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High hopes, big letdown: Here’s how a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel treated this Hyatt elite
Clint Henderson is a managing editor at TPG who has worked in the journalism industry for more than 25 years. He is obsessed with travel and has used points and miles to explore the world.
July 29, 2024 • 10 min read
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Quick summary
Hyatt's acquisition of the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel portfolio has added over 700 boutique and luxury hotels to the World of Hyatt program, expanding options, particularly in Europe.
World of Hyatt members can now book and earn points at these properties, though point redemptions are dynamically priced and generally offer less value than at traditional Hyatt hotels.
Elite night credits and bonus points are awarded for stays, but elite status benefits such as room upgrades and exclusive amenities may be limited or inconsistent.
Some standard perks, like complimentary breakfast and spa access, are available to all guests, not just elite members.
What to consider
Point redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels typically yield less than 1.2 cents per point, below TPG's valuation of 1.7 cents per point as of July 2024.
Free night award certificates cannot be used at Mr & Mrs Smith properties, unlike some other Hyatt partners.
Elite benefits like room upgrades and exclusive amenities may not be consistently honored at these hotels.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed firsthand account of the booking and elite experience at a Mr & Mrs Smith property, including specific benefits and limitations encountered.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Don't get too excited.
When TPG learned that Hyatt was acquiring the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel portfolio, many Hyatt elite members (myself included) were happy about the potential integration with World of Hyatt. More than 700 hotels worldwide have become available to book and earn points with World of Hyatt. This is especially important since Hyatt lost the Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership to Hilton. That loss blew a hole in Hyatt's European footprint, but now, there are lots of Mr & Mrs Smith options in Europe.
I was eager to test out the new partnership since I have World of Hyatt Globalist status, and since I learned that World of Hyatt Credit Card (see rates and fees) members now earn up to 9 World of Hyatt points per dollar spent on Mr & Mrs Smith stays.
Would a Mr & Mrs Smith property treat me as well as a regular Hyatt would?
Booking Hotel Kompas in Dubrovnik
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
I booked Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik in Croatia through the Hyatt website as normal.
A regular rate for Hotel Kompas will usually be about 360 euros ($391) or 31,500 Hyatt points per night; this gives you a redemption value of about 1.24 cents per point. Unfortunately, that's not a great value for your Hyatt points, but it's what we are generally finding for points redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. They are dynamically priced, and you'll rarely get more than 1.2 cents per point in value. (For the record, TPG values Hyatt points at 1.7 cents per point as of July 2024.)
Because there is no set award chart for redemptions at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, points costs generally reflect the cost to book the hotel in cash.
In my case, I did manage to get a slightly better paid rate of $375 per night for my stay.
Strangely, when I checked in, the hotel concierge told me I would not earn World of Hyatt points for my stay because the hotel wasn't fully integrated into Hyatt. He seemed slightly unimpressed with the Hyatt partnership, suggesting it was a very loose alliance. Fortunately, as I suspected, he turned out to be wrong. I earned Hyatt points, elite night credits and 4 bonus points per dollar by using my Hyatt credit card to pay for the room charges.
For my two-night stay, I earned a total of 4,895 World of Hyatt points. This includes a 30% points bonus on Hyatt spending since I have top-tier Globalist status, resulting in an additional 1.5 points per dollar spent.
Stay credit and points at Hotel Kompas. WORLD OF HYATT
I used my World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for the stay.
Charge on my World of Hyatt credit card. CHASE
That charge gave me an additional 4 bonus points per dollar and just over 3,714 World of Hyatt points. That's a total haul of 8,609 World of Hyatt points for the stay, which TPG values at about $146. Not too bad, especially considering the front desk agent at Hotel Kompas told me I wouldn't earn World of Hyatt points.
Other World of Hyatt elite benefits at Hotel Kompas
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Here's a chart of the other benefits for World of Hyatt members when staying at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels.
Benefits for Hyatt members at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. WORLD OF HYATT
Notice the only on-property benefit really fleshed out is that Globalists will get room upgrades upon check-in (based on availability). That certainly didn't happen for me.
World of Hyatt members will also receive credit toward earning tier status and Hyatt Milestone Rewards, credit toward a Brand Explorer award (which allows guests to earn a free night for every five unique Hyatt brands you stay at) and room upgrades for Globalist members at check-in (based on availability).
You cannot use free night award certificates when booking Mr & Mrs Smith hotels. This is a bit disappointing since you can use those certificates at SLH properties under the Hilton Honors program.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
