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The World of Hyatt loyalty program offers its members milestone rewards starting at 20 nights or 35,000 base points in a calendar year. One of the perks you can select through the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards program is club lounge access awards.
Until the recent World of Hyatt program changes, you couldn't use club lounge access awards for other travelers unless you traveled together, but that has officially changed. Here's what you need to know about Hyatt club lounge access awards, including how you can use your awards to give other travelers club lounge access during their stays.
Related: The best Hyatt hotels in the world
Hyatt club lounge access awards overview
You can select two Hyatt club lounge access awards at specific milestones through the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards program. In particular, club lounge access awards are an option you can select at the following milestones each calendar year:
- 20 qualifying nights or 35,000 base points
- 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points
Once you select a club lounge access award, it is valid for the calendar year you earned it, plus an additional 14 months. You can track your awards and their expiration dates through the Awards section (also called My Awards in some places) of your account.
You can only redeem club lounge access awards for reservations with a checkout date on or before the award's expiration date, and you can only redeem a club lounge access award before checking in for a stay.
Club lounge access awards are valid on stays of seven consecutive nights or less. Know, though, that only stays at participating Hyatt properties with a club lounge qualify for club lounge access award redemptions, and access is always subject to availability and space limitations.
Not every Hyatt brand participates in this option. The following World of Hyatt brands do not accept these awards:
- Caption by Hyatt
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt House
- Hyatt Ziva
- Hyatt Zilara
- Miraval
- Destination by Hyatt Residences
- Hyatt Vacation Club hotels and resorts
To use a club lounge access award at a participating property, you must pay an eligible rate or redeem points for a standard room free night award, a suite free night award or a points and cash award. You can't use club lounge access awards with any other free night awards, including free night awards from the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) or the Hyatt Brand Explorer promotion. You also can't use club lounge access awards for a stay at a hotel or resort that has not yet opened.
Remember that you won't get complimentary breakfast in another venue if you use a club lounge access award and the lounge isn't accessible. So, you'll want to ensure the lounge will be open before you use a club lounge access award for a stay.
Related: How much value does World of Hyatt status provide when you book directly?
How to use Hyatt club lounge access awards
If you don't have World of Hyatt Globalist status — which offers club lounge access as a perk — club lounge access awards can be a great way to snag lounge access on a particular stay. As such, these awards can be valuable to World of Hyatt loyalists who stay enough nights in a calendar year to earn these awards but not enough nights to earn Globalist status.
Even if you have top-tier Globalist status, club lounge access awards may still be useful if you have friends or family members who could benefit from club lounge access on an upcoming Hyatt stay. Of course, you could apply a Guest of Honor award to their stay. However, now that Guest of Honor bookings are limited and require you to apply or gift a Guest of Honor award, you may need to be selective about who gets Guest of Honor awards and who gets club lounge access awards if you have a lot of friends and family members vying for these perks.
You still can't apply club lounge access awards to a stay through the World of Hyatt website or app. So, you'll need to call Hyatt if you have an upcoming stay for which you want to use a club lounge access award.
You also can't use a club lounge access award for another World of Hyatt member by booking a stay in their name and applying the award from your account. However, you can gift club lounge access awards to another World of Hyatt member. To do so from the World of Hyatt website, click on the three dots next to your award and select "Gift Your Award" from the drop-down menu.
Enter the World of Hyatt account number and last name of your award recipient, then click "Continue" to gift your award.
The award recipient will still need to call Hyatt to finalize the process. Once they complete this step, the club lounge access award will be applied to their stay.
Related: How to gift World of Hyatt awards
Bottom line
Club lounge access awards are particularly valuable to World of Hyatt loyalists who don't get lounge access through top-tier Globalist status. You can select these awards as Hyatt Milestone Rewards each year when you pass the 20 qualifying nights or 35,000 base points threshold and the 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points threshold.
Lower-level World of Hyatt elite members can unlock club lounge access a few times each year thanks to these awards. Additionally, Hyatt Globalist members can select these awards and gift them to friends and family members who could benefit from club lounge access on a specific stay.
Related reading:
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Which credit cards offer the most lucrative rewards for hotel stays?
- What are the best hotel rewards programs in the world?
- Best hotel credit cards
