The World of Hyatt is a new loyalty program that Hyatt will be launching on March 1, 2017. The new program will be replacing the existing Gold Passport program at that time. Members of the Gold Passport will transition across to the new program.
Being an all new program, there are significant changes in the details of the program. This included new status levels, changes to qualification criteria and finally, changes to the benefits that are available at each level.
World of Hyatt Status Levels
First off, theere is a new set of status levels. Under the new program there will be three elite levels, as compared to the existing two levels. The levels, together with their qualification criteria are shown in the following table:
| Elite Tier | Qualifying Nights | Base Points | Qualifying Meetings or Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each Calendar Year | |||
| Discoverist | 10 | 25,000 | 3 |
| Explorist | 30 | 50,000 | 10 |
| Globalist | 60 | 100,000 | 20 |
Status Benefits
One aim of gaining in status in a loyalty program is for the benefits that are available at ecah level. In the World of Hyatt, the following table shows the various benefits available.
| Level | Member | Discoverist | Explorist | Globalist |
| Point Bonus | 0 | 10% | 20% | 30% |
| No Resort Fee | On Award Nights | On Award Nights | On Award Nights | On Award Nights & Eligible Paid Rates |
| Upgrade at Check-in | N/A | Best Room in Category Reserved (higher floor, better view) | Best Room Excluding Club, Suites | Best Room Including Standard Suites |
| Confirmed Suite Upgrades | N/A | N/A | N/A | Up to 8: 4 on qualifying + choice of 1 or 10k points at 70/80/90/100 nights |
| Free Night on Qualifying | N/A | N/A | Cat 1-4, Travel Within 120 Days | Cat 1-7, Travel Within 120 Days |
| Lounge Access | N/A | N/A | Confirmed 4 Times Annually, Up to 7 Nights Each | Yes |
| Breakfast | N/A | N/A | N/A | When no club lounge, up to 2 adults and 2 children |
| Complimentary Parking on Award Nights (Not Cash/Points) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Dedicated My Hyatt Concierge Reservation Agent | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Guest of Honor Benefit Gifting Award Stays | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Two annual United Club passes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Late check-out | N/A | 2pm | 2pm | 4pm |
| Priority Early Check-in | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Guaranteed Room Availability | N/A | N/A | 72 hours | 48 hours |
| Free Daily Bottle of Water | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes |
In the benefits, there is positive changes and negative changes. Of course, what is positive and what is negative may depend on your own viewpoint. The changes overall, do seem to favour the higher status customers, at the expense of the lower tiers. Alos, bear in mind, that as the status levels don’t exactly align, things may depend on just which level you can achieve.
Transition aside, over time current Diamond members will likely end up in one of either Explorer or Globalist tiers. From the tables, it appears that Explorer gets lesser benefits than a Diamond. Conversely, the Globalist is better off in a number of respects.
Here are some of the standout changes that I see:
- Club access:
- Explorist gets 4 certs to use on up to a 7 night stays
- Globalist gets access all the time
- Room upgrades:
- Globalist get an upgrade to a suite.
- Waived resort fees on all award nights
- Globalist gets fees waived on all eligible nights
Non Status Based changes
There are a series of changes to the program that are not specific to any status level, they apply to everyone. Again, there some of these changes are better and some are worse
What’s better?
There are some new earning options (although the credit card options are not really available to us in Australia)
| Condition | Award |
|---|---|
| Stay at 5 different Hyatt brands any time after March 1, 2017 and pay an eligible rate | Enjoy a free night award in a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort (valid for one year from issuance) |
| Stay 30 qualifying nights or earn 50,000 Base Points in a calendar year | Earn a free night award in a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort (valid for 120 days from issuance) |
| Stay 60 qualifying nights or earn 100,000 Base Points in a calendar year | Earn a free night award in a Category 1-7 Hyatt hotel or resort (valid for 120 days from issuance) Contact a dedicated My Hyatt Concierge agent for reservations and personalized service Maintain Globalist status after 55 qualifying nights each subsequent year |
| Stay 70, 80, 90 and 100 qualifying nights in a calendar year | Choose to receive 10,000 Bonus Points or one suite upgrade award |
| Maintain an active Hyatt Credit Card account | Receive Discoverist status |
| Spend $50,000 USD or more on the Hyatt Credit Card in a calendar year | Receive Explorist status valid through the following calendar year |
Transition
Under the new program, the points earn rate will remain the same, and there seems to be little change in the value of the points. The following chart shows how Hyatt plan to map the various elite levels across.
| Hyatt Gold Passport Current Membership | World of Hyatt Membership Effective March 1, 2017 |
|---|---|
| Member with Activity in the Past 24 Months |
Member |
| Platinum with Tier Expiration February 2017 |
Member |
| Platinum with Tier Expiration February 2018 and Beyond |
Discoverist ***Plus, you’ll get an additional 5% Bonus Points from March 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018*** |
| Platinum AND an Active Hyatt Credit Cardmember |
Discoverist ***Plus, you’ll get an additional 5% Bonus Points from March 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018*** |
| Diamond with Tier Expiration February 2017 |
Explorist |
| Diamond with Tier Expiration February 2018 and Beyond |
Globalist |
All up, the program has a number of changes from the existing Gold Passport program. Depending on your own staying patterns, it could be positive. This is especially true for the true Hyatt loyalist that put in a lot of stays.
There is less in it for those further down the tree, however.