We all love an airport lounge. And while they may be less common, many hotels have lounges, too. Accessing hotel lounges can save you money on food and drinks while traveling because you can pop in for snacks, drinks, or even entire meals. Because you know we love the World of Hyatt loyalty program, we’re going to discuss that program’s Club Access Award (CAA) to help you figure out how you can use one of these awards if you earn or are given one.

CAAs can be a challenge to use, especially if you’re traveling in the United States. There are relatively few hotels that still offer lounges, as many lounges closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. 

In this post, we’ll discuss what these awards are, how to use them, and where you can find club lounges in the U.S. (We’ll also be adding future posts discussing how to use your awards in other parts of the world.) We’ve also asked our readers to chime in with some of their favorite club lounges in the U.S. 

 

What is a Club Access Award? 

A Club Access Award (CAA) allows you access to the club lounge at eligible hotels for one stay, up to seven nights. Club lounges vary, but generally, they offer an area to sit and enjoy breakfast in the morning, snacks during the day, and a cocktail hour in the evening. 

These can be particularly useful for families with kids who like to snack throughout the day. Those costs can otherwise really add up on a trip where you don’t have access to a kitchen. 

Club lounges also vary in their hours, with some open only during the week to cater to business travelers. So once you’ve found a hotel you want to use your award for, contact them to make sure the lounge will be open during your stay. 

If you have Globalist status or are staying on a Guest of Honor award, you’ll get access to the club lounge automatically if the property has one, so you won’t need to use a CAA. 

When you earn 20 or 30 qualifying nights with Hyatt in one year, a CAA is one of the award options you can choose. 

 

 

How to Use a Club Access Award 

If you are logged into a Hyatt account and try to book a property with club access available, you’ll see a button above the various room types that you can click to add your award to your stay. If the award can’t be used, the option will be grayed out. 

Below are additional tips for using your CAA successfully. Always check Hyatt’s terms and conditions before booking, in case any rules have changed. 

• • You can use your CAA on a points booking or an eligible cash stay, but not on a free-night-certificate reservation. 
  • Once you earn your CAA, you have the rest of the calendar year plus 14 months to use it before it expires. 
  • You must apply for the award before check-in (and ideally as early as possible, since clubs have limited capacity). 

• You can gift your CAA to another World of Hyatt member.

 

 

Where To Use a Club Access Award 

Below, I’ve listed (by state/territory) hotels with confirmed club lounges as of early 2026. This is subject to change, and you should always confirm availability and lounge hours with the property before using your award. 

 

Alabama 

• Hyatt Regency Birmingham – The Wynfrey Hotel

Arizona 

• Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort

California

• Grand Hyatt at SFO
• Hyatt Regency Irvine
• Hyatt Regency Sacramento
• Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA

District of Columbia 

• Grand Hyatt Washington 
• Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill 

Florida 

• Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront 
• Hyatt Regency Orlando 

Georgia 

• Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead 

Guam 

• Hyatt Regency Guam

Hawaii

• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
• Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa
• Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa

Illinois 

• Hyatt Regency Chicago 

Indiana 

• Hyatt Regency Indianapolis 

Iowa

• Hyatt Regency Coralville Hotel and Conference Center

Louisiana 

• Hyatt Regency New Orleans 

New York

• Hyatt Regency JFK Airport at Resorts World New York
• Hyatt Grand Central New York 

Oklahoma 

• Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown

Tennessee 

• Grand Hyatt Nashville 

Texas 

• Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk 

Utah 

• Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City 

Virginia 

• Hyatt Regency Reston 
• Hyatt Regency Tyson’s Corner (Temporarily closed for renovations as of early 2026)

Washington

• Grand Hyatt Seattle 

 

Where Our Readers Love to Use their CAAs

We asked the savvy travelers in our Facebook group what their favorite hotels are in the U.S. to use a CAA within the U.S. The overwhelming favorite was Hawaii, especially on Maui and Kauai. Given how expensive food is in Hawaii, you can get excellent value for your award there. 

“Fantastic breakfast, and we loved access to beverages and snacks throughout the day. (No restaurants within walking distance, aside from the high-end hotel restaurants, so club access was so helpful). [The] club was always very busy, so seating was limited (even outside).” – Jen on the Grand Hyatt Kauai Club 

“Loved having club access at both! Waikiki actually provides ‘heavy appetizers’ at dinner time that are unique and delicious.” – Amy on the clubs in Maui and Waikiki 

But don’t worry if you can’t fly all the way to Hawaii to use your certificate; plenty of lounges got solid reviews in the continental U.S. as well. 

Kirsten shared her success story at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco: 

“To our surprise, we were gifted club access this summer by the manager when I sent Pam’s upgrade template. The club is located on the top floor of a high-rise building and rotates 360 degrees while you dine with harbor and city views! My kids thought it was amazing!”

Susan also enjoyed using her CAA at Grand Hyatt SFO, noting the lounge offered “excellent food and beautiful setting watching the planes take off and land.”

The Grand Hyatt Nashville was another favorite with our group members. 

“We were impressed with the club! Their breakfast and dinner offerings were very good, and they also have free beer and wine for a couple of hours in the evening.” – Sarah

“Breakfast options are plentiful, alcohol is included and the ‘hors d’oeuvres’ are more than enough for a full dinner meal. Desserts are elegant. Between breakfast and dinner, there are chips, granola bars, candy, and other snacks as well as a fully stocked beverage cooler and a coffee machine.” – Misty 

Readers also appreciated the club lounge at the Grand Hyatt Washington, with Amie commenting that the lounge offered a “wonderful breakfast, enough for a light dinner, loved the staff!”

The Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk was praised for its food selection. 

“We loved having club access here. Lots of food throughout the day and never crowded.” – Jennifer 

I loved this story from reader Stephanie, who visited the Hyatt Regency Chicago with her family. We love a hotel that goes the extra mile for tiny travelers! 

“The club itself was nice, kept clean and stocked. We were there playing one of the board games with our kids (5 and 7 at the time), and we got talking to the staff member. When she found out we had a five-hour drive the next morning, she packed them each a little bag with drinks and snacks for the ride.”

 

Bottom Line

While not the easiest Hyatt award to use, CAAs can be very useful for certain properties. Where have you used your CAA? Let us know in the comments! 

 

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