Details Of The Hyatt & Exhale Spa Partnership

Update: This partnership will be ending as of January 1, 2022.

Admittedly spa treatments and fitness classes aren’t particularly popular right now due to the pandemic, but in this post I wanted to recap a unique way to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points for these kinds of services.

World of Hyatt benefits at Exhale Spa

World of Hyatt has had an emphasis on wellbeing since the program launched, and that’s evident in many forms. In 2017 Hyatt acquired Exhale Spa, and in 2018 Exhale Spa was fully integrated into World of Hyatt. Interestingly Hyatt ended up selling its stake in Exhale in 2020, but the partnership is continuing.

With this partnership, World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points, and receive select elite benefits, when visiting Exhale Spa locations. In this post I wanted to share the basics of how that works. This is one of several partnerships that Hyatt has, as the company also has loyalty collaborations with MGM, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Lindblad Expeditions, and American Airlines.

Note that in order to take advantage of any aspects of this partnership you need to link your World of Hyatt and Exhale accounts, which can easily be done online. At that point you can start earning and redeeming points, and taking advantage of World of Hyatt benefits with Exhale.

Earn World of Hyatt points with Exhale

World of Hyatt members can earn points at impressive rates for Exhale services, like spa services and fitness classes:

• World of Hyatt members earn 10 base points per eligible dollar spent with Exhale (that’s twice the rate at which you earn points for hotel stays, and since these are all base points, this is also an accelerated way to get credited towards lifetime Globalist status)
• World of Hyatt members receive standard elite bonus points on Exhale spending — that’s a 10% bonus for Discoverist members, 20% bonus for Explorist members, and 30% bonus for Globalist members
• Those with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (review) earn 4x points per dollar spent on their card with Exhale

Those are some excellent earning rates. For example, if you’re a Globalist member with the World of Hyatt Credit Card, you’re earning 17x points per dollar spent. I value World of Hyatt points at ~1.5 cents each, so to me that’s like a return of over 25%.

Redeem World of Hyatt points with Exhale

World of Hyatt members can redeem points for both Exhale spa experiences and fitness classes, and the pricing is consistent, which means there are ways to get disproportionate value by redeeming at more expensive locations for premium treatments and classes:

• World of Hyatt members can redeem 2,000 points for fitness classes
• World of Hyatt members can redeem 12,000 points for a 60-minute massage or facial

Since I value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, to me that’s like paying the equivalent of $30 for a fitness class or $180 for a massage or facial in the form of points.

World of Hyatt benefits at Exhale

In addition to being able to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points with Exhale, members also have access to additional benefits when visiting Exhale locations:

• Globalist members receive free access to Exhale classes when staying at Hyatt hotels on an eligible rate, which includes any rate eligible to earn elite nights
• Both Globalist and Explorist members receive one free Week of Wellbeing, which includes a week of unlimited barre, cardio, yoga, and HIIT classes, 25% off spa therapies, and 15% off boutique purchases

What Exhale locations are participating?

All Exhale locations participate in the World of Hyatt loyalty program, with the exception of Exhale Bermuda, airport locations in Centurion Lounges, and private Exhale locations.

You can find the full list of Exhale locations here.

Is there value in the Hyatt & Exhale partnership?

Obviously the answer will vary greatly based on what you like to do, and also based on the situation with coronavirus, since many people understandably aren’t comfortable with spa treatments and group fitness right now.

A few things stand out to me in particular about this partnership:

• The points earning rates at Exhale are better than at Hyatt hotels, as you earn 10 base points per dollar spent, rather than five; this presents an interesting opportunity, as in theory you could earn lifetime Globalist status by spending $100,000 at Exhale, rather than $200,000 at Hyatt (I’m not saying anyone should do that, to be clear, but if someone is nearing Globalist status, this could be worth keeping in mind)
• Looking at the prices of Exhale treatments and classes, generally I think the better value is earning points for Exhale experiences, rather than redeeming them; as a Globalist member with the World of Hyatt Credit Card you earn 17 points per dollar, which I value at a return of over 25%
• The one exception where redeeming World of Hyatt points could be a good value is for some of the premium facials, which cost around $250 at some locations
• Given that Hyatt owned Exhale Spa for a few years, I’m surprised that we didn’t seen more growth from the brand; for example, you’d think that a lot of new Hyatt properties would have opened with Exhale Spas (rather than third party spas), but that largely didn’t happen

Hyatt purchased Exhale in 2017

Bottom line

Hyatt bought Exhale Spa a few years ago, which was no doubt an interesting acquisition, though the company then sold its stake just a few years later.

It’s cool to see Exhale Spa integrated so well into World of Hyatt, as there’s a compelling opportunity to earn points for spa treatments, and for some people it could also be worth redeeming points this way (especially if you’re transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards).

Up until this point I haven’t taken advantage of this partnership. I certainly would in a post-coronavirus era if more Hyatt properties had Exhale spas, but that’s not the case.

Has anyone taken advantage of Exhale Spa’s participation in World of Hyatt? If so, what was your experience like?