World of Hyatt has just announced some major changes to award pricing. While the program is maintaining published award charts, these changes have the potential to be pretty brutal, especially as time goes on. Separately, I’ve covered a couple of minor positive program updates, related to points sharing and early access to awards.
In this post:
World of Hyatt hugely increases award pricing
World of Hyatt has announced plans to introduce new award charts for stays booked as of May 2026 (there’s not yet an exact date as of which these changes will be implemented). This is the first time that Hyatt is updating its award chart in around five years, since 2021.
With these changes, World of Hyatt is keeping the same number of award categories that there are now. Instead, what’s changing is that we’re going from three to five redemption levels within each tier:
- Currently, each hotel has off-peak, standard, and peak pricing
- Under the new system, each hotel will have lowest, low, moderate, upper, and top pricing
To rip the band-aid off, below is what the new award chart looks like for standard room redemptions, compared to the old award chart.
As you can see, the idea is that off-peak, standard, and peak pricing under the old award chart, corresponds somewhat closely to lowest, low, and moderate pricing under the new award chart. For example, comparing redemption costs per night for standard rooms:
- Category 1 properties will go from costing 3,500-6,500 points, to costing 3,000-9,000 points (14% decrease to 38% increase)
- Category 2 properties will go from costing 6,500-9,500 points, to costing 6,000-15,000 points (8% decrease to 58% increase)
- Category 3 properties will go from costing 9,000-15,000 points, to costing 8,000-20,000 points (11% decrease to 33% increase)
- Category 4 properties will go from costing 12,000-18,000 points, to costing 12,000-25,000 points (up to 39% increase)
- Category 5 properties will go from costing 17,000-23,000 points, to costing 15,000-35,000 points (up to 52% increase)
- Category 6 properties will go from costing 21,000-29,000 points, to costing 20,000-40,000 points (up to 38% increase)
- Category 7 properties will go from costing 25,000-35,000 points, to costing 25,000-55,000 points (up to 57% increase)
- Category 8 properties will go from costing 35,000-45,000 points, to costing 35,000-75,000 points (up to 67% increase)
Note that all award charts are changing, including those for suite and club redemptions, as well as the award charts for Miraval, all-inclusive properties, and more.
Free night awards (including Category 1-4 and Category 1-7 certificates) will continue to be valid for stays at properties within each tier regardless of the pricing level, as long as a standard room is available.
Hyatt notes how it will continue to have annual hotel category shifts in the future, as it does now, with yearly changes announced in April. However, over time, expanded redemption levels are intended to reduce the need for larger category shifts.
How will World of Hyatt’s expanded five tier pricing be used?
It goes without saying that these changes have the potential to be massive. On the very low end, we’re seeing some award costs go down by 8-14%, while across categories, we’re seeing some award costs go up by 33-67%. The devil is in the details here, of course, and what really matters is how pricing will be split up between the five tiers. So let’s talk about that a bit.
In this announcement, World of Hyatt is emphasizing how it plans to continue having published award charts, which “reinforces its commitment to transparency, predictability and lasting member trust.” For some background, here’s how Hyatt describes the logic for these award pricing changes:
This update enables more precise alignment at the hotel level within clearly defined category caps, and the added levels allow the program to manage peak demand more precisely by reducing the need for broad increases or major category shifts in the future. While the updated framework takes effect in May, World of Hyatt will implement the changes thoughtfully, with limited hotels moving a limited number of nights into the Upper and Top categories in 2026 and broader adoption in the years that follow.
After five years without a meaningful structural update, this evolution reinforces long-term stability and protects the integrity of the program rather than fundamentally changing it. This adjustment allows the program to grow into the updated chart for years to come.
What should we expect from the pricing tiers in practice? Based on a briefing with Hyatt executives, here are a few points that were clarified:
- There will be no limit on how many nights per year will go into each of the five pricing tiers for a particular property, so there’s no assurance that the “top” pricing will only be used for X nights per year
- Hyatt’s assurance is simply that executives at the program understand the extent to which good value redemptions are something that members value, so they’ll keep that in mind as they design the program and price awards, and “maintain the trajectory of the value of points”
- Hyatt executives note how this new pricing system could cause some hotels to ultimately move to lower categories over time; the idea is that some college town limited service properties may have previously been in a disproportionately high tier due to very high demand during limited periods, while the new five tier structure allows that to be addressed more efficiently
- Hyatt states that this is an “award chart [they] will live in and grow into in the years to come” without making further changes, and pricing in the “upper” and “top” tiers will be gradual, with a limited number of properties and dates moving up initially
My take on how bad these World of Hyatt changes are
World of Hyatt is a program that offers great value, and in particular, I appreciate how it’s the only major hotel loyalty program where you can efficiently earn points through transferable points currencies. As competitors have fully moved to dynamic award pricing and have eliminated award charts, I appreciate Hyatt’s continued commitment to keeping award charts.
As I view it, there’s the question of what award pricing will look like come May, and then maybe what award pricing looks like a few years down the road. I think the most telling thing here is Hyatt’s plan to “grow into” the new award chart.
The idea is that initially only a limited number of dates and properties will have pricing in the “upper” and “top” tier, which is really where pricing gets brutal. But several years down the road, I imagine that a majority of nights at a majority of properties will fall into the upper part of the award chart, rather than the lower part of the award chart. As a matter of fact, I imagine that the next time we’ll see a new award chart is when there’s not much room left in this new award chart to move to higher pricing bands.
But look, no matter how you slice it, these changes are brutal. Even if you just compare the current “standard” pricing to the future “moderate” pricing (which seems like the most apples-to-apples comparison, based on the information we have so far), it’s really rough. Category 4 goes from 15,000 to 20,000 points per night, while Category 8 goes from 40,000 to 55,000 points per night.
I can’t say I’m surprised to see these changes, given what we’ve seen at competitors. But still, that doesn’t mean we’re going to be happy about them. And while I appreciate the idea of still having an award chart, that definitely provides a lot less certainty than in the past, when the same category of hotel can cost 3,000 or 9,000 points per night.
Bottom line
As of May 2026, World of Hyatt is introducing new award pricing. While the program will maintain an award chart with eight categories of hotels, we’ll see a move from three pricing bands to five pricing bands within each tier. Unfortunately on the high end, the increase in award costs is massive, and members will be paying up to 67% more points than before.
Only time will tell how bad the increases are at first — Hyatt is promising that the use of the higher tiers will initially be limited, but I guess we’ll see how this all plays out.
What do you make of these World of Hyatt changes?
With the Pritzker affair, will Hyatt become a takeover target?
This is stupid. If they are going this way, why not just have one category that goes from 3k to 150k points like Hilton?
I hope that this wipes out all the bogus Bilt ‘globalists’ and the status challenge crowd. They can do something with Chase and IHG.
I’m a Lifetime Globalist and not just for points. Just stayed in Marriott resort property and it was garbage.
Not awesome but hope that 2nd order effects are good for true elites not Bilt, or credit card ‘explorists’
lol @ you thinking youre better because you go out of your way to spend more money to stay at chain hotels. congrats on being a sucker I guess?
This is the result of what happens when mostly US based customers (with credit cards) turned the program into a game. Was it really about loyalty or just a program where Hyatt was a little slow to work out many of their members were exploiting it until it no longer works. Sadly it appears the good times are over. Many will move onto the next one… if they can find something.
Agree that the good times are just about over. And to your very good point, 'points' have become just a game for most and the veil of loyalty has been pretty thin for a while. With points blogs like this, transparency of how the game is played has improved, search engines make finding sweet spots easier, the younger generation is savvy, barriers to entry have been lowered. I'm still impressed when I walk into a...
Agree that the good times are just about over. And to your very good point, 'points' have become just a game for most and the veil of loyalty has been pretty thin for a while. With points blogs like this, transparency of how the game is played has improved, search engines make finding sweet spots easier, the younger generation is savvy, barriers to entry have been lowered. I'm still impressed when I walk into a lounge and see all of the young folks there with platinum and reserve cards checking in - that was not what the market looked like 20 years ago.
That all said, I still find value in playing the game. I still travel. I still need to fly. I still need to stay in a hotel. But this probably means I will be more loyal to Amex with transferable points than my Hyatt card going forward.
I currently have several points advance bookings for later this year. Am I correct to assume that I am locked in at the points rate that I booked? Or will the new points chart kick in since I don't plan to pay for those reservations in points until closer to the check-in date (ie. Christmas 2026)? Thanks!
How are you "locked in" if your points have not already been deducted, something that commonly occurs at the time of actually making the reservation. I've never made a Hyatt award reservation when the points were not immediately deducted at time of booking.
You’re not trying hard enough. PA is a great Glob benefit.
Looks like my mattress running for globalist will get a little more expensive. Ha jk, mattress running for globalist now is ridiculous on its face. I'm done requalifying for globalist. No more spend on Hyatt card, no more UR transfers to Hyatt, no cash stays at Hyatt. Ill use up my points and certs, then I'm out. Go Pritzker yourself, Hyatt.
I'm not sure about that. When I mattress run, I'm shooting for cat 1 hotels where I can string together as many off-peak nights as possible (preferably with only standard nights between them if necessary). Cat 1 off-peak/lowest is decreasing from 3,500 to 3,000 points/night. So assuming Hyatt's reasonably fair and honest about their pricing tiers, i.e. actually uses the "lowest" category during periods of lowest demand, I'll be saving 500 points/night. And even if...
I'm not sure about that. When I mattress run, I'm shooting for cat 1 hotels where I can string together as many off-peak nights as possible (preferably with only standard nights between them if necessary). Cat 1 off-peak/lowest is decreasing from 3,500 to 3,000 points/night. So assuming Hyatt's reasonably fair and honest about their pricing tiers, i.e. actually uses the "lowest" category during periods of lowest demand, I'll be saving 500 points/night. And even if you can't string together, say, 5 "lowest" nights in a row, maybe it'll be something like 2 "lowest" + 1 "low" + 2 more "lowest," where before, it might've been 2 off-peak + 1 standard + 2 off-peak. In that example, the "before" would've been 19K points, and the new one would be 16.5K: 2.5K cheaper. For mattress runs done wisely, I'm absolutely seeing a chance that they become cheaper, not more expensive.
(...Though for virtually every other type of stay, yeah, it's gonna suck.)
My real question is whether Hyatt will destroy my willingness to participate in their program my the time I hit lifetime globalist. They are working overtime towards that goal, it seems
Hyatt has always attempted to be a little different than the “biggest” hotel brands, recognizing their dramatically smaller footprint. This tosses that theory out the window into a bonfire; and they may kill the golden goose with this change. Hyatt point valuation has now cratered. In case anyone from Hyatt is wondering if this affects future bookings, it already has.
Based on this, Ben, please provide your new evaluation of hyatt points. Mine just sank below 1 cent immediately and i still value chase points more than a cent so no point in transferring my chase points to hyatt anymore
While I HATE to see this, I can’t say I’m surprised. Last week I wrapped up a 15 night stay at the Park Hyatt Milan during the Olympics in a Deluxe room. The rate was $5,000/night. That is $75,000. I used Hyatt points and stayed there for 675,000 points. That is over $0.11/point. That isn’t sustainable for them (especially with free breakfast, amenities, etc).
Your example is an ultra niche case. Not the reason for the change.
This is essentially a dynamic award chart
Hotel prices increase with inflation. The number of points required HAS to increase occasionally for things not to get out of hand. Inflation has totaled 25% the last 5 years. Points costs MUST inflate at the same rate.
And yet Category 1-4 free night awards have not increased with inflation despite the volume of properties reclassified over the years to Category 5 and beyond.
I disagree to some extent. Inflation hasn't affected hotel prices equally everywhere across the board, and the point of an award chart is that when a hotel's prices *do* increase over time, the hotel moves to a higher award category (or when they decrease, they fall to a lower one); that's the built-in mechanism to control for inflation.
Over time, it does result in fewer hotels being in the lowest categories. But I tend to...
I disagree to some extent. Inflation hasn't affected hotel prices equally everywhere across the board, and the point of an award chart is that when a hotel's prices *do* increase over time, the hotel moves to a higher award category (or when they decrease, they fall to a lower one); that's the built-in mechanism to control for inflation.
Over time, it does result in fewer hotels being in the lowest categories. But I tend to think of category 1 as the "~$100-$125/night category," cat 2 as the "~$160-$200/night category," cat 3 as the "~$240-$300/night category," etc. (approximate, of course, but take the standard number of thousands of points/night for that category and multiply it by about 20 to 25). If inflation causes average rates at a particular hotel to increase over time from e.g. ~$125 to ~$160, it probably moves from cat 1 to cat 2. But actually increasing the number of points/night *in a given category* *in addition* to moving many hotels to higher categories is a different ball game.
After all, if a hotel that used to be ~$125/night is *still* around $125/night on average, why should it cost more points now than it did before? (Adjusted for inflation, it's technically *cheaper* now than it was before!)
I hope Hyatt only uses the "moderate"/"upper"/"top" pricing tiers when it's genuinely justified, rather than basically making it the new normal. But based on the language about "grow[ing] into" the new award chart over time, I'm not holding my breath...
What to do with all my UR points????
Seems like you have a Choice(tm) to make.
Nothing lasts forever. Hyatt was peak awesome when they had SLH. Been downhill since losing SLH. I just reached Globalist this year. Been on the Ink train for a while too. Going to burn up my remaining Hyatt points by Feb. 2027 (Globalist expiration). After that it is all about the Hilton Aspire and the FNC. Maybe the occasional Amex to Hilton transfer bonus for a high end stay at a WA or an SLH....
Nothing lasts forever. Hyatt was peak awesome when they had SLH. Been downhill since losing SLH. I just reached Globalist this year. Been on the Ink train for a while too. Going to burn up my remaining Hyatt points by Feb. 2027 (Globalist expiration). After that it is all about the Hilton Aspire and the FNC. Maybe the occasional Amex to Hilton transfer bonus for a high end stay at a WA or an SLH. Moving any loyalty to Hilton. Definitely won't be long until cash stays become the way to go again.
Tell us you have dynamic pricing without telling us you have dynamic pricing
As a Hyatt globalist, if I do 100 nights with Hyatt at $175 per night, I earn 113,750 points (excluding bonuses based on credit cards or World of Hyatt promotions). Those 113,750 points would give me 1 “free” night at a Mirval property with my a spouse/partner/girlfriend or 1.5 “free” nights at the most expensive Park Hyatt.
The same 100 nights and $175 per night spend as an ambassador with Marriott would earn me 306,250...
As a Hyatt globalist, if I do 100 nights with Hyatt at $175 per night, I earn 113,750 points (excluding bonuses based on credit cards or World of Hyatt promotions). Those 113,750 points would give me 1 “free” night at a Mirval property with my a spouse/partner/girlfriend or 1.5 “free” nights at the most expensive Park Hyatt.
The same 100 nights and $175 per night spend as an ambassador with Marriott would earn me 306,250 points as a Bonvoy ambassador. Let’s say I earn another 40,000 points from Marriott based on the 1,000 elite welcome gift benefit at many brands. Additionally, I can earn additional points with Marriott for on-property incidentals, like booze or food. So, those 346,250 Bonvoy points probably get me five “free” nights at most non-resort Marriott properties. Maybe even a sixth or seventh night depending on the market and the brand.
The only reason to stick with Hyatt is, I suppose, the nominal award chart. At least you know how many points you need to accumulate for redemption, unlike Marriott. But the question is: can a normal traveler ever accumulate enough points moving forward without massive gamesmanship or credit card point transfers/bonuses?
So many things wrong with your comment. You do earn points with on property spend at Hyatt.
113k points can also get you five nights at a lot of properties. On your way to earning 100 nights you also get two C1-7 awards, one C1-4 and also 10k points at the 70, 80, 90 and 100 milestones... So realistically 150k which can get you around 7+ nights at a Cat 7. Can also trade those GOHs you get for 1-4 awards.
As someone who was looking for a way to cash about about 600,000 Marriott points and not having an easy time of it at the resorts I'm really interested in (ski resorts during ski season, tropical resorts), I disagree with your Marriott comparison. There are plenty of Marriott properties where you need double that for five nights because the nights go for 150,000+ points.
This combined with the Ink train ending... I am done with Hyatt and Chase after Feb. 2027 when my Globalist ends. Using up my points and moving to Hilton (love my FNCs!).
Eddie, I'm unaware of what you mean by the "ink train". I must have missed some issue with these cards? Mind expanding for me?
Being able to get multiple Chase Ink Business cards to get UR points. Chase is now very strict with sign up bonuses.
If I cant book outsized redemptions I'll have no loyalty and will just buy accounts from china for free breakfast.
What?
Ouch indeed, but inevitable.
Last September, I stayed at the Park Hyatt NYC during the UN General Assembly where "standard" rooms were $2,600 a night. Even purchasing 45K World of Hyatt Points at the rack rate of $0.026 would have been a cost of $1,170. Unless they started monkeying around with "standard" room availability a la Hilton and Bonvoy, this arbitrage was unsustainable.
On the plus side, this change might mitigate some of the antipathy...
Ouch indeed, but inevitable.
Last September, I stayed at the Park Hyatt NYC during the UN General Assembly where "standard" rooms were $2,600 a night. Even purchasing 45K World of Hyatt Points at the rack rate of $0.026 would have been a cost of $1,170. Unless they started monkeying around with "standard" room availability a la Hilton and Bonvoy, this arbitrage was unsustainable.
On the plus side, this change might mitigate some of the antipathy and downright bad hospitality I've experienced at other Park Hyatts as a non-Globalist on award stays (e.g., Park Hyatt Sydney).
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255060-d256618-r1040805073-Park_Hyatt_Sydney-Sydney_New_South_Wales.html
You can regularly arbitrage with Hilton though- even with them playing games. Plenty of properties retail for far much than 0.5cpp.
Is that what is causing Hyatt website hard to reach? everyone wants to Book now?
Or, like me, cancel future cash bookings as I'm no longer caring about Globalist
The only reason I put up with Hyatts limited footprint is for the loyalty program. It’s so much easier to book a Marriott or Hilton property esp with our corporate travel system.
All these major programs are essentially just "cash back" now that the awards are just dynamic (by any other name). For those that stay at luxury properties, it's probably better to be a travel agent themselves (through Fora or what not), and just get the agent commission back in their own pockets. That way you can stay at whatever brand you want and still get your free breakfast + early check in + late checkout....
All these major programs are essentially just "cash back" now that the awards are just dynamic (by any other name). For those that stay at luxury properties, it's probably better to be a travel agent themselves (through Fora or what not), and just get the agent commission back in their own pockets. That way you can stay at whatever brand you want and still get your free breakfast + early check in + late checkout. No point chasing status and being chained to any chain for marginal benefits.
Well, this clarifies my abandonment of the WoH program. I was on the fence, and Hyatt helped me make it, though not really in their favor. I've been a Globalist since 2021, but this year will be the last. I had a few cash bookings since I figured the QNs and Hyatt points I got back would be valuable, but that is no longer the case.
I'm trying to decide if double/triple Aspires are worth...
Well, this clarifies my abandonment of the WoH program. I was on the fence, and Hyatt helped me make it, though not really in their favor. I've been a Globalist since 2021, but this year will be the last. I had a few cash bookings since I figured the QNs and Hyatt points I got back would be valuable, but that is no longer the case.
I'm trying to decide if double/triple Aspires are worth it, but more likely I'll just go back to using travel portals. Ultimate freedom for location, cash back portals, and so on. I'll buy my own breakfast.
Hyatt gotta be careful.
Their footprint is tiny, not many people outside of the US cares about their hotels.
Their hotels are not that great, the clout of faux luxury only blinds loyalists.
Their program was what had people hooked - take that away - and Hyatt is exposed for what it is - a small chain of mediocre hotels.
If they start messing with Globalist - its over.
I do think you're right. Outside beach resorts and all-inclusives, Hyatt doesn't have the footprint to play games with elites. If you're going to get bonoyed, you might as well use Bonvoy.
It's not just the footprint. Its the price to quality ratio.
Hyatt's are almost always overpriced, especially outside the US, with much better options available for less money.
I don't agree with you Alan. If Hyatt hotel level in the US is not marvelous, it's very different outside. In Asia, in Europe for example, Hyatt hotel are better than other American brands. Service is so nice compairing in the US.
This is dynamic pricing by another name. All good things come to an end...
Great! Now I don't need to requalify for Globalist anymore. I can finally be a free agent.
Before the pandemic I always thought Accor was the worst program because points were simply direct proxies for cash - 1000 points was worth 20 EUR off your room cost. No gaming the system. No opportunities.
Now I think it's the best program for the same reason. While there's been massive devaluation across all the other main programs, Accor still maintains its fixed exchange rate of 1000 points to 20 EUR. That's the central principle...
Before the pandemic I always thought Accor was the worst program because points were simply direct proxies for cash - 1000 points was worth 20 EUR off your room cost. No gaming the system. No opportunities.
Now I think it's the best program for the same reason. While there's been massive devaluation across all the other main programs, Accor still maintains its fixed exchange rate of 1000 points to 20 EUR. That's the central principle that their rewards program is based on.
That means I don't have to worry about the value of my points stash suddenly being vaporised (like Radisson to their points) and can accumulate without having to burn them quickly. The only cost to hoarding points is that hotels get more expensive over time, but I'd face the exact same issue with cash in my bank account.
And I think it's very unlikely they'll ever break this foundational principle, because it would completely immolate their program at a stroke. People saw the smoke and rubble that Radisson Rewards turned into and I doubt they want to emulate that.
Interestingly, the exact same logic applies to SkyMiles (which is, among airlines with many intercontinental flights, probably the only one that hasn't devalued its fiat:miles exchange rate in the past ~5 years).
That rumor Reddit post wasn't fake.
It was a leaked or failed A B attempt.
Then trying to cover it up just like Pritzker-Epstein.
Shame on Hyatt.
I guess my hope of being able to score a reasonable redemption at Allia Ventana Big Sur is out the window. It was hard enough to find the availability. Now I think you'll find availability, but at the new "TOP" rate.
You didn't miss much. Most overrated property I've ever stayed at. Stay anywhere else on that part of the California coast and you'll get the same view and geography. Food nothing special, location nothing special, service meh, activities meh, rooms ok.
wish they had a rule to balance the nights out. The number of nights in tier 5 has to mirrored by the number of nights in tier 1. Same with the 2/4 tiers.
I'd argue it should be even stricter than that. "Peak" pricing is intended to reflect extraordinary demand, after all, which is rare by definition (in most markets). The name calls to mind a snow-capped mountain peak, which covers maybe the top 5-10% of the mountain - let's say the top 5% could be "top," with the next 5% being "upper." The next ~30% down could be "moderate," the next 30% "low," and the bottom 30%...
I'd argue it should be even stricter than that. "Peak" pricing is intended to reflect extraordinary demand, after all, which is rare by definition (in most markets). The name calls to mind a snow-capped mountain peak, which covers maybe the top 5-10% of the mountain - let's say the top 5% could be "top," with the next 5% being "upper." The next ~30% down could be "moderate," the next 30% "low," and the bottom 30% "lowest." Pricing should have to default to the lowest tiers unless there's genuinely extraordinary demand to justify that moderate/peak pricing.
Indeed, would be nice to have a rule based on those ratios: if you have 5 nights a year at "top," you must have at least 30 a year at "lowest"; if you have 10 a year at "upper" or higher, you must have at least 60 a year at "low" or lower; if you have 30 at "moderate," you must have at least 60 at "low" or "lowest"; etc.
If my math is right a Hyatt globalist doing 100 nights a year at $230 per night, he or she is getting 149,500 points per year on stays. If the same person had Marriott ambassador status, they would earn 402,500 points per year. That’s probably an extreme example. My guess is more people are like 40-70 actual, butt-in-bed nights at $125-$175 per night.
You are excluding the bonus points, FNAs and GOHs which you get on the way there to 100 nights as a Hyatt Globalist.
GOHs have little use as a Globalist but you can trade them for FNAs too.
Remember all those posts last week... calling pending de-valuation was a 'hoax'... 'fake'... (ok, fine, there's no new Cat 9 or 10, but let's get real, if they devalue this bad, it's as if they did anyway.)
Yeeesh. Did I just become Team Cashback? I might have.
I'll add to my prior comment - one thing I think Hyatt risks (and this is WLOG to other programs) is people saying "Eff this" and shifting to booking via OTAs and/or reducing credit card usage.
If I didn't have extant Globalist status with Hyatt, I'm not sure why I would book direct versus going via Chase (or another portal). I'm already there with Hilton and getting there with Marriott...
I'll be honest - if Hyatt had a general commitment here to cap the upper tiers at (say) 10-20% of nights each, I wouldn't be too fussed. Ditto if this had come with a promise that there would be significant net category reductions this year and/or next year to compensate (particularly at the 4/5 threshold).
I'm glad for the chart staying, but otherwise this is nasty.
Sooooo all are these influencers still going to toe the line and maintain the “value” of Chase and BILT???
Why would they devalue BILT? Alaska, JAL, rent day promotions (up to 125% to JAL!!), etc. BILT is the unequivocal top dog, with or without Hyatt. But I have almost entirely given up on Chase.
Bilt sneakily timed that tx promo to JAL early before everyone gets their May Rakuten payout.
lol..: Hyatt is Bilt most valuable hotel transfer partner. Just got nerfed
lol..: Hyatt is Bilt most valuable hotel transfer partner. Just got nerfed
For those of us who can use Chase points at 1.5c for travel redemptions, that 75000 Hyatt points room equals $1125. There may be several other nice hotels in the vicinity which would be worthwhile booking directly.
I spent almost all of my post-pandemic Hyatt points in 2022-2024 after I retired. Only 5600 left. I will probably transfer 1000 over from CSP and book a 6500 Cat2 for one night in April and then just delete the app. I had zero stays in 2025 as the properties were just not competitive where I was staying.
Just like the rest of hotel chains and airlines, Hyatt is giving the finger to their loyal customers. I don't understand why people are still chasing status to only be told by these greedy companies to go screw themselves.
Globalist still has a lot of explicit bells and whistles (particularly blocking resort/destination fees).
Hyatt just spit in the faces of non US members who cannot earn points thru credit cards (cos we can't get any) but only thru stays. The 30% bonus earn for Globalists is ridiculous with no welcome bonus either.
Blew out a 175k points for an upcoming 5 night stay at the Alila Maldives. Glad I was able to get that in before the devaluation, as that same stay will probably go to 275k. Sadly, this was inevitable, as other have noted...
I've lost most loyalty at this point. Just like an economy, when the government starts to habitually devalue the currency on a whim and without explanation or apology, you start to lose trust in it.
Nothing like having 5 tiers of pricing and 8 category levels. So dumb
Best one. This is how you fit dynamic pricing in fixed price.
Oy Vey this is honestly terrible! We have to pushback!
Bring back Hyatt Passport, Bring back SPG! I miss those days!
The Reddit thing was weird. What’s most frustrating is this news today didn’t also announce the allegedly fake ultra premium Hyatt credit card.
Laurie Blair insists the "trajectory of the value of our points is not changing." Let's examine that claim.
1. Twenty years ago, a night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo cost 15,000 points. Under this new chart, it costs 75,000. That is a 400% increase. An annualised inflation rate of 8.38%. On a loyalty currency that earns at fixed rates.
2. 78 price levels. The program now contains 78 price levels. At what point does an...
Laurie Blair insists the "trajectory of the value of our points is not changing." Let's examine that claim.
1. Twenty years ago, a night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo cost 15,000 points. Under this new chart, it costs 75,000. That is a 400% increase. An annualised inflation rate of 8.38%. On a loyalty currency that earns at fixed rates.
2. 78 price levels. The program now contains 78 price levels. At what point does an "award chart" become a marketing fiction? Blair calls this a "long-term sustainability effort." Members might call it something else.
3. The highest tier prices rise by up to 67%. Not at obscure properties. At the properties members have been saving for, planning around, valuing their points against. And crucially, as the comment from OMAAT makes clear, there is no cap on how many nights a property can place at the top tier. Zero. None. The floor has been removed.
4. Blair pushed back on the word "devaluation." But when the same points buy fewer nights at fewer properties on fewer dates, what precise word would she prefer?
5. Hyatt remains more transparent than Marriott. That is a low bar, and clearing it is not an achievement worth celebrating. The direction here is unmistakable, the pace is accelerating, and the program's CMO declining to commit to any improvement on the earning side tells members everything they need to know.
TL;DR - Cash out of Hyatt now.
Very accurate analysis!
@All Due Respect I think you need to mention the increase in the cash price in your first point. The PH Tokyo was probably about $400/night 20 years ago and probably will be $1000 average/night when it reopens. Also, all spending on the card results in increased points earning vs 20 years ago due to 60%+ inflation.
Still a bad change though.
Fair note, Rico.
That's pretty awful. Glad I got my points booking for the Hyatt Place Waikiki before this went. Hyatt was essentially my last bastion of accessible and decent "low end" points properties while still having high-end properties available for decent value (excellent compared to the competition). The low-end properties are still there, at least for now for the CC free night, but on the high end and especially down the road it feels like the high...
That's pretty awful. Glad I got my points booking for the Hyatt Place Waikiki before this went. Hyatt was essentially my last bastion of accessible and decent "low end" points properties while still having high-end properties available for decent value (excellent compared to the competition). The low-end properties are still there, at least for now for the CC free night, but on the high end and especially down the road it feels like the high end properties are going to be like trying to book a Conrad or Waldorf Astoria on points.
what is the "value" of spending 200k to get lifetime globalist for this?
Free breakfast and waived resort fees. Which is, TBH, nothing to sneeze at.
Instead of spending 200K, you can buy a lot of breakfasts and pay a lot of resort fees as an Explorist and have a crazy amount of cash left.
World of Hyatt is a program that USED to offer great value.
Very sad to see the “Hyatt hack” so diminished in value. It was the only program left for me where redeeming points for an overnight stay directly through the hotel affinity program almost always made more economic sense than paying in cash or redeeming via CC. For example, I am staying at Park Hyatt Zurich later this year. Under the current regime and available cash rates booked directly through Hyatt, my points based hotel stay...
Very sad to see the “Hyatt hack” so diminished in value. It was the only program left for me where redeeming points for an overnight stay directly through the hotel affinity program almost always made more economic sense than paying in cash or redeeming via CC. For example, I am staying at Park Hyatt Zurich later this year. Under the current regime and available cash rates booked directly through Hyatt, my points based hotel stay is valued @ approx 3/cents USD per point redeemed. It looks like post April ‘26, the value would drop to 2 cents or less. As a comparison, as a Chase Sapphire card holder, under “The Edit” program the value per point varies from 1.65 to 2 cents. But even at the lower redemption rate, I get free breakfast (I have no Hyatt status so this is very valuable to me), a 100 USD hotel stay credit and I earn points for my stay. So, at best, I become nearly agnostic as to whether I redeem my points directly through Chase or transfer them to Hyatt. However, going forward there are likely to be many instances where the incremental benefit of transferring to Hyatt vanishes altogether and I am better off paying for my hotel directly through the Chase program.
I imagine this is the end of booking a week at a nice Hyatt ski hotel during the season. Three nights at a place like the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is going from 100k points a couple years ago to now over 200k.
*If* this translates to a substantial devaluation in the likely value of Hyatt points, how relevant will the Chase ecosystem be given this and all of the other changes it has seen?
Without credit card transfers, how does anyone just starting this points game with Hyatt ever earn enough points for a week at some aspirational property?
There will be no justification soon. The only thing worse than this devaluation is the attempted gaslighting. Don't get played for a sucker.
I think what makes this awful is the fact that there’s no tangible addition or improvement of defined elite status benefits. They should have thrown a bone to globalists. Something. And of course, globalist concierge service is awful — even Marriott Bonvoy has better service for ambassador elites than Hyatt does for globalists.
Early access to devalued award nights?
That's only valuable if you (a) book super far in advance and (b) prioritize resorts. Most people I know book vacations 3 months in advance.
Enshitification of the hotel loyalty programs comes to Hyatt. #sad
seems like they have changed categories of some hotels today(?) as well in sync with these announced changes... I had booked a reservation at hyatt in kotor and it was a cat 4 and today it is showing as a cat 5 (15k vs 20k pts) and that could theoretically go higher in May with these changes...
I think they announced 7 hotel shifts.
Anyone know the seven shifted Hyatts?
Still better than other programs. Categories 1-4 are still the sweet spot when you can find them. Don't think I will be staying at any Cat 7 or 8 when they're above 50K points per night.
Every time I read posts like this it makes me smile with my decision to ditch loyalty for hotels and airlines a long time ago.
i've come to view Hilton and Marriott points as virtually worthless, as it's not practical to collect them in the quantities needed for luxury experiences at Marriott; looks like Hyatt is just about there too... my loyalty strategy (and the existence thereof) needs a rethink this year
Accor and GHA haven't really devalued in years.
This brings WOH points to the same valuation as the competition = around half a cent each. It was inevitable. They could not sustain being the outlier indefinitely. It was nice while it lasted.
lol ok calm down
How do you figure this? Not true at all
Are the points required going to fluctuate with demand or is there still gonna be a calendar (showing 12 months out) which night(s) fall into which 'tier'? (i.e., Is it possible that two people who book the same room type, on the same night going to pay two different award prices?)
Quite possibly. My suspicion is that Hyatt will target something like 0.7-1.0 cpp on the reimbursement value (probably best approximated by RevPAR times occupancy) and periodically calculate a prediction of what that looks like for a given property (maybe including previous 6 months of actual redemptions and next 6 months of expected). If the property is running low, move some nights down a level and if running high, move some nights up a level.
Curious what their target deval is. From about 2cpp to 1.6?
This also has a major impact on the chase cards. Hyatt is the reason many of us have chase. Will points boost become a better redemption often times at these hyatts?
Hyatt pts now worth lower than 1.6cpp. It was about 1.5-1.8 cpp before this news. I figure pts worth 1.25-1.6 cpp now.
At a certain point they should just admit that they've moved to dynamic pricing.
They also bumped GH Cayman from 6 to 8 overnight (along with a few others). I was actually planning a trip here and it's very disappointing they gave no heads up like they usually do for category changes to allow people to lock things in.
Unpopular opinion - but this doesn't sound too bad. They haven't had a devaluation in 5 years.
At least the rates are still fixed. Hopefully this should lead to less demand for awards and more access
lol you must be new here. it never leads to less demand for awards and more access. ever. demand is only going in one direction. theres hundreds of thousands of people that just this month have earned 60k+ Bilt points, transferrable to Hyatt. That's tens and tens of millions points created out of thin air to potentially transfer
They have devaluations every year in the Spring when they move the hotel categories up. As far this change, if you do think paying up to 67% more points for the same room, good for you.
Justice for the fake reddit college kid!! he almost nailed it!!
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in this article LOL
Absolutely brutal. Glad I've managed to enjoy some of the great value stays. Hopefully can lock in a few more before the chart goes live