Hyatt just announced some updates to its World of Hyatt program. The big change is a a new award chart that’s expected to roll out sometime in May. While there are no new categories, they are introducing five different pricing tiers inside each category.
In addition to the changes to the award chart, there are introducing two new program features. Firstly, there will be a way to share points online. Secondly, elite members will have early access to awards
New Award Chart
At present pricing of awards are based on categories. and within each category, there are three pricing bands:
- Off-peak
- Standard
- Peak
Each property sits in a fixed category (1–8), and the nightly rate in points depends on the band being used for the date of the stay. While the changes will see Hyatt stick with eight categories, they will be moving to five price bands (and it looks as though they were a bit hard up for names for the bands)
- Lowest
- Low
- Moderate
- Upper
- Top
The following screenshot shows the redemption chart for a standard room. There are similar charts for Club, standard Suites and Premium Suites. There are also charts for All-Inclusive Resorts and Miraval Resorts.
Analysis
FIrstly,we can take a look at the mid point price to get a feel for how award prices will change. The old mid-point rate and new mid-point rates are shown in the following table
| Category | Mid Point Rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current (Standard) | New (Moderate) | Pct Change | |
| Category 1 | 5,000 | 6,000 | +20% |
| Category 2 | 8,000 | 10,000 | +25% |
| Category 3 | 12,000 | 15,000 | +25% |
| Category 4 | 15,000 | 20,000 | +33% |
| Category 5 | 20,000 | 25,000 | +25% |
| Category 6 | 25,000 | 30,000 | +20% |
| Category 7 | 30,000 | 35,000 | +17% |
| Category 8 | 40,000 | 55,000 | +38% |
As can be seen, there are some significant increases in the charts here. Those increases range between 17% and 38%. In fact, in some cases it looks as though the increases are effectively a one category increase. For example, Category 5 is increasing to the number of points previously required for Category 6.
Another way of looking at it is to compare the lowest and highest points levels you could need to shell out for a room. The following chart looks at the way the these have changed between the two tables.
| Category | Lowest Rate | Highest Rate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current (Off-Peak) | New (Lowest) | Pct Change | Current (Peak) | New (Top) | Pct Change | |
| Category 1 | 3,500 | 3,000 | -14% | 6,500 | 9,000 | +38% |
| Category 2 | 6,500 | 6,000 | -8% | 9,500 | 15,000 | +58% |
| Category 3 | 9,000 | 8,000 | -11% | 15,000 | 20,000 | +33% |
| Category 4 | 12,000 | 12,000 | 0 | 18,000 | 25,000 | +39% |
| Category 5 | 17,000 | 15,000 | -12% | 23,000 | 35,000 | +52% |
| Category 6 | 21,000 | 20,000 | -5% | 29,000 | 40,000 | +38% |
| Category 7 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 0 | 35,000 | 55,000 | +57% |
| Category 8 | 35,000 | 35,000 | 0 | 45,000 | 75,000 | +67% |
In most cases the new top rate is at least double the lowest rate. Once you get to the top end, there are some significant differences between the two. For example, for a category 8, you could pay as few as 35,000 points, or as many as 75,000 points. It’s quite a range.
Category Changes
As happens each year, some hotels will move up (or down) a category. The changed categories will come into effect in May. That said, Hyatt have announced seven changes with immediate effect. Five of these are moving up one category, one is moving up two categories, and one is moving down a category.
| Hotel | Current Category | New Category |
|---|---|---|
| One Category Increase | ||
| Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach | 4 | 5 |
| Hyatt Centric Malta | 2 | 3 |
| Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort | 4 | 5 |
| Hyatt Place San Antonio-Northwest | 1 | 2 |
| Grand Hyatt Incheon | 3 | 4 |
| Two Category Increase | ||
| Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Resort (Opening 2026) | 6 | 8 |
| One Category Decrease | ||
| JdV The Barnett | 5 | 4 |
Implications
As these changes are not coming into effect until May, there are a couple of things you might want to look at:
- Book now for any stays after May—your rate is locked in if you book before the changes hit.
- Re-check bookings after May: if a property drops into a lower band (rare but possible), you can rebook at the lower rate.
New Program Features
Along with the updated award chart, World of Hyatt is also rolling out two new features that should make the program a bit easier to use.
First up, World of Hyatt is introducing an online points‑sharing option. While there is an existing paper-based system, moving the ability online will make it easier for friends or family to pool their points. Hyatt says this feature will roll out sometime later this year.
Second, Explorist, Globalist, and Lifetime Globalist members will get early access to award availability. That means they’ll have a head start on locking in those key award nights before everyone else. Hyatt says more details on how this will work are coming soon.
While not so relevant to those of us in Australia, this early access will also extend to World of Hyatt credit cardholders.
Final Words
The latest Hyatt category changes are significant this year, and the short version is that Hyatt is keeping an award chart but making it much more expensive and more variable. The shift takes effect May 2026, and is quite a significant overhaul.
For the most part, nights will cost more than today. The cheaper tiers might save you a few points here and there, but the new top tiers are a real jump—especially for Category 7 and 8 spots.
While other programs have moved to more dynamic pricing, Hyatt has resisted the urge. That said, Hyatt moving to a five‑tier chart allows more granular pricing. It is basically their way of bumping up points on busy dates without going full dynamic. Maybe you could call it semi-dynamic.
