A lot of the things we do in this hobby don’t make sense to most people, but to those who have been travel hacking for a while get it. That’s the case with mattress runs. Basically a mattress run is paying for cheap hotel stays to rack up nights towards elite status with a particular hotel brand. You don’t actually have to stay the entire time. The reason for this is because the perks gained with elite status could far outweigh the costs associated with your mattress run. Here’s our mattress run in Mexico.
Why Mexico?
After reading an awesome article written by Joseph Hostetler, I decided to replicate his plan to gain elite status with Hyatt. You should check out that article as he shows his cost breakdown vs the potential value he plans to get from his new status. The total cost at the Hyatt Place Aguascalientes/Bonaterra made this trip worth it.
In our case, we had some flight credits from American Airlines that we had to burn from cancelling some positioning flights for our Maldives trip last year. Instead of letting those go to waste, we used them to cover our flights to Aguascalientes. We found some convenient flights so that we didn’t have to burn any vacation time. We flew out on a Friday after work to arrive in Aguascalientes that night, then flew back home on Sunday.
COVID Testing
Now one obstacle that we ran into with this mattress run was the fact that the US required a negative COVID test result to enter back into the country. This was implemented on January 26, 2021 and our short trip started on January 29th. Since we planned on being there for only a weekend, we needed to find a place where we could get a COVID test and results back fast. If we couldn’t, this would’ve thrown a wrench into our plans towards elite status with Hyatt.
In comes the American Express Platinum card to the rescue! I called the concierge to see if they could help. They definitely pulled through! They found a number of places where I could get tested, many of them with results within 72 hours. However I didn’t have 72 hours to wait. I needed results sooner. Amex Platinum provided some locations that could have results within 15 minutes! Mattress run saved!!
Something to keep in mind regarding the Covid testing. Since our trip was short, we tested at home in the US on the day before we departed to Mexico. To be allowed back into the US you need to show a negative test result within 72 hours of departing to the US, so the test we took at home was valid. Another reason why we tested at home prior to our flight was to make sure we were negative. We didn’t want to take the flight if we happened to test positive even though we didn’t have symptoms.
However, we did take another test while in Mexico just to make sure we’d make it back home in case the test taken at home wouldn’t be accepted. I’ll share that experience in another article.
Hotel Review
The Hyatt Place in Aguascalientes is a nice hotel. I find that international Hyatt Place locations seem to be very nice. For being a World of Hyatt member, breakfast was free! It is on the outskirts of the city and about 15-20 minutes from the airport.
The hotel seemed fairly new and was exceptionally clean. To abide by Covid requirements, your temperature is checked as you enter the building. Also, masks are required at all times unless you are actively eating or drinking.
They have a breakfast area where items are individually wrapped. Hot items are prepared for you and are delivered to your table. They also have a bar that is open until 1am. The front desk clerk serves as your bartender!
What To Do In Aguascalientes
Fun fact, Aguascalientes is one of the cities that lays claim to the geographical center of Mexico. Aguascalientes is largely an industrial city with a population of around 1.5 million people per their latest census. There’s not a lot to do within the city, other than checking out the city center and enjoying the plazas.
Just outside of the city though are a few wineries and vineyards that you could visit. We spent our Saturday at Vinícola Santa Elena. They offer tours of their winery that are about 2 hours long, however we just hung out there and enjoyed some wine and a meat and cheese plate. If we had more time, we would’ve looked into a tour of several wineries along the famous Ruta del Vino. In hindsight, I wouldn’t have minded staying another couple of days after seeing that there are several wineries we could visit and how easy and cheap it is to get a Covid test.
Conclusion
This is probably one of our craziest mattress runs, as in the past we’ve done them domestically. Since we had flight credits to burn, stackable Hyatt promotions and the lowest priced Hyatt on the planet, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I wouldn’t mind spending a 4 day weekend here as they have other wineries I’d love to try. Have you been to Aguascalientes?
