Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall vs. Holiday Inn Montego Bay: Which is a Better Value with Points?

Recently, I spent spring break with my family in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We split our time between the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall and the Holiday Inn Jamaica all-inclusive resort, which was actually pretty interesting and fun.

Since the Hyatt credit card came with free night certificates instead of points when we signed up, we were able to book our free nights at the hotel without paying a surcharge to bring our two kids along. We then used a combination of free night certificates and points and cash to pay for our stay at the Holiday Inn.

Now, for the bad news. Sometime during our trip, it was announced that new changes were coming with the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. One of the biggest changes is that, pretty soon, you can no longer use your free night certificate to stay at the Holiday Inn Montego Bay since it is now one of their excluded resorts.

With that in mind, I wanted to compare the two resorts to determine which one is a better value for couples or families with kids. Here are some of the pros and cons of each resort, along with some thoughts to ponder:

Hyatt Ziva or Zilara: Why You Should Consider Staying Here

While I have stayed at the Holiday Inn in Jamaica four times now, this year marked my first time staying at a Hyatt all-inclusive resort. I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, so much so that I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

The food was extremely good and I felt they had a lot more variety (and better quality) than the Holiday Inn. The pools were big and the drinks were flowing. They served champagne and blackberry brandy, which gives them high marks in my book.

The rooms at the Hyatt Ziva were also very large, clean, and roomy with lots of storage and space for the kids.

Should you stay here? And, is it a good value when you pay with points? Here are some advantages to consider:

• Both the Hyatt Ziva and adults-only Hyatt Zilara in Jamaica are only 25,000 points per night for double occupancy. If you are traveling as a couple, you can book with a lot fewer points with this property. After all, the Holiday Inn Montego Bay now costs 50,000 points per night!
• While the Holiday Inn has an adults-only section, it’s really just one building and a sad pool with a swim-up bar. There is a private beach for adults, but it is right next to the family section and not very secluded. The Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, by contrast, has a much larger adults-only section with its own buildings, pools, and restaurants.
• At the Hyatt, the food is better. The gym is bigger and nicer. The rooms are bigger and they feature nicer finishes.
• They had shaded beach and pool cabanas you could rent for around $100 per day. Each cabana also comes with a butler that will pick up food, drinks, and whatever else you want throughout the day. I wouldn’t normally splurge this way, but I had my parents with me and they really need shade. The butler service was a nice perk as well.

Holiday Inn Montego Bay: Why You Should Consider Staying Here

While the Hyatt Ziva is an extremely nice property and the Hyatt Zilara looked great, there are still plenty of reasons to stay at the Holiday Inn. For starters, it’s hard to beat the beach at the Holiday Inn if you have kids. Because the hotel has its own tiny island right off the shore, there is a built-in swimming area perfect for little kids.

The Holiday Inn can also be a really good value, but the value is really waning now that it’s excluded from the free night certificate. Here are a few reasons to consider it:

• Kids ages 12 and under stay free. For 50,000 points per night, you can bring two kids ages 12 and under and stay for free. That’s a pretty good value. However, since extra people are only 12,500 points per night at the Hyatt Ziva or Zilara in Rose Hall, the price is actually the same at both resorts for four people.
• This property can run as low as $188 per night, which means it’s a lot more affordable to tack on some paid nights if you book a few nights with points. The $188 per night rate is particular good when you consider the fact that kids ages 12 and under stay free.

The Bottom Line

Now that I’ve stayed at both properties in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I have to say that the Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall comes out ahead for me. The quality of everything is slightly better, and it’s only 25,000 points per night for double occupancy. Plus, you can go with the adults-only Hyatt Zilara if you want and/or add extra people to your room for 12,500 points per night.

The food is better, the rooms are bigger, and the staff is amazing! Either hotel is a good option though, so do what is best for you and spend your points how you want.

 

Which hotel do you think is a better value? Have you stayed at either one?

[Image Source: Hyatt]