In 2018 we saw Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) launch a partnership, allowing World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points for stays at SLH properties. In this post I wanted to take an updated look at how this awesome partnership works.
What is the Hyatt & SLH partnership?
Historically one of Hyatt’s biggest weaknesses compared to competitors (Hilton, IHG, Marriott, etc.) has been its smaller footprint. Fortunately this is an area where Hyatt has been improving significantly in recent years.
For one, Hyatt now directly manages well over 1,300 hotels across 28 brands, ranging from Alila to Andaz to Park Hyatt. Hyatt has grown its portfolio both through organic growth, as well as through acquisitions of other hotel groups, including Two Roads Hospitality and Apple Leisure Group.
Beyond that, Hyatt has developed a marketing partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which gives World of Hyatt members access to hundreds of additional hotels. World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points, and receive exclusive privileges, when booking these properties through Hyatt.
SLH is a group of roughly 540 boutique hotels. What makes SLH different than the other major hotel groups is that SLH as such doesn’t manage these properties. Rather SLH is essentially a community of independent hotels that don’t have any desire to directly join the major hotel groups.
In other words, SLH has a marketing agreement with these hotels, and now Hyatt has a marketing partnership with SLH. We win as consumers, since we have access to lots more hotels with our points. Note that while SLH has its own INVITED loyalty program, the Hyatt collaboration is arguably more lucrative, for properties that choose to participate.
Which SLH properties participate in the Hyatt partnership?
While Small Luxury Hotels of the World has roughly 540 properties, about 370 of them participate in the World of Hyatt collaboration. SLH properties partnering with World of Hyatt span six continents, and geographically break down as follows:
- 236 properties in Europe
- 64 properties in Asia
- 36 properties in the Caribbean & Latin America
- 16 properties in the United States & Canada
- 14 properties in Africa & the Middle East
- Four properties in Australia & the Pacific
Over time we’ve slowly seen more hotels be added, and for that matter we’ve also seen some hotels removed.
Earning World of Hyatt points at SLH properties
The ability to earn World of Hyatt points at Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties is quite robust:
- World of Hyatt members earn five base points per USD spent on eligible room revenue with SLH (incidental spending at SLH properties isn’t eligible for points accrual), and those base points count toward lifetime World of Hyatt status
- World of Hyatt members receive their standard elite tier bonuses at SLH properties (10% for Discoverist, 20% for Explorist, and 30% for Globalist)
- World of Hyatt members receive standard elite nights for SLH stays
- World of Hyatt members paying with the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card receive 4x World of Hyatt points per dollar spent for SLH stays, just as they usually would when staying at a Hyatt
- Stays at SLH properties are eligible for World of Hyatt’s global promotions
The most important restriction to be aware of is that you can only earn World of Hyatt points at SLH properties if you reserve through Hyatt booking channels, including the Hyatt website, app, call center, etc. If you book through SLH, directly through the hotel, or through an online travel agency, you won’t be eligible to accrue World of Hyatt points.
Redeeming Hyatt points at SLH properties
World of Hyatt points can be redeemed at virtually all participating Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties (the only exception is Kontiki Expeditions, where you can just earn points). Below is World of Hyatt’s standard award chart, which is also what pricing at SLH properties is based on.
| World of Hyatt Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| Category 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| Category 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| Category 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| Category 5 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| Category 6 | 21,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| Category 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| Category 8 | 35,000 | 40,000 | 45,000 |
A few more things to note:
- Hyatt free night awards can also be redeemed at SLH properties, though do have category restrictions
- All SLH properties fall into the Category 1-8 range, which is the same pricing range you’ll find for Hyatt’s own properties
- There are capacity controls on award redemptions at SLH properties, unlike at properties managed directly by Hyatt
Admittedly up to 45,000 points per night for a redemption is steep, but there are still plenty of properties where this could represent a phenomenal deal, based on my valuation of 1.5 cents per World of Hyatt point. For example, you could redeem 40,000 points per night at Calala Island, where a cash rate would be $2,550+. Talk about a steal!
World of Hyatt benefits at SLH properties
Small Luxury Hotels of the World hotels provide the following on-property benefits for all World of Hyatt members who book through Hyatt channels:
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Daily complimentary continental breakfast
- Room upgrade (one category at check-in, if available)
- Early check-in (noon, based upon availability)
- Late check-out (2:00PM, based upon availability)
Note that:
- There are no special World of Hyatt elite benefits at SLH properties, so don’t expect full Globalist member benefits
- World of Hyatt suite upgrade awards, club access awards, and Guest of Honor awards, can’t be redeemed at SLH properties
Great use of Chase Ultimate Rewards points
The Hyatt & SLH partnership is of course exciting for those with World of Hyatt points, including those earning points with the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. However, this is also useful for those with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, since this is a great way to redeem those points for luxury hotel stays.
- Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
- Free Night Every Year
- Complimentary Discoverist Status
- $95
- Earn 4x Points at Hyatt Properties
- Complimentary Discoverist Status
- Gift Discoverist Status up to 5 Employees
- $199
- 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel purchases
- $95
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
- 3x points on Dining
- $300 Annual Travel Credit
- $795
- Earn 3x points on travel with the first $150k in combined purchases
- Earn 3x points on shipping purchases with the first $150k in combined purchases
- Cell Phone Protection
- $95
- Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all business purchases
- Car Rental Coverage
- Extended Warranty Protection
- $0
- Earn 5% Cash Back at office supply stores on the first $25k
- Earn 5% Cash Back on internet, cable TV, mobile phones, and landlines on the first $25k
- Car Rental Coverage
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
- $0
- Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining, Takeout and Eligible Delivery Services
- Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
- Rotating Quarterly Bonus Categories
- $0
World of Hyatt also often sells points at a discount, which could represent a good deal for SLH redemptions.
Bottom line
Personally I’ve found the World of Hyatt & Small Luxury Hotels of the World collaboration to be extremely useful. This is an incredible opportunity to earn and redeem points at some gorgeous boutique properties that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible through loyalty programs.
This partnership has expanded significantly since first being introduced in 2018, and is now up to roughly 370 hotels. I find the SLH partnership is particularly useful in Europe, where there are so many charming hotels that are accessible through this.
My favorite SLH stays have been at Calala Island in Nicaragua and Canaves Oia Epitome in Greece, though I’ve had other good stays as well.
If you’ve taken advantage of the Hyatt & SLH partnership, what was your experience like?
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