Another 43 Luxury Hotels and Resorts Now Available Using Hyatt Points

We’ve written extensively about Hyatt’s efforts to bolster its geographic footprint and better compete with larger programs like Hilton and Marriott, and today we’re seeing another step in that direction. It’s been less than a year since Hyatt announced its new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and after waves of integration in December, January and February, the program is back with a fourth round of additions.

Starting today, World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points at an additional 43 SLH properties, bringing the total number of new resorts added to 210 (and this doesn’t include the eight Thompson Hotels added in March). However, unlike the last round — which was focused almost entirely on Europe — this newest list provides a much wider geographic spread.

Here are the notable countries where Hyatt now has a presence (or a greatly-enhanced presence) with this new set of resorts:

• New Zealand: Bay of Many Coves Resort (Queen Charlotte Sound), Hulbert House (Queenstown) and The George (Christchurch)
• Croatia: Boutique Hotel Alhambra (Mali Losinj), D-Resort Sibenik (Sibenik) and Villa Orsula Dubrovnik (Dubrovnik)
• Sri Lanka: The Fortress Resort and Spa (Galle)
• Costa Rica: Hotel Nantipa (Santa Terese de Cobano) and Hotel Three Sixty (Ojochal de Osa)

This round also adds five new properties in Spain, four in Australia, and three each in Greece and the UK. You can find a full list of the new properties at this link, and we’ve also listed them in a table below, including the respective award rates for each one.

All 43 of these newly-integrated properties will follow the same earning and redemption scheme as those that have already been added to the World of Hyatt program. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar spent on paid stays, and if you hold Hyatt elite status, your standard bonuses will apply. However, all World of Hyatt members will enjoy daily complimentary continental breakfast for two, a space-available, one-category upgrade at check-in, and early check-in/late checkout (subject to availability).

Here’s a breakdown of where the new properties fall in Hyatt’s award chart:

• Category 3 (12,000 points per night): 3 hotels
• Category 4 (15,000 points): 4 hotels
• Category 5 (20,000 points): 6 hotels
• Category 6 (25,000 points): 16 hotels
• Category 7 (30,000 points): 10 hotels
• Category 8 (40,000 points): 4 hotels

This round is somewhat concentrated on the high-end of the luxury spectrum, though over a quarter of the new properties fall at Category 5 or lower. In fact, there are now seven additional resorts in Category 3 or 4, opening up additional properties at which you can use your free night certificates from the World of Hyatt Credit Card.

While this expansion didn’t take effect until 1pm ET today (May 9, 2019), award availability has started to appear, and there are some intriguing options. For example, if you wanted to head to Austria for a ski vacation next year, Severin’s The Alpine Retreat is a new addition in Hyatt’s Category 8. A free night will set you back 40,000 points:

This seems like a lot, but note that it books you into a junior suite complete with a living room and fireplace.

This room costs €740 (~$830) on a random night in January 2020, resulting in a redemption value of over 2 cents per point.

Just be aware that it’s common to see delays in full award availability being loaded, so if you’re looking at a property and can’t find award rooms, be patient. You could also try testing a longer stay; we have seen some minimum stay requirements with previous integrations, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see similar restrictions at some of the more luxurious resorts on this list.

Finally, our World of Hyatt contact shared an updated list of the most popular cities for World of Hyatt member bookings at SLH hotels. This time the list is largely the same, though London has once again taken over the top spot.

1. London, England (previously Rome)
2. Rome, Italy (previously London)
3. Venice, Italy (no change)
4. Shanghai, China (no change)
5. Santorini, Greece (no change)

Bottom Line

It’s great to see the World of Hyatt program continuing to add luxury hotels into its award chart. As of today, members have over 200 SLH properties at which they can earn and redeem Hyatt points, and at the rate the program is going, that could easily double by the end of 2019. I’m particularly excited by the new destinations on this list, as New Zealand and Croatia are two of my favorite countries in the world. Hopefully you’re able to snag an award stay at one of these resorts now that they’re fully integrated into the World of Hyatt program.

Featured photo of Severin’s The Apine retreat courtesy of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

Full list of new SLH properties, sorted by region (Europe, The Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific):