Not so long ago, I dismissed much of the hype from other travelers about the World of Hyatt program. Surely the program wasn’t as valuable as they said.
But I earned Hyatt Globalist status in 2021, primarily because the program’s promotions and decreased requirements that year allowed me to do so by staying with Hyatt just 10 nights. And honestly, I haven’t looked back. Now, my voice has joined the chorus of other travelers who sing the praises of World of Hyatt.
The program isn’t perfect and has made some negative moves in the last few years, such as capping Guest of Honor bookings, limiting award gifting and using dynamic award pricing for Mr & Mrs Smith properties. But, regardless of whether you have top-tier Globalist status or are just a member, there’s tons of value to be found through World of Hyatt. Here’s why I came to love this hotel loyalty program.
Hyatt award charts
Hyatt continues to differentiate itself and provide value through its award charts. Even before I earned Hyatt elite status, I found value in the World of Hyatt award charts, especially as many other hotel loyalty programs have implemented dynamic award pricing. World of Hyatt continues to shine with its off-peak, standard and peak award night pricing, and in my opinion, these award charts are the primary reason travelers should care about the World of Hyatt program, regardless of how frequently they stay with the program.
I actively seek out Hyatt Category 1 properties, where standard room types cost between 3,500 and 6,500 Hyatt points per night. I’ve stayed dozens of nights at Category 1 properties near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before and after visiting family, and loved my stay earlier this year at the Category 1 Story Hotel Signalfabriken. Later this year, I’ll stay at the Grand Hyatt Amman and Hyatt Regency Cape Town, which are surprisingly Category 1 properties.
But the value of the Hyatt award charts isn’t only for Category 1 properties. For example, I’m considering staying at the Category 2 Hyatt Centric Malta during a music festival on the island later this year. As a reminder, standard room types at Hyatt Category 2 properties cost 6,500 to 9,500 points per night.
My stays at the Category 7 Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa and Alila Kothaifaru Maldives last year also provided excellent value. I stayed on mostly off-peak dates, which cost 25,000 points per night for a standard room type. But, even on peak dates, you’ll only need to redeem 35,000 Hyatt points per night for a standard room type at these properties.
It’s also useful to redeem points at reasonable rates based on an award chart if you want to book a Club room, standard suite, premium suite or an all-inclusive property.
Related: Best Hyatt hotels in the world to book with points
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Suite upgrade awards
You can earn suite upgrade awards through the Hyatt Milestone Rewards program, starting at just 40 qualifying nights or 65,000 base points in a calendar year. Each suite upgrade award lets you confirm a standard suite at booking for a stay of up to seven nights. Best of all, you can use these awards when booking eligible paid or award rates.
For example, earlier this year, I redeemed 17,500 points and a suite upgrade award to secure a standard suite for a five-night stay at the Category 1 Story Hotel Signalfabriken. The standard rooms at this hotel are very small, so confirming a suite at booking let me feel confident I’d have enough room to live and work comfortably during my stay.
Hyatt suite upgrade awards are much more generous than what other hotel loyalty programs offer. For example, Marriott’s Nightly Upgrade Awards require you to use one award per night and are only confirmable a few days before your stay. Especially now that members can use Hyatt suite upgrade awards when booking online, these awards have become an extremely valuable benefit.
Related: How to earn and use Hyatt upgrade certificates
Hyatt Guest of Honor awards
Hyatt Guest of Honor awards are a perk that truly sets World of Hyatt apart from other hotel loyalty programs. Like suite upgrade awards, you can earn Guest of Honor awards through the Hyatt Milestone Rewards program starting at 40 qualifying nights or 65,000 base points within a calendar year.
Each Guest of Honor award unlocks a Globalist experience for someone (or yourself) on an eligible paid or award stay of up to seven nights. When staying on a Guest of Honor award, the guest is treated as a Globalist, so they’ll get all the on-site perks — including complimentary breakfast or lounge access and room upgrades — typically reserved for Globalist members.
So, even if you can’t quite earn Globalist status, you could earn a Guest of Honor award each year by staying 40 qualifying nights or accruing 65,000 base points. Then, you could use the Guest of Honor award you earn to enjoy Globalist perks on a specific stay.
However, if you already have Globalist status, Guest of Honor awards are still useful because they let you share your perks with others. For example, I’ve used my Guest of Honor awards on special stays for friends, co-workers and family members. Best of all, now I get an elite qualifying night deposited into my account whenever someone else stays using one of my Guest of Honor awards.
Customer-friendly policies
I also appreciate some of the other miscellaneous customer-friendly policies employed by the World of Hyatt program. For example, you can quickly and easily gift many types of Hyatt awards to other members online. These include Guest of Honor awards, so you can gift a Guest of Honor award and then the other person can book their stay.
You can also transfer Hyatt points to another member to book an award stay. Although the process is a bit annoying, as you must fill out a paper form, transferring points between accounts is still great. My husband recently signed up for the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees), so we’ll occasionally transfer points from his account to mine. After all, we’ll want to use my account to book since I have Globalist status and he has Discoverist status.
Finally, you can call Hyatt to use your points to book an award stay in someone else’s name. This can be handy if you don’t want to transfer points, but want to book a stay for someone else.
Related: The ultimate guide to redeeming your World of Hyatt points
Hyatt Globalist perks
Most top-tier hotel elite statuses offer some compelling perks. But Hyatt Globalist perks go beyond what other programs offer in several notable ways.
Well-defined breakfast benefits
Hyatt Globalists get Club lounge access at properties with a lounge. But if the property doesn’t have a Club lounge or the lounge is closed, Globalist members get “daily complimentary full breakfast (which includes one entrée or standard breakfast buffet, juice, and coffee, as well as tax, gratuity and service charges) for each registered guest in the room, up to a maximum of two (2) adults and two (2) children” according to the program’s terms and conditions.
Especially after having issues with properties in other hotel loyalty programs not wanting to fully offer elite breakfast benefits, it’s comforting to have the Hyatt Globalist breakfast benefit clearly in the terms and conditions. It’s also nice that Hyatt includes breakfast for up to two adults and two children staying in the room.
Related: What to do when a hotel doesn’t want to honor your elite benefits
Priority room availability and 4 pm late checkout
Trains and planes don’t always depart at times suitable for standard checkout times. So, I appreciate that the benefit of 4 p.m. checkout for Globalist members is available upon request at most properties without many exclusions.
The primary exclusions listed in the program’s terms and conditions are that “late checkout is subject to availability at hotels with a casino, Hyatt resorts, and Destination by Hyatt Residences locations” and “late checkout is not offered at Hyatt Vacation Club properties.”
Likewise, getting refreshed when you arrive after a red-eye flight in a new city is really nice. However, check-in times are usually around 3 or 4 p.m. So, I appreciate that Globalist members can check in to the first available room of the category they booked (or to an eligible upgraded room type if available) as early as 9 a.m. at most properties (excluding Hyatt Vacation Club properties).
Related: Breakfast, upgrades and more: 9 TPG staffers reveal their favorite elite status perks
My Hyatt Concierge
Finally, while technically not a Globalist benefit, My Hyatt Concierge (which you earn as a Hyatt Milestone Reward) offers me convenience and confidence that issues I encounter during Hyatt stays will be fixed.
Although I haven’t used my dedicated concierge frequently, I’ve gotten good service from the My Hyatt Concierge phone line. The few times I’ve had issues with incorrect charges on my bill after a stay or a hotel not wanting to offer guaranteed Globalist benefits, the phone agents quickly fixed my issue.
However, since Hyatt laid off many U.S.-based phone agents in June, some reports indicate quality may not be as good now if you call My Hyatt Concierge.
Related: How and why to get Hyatt lifetime Globalist status
Ease of earning Hyatt points
Finally, I love how easily I can earn Hyatt points. I earn 5 points per dollar spent on stays at participating Hyatt properties, plus 30% bonus points as a Globalist member. I also earn 4 bonus points per dollar spent on qualifying purchases at Hyatt hotels and resorts when I pay with my World of Hyatt Credit Card. So, I usually earn 10.5 points per dollar spent on purchases at Hyatt hotels and resorts.
But I don’t earn many points through stays. Instead, I buy Hyatt points during sales and frequently transfer Chase points to Hyatt. After all, it’s easy for me to get over 2 cents per point when redeeming Hyatt points, so it’s usually worth buying or transferring points as needed to book award stays.
Luckily, I can earn plenty of Chase points with Ultimate Rewards cards. Here’s a look at some of the welcome bonuses on Ultimate Rewards cards that let you transfer Chase points to Hyatt (and other Ultimate Rewards transfer partners):
Related: Why I aim to spend $15K on my World of Hyatt Credit Card each year
Bottom line
As you can see, there’s value to be found in the World of Hyatt program regardless of whether you’re a loyal Globalist member or an infrequent guest. Especially since you can transfer Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt, it’s easy to earn Hyatt points even if you don’t utilize the program frequently.
Although it’s growing, Hyatt’s primary downside is its small footprint. But, since you can get good value from World of Hyatt even if it isn’t your primary loyalty program, footprint shouldn’t be why you aren’t utilizing Hyatt. This is especially true if you have a friend or family member who can occasionally gift you a suite upgrade or a Guest of Honor award for special stays.
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