World of Hyatt has long been my favorite major hotel loyalty program. I feel like Hyatt tries harder than the competition when it comes to delivering on benefits, and also offers more in the way of confirmed perks that can meaningfully improve the stay experience of members.
While I’ve long praised Hyatt for this differentiation, it definitely feels like the tides are turning a bit, in terms of the “generosity” of the program. So I’d like to talk about that in this post. Is Hyatt just making smart business decisions and cashing in on its goodwill, or could these updates cause Hyatt to lose its edge?
In this post:
Hyatt is trying to greatly increase World of Hyatt profitability
In late 2025, Hyatt and Chase announced that they would expand their partnership, with one detail most catching my attention — from 2025 to 2027, Hyatt wants to more than double its EBITDA from its credit card program, from $50 million to $105 million.
Now, that represents massive growth as a percentage, though quite frankly, the $50 million number is actually lower than I would’ve expected, and it makes you wonder what the top-line revenue number is for the partnership.
Hyatt of course emphasized that these changes would be good for customers, with the company’s Chief Commercial Officer saying the following (and that says nothing of Hyatt’s CEO claiming that members had “overall positive” reactions to the devaluation):
“Our expanded agreement with Chase marks an exciting next chapter in how we grow, reward, and engage with our most loyal travelers. By deepening our collaboration, we’re creating more ways for Chase cardmembers to experience Hyatt’s global portfolio and for World of Hyatt members to be recognized beyond their stays – driving meaningful value for our guests, our owners, and our brands.”
There are absolutely ways to increase profitability that aren’t necessarily bad, like just massively growing the membership base, and also introducing new co-branded credit cards, and increasingly incentivizing credit card spending. These are all things that Hyatt is reportedly focused on as well.
However, what we’ve seen so far has primarily been negative, and makes us think that these increased profits will come from being less rewarding and improving margins, rather than just from growing the business.
For example, we recently saw Hyatt massively devalue its award chart, with top properties now costing up to 67% more points, limiting opportunities for getting outsized value. Now we’ve just learned that the Chase Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt transfer ratio will be going from 1:1 to 4:3, for all cards except the Chase Sapphire Reserve (both personal and business). 
Understandably, a lot of World of Hyatt members wonder if things will just keep moving in this direction, and if all of this “exciting” growth will just come in the form of making the program less lucrative. It certainly makes me worried about what changes we’re going to see next.
My take on the direction that World of Hyatt is headed
As a World of Hyatt member, I’m super unhappy to see these changes. The award chart devaluation is just bad news, period. Meanwhile the change in transfer ratios is not only bad in and of itself, but I hate the precedent this sets for Chase Ultimate Rewards, where 1:1 is no longer the standard (and I think this will only get more common over time).
But I also think it’s interesting to look at these changes from Hyatt’s perspective, as a publicly traded company. To what extent will these changes actually end up helping the company’s bottom line? Will this drive more revenue without much opportunity cost, or will Hyatt see a substantial erosion of loyalty?
I have several thoughts on that:
- I still think Hyatt is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of elite perks, like suite upgrade awards, Guest of Honor awards, etc., which you won’t find to that level with any other program
- Ultimately World of Hyatt has historically been more rewarding due to Hyatt’s smaller global footprint, rather than just out of the kindness of the company’s heart
- One wouldn’t make a switch to a program like Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy because they expect they’ll be treated better, but rather, because the portfolios are larger, and because a high tier status is easier to earn, based on just having a credit card
- World of Hyatt still promotes how it has an award chart, which I very much appreciate in theory, but when the variability within each category gets so big, that has limited practical value; when a Category 1 can cost anywhere from 3,000 to 9,000 points, and a Category 8 can cost anywhere from 35,000 to 75,000 points, that doesn’t give members much certainty as to the value of their points, and what they can realistically book
- Unfortunately all too often, consumers don’t actually reward companies that do the right thing and try to deliver value for members, so I think frequently we don’t actually see programs “suffer” much from making programs worse
So I guess to sum it up, I still think World of Hyatt has the advantage in terms of the actual on-property benefits it offers, with or without these changes. Of course I’m disappointed to see these changes, though. So the bigger question isn’t whether to switch to a competing loyalty program, but rather, whether to just be a “free agent,” and stop chasing status with a program that’s becoming less rewarding.
Personally what inspires me least about Hyatt nowadays is the company’s lack of an interesting pipeline. Hyatt has made a massive upscale all-inclusive push, which is great for some consumers, but not terribly interesting to me. Conversely, I just have a hard time getting excited about the pipeline of Hyatt’s primary luxury brands, like Park Hyatt. 
Bottom line
There’s no denying that World of Hyatt has made some major negative changes in recent times, leaving members frustrated. This includes a huge award chart devaluation, and now we’re seeing the transfer ratio devalued for some cards from Chase Ultimate Rewards.
It’s not too hard to figure out what’s going on here — Hyatt wants to more than double the profitability of its co-brand card portfolio in just two years, and that won’t just come in the form of growing the program, but also (or primarily?) in the form of improving margins.
With a lack of organic pipeline growth due to not much appetite for hotel development at the moment, the major hotel programs have to look elsewhere to please investors and keep growing the business. At the moment, that seems to be coming pretty directly at the expense of Hyatt’s loyalest guests.
The question is, will members just accept these changes and stay with Hyatt properties as before, or is this the start of a larger “Bonvoying” of the World of Hyatt program?
Where do you stand on these World of Hyatt changes? Are you reconsidering your loyalty? If so, are you moving to another chain, or just going the “free agent” route?
I totally agree. Its not what it used to be. Unfortunate.
The program has officially rebranded to “World of Greed” Plenty of Hyatt hotels have limited suite upgrades ,breakfast benefits and dropped in quality and variety especially in North America I am happier in the US with IHG and cherry picking all properties and brands where they deliver in the appropriate program
My tens of thousands of spending with Hyatt is over as I burn through what’s left of my points and as others have...
The program has officially rebranded to “World of Greed” Plenty of Hyatt hotels have limited suite upgrades ,breakfast benefits and dropped in quality and variety especially in North America I am happier in the US with IHG and cherry picking all properties and brands where they deliver in the appropriate program
My tens of thousands of spending with Hyatt is over as I burn through what’s left of my points and as others have stated become a free agent ex globalist starting next year
World of Hyatt? No, World of Hurt. No, World of Bye-att.
I was gonna pick up the Hyatt card, but with this deval, I am going "free agent". Going that way on airlines, too, but with lifetime Plat on AA a little tougher.
You said it yesterday. 20 years ago, even 15, when us road warriors had it all figured out, it was bitchin'. Living in Honolulu, I hit 95 out of 96 first class upgrades to the Mainland during one stretch. That is total...
I was gonna pick up the Hyatt card, but with this deval, I am going "free agent". Going that way on airlines, too, but with lifetime Plat on AA a little tougher.
You said it yesterday. 20 years ago, even 15, when us road warriors had it all figured out, it was bitchin'. Living in Honolulu, I hit 95 out of 96 first class upgrades to the Mainland during one stretch. That is total Neverland any more with the masses now in on the game. I am glad 2b retired now and only travel 2 it 3 times a year for leisure.
The truth is that it won’t hurt them… for now. There are enough cash-paying luxury travelers that they don’t have to care about true loyalty. When next true recession comes they’ll wish they still had actual loyalty. (That is assuming the market is actually allowed to function and they don’t get a bailout.)
I appreciate your candor on this post. They definitely lost my business with these changes: will be cancelling my WoH card at next cycle, and no longer pursuing Globalist / any status with Hyatt.
We'll see how it plays out for them longer term, but for now I'm going to earn 12x points at Citi for hotel bookings, or Amex for FHR.
I'll be giving up my WoH credit card when the next annual fee hits. It's increasingly hard to make good use of the Cat 1-4 cert once the hotel I mainly used these for moved to Cat 5 (Portland, ME Hyatt Place Old Port). Combined with the points devaluation, it's not worth it. I won't give up on Hyatt totally, but only stay at Hyatt when it makes sense - when it's the cheapest hotel when I travel for work to Portland. Otherwise mostly done.
I live in Paris now so staying at the Park Hyatt Vendome is not nearly as aspirational as before. And France and Europe is dominated by the luxury brand Relais and Chateau which I love. For me much of the points and miles game just doesn't bring the rewards that value shopping brings. I won't transfer any Chase points to Hyatt after the new rate takes place and if Chase tries similar actions on Air...
I live in Paris now so staying at the Park Hyatt Vendome is not nearly as aspirational as before. And France and Europe is dominated by the luxury brand Relais and Chateau which I love. For me much of the points and miles game just doesn't bring the rewards that value shopping brings. I won't transfer any Chase points to Hyatt after the new rate takes place and if Chase tries similar actions on Air France transfers that will be the end of my Chase days. Everyone in Europe lives on debit cards and I see on reason to need to do otherwise down the road. Value shopping!
Maybe this is obvious, but what Ben doesn't seem to be saying is that Hyatt must be charging Chase more for its points than it did previously. Otherwise, a <1:1 transfer ratio for non-Reserve cards simply results in fewer UR being converted to Hyatt points, which runs counter to Hyatt's goal here. I can only imagine Hyatt's sell to Hyatt here: "So what we're going to do is charge you more for the points, but...
Maybe this is obvious, but what Ben doesn't seem to be saying is that Hyatt must be charging Chase more for its points than it did previously. Otherwise, a <1:1 transfer ratio for non-Reserve cards simply results in fewer UR being converted to Hyatt points, which runs counter to Hyatt's goal here. I can only imagine Hyatt's sell to Hyatt here: "So what we're going to do is charge you more for the points, but then actually devalue the points, so you might want to cut your transfer ratio at the same time points are less valuable. Oh, and let's release a premium card where you surely won't offer a competitive SUB, since we're charging you more for our (less valuable) points. Got it?"
Maybe the logic is that Chase and Hyatt want separation from the double devaluation before launching the premium card, but I am surprised they didn't at least announce the details already to build interest in whatever new/exciting engagement opportunities they're planning.
I wanted to switch to Hyatt for its loyalty program many times but their footprint is miserable (so consistent loyalty leading to status is not possible), their website sucks, filtering out various crap pseudo-brands like Mr&Mrs Smith to get actual results I want takes like 20 clicks each time I search, and they require deposits even on flexible rates which means I'd have more to track in terms of refunds when I cancel etc.
I just retired so my consulting days of hitting new high elite statuses is gone. Life titanium on Marriott and lifetime diamond on Hilton so Hyatt for me falls by the wayside. I cashed out all my Hyatt points and some Bilt and Chase points as well for stays next year. IHG for me is now the new player in the mix, replacing Hyatt.
@BCF I think you would be quite content with IHG.
Accor is the only really worthwhile hotel loyalty programme for frequent/semi-frequent leisure travellers because they're almost everywhere (other than the USA) and they don't charge stupidly inflated rates. GHA can also work depending on your destinations. IHG have a decent overall footprint but a lot of their mid-market stuff (esp. Crowne Plazas and Holiday Inns) is pretty random and inconsistent, and the Kimpton/Indigo marketing comes across as an attempt to justify charging more than the...
Accor is the only really worthwhile hotel loyalty programme for frequent/semi-frequent leisure travellers because they're almost everywhere (other than the USA) and they don't charge stupidly inflated rates. GHA can also work depending on your destinations. IHG have a decent overall footprint but a lot of their mid-market stuff (esp. Crowne Plazas and Holiday Inns) is pretty random and inconsistent, and the Kimpton/Indigo marketing comes across as an attempt to justify charging more than the going rate for something that's no better than the average 4* out there.
Most people here are loyalists to Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton but I think IHG really has proven itself to be better for now. With the revamp of its loyalty program it is much more rewarding for the guests but of course they can and should do even better to further set them apart from the competitors.
Even back as a Spire Ambassador I had suite upgrades or upgrades to much better rooms as well as...
Most people here are loyalists to Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton but I think IHG really has proven itself to be better for now. With the revamp of its loyalty program it is much more rewarding for the guests but of course they can and should do even better to further set them apart from the competitors.
Even back as a Spire Ambassador I had suite upgrades or upgrades to much better rooms as well as lounge access when booking a room without lounge access. The hotels were just amazing that they offered it to the Spire guests as loyalty recognition.
And now with the new loyalty program being able to get a CSU at twenty nights and again at forty nights is awesome. And to get lounge access at forty nights as opposed to sixty nights with Hyatt, etc. is amazing. As a Diamond Ambassador with lounge access privileges I have been very happy with IHG. By the way, what a joke by Hilton with their CUR at 80 nights/40 stays and 18k USD spending a year and another CUR at 120 nights? Who would want to go for Diamond Reserve then? Spending a third of the year with Hilton just to earn two CURs where you can earn two CSUs with IHG at forty nights without any minimum spend.
The best part of IHG is they don’t give out top tier Diamond status to US credit card holders…so the status still means something and hotels are much more willing to honour the benefits…
@Waywardalpaca Yes. That is a valid point. Maybe with the huge increase of Aspire credit card sign up Hilton property owners want to refuse your benefits as much as possible especially with the wording of subject to availability or we have too many guests so we cannot give you late checkout. Suite upgrades were much better before and in the early days of Aspire before the huge further signup increase. You have to work it...
@Waywardalpaca Yes. That is a valid point. Maybe with the huge increase of Aspire credit card sign up Hilton property owners want to refuse your benefits as much as possible especially with the wording of subject to availability or we have too many guests so we cannot give you late checkout. Suite upgrades were much better before and in the early days of Aspire before the huge further signup increase. You have to work it with IHG and Diamond may not necessarily grant you lounge access if you do not make at least 40 nights a year and choose it as your milestone reward.
You could always go back to Bonvoy and get a ziploc bag of "Deez nutz".
Loyalty is dead.
On the airline side, it makes a lot of sense to accrue to a foreign program (speaking as an American).
You're not likely to get many upgrades these days when flying, so you may as well get the lounge as a "foreign" customer.
With the changes Hyatt is making and the extremely obvious direction the company is moving it's really tough to see myself spending more with them in the future when Hyatt is determined to offer less. I had 80+ nights the last couple of years but I simply don't see that happening again any time soon.
Hyatt seems to forget that loyal members are those who really stay at their properties and not from credit card spend. That non-US members have no way to earn points other than they stays. That there's no bonus earn other than the measley 30% bonus for Globalist members and Hyatt is literally the only major hotel loyalty programme which does not give a welcome bonus for it's elite members when checking into any hotel. I...
Hyatt seems to forget that loyal members are those who really stay at their properties and not from credit card spend. That non-US members have no way to earn points other than they stays. That there's no bonus earn other than the measley 30% bonus for Globalist members and Hyatt is literally the only major hotel loyalty programme which does not give a welcome bonus for it's elite members when checking into any hotel. I think it used to under the old Gold Passport programme but they did away with it when Hyatt revamped and rebranded to World of Hyatt. So while award stays have gotten more expensive, the earning capability for members outside USA decreased.
@Wayne Hyatt is double dipping. They want to make more money from member stays as well as credit card spend. Obviously like with any company they are only here to make as much money as possible and now they want to see how many benefits they can take away or devalue before their most loyal members like Ben throw their arms up in the air and stop blogging about how great Hyatt is. They were...
@Wayne Hyatt is double dipping. They want to make more money from member stays as well as credit card spend. Obviously like with any company they are only here to make as much money as possible and now they want to see how many benefits they can take away or devalue before their most loyal members like Ben throw their arms up in the air and stop blogging about how great Hyatt is. They were just simply too small before to do the game like Marriott and Hilton but 2026 is just the start of Hyatt mirroring them.
I get that the overall guest experience was getting impacted due to the flood of points guests and globalists, but they are doing surgery with a sledgehammer. The easiest thing to do is dump the GoH benefit, and take away club access transferability. This has become a dumpster fire. These are both just being sold on the open market, flooding the most sought after hotels with entitled fake globalists. The ink train dying has already...
I get that the overall guest experience was getting impacted due to the flood of points guests and globalists, but they are doing surgery with a sledgehammer. The easiest thing to do is dump the GoH benefit, and take away club access transferability. This has become a dumpster fire. These are both just being sold on the open market, flooding the most sought after hotels with entitled fake globalists. The ink train dying has already dried up the volume of easy hyatt points, so these massive devaluations seem like an overcorrection.
One thing is for sure, I'm not renewing globalist, and I'm not renewing my CSR. I won't be blackmailed into keeping it, and I'm not into couponing anyway.
I agree. The GOH is simply a bloodbath reseller's market out there. Either reduce earning them thru creditcard spend or that only let members who earn them thru stays. Then the GOH would be actually better worth something. I'll still stay with Hyatt after achieving Lifetime Globalist last year after 30 years. But the benefits for us non US based members is dwindling..
@Guy 8 What significant differences are there between U.S. and non-U.S. based members? Credits cards? Five nights plus 2 more nights for every $5,000 USD? Is that the benefit you want? Most are not rich like Ford and Ben who can afford it, haha. But congrats on earning lifetime globalist. Anything special was done to recognize your achievement?
lmao @ thinking the volume of easy hyatt points has dried up. yes the ink train ended, but its literally been only 4 months since the Palladium came out. 50k SUBs for what thousands of people, plus unlimited 2x transferrable to Hyatt on all purchases, mortgage points, points accelerator, etc.
contrary to what you said, it's literally never been easier to accumulate hyatt points en masse for the average person. the people churning high amount of Inks were outliers
Between travel for work, credit card EQNs, and family travel I often end up with about 100 EQNs a year. Upto now Ive kept it all on hyatt thanks to the value of their points and program. I'll probably now look to add a second program, and just get to 60 nights with hyatt and stop.
Truth is their limited footprint is a real hassle. Sure, when it works, it's been great and I've generally...
Between travel for work, credit card EQNs, and family travel I often end up with about 100 EQNs a year. Upto now Ive kept it all on hyatt thanks to the value of their points and program. I'll probably now look to add a second program, and just get to 60 nights with hyatt and stop.
Truth is their limited footprint is a real hassle. Sure, when it works, it's been great and I've generally liked their hotels. But I've also stayed at great Marriott and Hilton hotels (paying cash for them).
Now, for both work and vacation, I'll just look for the best hotels and rates and book them. I think I'll still end up with globalist due to my work travel, but less than before, and even those stays will be ones where they were truly the lowest cost option, not ones where I'm willing to pay extra or deal with extra inconvenience just to stay at a hyatt.
I might not show up in their stats as "leaving the program" but I'll be reducing my stays, and precisely those stays where they were previously able to wring additional bucks from me for my "loyalty". Or had me overlook their lack of convenient options.
Maybe the CEO is right: devaluing the program and making me become less loyal to hyatt *is* something that will improve my life!
@Lune WOW for WoW! You are even more loyal to Hyatt than Ben is. Instead of gutting the program they should probably incentivize their most loyal guests like you and Ben and yes I mean guests as we know their customers are the hotel property owners.
I was a loyal Hyatt Globalist for a couple years - until about 2 years ago. I haven't been to a US Hyatt that has a Concierge lounge open any longer. I find the focus on properties is all through partnerships with Mr and Mrs Smith, etc. And the rates are ALWAYS significantly higher than Marriott or Hilton. I canceled my Hyatt card and have been having great luck with Marriott and Hilton again - where domestic lounges are open.
Well guys, remember that virtually every time in the last 10 years that a loyalty program devalued and members like us claimed this was going to be horrible for their business, it was not in fact horrible for their business.
The loyalty we all got used to in the 2000s-2010s does not matter any more to corporate revenue. Indeed, I don't even think we should call them loyalty programs anymore, for they're not. They're ENGAGEMENT programs.
And, negative changes like this will reduce engagement, meaning less stays, and less spending at restaurants, spas, and activities at those properties. Great job, Hyatt! /s
The constant backtracking from BA on their elite qualification criteria is evidence that the recent changes were pretty bad for their business. I think M&M also had a similar issue a few years back.
Hyatt made its move. All changes are very, very negative. Anecdotally i know of 4 people besides me who are walking away from pursuing Globalist status in the future.
If people do it en masse it will register on the radar. Or all i see this is as a stair step down to diluting the program to a point or irrelevance.
I already have been getting the feeling that Hyatt has been subtly trying not...
Hyatt made its move. All changes are very, very negative. Anecdotally i know of 4 people besides me who are walking away from pursuing Globalist status in the future.
If people do it en masse it will register on the radar. Or all i see this is as a stair step down to diluting the program to a point or irrelevance.
I already have been getting the feeling that Hyatt has been subtly trying not to give the best available room upgrade including standard suites to Globalists. Won't be surprised if this is the benefit that is nerfed away by this time next year.
Of the 48 EQNs earned so far and 12 planned in 2026, only 16 are hotels for which I actually had a preference and wanted to stay. I certainly didn't want to vacation at the Hyatt Place Santa Fe 6 miles from the plaza!
I'm going to continue to earn 12 more EQNs this year to reach Globalist, then hopefully enjoy some breakfasts and suites in 2027 and be done.
P.S. I just checked...
Of the 48 EQNs earned so far and 12 planned in 2026, only 16 are hotels for which I actually had a preference and wanted to stay. I certainly didn't want to vacation at the Hyatt Place Santa Fe 6 miles from the plaza!
I'm going to continue to earn 12 more EQNs this year to reach Globalist, then hopefully enjoy some breakfasts and suites in 2027 and be done.
P.S. I just checked my road to Globalist in 2025 and it also only had 16 nights in hotels I'd choose on purpose. In 2025, 4 nights at the HP Baltimore when the conference was at the Marriott was a lemon. Yeah, goodbye Hyatt.
I think are they actually destroying loyalty and trying very hard. Something it took decades to built, being dissolved in less than a year. I hope their execs understand that it is always easier to destroy than build. It won’t be easy to bring me back once this globalist dumps them. I am looking at Paris hotels for September 15-17 and of the 24 hotels listed on their website only 2 have award availability: the...
I think are they actually destroying loyalty and trying very hard. Something it took decades to built, being dissolved in less than a year. I hope their execs understand that it is always easier to destroy than build. It won’t be easy to bring me back once this globalist dumps them. I am looking at Paris hotels for September 15-17 and of the 24 hotels listed on their website only 2 have award availability: the CDG Hyatt House and the CDG Hyatt Place. The justification for accumulating WOH points is becoming questionable.
From the standpoint of a Hyatt Member outside of the USA, I am happy to hear that Chase is changing the transfer rate.
Because that means for us "Non credit card" Hyatt guys more available rooms for using our hard earned "actually having slept in a Hyatt" points .
Psh, yeah, Dave “earned” his. The rest of us didn’t “earn” the points we transferred. /s
@Dave_Midnight What do you mean? It is not like the credit cards offer you instant Explorist or Globalist. Just an extra five nights? Two nights per $5,000 USD spend? Do you want to spend $5,000 USD to earn two nights? From Chase and Hyatt’s perspective, that spend is probably worth more to them than your $75 to $200 a night spend. The point is even those Hyatt members with CCs also have to earn their...
@Dave_Midnight What do you mean? It is not like the credit cards offer you instant Explorist or Globalist. Just an extra five nights? Two nights per $5,000 USD spend? Do you want to spend $5,000 USD to earn two nights? From Chase and Hyatt’s perspective, that spend is probably worth more to them than your $75 to $200 a night spend. The point is even those Hyatt members with CCs also have to earn their way up to Explorist and Globalist and engage with the program through stays, CC spending and points transfers.
Hyatt has played its cards. Now it’s our turn- and the free market will be the ultimate judge
*cough* libertarian sane-washing *cough*
nah i wouldn't call that sanewashing; that's just how things work these days. i don't think hyatt's gamble will pay off, but hey, they decided to roll the dice so it's not on me how they land (anyway, just booked a few independent properties and an IHG - free agency is fun!)
ya personally not too beat up about the chase transfer and recent award chart devaluation because its just incentive for me to not try and chase status with Hyatt now. I definitely enjoy Hyatt Globalist over the other top tier hotel status but its too much effort for me to reach.
i've skipped stays at other hotels that made more sense in terms of dollar value and convenience in the past because i was...
ya personally not too beat up about the chase transfer and recent award chart devaluation because its just incentive for me to not try and chase status with Hyatt now. I definitely enjoy Hyatt Globalist over the other top tier hotel status but its too much effort for me to reach.
i've skipped stays at other hotels that made more sense in terms of dollar value and convenience in the past because i was chasing loyalty but at this point it definitely makes more sense to just choose hotels based on price and convenience.
During my meeting with a Hyatt exec earlier this year, they explicitly said that with their corner on the inclusive market they now feel they are large enough they no longer have to offer any value through the loyalty program.
lmao if true what a hilariously misguided statement. amazing how some execs get to positions of power without having even a remotely accurate understanding of the consumer
Between these negative changes, and the ability to get elite status like benefits from FHR, Edit, etc., there is less and less reason to be loyal. I quit chasing Marriott status after I hit lifetime Platinum, and I suspect this will be my last year with Globalist status with Hyatt. I've tolerated many suboptimal hotels (like going to a work trip and staying farther away to get Hyatt EQN) but I'm not seeing the payoff...
Between these negative changes, and the ability to get elite status like benefits from FHR, Edit, etc., there is less and less reason to be loyal. I quit chasing Marriott status after I hit lifetime Platinum, and I suspect this will be my last year with Globalist status with Hyatt. I've tolerated many suboptimal hotels (like going to a work trip and staying farther away to get Hyatt EQN) but I'm not seeing the payoff for doing so anymore. On the trips where I really care (family vacation) , I can get breakfast, potential upgrade, credits, etc, via credit cards instead.
I'm lifetime Titanium with Bonvoy, but for a while I tried to maintain Globalist status with Hyatt (I got it prior to the pandemic and they extended it for a while which was great). Once I lost Globalist, I really stopped staying at Hyatt. I mostly try to get nights at Bonvoy properties to hit tiers to qualify for more upgrade certificates which are really a great perk. I think if Hyatt offered a credit...
I'm lifetime Titanium with Bonvoy, but for a while I tried to maintain Globalist status with Hyatt (I got it prior to the pandemic and they extended it for a while which was great). Once I lost Globalist, I really stopped staying at Hyatt. I mostly try to get nights at Bonvoy properties to hit tiers to qualify for more upgrade certificates which are really a great perk. I think if Hyatt offered a credit card that gave Globalist status that wasn't insanely expense, I would consider it because the status is so good, and I like some of their properties. As it is, I have the regular card, and I haven't used the free night in a couple years, so I really should just let it go at this point. Bonvoy isn't perfect, but I prefer it to Hilton (especially in the US). So, I'm not chasing any status at this point, just nightly upgrade awards at Bonvoy.
@Steve Highly doubtful that Hyatt would offer a credit card with instant globalist status especially if it weren’t insanely expensive. Then, Hyatt would turn even more into Marriott and Hilton as there would be a lot more globalists and then further devaluation and less benefits or it becomes subject to availability or at the discretion of the individual hotel property.
"I still think Hyatt is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of elite perks, like suite upgrade awards, Guest of Honor awards, etc., which you won’t find to that level with any other program..."
These will go away.
With the suite upgrade awards, those will start with a reduction from four per year for Globalists to two, based on "customer feedback," but they'll be adding a free bottle...
"I still think Hyatt is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of elite perks, like suite upgrade awards, Guest of Honor awards, etc., which you won’t find to that level with any other program..."
These will go away.
With the suite upgrade awards, those will start with a reduction from four per year for Globalists to two, based on "customer feedback," but they'll be adding a free bottle of water upon checking for suite award-using Globalists. So that will be a win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win for Hyatt, the brands, the customers, the owners, and Jesus Christ Himself.
With the Guest of Honor awards, those will be capped, also due to customer demand. Globalists will be able to gift these only three times per year, but on the plus side, they'll get 5,000 bonus points for each Guest of Honor award they book. This will also be a win-win-win-win-win-win-win-win for Hyatt, the brands, the customers, the owners, and Jesus Christ Himself.
Make no mistake, the Southwest Airlines-ification at Hyatt will continue to make Hyatt indiscernible from Hilton and Marriott.
Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, says that Willy's answer is correct. And, Jim's observation (immediately below) is also correct. Yet, there will be some who have invested too much into Hyatt to let go . . . and to admit that Hyatt has become nothing more than a smaller version of Mariott or Hilton.
LOL, I like how TravelinWilly doesn't beat around the bush and immediately goes to "These will go away"! He's like an oracle. You and 1990 are my favorites here.
Hyatt is learning from Marriott on how to kill a good hotel program (RIP SPG). However, unlike Marriott, Hyatt has a limited footprint of properties.
yeah, it's the end of an era. i've moved a bunch of my stays away from Hyatt. they clearly don't want elite members engaging with their program, and i don't want to be somewhere i'm not wanted.
"Hyatt of course emphasized that these changes would be good for customers" ... ahh, so, that's the thing, to the corporation, their "customers" are shareholders and property owners, not guests or loyalty program elites. Got'em!
Personally, the fact that they are killing transfer ratios for Chase, performing this large-scale devaluation, and not increasing the rate of points earned with actual stays makes it very questionable whether it's even worth pursuing status with Hyatt post 2026. For the category 8 hotels, the only way I would stay there is on points, but if those stays become largely unattainable, then I have now incentive to bother. Starting to look like free agency in 2027.