A couple of months ago, we learned how World of Hyatt would be ending a partnership that many members found to be valuable. Well, that’s happening as of today, so in this post I wanted to recap all the details, and talk about what this means for members.
In this post:
Hyatt & SLH formally end their collaboration
Since 2018, World of Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) have had a loyalty collaboration. With this, World of Hyatt members have been able to earn and redeem points at SLH properties when booking through Hyatt channels.
This is an opportunity that many members have appreciated. SLH has hundreds of affiliated luxury properties, so this was a way to leverage a big hotel loyalty program for stays at some special properties not otherwise participating in such a program.
Unfortunately as of May 15, 2024, Hyatt and SLH have terminated their relationship, in what they describe as a mutual decision. As far as the winding down of this partnership goes:
- Previously booked stays with check-in dates after May 15, 2024, will still be honored, but World of Hyatt benefits won’t apply, so you won’t be able to earn points or elite nights, and won’t receive any additional perks
- Through August 31, 2024, those with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (review) continued to earn 4x points or every eligible dollar spent at SLH properties
With this partnership ending, we know that Hilton Honors and SLH plan to launch an exclusive partnership soon. We should learn more details about that in the coming weeks, as there’s not much information out there yet.
Hyatt is instead focusing on Mr & Mrs Smith
Unfortunately this is the third major World of Hyatt partnership to end in the past several months, as we also saw Hyatt cut ties with MGM Rewards and Lindblad Expeditions. In this case, I suspect the partnership ending is a bit more deliberate on Hyatt’s part.
In 2023, Hyatt acquired Mr & Mrs Smith, which is a luxury hotel booking platform, affiliated with 1,500+ hotels. Mr & Mrs Smith is almost like a specially branded version of Virtuoso, offering extra perks (like free breakfast, room upgrades, etc.) for stays at select luxury hotels.
Mr & Mrs Smith doesn’t manage any properties, but rather just gets a commission on bookings, and is really good at marketing itself. Clearly Hyatt wanted in on the action.
The process of integrating Mr & Mrs Smith into World of Hyatt has now started. You can earn World of Hyatt points for Mr & Mrs Smith stays, but only if booking through Hyatt channels (and you’ll often find better rates elsewhere). Meanwhile points redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith properties are revenue based.
Ultimately many World of Hyatt members are disappointed by the execution of this. I’m not quite as disappointed, but that’s because I was managing my expectations going in, and wasn’t expecting that these redemptions would be a great value, given the economics involved.
I will say that from the perspective of World of Hyatt members, losing SLH and gaining Mr & Mrs Smith wasn’t a very good trade, in my opinion. But I suspect there’s more upside for Hyatt with Mr & Mrs Smith.
Bottom line
World of Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World have now ended their partnership. That’s only part of what’s happening, though — Hilton will be launching a partnership with SLH, while Hyatt is integrating Mr & Mrs Smith into its own booking platform.
What do you make of Hyatt & SLH cutting ties?
This has become a pain. I had a few SLH reservations through Hyatt in UK this summer. Then the reservations and confirmation numbers disappeared from my Hyatt account. I dont save the emails as i have in my account summary of reservations on the Hyatt website. Now have hell of a time canceling or finding the reservations.
I saw on line notices of this change from blogs but Hyatt has not communicating by email the...
This has become a pain. I had a few SLH reservations through Hyatt in UK this summer. Then the reservations and confirmation numbers disappeared from my Hyatt account. I dont save the emails as i have in my account summary of reservations on the Hyatt website. Now have hell of a time canceling or finding the reservations.
I saw on line notices of this change from blogs but Hyatt has not communicating by email the specific changes to guests that have made reservations.
Hyatt and SLH should have sent specific information to guests as soon as Hyatt made the reservations vanish from their system. I was told by Hyatt concierge reservations still active even though no longer visible on Hyatt website account.
Fine to change, the benefits should have been grandfathered and each reservation should be reconfirmed with option to cancel.
There is one reservation i thought i had made but cannot find record of now and don’t know how to confirm or track.
It is not new. We knew it would happen for some time. It is business. The two sides probably did not agree on the new terms.
Honestly I would in some ways prefer the new partnership because they have a lot of really interesting hotels—I just really really wish it weren’t revenue based because SLH wasn’t
Really there were 15, maybe 20 properties that looked appealing to me. I stayed at 2 that were nice enough, and later in the year I have 2 more.
Never thought Hyatt forums were the appopriate place to discuss non-Hyatt hotels, and the notion that the best Hyatt redemption wasn't even for a Hyatt property was to me bothersome. So for the most part, I'm happy to see them gone, and if I desire in...
Really there were 15, maybe 20 properties that looked appealing to me. I stayed at 2 that were nice enough, and later in the year I have 2 more.
Never thought Hyatt forums were the appopriate place to discuss non-Hyatt hotels, and the notion that the best Hyatt redemption wasn't even for a Hyatt property was to me bothersome. So for the most part, I'm happy to see them gone, and if I desire in the future to stay at SLH, there's always Hilton or cash options (cash direct was cheaper than booking through Hyatt, anyways)
In my experience SLH in Europe was the some of the highest value points could get. I think we are losing a fairly significant value proposition with points here.
Very sad; I have a 4 night stay in Naples, and I’m working on lifetime globalist so the loss of the cash contribution to qualifying spend stings. We’ll see if I get an upgrade (I rebooked under SLH, but only have invited status).
Thanks for the tip on the credit card, that helps a little!
Good for the hotels.
Majority of these hotels were actually luxury hotels, not faux "luxury" that Hyatt is trying to be.
Last thing they needed is credit card point redeemers staying there.
Especially the overseas hotels who despised having to cater to American point ... enthusiasts..
Some of these comments make me wonder if there are people that read these blogs just to complain about them and if that really brings enjoyment?
Assuming "Anne" isn't just a troll (the likely scenario), she'll be in for an unpleasant surprise when the Hilton frequenters begin to use their points at SLH. Not to say Hilton loyalists are low-brow, but relative to Hyatt, OP would've been better off had things stayed as they were.
Guess it's apparent how much I valued Hyatt was based on SLH properties.
So now when booking a Mr & Mrs Smith property with cash when the Hyatt rate is on par, I'm wondering if the pedestrian 5-6.5X WoH points would be better than Virtuoso, AMEX FHR etc. perks (i.e. do five MMS nights yield a free Alila stay?).
Hoping Hyatt would offer a more premium card which offers guaranteed MMS benefits and 4X for cash stays.
I've have a non refundable booking with a hotel in Barcelona in August. Now, Will not earn qualifying nights or points or perks. Clearly the Hotel won't cancel. But annoyingly you can book same room direct with hotel for less than Hyatt has charged me through WOH back in Feb. The current rates all booked direct with Hotel are flexible allowing cancellation. Hyatt washing their hands of the booking..So I've cancelled 8 upcoming bookings with...
I've have a non refundable booking with a hotel in Barcelona in August. Now, Will not earn qualifying nights or points or perks. Clearly the Hotel won't cancel. But annoyingly you can book same room direct with hotel for less than Hyatt has charged me through WOH back in Feb. The current rates all booked direct with Hotel are flexible allowing cancellation. Hyatt washing their hands of the booking..So I've cancelled 8 upcoming bookings with Hyatt and rebooked with another group. Good riddance
I have a Cat 1-4 award stay booked at an SLH Hotel a week after the split. I got an email from Hyatt yesterday saying my stay would be honored minus perks. But then this morning I got an email from the hotel complaining they "still" haven't received my deposit (there was no deposit when I made the res, just the usual credit card guarantee) followed immediately by a second email saying my stay would...
I have a Cat 1-4 award stay booked at an SLH Hotel a week after the split. I got an email from Hyatt yesterday saying my stay would be honored minus perks. But then this morning I got an email from the hotel complaining they "still" haven't received my deposit (there was no deposit when I made the res, just the usual credit card guarantee) followed immediately by a second email saying my stay would cost 225 Euros and demanding a 68 Euro deposit. I immediately responded but got no answer.
If the hotel insists I pay for the stay, do I have any recourse with Hyatt? Do they owe me a free stay at another of their hotels in the region (all the other hotels there are Cat 6 and up so I would not be able to just switch my reward to them)? I counted on this stay being free for my planning and budgeting for this vacation and now I feel left in the lurch.
This is another black eye for Hyatt. How can I remain a globalist when they don’t offer good hotels where I want to travel? The US seems to have a focus on the less than desirable Hyatt House and Hyatt Place. I am questioning the value of maintaining globalist status when the only hotels available are these low level hotels with no benefits for loyalty.
I guess those hotels of will suffer as a result because they probably got many Hyatt members to use them and many of which will probably not use them when they are no longer part of the Hyatt group
The most useless and pointless hotel partnership ever.
I just varified on my reservation in Aug. at SLH property . Booked with points no breakfast but will earn elite night credit.
I love that you used a pic of Fogo Island Inn... I've also been scoping how/if that particular property will be bookable post integration :)
Good riddance. Between the:
-markups on Hyatt’s site
-award availability restricted to one room on property
-award availability restricted to a single occupancy room on property
-very very low chance of booking anything close in
-lack of air conditioning in Europe
This partnership was a big fat nothing.
wait.... Fogo Island is about to be able to be booked on points....
How does the Mr&Mrs Smith work differently from SLH such that points redemption would be an issue? Doesn't SLH work the same way, as it they don't manage the properties just market them. For SLH, Hyatt managed to get a deal to allow for points redemption. Why won't it be the same with Mr&Mrs Smith properties?
I am not sure of the relationship exactly but I believe that small hotel brands and independents can join SLH with an approval process. They become a light franchise within the spectrum of their booking site and advertising and pay a fee for that. I don't know if SLH recieves a commission for bookings but I imagine there are annual fees involved for marketing etc. Relais and C works the similar way.
Mr. and...
I am not sure of the relationship exactly but I believe that small hotel brands and independents can join SLH with an approval process. They become a light franchise within the spectrum of their booking site and advertising and pay a fee for that. I don't know if SLH recieves a commission for bookings but I imagine there are annual fees involved for marketing etc. Relais and C works the similar way.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith is just a disguised third party booking site focusing on higher end properties and that relies on preferred partner bookings that get commissions. They may vet and choose which hotels they represent but they are not at all getting fees or anything else. They rely solely on commissions.
That's how I see it. I may very well be wrong though.
What about points redemptions on SLH made for later in the year?
This. I have one booked for late May. Still appearing in the app at the moment.
I have an award booking at the Maalot Roma for early July and received an email from Hyatt yesterday saying the reservation would be honored. I made the reservation in Aug 2023 and it hasn't shown up on the app or online for a few months now. I reached out to the hotel itself a couple months ago and they said the reservation would be honored, too. The Hyatt email yesterday said I could contact customer service if I needed to make any changes or cancel.
I highly doubt redemptions and points will happen at Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties. Maybe some. Probably not many - if at all. Why?
The properties they book (and basically serve as an agent to) are often very top line brands like Aman, etc. I hardly see Aman or the similar being subjected to redemptions. Other properties can be small independent hotels with a limited number of rooms that also do not want in this...
I highly doubt redemptions and points will happen at Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties. Maybe some. Probably not many - if at all. Why?
The properties they book (and basically serve as an agent to) are often very top line brands like Aman, etc. I hardly see Aman or the similar being subjected to redemptions. Other properties can be small independent hotels with a limited number of rooms that also do not want in this fray. It makes no sense. though one can dream!
My feeling is that the properties will appear on Hyatt booking channels with disclaimers that no points or perks will be valid. Much like Bulgari Hotels with Bonvoy. What does Hyatt get in return? Commisions on those bookings. The perks offered might be similar to any agent booking via Prive etc (amenity, credit, upgrade when available) but nothing additional for status.
In essence I am betting that this is a strategy to eliminate small booking agents and corner that market on commissions at a wide net of properties. As much as hotels cozy up to travel planners now I am sure they would love a path to take away some of that business and get in on it themselves.
An example, instead of calling a travel planner (which I never do anyway - but hypothetically) to book an Aman I can now just book online myself via Hyatt and Mr. and Mrs. Smith with full control of the reservation and process and get the same amenities that a preferred partner offers.
Hyatt is losing access to 362 SLH properties, I will bet you anything they will replace at least that amount with Mr. and Mrs. Smith and likely a lot more with the ability to book same way as you did the SLH properties
One can hope. But Mr. and Mrs. Smith is just a booking platform of what are their preferred properties. It's no different than what travel planners do but in a bigger more branded way. It's a complete hodgepodge of Indie and top end luxury hotels and is all about getting commission rather than providing an LHW or SLH approach to a unified brand label. Believe me, I would love it, but I am not keeping my hopes too high.
I just can't imagine that Hyatt is willing to lose 362 properties without replacing them. Even a third of 1,500 of MMS properties that will be bookable exactly same way as SLH properties and a similar geographic options will make Hyatt come out ahead. Also, apparently there are plenty of overlapping properties between SLH and MMS
Bookable ok. But bookable with points and redemptions? That's where I see a problem. These hotels are not at all branded in the same way as SLH in being almost a franchise lite. Again, I keep saying it, but I do hope I'm wrong. If I am wrong, Hyatt becomes the most coveted program in the world. If I'm right, they are still the best- but without SLH (which was ho hum anyway imho).
One other thought is that perhaps Hyatt is looking to turn Mr. and MR's Smith away from a third party preferred booking site (thus commission based) and turning it into an SLH style company with franchise lite membership targeting small independent luxury properties. The brand and relationship is there with hotels to some extent and if you add in the Hyatt reach it could be attractive for some and might be competitive with SLH and...
One other thought is that perhaps Hyatt is looking to turn Mr. and MR's Smith away from a third party preferred booking site (thus commission based) and turning it into an SLH style company with franchise lite membership targeting small independent luxury properties. The brand and relationship is there with hotels to some extent and if you add in the Hyatt reach it could be attractive for some and might be competitive with SLH and R&C. But I still don't imagine hotels like Aman or Anantara (which is tied to GHA) jumping on board. But in this case you would be correct, if this is Hyatt's plan they still might be able to scrape together a couple of hundred properties to join them, also possibly poaching some from SLH. But none would be big names I imagine. More small indie properties.
I have a reservation for late May. Doesn’t feel like the reservation is truly being honored if it doesn’t come with the benefits that I was told I’d be given when I booked the rate. If I try to rebook through SLH, it’s now an additional $150 more a night and I don’t get the $50 property credit that was included with my rate (then again…..do I even still get it now??).
I’ve had this...
I have a reservation for late May. Doesn’t feel like the reservation is truly being honored if it doesn’t come with the benefits that I was told I’d be given when I booked the rate. If I try to rebook through SLH, it’s now an additional $150 more a night and I don’t get the $50 property credit that was included with my rate (then again…..do I even still get it now??).
I’ve had this booked for months and feels like a slap in the face to no longer include the breakfast, upgrade, early check in, etc.
Completely agree. Hyatt should have made this clear when booking. When I booked, I was promised certain benefits.
everyone should check their reservations. I had a SLS reservation in Geneva for May 19-21 and the reservation is nowhere to be found. Not on the Hyatt app, tried looking under reservation number, on hyatt website, nothing. Never got an email about cancellation either.
I meant SLH*.. Eastwest Hotel to be specific
Same thing happened to me for a stay coming up this weekend. I called hyatt and the hotel and they are still showing the reservation on their end so i assume its just a glitch.
Mine for end of July has also gone missing
Same here. Called Hyatt and gave them the reservation number, they were able to find it; then I told them to cancel. Not worth the trouble.