Convenient Yet Valuable: Review of Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale/Plantation
The front of the hotel, featuring a lovely walkway! Photo by: Evan Berman
After returning to the US, we needed a place to spend the night in the greater Miami-Fort Lauderdale area before returning to Charleston the next day. With an early morning flight departing from Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) the next day, we opted for a hotel near the airport. This is the review of the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale/Plantation, a Category 2 Hyatt hotel we booked using Hyatt points.
The recap of our hotel in Fort Lauderdale is part of the larger South American Adventure. For more information on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: CHS-JFK in Delta Comfort+
Flight: JFK-SCL in LATAM Economy+
Osaka Santiago, Chile Restaurant Review
Flight: SCL-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: AEP-FTE in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentine Patagonia
36 Hours in El Calafate, Argentina
Flight: FTE-USH in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: USH-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
2 Days in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Flight: AEP-SCL in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: SCL-MIA in LATAM Business Class
Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation (This Article)
Flight: FLL-CHS in Silver Airways Economy Class
Intro:
Hyatt is the only major chain that still maintains an award chart. As such, outsized value is the norm and to be expected. While the hotels on the lower end are not fancy, they provide consistent benefits such as free breakfast, decent housekeeping, and solid comfort and amenities. Don’t stay in a Hyatt Place looking for decadence and you will be pleased with the stay!
Review:
The hotel is in Plantation, Florida, which is very near Fort Lauderdale. While I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this area, it is convenient to the FLL airport.
Booking:
The Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale/Plantation is a Category 2 Hotel. For those who may not be familiar, here is the award chart (points are per night):
| Hotel Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak Pricing |
| 1 | 3,500 points | 5,000 points | 6,500 points |
| 2 | 6,500 points | 8,000 points | 9,500 points |
| 3 | 9,000 points | 12,000 points | 15,000 points |
| 4 | 12,000 points | 15,000 points | 18,000 points |
| 5 | 17,000 points | 20,000 points | 23,000 points |
| 6 | 21,000 points | 25,000 points | 29,000 points |
| 7 | 25,000 points | 30,000 points | 35,000 points |
| 8 | 35,000 points | 40,000 points | 45,000 points |
These prices are for “standard rooms”– if you want a suite or access to the lounge, you will pay slightly more at each level. That being said, a standard room usually includes several different options such as 1 King, 2 Double beds, and sometimes as was the case here, 2 beds plus a sofa.
For a Category 2 standard room, we paid 8,000 points per night. I transferred 8,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to Hyatt for our 2-night stay (1:1 transfer). Had we paid cash, these rooms would be $152 per night, non-refundable, booking directly through Hyatt. As such, we got 1.90 cents per point in value!
Booking.com prices this hotel at $147 and hotels.com is $153 per night.
I booked a 1-night award stay after checking availability and the transfer process from Chase was instantaneous.
Price: 8,000 UR points transferred to Hyatt
Points Earned: No points earned on award stays
Value:
As mentioned above, I paid 8,000 Hyatt Points (transferred from Chase) for 1 night. 8,000 Points for a weekend night in a hotel in South Florida is fantastic value!
10/10, Excellent.
View:
The hotel is located in a mall off a busy street. As you might expect, the view was nothing to write home about.
6/10 Average.
Service:
It was certainly a shock to return to the US in many ways. One of the most tangible aspects is the difference in hospitality when returning to America. While not overly unfriendly, the front desk agents were less than interested in welcoming us to the hotel. When we approached, it seemed an inconvenience to pause their conversation and speak with us.
That being said, I misplaced a hotel key later that night and the other front desk agent was happy to provide a key and wished us a good night. Overall, the service was mixed.
6/10, Average.
Location:
The location was perfect for our needs. I doubt anyone would be looking to stay in Plantation for pleasure, but we were glad to be close to the airport.
9/10, Great (for our needs).
Bathroom:
The hotel has a bathroom with a shower and toilet (featured above). A large sink is found outside the door with enough room for several people to have toiletries. The water was surprisingly good for a chain hotel.
9/10, Great.
Furnishings:
The beds were very comfortable. Additionally, we had a large couch that could have easily slept another couple of people. Again, not the most memorable of accommodations but more than adequate for 1 night.
9/10, Great.
Electronics:
There was a normal ~40” TV in the room, though being on vacation, I did not feel the need to inspect it.
The Wi-Fi was fairly strong and I had no issues with checking email or surfing the internet. However, I did not sample the video call capacity.
8/10, Very Nice.
Housekeeping:
We only stayed for 1 night, thus had no need for housekeeping.
N/A
Food and Drink:
All Hyatt Place hotels offer free breakfast, and this was no exception. We did not sample any food.
N/A
Overall:
9/10, Great. We enjoyed the stay here. The value was terrific and location was more than adequate for 1 night. If you need to fly out early in the morning from FLL, you might try staying at Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale/Plantation! Next up, we headed back home on Silver Airways– regarded as a terrible airline but it got us back in 1 piece!
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