This past weekend we stayed at the Hyatt Place Worthington in the northern suburbs of Columbus. Â We were there to see Brian Regan in concert at the Palace Theater (hilarious) and figured we’d just stay up there for a night before driving home (Grandma watched the kids)
Hyatt Place Worthington hotel info
The hotel was nice – it’s a Category 1 Hyatt, which means that it is 5,000 points / night. Â It’s fairly conveniently located right off of the northern edge of the I-270 beltway and was easy to find (though there is construction going on there currently).
Entering the hotel and checking in they gave us our choice of floor preference. Â Right by the lobby, I started wondering who’s paying 7 dollars for a lava cake
Guess I should have stayed at a Country Inn and Suites or Doubletree!
(SEE ALSO: [REVIEW] Doubletree Johor Bahru: How is this only a Category 2 hotel!?!)
Turns out that was a portent of things to come….
Hyatt Place Buy, Borrow or Rent
A little later in the stay my wife realized she had forgotten to pack a shower cap. Â Since most hotels provide complimentary toiletries in case you forget something like this, she went down to the front desk and then came back with a shower cap. Â Then she realized she had also forgotten a razor so she trekked back down to the lobby, where she was informed “Ooooooh suerie. Â We actually SELL razors”. Â The gentleman at the front desk said that just this once he could give it to her, but it seemed odd.
Back at the room, we realized that apparently, Hyatt Place has the concept of Buy, Borrow or Rent – there are “menus” around of the different things that you can get
So technically she should have been charged 50 cents for the razor! Â (Don’t tell anyone, but a different person at the front desk gave me a 50 cent toothbrush for free!) Â I get that Hyatt Place is targeted towards business travelers (I think?), and people staying on someone else’s dime tend not to care about these kinds of charges, but it seemed a little odd when so many similar hotels provide these items complimentary. Â I mean what is this, the Rodeway Inn?
Reminded me of an article I read this morning over on Rapid Travel Chai on How Did Australia/New Zealand Develop Their Nickel-and-Dime Economy and How Does it Affect the Travel Experience?  So apparently it’s not limited to Australia and New Zealand!
Breakfast at the Hyatt Place Worthington
The breakfast at the Hyatt Place Worthington was tasty and included several hot items like eggs, sausage and such. Â They actually were a little light on the vegetarian options for breakfast, my wife pointed out. Â I was a little amused / bemused by the signs on the breakfast tables
Satisfy your sweet tooth!!!! (For an extra $5!) Â I guess if I want cinnamon rolls with my breakfast, next time it’s gotta be back to the Holiday Inn Express!
What do you guys think? Â Are you familiar with the “buy, borrow, rent” model at Hyatt Place? Â Do you think it’s a reasonable way to get extra revenue, or is it a little “nickel and dime-y”?
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as thepointsguy.com. This may impact how and where links appear on this site. Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers and that compensation may impact on how and where card products appear on the site. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners and I do not include all card companies, or all available card offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers and other offers and benefits listed on this page. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Other links on this page may also pay me a commission - as always, thanks for your support if you use them
User Generated Content Disclosure: Points With a Crew encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Wow. So you got a razor, a showercap, and a toothbrush, all for free, and yet you still write a blog post complaining about it? Yeah, they could’ve charged you for two of those things, but they didn’t. And $.50 doesn’t exactly sound like extortion even if you had paid.
Beyond that, you also got a decent free breakfast and free wifi. And Hyatt Place has spacious, nice rooms in general.
(I agree about the $7 lava cake, but I had had to shell out for HP’s food when I didn’t want to drive anywhere or it was late.)
What can I say – I’m a complainer 🙂
I guess the point of the post is just that most similar places provide those items complimentary, to the point that I’d say that it’s “expected” by your average traveler
But yeah – I do get that it’s a bit of whining
I’m not quite sure who to compare it to, though. Really, Hyatt Place rooms are just so much nicer than, say, Hampton Inns or Holiday Inn express that I don’t really lump them in the same category. I would rather pay a toothbrush (a reasonable amount!) and have a HP room instead of an HIX room (cinnamon rolls notwithstanding).
Residence Inns also have great rooms and they offer those little things for sale (IIRC), so I assume they don’t give them away.
I dunno – I think it was pretty comparable to Hampton Inn or HIX
I think the hotel did the right thing, while violating corporate policy. I suspect as a result of your blog, somebody at corporate is ragging on this hotel right now. So they violated policies, lost money (on the free to you items) and got a negative headline review to boot.
Most likely this hotel won’t do it again. So as a result, your post screwed your fellow traveler. Not convinced that was a laudable outcome. And proudly announcing your are a complainer, is probably not the best move either. I don’t know you, so I am chalking this off to a bad day or two. But you may want to consider how you are coming across when you blog.
Hmm, let’s see, pay 50 cents for a razor at a limited-service Hyatt Place or an extra $20 at a full-service Hyatt that gives me the razor for free?
This is a tough one… 😉
LOL – But I think Hyatt Place to full service Hyatt is the wrong comparison – I think comparing Hyatt Place to something like Holiday Inn Express is a better comparison
PS:
http://www.vracommercial.com/commercial-appraisal-hotel-full-service-limited.html
“A Select-Service Hotel is a hybrid hotel between a limited-service and full-service hotel. It offers the fundamental of limited-service properties together with a selection of the services and amenity characteristics of full-service hotel properties. Generally, select-service hotels keep operating costs down by offering services and amenities in moderation. Generally, these hotels do not feature multiple restaurants, expansive catering services, or an abundance of meeting space. In-room amenities are usually towards the level found at full-service hotels.
Examples of select-service hotels are: aloft, Holiday Inn Select, Four Points by Sheraton, Courtyard by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hotel Indigo, DoubleTree Club, Hyatt Place, Ramada, Wyndham Garden inn, Clarion and Cambria Suites.”
Once upon a time (when Hyatt first introduced the Hyatt Has It program or whatever it is called) the items you mentioned were free. Then they changed it so Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels charge for some of the items. I was sad to see those freebies go, but these are meant to be Hyatt’s budget brand…
That sounds like a good post – comparing which hotels provide complimentary items and which ones
Now I understand why so many front desks hate the points crowd. A lousy 5K HH a night for something that isn’t full of bedbugs and drug dealers sounds like a fantastic deal. But no, besides being Cat 1, you also want extra toiletries and cheap food?
So instead of bragging what a great deal you got for your HH points, you complain about getting free stuff you shouldn’t have??? FFS. SMH. OMFG.
Is this a recent thing? I’m familiar with the “forgot something?” list where there are items they will provide (like combs, deodorant, toothbrushes) and other things they will let you borrow (like phone chargers, yoga mats, and weights) but I haven’t seen a property where they charge for things. It has been a few months since we have been to a Hyatt House or Hyatt Place but the Hyatt Olive 8 where we stayed a few weekends ago had free items or items to borrow.
Per company policy Hyatt Place is supposed to provide you with a toothbrush and toothpaste and comb for free anyway but you have the option to buy a more premium one (I’ve seen this at all Marriott brands as well)
Obviously if you ask them they are going to try to charge you but knowing the policy helps even if they are out of the free stuff.
What a dumb post. “Pay for Everything” Seriously man! Delete this so you don’t mislead people. Im at Hyatt place and I got plenty for free. I got a very nice Free Breakfast (not included at Hilton Garden Inn or Courtyard) I got free in room coffee in REAL coffee mugs! I got FREE Internet. I got a HUGE room with a mini living room and a great shower. I don’t expect lunch or dinner to be free and if I forget my Razor Ill pay $.50 for one or go to Walgreens and get one that wont cut up my face. WOW . … How CHEAP can someone be to expect even more . Ridiculous , misleading post.
I recently stayed at a Hyatt place in Estero, FL. It is a very nice property but after paying for it I was angry they wanted to charge me for shaving cream that I had forgotten.
Yes, the room was nice but this is ridiculous. I have worked for Holiday Inn, Radison, Howard Johnson and Choice but none of those would ever think of charging for forgotten toiletries. The cost to the hotel would have been minimal but instead they want to nickel and dime their guests. If you are going to be good host, why would you ruin it by being so cheap. If you are afraid your profit margin is going to go down by $.50, don’t charge for toiletries just raise the rate. This is the classic case of penny wise and dollar foolish.
Yes! Finally after a hundred comments of people giving me crap, I get someone that is with me! Preach on Brother Jimster!!! 😀
Are you just trying to get readers worked up enough to comment? Hyatt Place is such a great chain for 5k points!!!! I would be happy to find a toothbrush or razor at the grocery store for 50 cents. Come on, man!!!
Woe be to the blogger who has the temerity to blog anything negative about Hyatt. If this post had been about Hilton or Marriott, commenters would have been singing your praises, but Hyatt loyalists will not abide the denigration of their favorite brand.
Just a clue for those that love their “free” breakfast. It isn’t free. If everybody who stays there gets it, it is just included in the price of your room, so there is no need to be grateful for it.
LOL. To me it’s not about the 50 cent razor or toothpaste. Although I am a total cheapskate, it’s not that. It’s the fact that at least in my mind (and maybe I’m wrong here), at hotels in this type of category (again, this categorization is only in my head but we’re talking Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, maybe Fairfield Inn etc) provide these things complimentary. Like seriously what is the point of charging 50 cents for something?
How can you say pay for everything when mostly everything that you normally have to pay for is free ?
As an update. I’m in Hyatt Place cob county and I was given a free razor and toothbrush without mention of a charge at all. Hyatt place gives more for free than any chain at that level. I’d rather have free breakfast than a free .50 razor
I’d rather have free breakfast than a free .50 razor too, but my point is that most comparable hotels give both
Right but your post is very misleading. You say Pay for everything when MOST everything is included. Hyatt Place competes with Courtyard and Hilton Garden Inn more than Hamptons and Fairfields. Neither CY or HGI offer free breakfast. So AGAIN i would rather take free breakfast over a .50 item which i won’t need anyway. Your post makes it seems like Hyatt will nickel and dime you from checkin to checkout.
Okay – good points. You’re right that Hyatt Place did give me a bunch of stuff for “free” (technically part of the rate as another commenter mentioned). Is there a list somewhere of the “tiers” of hotels to know what compares to what?
Heaven forbid you don’t pay anything using points and you complain about 50 cents for a toothbrush! Next you will be complaining there was no free shuttle bush to the airport. You must be a hoteliers nightmare! HP is for the budget conscious still wanting a Hyatt stay. Rooms are quite large, clean and comfortable and Ryan is right, free breakfast, internet, room coffee and 500 points per stay. And I usually get a late checkout quite easily.
I think it varies from Hyatt Place to Hyatt Place. The one I just stayed at in Houston last month, everything was either free or borrow. A little surprised to see that yours had a buy column too.
Agree with most of the commenters. You get a nice clean place to sleep at a Category 1 property and you write a post about having to pay for a $0.50 razor that you forgot at home? Nightmare guest. There is a difference between being a cheapskate and a nightmare. Neither is great but the latter is much worse.