While Hyatt doesn’t have the global footprint of Hilton, IHG, or Marriott, World of Hyatt has done a great job forging partnerships with other travel brands that add value for World of Hyatt members.
Hyatt has partnerships with MGM Rewards, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, American Airlines, and more. In this post I wanted to talk a bit more about Hyatt’s partnership with Lindblad Expeditions, which launched in 2019. This is a partnership that has intrigued me since launch, and which I hope to take advantage of some day.
In this post:
Hyatt & Lindblad Expeditions partnership details
Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions have a loyalty collaboration, giving World of Hyatt members the ability to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points, as well as receive other perks, for Lindblad Expeditions journeys.
Note that in order to take advantage of any of these benefits, your cruise must be booked through the World of Hyatt Lindblad Expeditions co-branded booking website, through the Hyatt global contact center, or by calling Lindblad Expeditions’ contact center. Your World of Hyatt information must be provided at the time of booking. You can read the full partnership terms & conditions here.
I’m not much of a cruising enthusiast, though the one exception is that I’d love to take a cruise to Antarctica at some point. That’s why this partnership interests me so much.
What is Lindblad Expeditions?
For those of you not familiar with Lindblad Expeditions, the company has a collaboration with National Geographic, and offers some pretty cool cruises, with a particular focus on adventure travel experiences. The company offers hundreds of expeditions per year on a fleet of 15 ships, which hold anywhere from 28 to 148 guests each.
Lindblad Expeditions focuses on nature destinations, including Arctic Svalbard, Antarctica, the Galapagos, Alaska, Costa Rica & Panama, and much more.
Earning World of Hyatt points for Lindblad Expeditions
World of Hyatt members can earn points when booking Lindblad Expeditions cruises, as follows:
- World of Hyatt members earn five base points per dollar spent on eligible Lindblad Expeditions, not including incidentals; a member can earn points for up to three cabins, assuming they’re the primary guest and are paying for all the cabins
- World of Hyatt members will receive their standard elite tier bonus points on eligible spending (Discoverist members get a 10% bonus, Explorist members get a 20% bonus, and Globalist members get a 30% bonus)
- Those paying for their Lindblad Expeditions cruise with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (review) can earn 4x World of Hyatt points per dollar spent, which is the same return offered for spending at Hyatt hotels
- Lindblad Expeditions count toward World of Hyatt’s global promotions, and spending also qualifies toward lifetime World of Hyatt Globalist status
Redeeming World of Hyatt points for Lindblad Expeditions
World of Hyatt members can redeem points with Lindblad Expeditions. This can be done directly through this website. While the value per World of Hyatt point isn’t published as a consistent amount, based on some searches it generally seems that each World of Hyatt point will get you 1.6 cents toward a Lindblad Expeditions experience. That could be adjusted in the future.
That’s a solid deal, given that I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each. Also keep in mind that World of Hyatt partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, so this is a great opportunity to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points toward a Lindblad Expeditions journey (by transferring them to World of Hyatt).
World of Hyatt benefits with Lindblad Expeditions
In addition to being able to earn & redeem World of Hyatt points, members can also receive the following benefits with Lindblad Expeditions when booking through an eligible channel:
- World of Hyatt members of all tiers will be rewarded with a $250 on-board credit to use on expeditions
- World of Hyatt members will receive elite tier qualifying night credits for eligible nights on a Lindblad Expeditions experience
- World of Hyatt members can purchase specially curated Lindblad Expeditions experiences through the FIND marketplace
- Eligible elite members enrolled in the American AAdvantage and World of Hyatt partnership can earn one AAdvantage mile per dollar spent on Lindblad Expeditions
Earning Globalist status with Lindblad Expeditions
Lindblad Expeditions experiences most definitely aren’t cheap, so perhaps it’s worth pointing out how easy this makes it to earn World of Hyatt Globalist status (which is my favorite top-tier hotels status):
- World of Hyatt Globalist status can ordinarily be earned with 100,000 base points in a year, which is equal to $20,000 worth of spending (since you earn five base points per dollar spent); in other words, one cruise could easily earn you Globalist status
- This spending also qualifies toward lifetime World of Hyatt Globalist status, which requires earning one million base points (equal to $200,000 worth of spending)
While this isn’t a cheap way to earn Globalist status, it sure is an easy one if you were planning a trip like this anyway.
Is there a catch to this partnership?
While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a huge catch, the one thing to keep in mind is that you need to book through an eligible booking channel to take advantage of these perks.
I imagine in some cases you may be able to get a better deal booking through another source. For some people that could be a deal-breaker, while for others it won’t be. Everyone will have to crunch the numbers for themselves.
Bottom line
Hyatt has some fantastic collaborations, and perhaps the most intriguing one is with Lindblad Expeditions. There aren’t many cruises that interest me, though the exception is for places like Antarctica.
I do hope to eventually take advantage of this Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions partnership for a cruise. I would say that it would help me earn lifetime World of Hyatt Globalist status, but that’s likely going to happen before I take a cruise.
Has anyone taken advantage of the World of Hyatt and Lindblad Expeditions partnership, or hope to do so in the future?
Do they a bidet in the bathroom?
What about Hyatt employee is there a discount
Interesting info. I was already looking at this.
I am going to Antarctica this year (hopefully, cancelled twice due to COVID). Lindblad were on my shortlist. Ended up removing them as they were substantially more expensive than other comparable expeditions (ie trip duration, rooms , age and type of boat). I am a long term globalist and not too far away from Lifetime Globalist too.
What cruise line did you end up going with?
Which cruise did you book instead of Linblad? Why? Thank you.
Following!
TY
A cruise to Antarctica is on my radar, although most likely not for a couple of years (necessary to convince my spouse).
Am I to assume that I have to use the Hyatt booking center or can my travel agent do this on my behalf? With an expensive trip such as this, having a travel agent to work with should anything go sideways along the way can be invaluable.
There is a real timing issue here - if I pay for a January 2023 cruise today, do points post/elite earn accrue today or after the cruise?
They will post after the cruise.