Hyatt Place Kent Narrows Review

It's not everyday that Hyatt Hotels opens a new hotel, especially a waterfront hotel. The ToP team recently visited the Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina, which opened its doors in December 2022. With something for everyone, a nice location that was previously not served by Hyatt, and reasonable prices in the World of Hyatt program, this hotel is sure to be a hit. I'll cover the location, cost, property amenities and our overall thoughts in this Hyatt Place Kent Narrows review.

Location

The Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina is located 15 minutes from Annapolis, Maryland, 40 minutes from Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI), 1 hour from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and 1.5 hours from Dulles International Airport (IAD). Most importantly, it is east of the Bay Bridge, which has Atlantic ocean beach traffic backups on Thursdays and Fridays of 4 hours or more. Depending on your arrival time and plans to head to the beach, this hotel is a perfect stopping point to break up the drive.

Hyatt Place Kent Narrows Review: Typical Booking Cost

Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina is a Category 3 in the World of Hyatt program. Here are the award costs for each room type:

Standard Room

• 9,000 points off peak
• 12,000 points standard
• 15,000 points peak
• All Bookable With A Category 1-4 free night certificate, but best if used on standard or peak nights.

Standard Suite

• 17,000 points off peak
• 20,000 points standard
• 23,000 points peak

Premium Suite

• 18,000 points off peak
• 24,000 points standard
• 30,000 points peak

The hotel has 124 rooms and 6 suites. The suites may not be the best redemption here since Hyatt Place standard rooms are kind of set up like a mini suite as it is. The cash prices for this hotel can climb to $400 – $500 during the peak summer season.

Property/Amenities Review

The Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina includes free parking, free breakfast, and marina access. There is a bar in the lobby, with several local craft beers, and the food menu is available until midnight. After midnight, a late night menu is available 24/7. This is highly unusual for a Hyatt Place.

Along with the bar in the lobby, there is a separate area for the free breakfast buffet. The seating is water view! Overall, this hotel has plentiful gathering space, both indoors and out. The large back deck area, which runs the length of the hotel, has chairs and couches, fireplaces, and plenty of waterfront views and room to gather. Additionally, the hotel offers 8 different event spaces, with up to 7,000 sq. feet. The trend with new Hyatt Places is geared towards open areas and gathering space and this property does not disappoint.

Additionally, few hotels have full marina facilities and true “boat-up” capabilities. At Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina, you can arrive via boat and walk directly into the hotel. Once on property, there is no need for a vehicle. The hotel is within walking distance of multiple local waterfront restaurants and establishments. If exercise is your thing, the hotel is along the Cross Island Trail or the hotel offers a small gym and an indoor pool.

Hyatt Place Kent Narrows Review: Our Room

Our room was standard Hyatt Place variety. It was quiet, as it surrounded on 3 sides by water, and there was no noise from nearby Rt. 50 in the waterfront rooms. It seems clear this new hotel was built as a “nicer” Hyatt Place and is not a budget motel with paper-thin walls.

The balcony was a great touch and one I would highly recommend to everyone. While we were not onsite for sunset, the waterfront balconies offer fantastic sunset views. Frankly, our sunrise view from our balcony was breathtaking! If you are a Hyatt Explorist or Globalist, this is the room type you want for your upgrade.

Hyatt Elite Perks & Status Recognition

The Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina offers free parking and free breakfast for all guests, which is typical for the brand (although not always the case). As there are only 6 suites available of the 130 rooms, do not expect upgrades to this room type. With this perfect location just outside of beloved Annapolis, I expect this hotel will remain at capacity for most of the Memorial Day to Labor Day timeframe.

Personally, we did not receive any Globalist perks during our stay, other than the 2 complimentary bottles of water each day. We booked a waterfront king room with a balcony and that is what we receive. As stated previously, this is perfectly acceptable and is an upgrade anyone should accept. The balconies are spacious and offer stunning views of the Kent Narrows, the marina and sunrise and sunset.

Redemption / Value Breakdown

Since we visited in January, with temperatures in the upper 30s and cold wind howling off the Chesapeake Bay, cash rates were very low. We skipped the standard room and booked directly into a waterfront king room with a balcony for approx. $175 all in including taxes. This was better than using 12,000 Hyatt points and hoping for an upgrade to the waterfront room with a balcony, although extremely likely with Globalist status.

While Hyatt points did not make sense for us, at under 1.5 cents per point, it most certainly will during the summer months. A quick search of prices show that a standard room soars to over $450 per night (plus taxes and fees) on many summer weekends. A quick example is a 3 night stay (Friday to Monday) over Memorial Day weekend. 36,000 Hyatt points (12,000 per night) or a total cost of $1,524.34, or a value of over 4.2 cents per Hyatt point. Expect prices to be similar throughout the summer. Book those rooms ASAP!

If you are new to the World of Hyatt program, remember: one of the major perks is that Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer 1 to 1 to the World of Hyatt. You can earn Hyatt points (either Chase Ultimate Rewards or Hyatt points) from these cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• World of Hyatt Credit Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited
• Chase Freedom Flex
• Chase Ink Cash
• Chase Ink Unlimited
• Chase Ink Preferred
• World of Hyatt Business Card

Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina Review: ToP Thoughts

Hyatt Place hotels typically aren't “destination hotels,” but this hotel has something to offer everyone. Whether you are driving in from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Virginia, Pennsylvania, or happen to arrive on a boat via the Chesapeake Bay and Kent Narrows, there is lots to do in the area. As this hotel is brand new, it is flying under the radar as folks make their summer 2023 travel plans. While 3 day weekends can soar over $500 per night, you can still book this property with as little as 9,000 points per night. What an absolute steal! Book now, think later. It is also a great new option to burn your category 1-4 free night certificates you get from the World of Hyatt Credit Card or from earning milestone rewards in the Hyatt program.

Have you stayed at this property? Is it now on your travel itinerary? Let us know in our Facebook group, where we talk points & miles and award travel all day long.