotel loyalty because it saves our family on costs such as breakfast, taxes/fees, parking, and resort fees (as applicable).  Here’s how hotel loyalty and having status saved us thousands during our Umrah trip last fall.

Umrah Travel Last Fall

In November of 2024, we went for Umrah and it cost me just $500 out-of-pocket to book travel for the four of us.  (We left our little one home with family.)  What helped minimize costs – including taxes and fees?  Booking Hyatt stays.

When you book a Hyatt stay in points, or what’s known as an award stay, there are generally no taxes and fees.  Our itinerary looked like this:  DFW > Istanbul > Jeddah > Makkah > Madinah > Istanbul > Dallas.  I knew booking Hyatt stays in Makkah and Istanbul would help us save money significantly because I would be able to get free breakfast, and there would be no additional fees.

[Related: Why I Love World of Hyatt]

Our Stays

In Makkah, we stayed at Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah.  It cost me 9k points/night/room (rates have since gone up).  I booked 2 rooms, for 2 nights, and my out-pocket-cost: $0.  My husband and I’s room was even upgraded for free as I had applied a suite upgrade award, an award I had earned at one of the tier levels on my way to Globalist.

More importantly, the four of us had free breakfast and no additional costs to worry about.  Depending on what hotel loyalty program you book with, you can have taxes and fees at the time of checkout, even when booking in points.  I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about this, and this is why I generally always book Hyatt properties in our travels.

This is what the cash rates currently look like at Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah – for November 2025 travel:

 

Here’s what the out-of-pocket cost would like like if you booked a standard cash rate/night/room:

For a 3-night stay, booked at the standard rate, it comes out to SAR 4075.31.  That’s $1,086.12, just for 1 room.

Here’s what the points rate/night/room look like for the same time:

Yes, award rates have increased (inflation affects points too!)

Now, there are other hotel loyalty programs you can stay with, in points, that have properties in Makkah and Madinah.  You will need to weigh out what works best for you and loved ones you are traveling with.

Simply put, World of Hyatt award rates just can’t be beat – Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy do not offer such award rates per night/room.   Award rates are significantly more!  I knew prior to booking that not only would I get the best award rates, I’d have no additional fees to worry about, free breakfast (thanks to my Globalist status), and I would still be at a walkable location to the Haram.

The biggest pain point for me always?  As a family of five, I need to book two rooms everywhere we go.  This means I need more points!

A Stop In Istanbul

It’s not uncommon to stop in Istanbul on the way to Umrah.  I had booked separate flight legs, from Dallas to Istanbul, and then from Istanbul to Jeddah.  So for us, we had purposely planned it this way so that we could stay two nights in Istanbul (as opposed to a shorter stopover).  Now this meant we’d need to not only accomodate for additional time, but naturally more expenses.

We stayed at Grand Hyatt Istanbul for two nights.  We again needed two rooms due to room capacity maxing out at 3/room (and no, they would not allow a rollaway).  We had free breakfast, our first room was upgraded to a suite that connected to our kids’ room with two beds, and our out-of-pocket cost was again, $0.

More stops in a trip naturally means more expenses to account for, especially when traveling with a family.  But staying at a Hyatt meant I could stay for free, and have breakfast taken care of.

What If I’m Not a World of Hyatt Globalist?

There’s a hack for that.  You can earn what’s called Club Access Awards with World of Hyatt starting at 20 nights.  It takes 60 nights to achieve Globalist status, but you don’t need to stay that much as there are often promotions that help you earn nights faster without staying.

For example, holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card gives you 5 free, tier-qualifying nights.  Also, for every $5k you spend on the card, you earn 2 tier-qualifying nights.  Sometimes there are promotions to help you fast track towards status.  In addition, you can often find status matches offered by certain corporations where you can achieve a select level of status, if you stay a required number of nights, in the designated timeframe.

Select Hyatt properties – generally Hyatt Regencies – have what’s called a Club Lounge.  You can apply a Club Access Award to your reservation, and get free breakfast, snacks, drinks, and/or light dinner (as applicable) during your stay, for up to 7 consecutive nights.

In 2023, we spent 9 nights at Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay.  At that time I was not a Globalist.  I applied Club Access Awards (I had booked 2 rooms) to our stays, and we received free breakfast for all 5 of us at the restaurant on property.  This is one breakfast spread we still talk about to this day!

Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah does have a club lounge on property.  It was closed during my visit in November of 2024.  It’s best to contact the property and inquire prior to your arrival, what is available to you depending on the rate you booked and/or if you are trying to apply a Club Access Award.  Confirm where you will get (free) breakfast, what it entails, and how many people it will cover so there are no surprises upon arrival.

How To Earn Hyatt Points

Would I stay at Hyatt properties if I didn’t have Globalist status?  Absolutely!

For the record, I’m a first-time Globalist since October 2024.  We’ve been staying at Hyatt properties in our solo, family, and work travels for the last couple of years.  While less of a global footprint, the loyalty program’s award rates just can’t be beat.  In addition, it’s fairly simple to earn points towards an award stay.

World of Hyatt is a hotel partner of Chase, and the transfer ratio is 1:1.  You can earn points through:

• Hyatt’s two co-branded cards: World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card
• Chase Sapphire Products
• Chase Ink Suite of Business Cards
• Cards that earns cash back rewards that can be combined with a Ultimate Rewards – earning card

Remember: You will need a Sapphire product to combine points into, in order to transfer Chase points to an airline or hotel travel partner.

Loyalty In All Types of Travel

One thing I want to add?  If you’re trying to earn a level of status, this will require loyalty, naturally.  This isn’t always easy, and does require some planning.

For example, my husband often travels for work.  I aim to have him book Hyatts because I know he’ll earn points on those cash stays.  Points, that I can use in the future towards future family trips.

This past spring I stayed at Hyatt Centric Wall Street as I was attending a travel conference in lower Manhattan.  I used points for my stay, so of course it was free.  I was also upgraded for free to a suite, and I had free breakfast.  And yes, I was walking distance away from where I needed to be!  More nights stayed with Hyatt means, I’m one step closer to status.

This fall, I’m attending another travel conference in New Orleans.  The host hotel where the conference is being held is really nice.  But you’ll find me at the Hyatt Place near by because I’m trying to earn nights towards status (and I’ll have free breakfast).  Ideal?  No.  But in the big picture, this works best for me and my family.

Strategy, planning, and loyalty for the win!

In Sum

I’ve stayed with other hotel brands during previous Umrah trips.  Stays have been great, but I’ve had to pay more out of pocket, generally speaking (because breakfast wasn’t covered, there was no Hyatt available, and/or the stay wasn’t fully booked on points).  If you stay with another major hotel brand, it’s good to check what’s covered.  This is especially important if you hold a co-branded card from them, as sometimes cardholders can receive complimentary status.  Depending on the card, and the hotel brand, you may also get an allowance or credit towards breakfast.

When trying to book a hotel in either of the holy cities, think about: your current points and miles stash, your budget, how many rooms you need based on the number of people you are traveling with, proximity to the respective Haram, and/or breakfast options.  In this season of life and travel, loyalty to World of Hyatt helps me minimize travel costs, and travel smarter.  And for me, that’s a huge win!

 

Umrah Travel Doesn’t Need To Cost Thousands of Dollars

It’s possible to book an Umrah trip on points and miles, as you would any other trip.  Yes, it can be a bit more challenging but it’s certainly possible.  And I’m here to show you how it’s done!

You can check out more blog posts here on how to save money on booking Umrah travel.

Umrah is achievable for thousands of dollars less!

For more in-depth information, check out A Guide to Umrah on Points & Miles that I’ve created that walks you through:

• How to search for award flight availability (economy seats) from the U.S., on popular routes to Jeddah & Madinah
• How to search for award flight availability on partner airlines for airlines in the same airline alliance, with video walkthroughs on both
• How to book hotel stays on points, in the 4 major hotel loyalty programs
• What cards are best for hotel stays & flights, as well as thinking through card lifecycles
• How to cover other travel-related costs (such as transportation between the 2 holy cities) that isn’t booked directly using points/miles (like airfare & hotel stays)
• What “free breakfast” means in each of the major hotel loyalty programs, and how to get that perk
• How to stay organized in award travel with the TravelFreely App

I’ve also spent thousands of dollars to go to Umrah with my family, and I know the feeling of planning and saving up.  With points and miles, the journey is closer and more attainable than you think.