No status, no problem: Get perks at Small Luxury Hotels of the World when you book through Hyatt

There are many ways to get perks on stays, ranging from earning hotel elite status to booking through a program like American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts. But one often overlooked option is booking select Small Luxury Hotels of the World stays through World of Hyatt.

In 2018, Hyatt and SLH launched a partnership, enabling World of Hyatt members to earn and redeem points at participating SLH properties and get several value-added benefits. The partnership extends to hundreds of properties worldwide; you can see the current list of participating SLH properties on Hyatt's website. Most are in Europe, but there are also several in Asia and North America.

In this guide, we'll look closely at the benefits World of Hyatt members get at participating SLH properties. We'll also discuss how to book your stay to get these perks, as not all bookings are eligible.

World of Hyatt benefits at SLH properties

You can earn World of Hyatt points and elite night credits on all SLH stays booked through Hyatt as you normally would (albeit not on incidentals). That means you can accrue at least 5 points per dollar spent before factoring in World of Hyatt elite bonuses.

You can also redeem Hyatt points and free night awards at participating SLH properties as you normally would. However, award bookings are only for two adults, so you may face extra fees if you have additional adults or children.

Instead of the standard World of Hyatt benefits, all members enjoy the following on-property perks regardless of their World of Hyatt membership tier status:

• Daily complimentary continental breakfast for two
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Early check-in at noon (based on availability at check-in)
• Late checkout at 2 p.m. (based on availability at check-in)
• One category room upgrade (based on availability at check-in)

Note that while elite members will get their standard points bonuses (10% for Discoverist, 20% for Explorist and 30% for Globalist), no other elite benefits apply. For example, World of Hyatt members can't redeem suite upgrade certificates, and Globalist members won't get waived resort fees.

Interestingly, the benefits of booking an SLH property through Hyatt are even more generous than when booking with SLH and its Invited loyalty program. The Invited program only offers free breakfast and upgrades once you reach its Inspired tier, which requires at least three nights per 12-month tier year with SLH.

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Related: What is World of Hyatt elite status worth?

Booking SLH stays through Hyatt

World of Hyatt's award charts use peak, off-peak and standard pricing. So, although each participating SLH property has a Hyatt category, award night prices will vary depending on whether the dates you want to book are peak, off-peak or standard.

Whether paying cash or redeeming points, you must book your SLH stay through Hyatt to get the partnership benefits discussed in this guide. Unfortunately, booking through World of Hyatt might not always get the lowest rate. Sadly, SLH properties are not subject to Hyatt's best rate guarantee.

You can see this in action by looking up a stay at the Brick Hotel in Mexico City. For a one-night stay on Sept. 13, 2024, Hyatt is quoting $642.91.

If we booked directly with SLH, we could book the same room type with the same cancellation policies for $578.62.

Ultimately, your best bet is to compare rates when booking SLH properties and then decide whether the premium — if there is one — is worth the extra benefits and Hyatt points.

Related: What it's like to stay at Nanuku Resort in Fiji, bookable through World of Hyatt

Maximizing your SLH bookings

The best way to maximize your SLH bookings is with the World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (see rates and fees). As with other Hyatt bookings, cardholders earn 4 points per dollar spent at participating SLH locations on top of their usual World of Hyatt earnings.

If you're considering adding the World of Hyatt Credit Card to your wallet, it's currently offering a sign-up bonus where new applicants can earn up to 60,000 points: 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening and up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on up to $15,000 spent.

Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card currently offers a sign-up bonus of earning 60,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt if you want to earn Hyatt status quickly. World of Hyatt is also a Bilt Rewards transfer partner, so you have multiple options to boost your Hyatt account balance if you want to redeem points for an SLH stay.

Related: Book a life-changing stay at the Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary with Hyatt points

Bottom line

Although not always the cheapest option, booking participating SLH properties through World of Hyatt can be incredibly compelling. After all, you'll get elitelike benefits and earn valuable World of Hyatt points when you book through Hyatt. Plus, Discoverist and Explorist elite members will enjoy better benefits on SLH stays than on most other Hyatt stays.