Summer of Boarding Area's "Mommy Points" blog

My family has had the opportunity to go on several Hyatt trips on points alone, but one of my favorite trips was when my husband and I took our daughter, who was about 1 ½ years old at the time, to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Texas. We had such a great time relaxing and having fun as a family, and it was so great to watch our daughter playing in the pool and petting the animals. The three of us spent hours floating on the lazy river, going down the slide and playing in the sand near the pool.

Our Hyatt Gold Passport points allowed us to go on this memorable trip, which we obtained by taking advantage of Hyatt Gold Passport point promotions, using our Chase Sapphire Preferred card and racking up points through all the business trips my husband had been on and stayed at a Hyatt.

This year we've ALREADY booked quite a few trips using our Hyatt Gold Passport points, including trips to Montreal and New York City. We're especially excited about our stay in New York City at Andaz 5th Avenue because we'll be taking our daughter to meet Santa at Macy's on 34th Street for the very first time!

What are your favorite Hyatt properties to visit when you know you have points to spare?

Since we have a young child, our favorite impromptu Hyatt trip is to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa near our home, as we always have such a great time there as a family.

Overall, to be a "Point Pro" I would say:

• Pay close attention to Hyatt promotions
• Select and use a good rewards earning credit card as much as you can. We use our Chase Sapphire Preferred card for almost all purchases and then pay it off in full each month. We also make almost all of our online purchases via a shopping portal. The Chase Ultimate Rewards shopping portal is fantastic for earning points that can transfer to Hyatt. Many of the trips we take each year are solely because of points, so if we didn't have them, we wouldn't have been able to create so many wonderful family memories.
• Save points based on what works for your family. We have a young child, and thus smaller trips often work better for us then very long trips, but as she gets older, I can see that shifting somewhat.
• If you travel enough to achieve Hyatt Diamond status, then do it. The rewards that come with the Hyatt Diamond membership, such as the free breakfast, confirmed suite upgrades, lounge access, 30% point bonus, Diamond Amenity, free internet and more save our family tons on every trip each year!

Learn more about Summer, Hyatt promotions and what you can do with your Hyatt Gold Passport points by visiting Summer's blog, Mommy Points.