Last day to book: 11 Hyatt hotels changing award categories tomorrow
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Almost every year, major hotel loyalty programs increase or decrease the number of points required to stay at various properties.
In some programs, this can impact hundreds of hotels. However, as travel took a nosedive, the past year looked a little bit different.
Effective March 25, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. CDT, Hyatt will shift 10 properties up in award category, while one lone hotel will go down a category.
Here is the complete list of properties that will be changing.
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| Property | Current Award Category | New Award Category (as of March 25, 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Place Houston Downtown | 3 | 2
|
| Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows | 5 | 6
|
| Park Hyatt Aviara | 5 | 6
|
| Mar Monte Hotel, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt | 4 | 5
|
| Hyatt House Nashville/Downtown-SoBro | 4 | 5
|
| Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico | 3 | 4
|
| Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort | 2 | 3
|
| Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport | 2 | 3
|
| Hyatt Place Delano | 1 | 2
|
| Hyatt Place Fair Lawn/Paramus | 1 | 2
|
| Hyatt Place Palm Bay/Melbourne | 1 | 2
|
As you can see, several of these listed are resort properties targeting leisure travelers who are eager to book a 2021 getaway.
Related: 10 ways to earn more Hyatt points
Back in October, Hyatt announced that 12 hotels would drop in category. Those properties included the following:
- Stonebridge Inn, a Destination Hotel: Dropping from Category 5 to 4
- Wailea Grand Champions Villas, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 6 to 5
- Wailea Ekolu Village, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 6 to 5
- Wailea Ekahi Village, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 6 to 5
- Lichenhearth, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 6 to 5
- Parker New York: Dropping from Category 6 to 5
- Grand Hyatt Vail: Dropping from Category 7 to 6
- Mauna Lani Point, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 7 to 6
- Wailea Elua Village, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 8 to 7
- Kaanapali Alii, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 8 to 7
- Vail Residences at Cascade Village, a Destination Residence: Dropping from Category 8 to 7
- The Lodge at Spruce Peak, a Destination Hotel: Dropping from Category 8 to 7
As a refresher, here is the World of Hyatt award chart so that you can see the point pricing implications of these category changes.
Members who have existing award bookings as of Thursday, March 25 at the Hyatt Place Houston Downtown will receive an automatic one-time refund on the point difference.
Remember that Hyatt is also currently offering registered members 2,000 bonus points for every two qualifying nights stayed between March 1 and June 15, 2021. This is worth $34 based on TPG’s most recent valuation of World of Hyatt points (1.7 cents per point).
Even better, those with a World of Hyatt Credit Card earn an extra 500 points per two nights, for a total of 2,500 points earned for every two nights stayed.
And all World of Hyatt members will earn a Free Night Award valid at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel after earning ten qualifying nights during the promo period. Registration is required.
Bottom line
In 2021, only a handful of Hyatt properties will cost more points. And as previously confirmed, peak and off-peak award pricing will also be delayed until July 2021.
Combine this with various promotions and elite requirements cut in half, and the World of Hyatt program has taken a fairly customer-friendly stance over the past year.
Additional reporting by Summer Hull.