Hyatt has a large portfolio of hotels that spans from super luxury to lower-key stays. The brand has also recently added a number of properties from its acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality.
In a bid to compete with higher-end brands like Design Hotels and Autograph Collection, Hyatt has zeroed in on modern, design-forward spaces that are meant to inspire and refresh. This can be seen in its Miraval resorts, as well as Thompson Hotels and Destination Hotels.
Category 1 – 3
Hyatt is releasing a new round of award pricing changes on Wednesday and the news is pretty depressing. There are 214 hotels changing categories and costing more points to book your free night stay, while 158 are going down in category and costing fewer points.
This is a huge devaluation for Hyatt loyalists, particularly those who use the program to redeem free night certificates at high-end hotels. As a result, many of the most desirable hotels are now gone from the Hyatt award chart and you won’t be able to use a free night certificate at them after March 22, 2022.
Some properties that are lowering their award price will be good places to book before the changes happen, so make sure you lock in your bookings. Also, be aware that some World of Hyatt hotels are increasing in point value and you should take advantage of them before the award chart changes.
Category 4 – 7
If you want to find a Hyatt hotel that’s within a certain category or brand, use the hyatt search by category function. It’s a great way to quickly find low and high category properties that you can book using points or cash.
World of Hyatt hotels are categorized by the letters A through F, with all-inclusive resorts in the lower-tier categories costing the fewest number of points for an off-peak night and all-inclusive properties in the higher-tier categories requiring the most.
When a hotel increases in category, it also increases its points + cash rate and the price you pay for free nights at all-inclusive properties. This is a huge issue for aspirational destinations and all-inclusive properties in the higher tiers.
Luckily, there are some strategies that will help you avoid the increases. The most important one is to always stay at the same category property if possible, especially when paying with points.
Category 8 – 9
Hyatt is making some big changes to its hotel category system this year. There are 372 hotels changing categories in all, representing a huge 28% of the Hyatt portfolio.
One of the most notable changes is that many top aspirational redemption properties are moving to Category 8 for the first time. This is a bad move for people looking to book these hotels as they’ll be costing more points per night after this change takes effect.
As a result, it’s not uncommon to see some of these aspirational hotels priced out at more than 25,000 points per night for peak periods. However, the good news is that many of these are still affordable for a single award night stay during off-peak times as well.
Category 10 – 12
Hyatt is all about making sure you’re getting the best value for your hard-earned dollars. That means they’re making a few changes to their award chart that should make you take notice when it comes to planning your next trip. For starters, the chain is releasing an awards calendar that is likely to be the most up-to-date in the industry. But what about those elusive award night certificates? Fortunately, the good guys have taken steps to mitigate this glaring problem with a revamped loyalty program and a suite of perks like free nights and hotel stays for weddings and conferences.
While there’s no denying the new points system is a bit of a pain, the changes should provide some much-needed breathing room for travelers looking to lock in some future stays before they get dinged with a sky high points bill. Those in the know are likely to be well ahead of the curve, but if you’re not you could be in for some hefty price hikes come awards season.