World of Hyatt have made a couple of improvements to the program that are coming into effect from January 1, 2018. The first change is that they will start counting Free Night Award nights toward tier status. Secondly, they will be extending the validity period of free night awards.
World of Hyatt changes 2018
While the announcements have come late in the year, they are both welcome improvements to the program. The following sections describe the individual changes.
Free Night Award Nights count toward status
Saying Free Night Award Nights is a bit of a mouthful, but the change is more than just Award nights that you might book with points. The wording indicates that free nights booked with certificates will also count. This means that the following free nights will now count:
- Traditional awards nights booked with points
- The free Cat 1-4 free night that you earn after 30 elite qualifying nights
- The free Cat 1-7 free night that you earn after 60 elite qualifying nights
- A bit harder to come by in Australia, but The Cat 1-4 free night earned after staying at 5 and then 10 brands
Under the World of Hyatt program you require 60 elite qualifying nights hit the top-tier Globalist status and then 55 elite-qualifying nights each year to retain. The mid tier Explorist level requires 10 qualifying nights to earn.
Given the small footprint across Australia, and Asia Pacific, achieving status, especially Globalist, can be quite a task. Adding Free Night Awards into the mix may make it just that little bit easier.
Extending validity period of free night awards
The other piece of news out is the extension of the validity period of some free night awards. In particular, starting with awards issued January 1, 2018, you can use them up to 180 days from issuance. This is an increase from the current 120 days on offer.
- Free night in a Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort when you stay 30 qualifying nights or earn 50,000 Base Points in a calendar year
- Free night in a Category 1-7 Hyatt hotel or resort when you stay 60 qualifying nights or earn 100,000 Base Points in a calendar year
Thoughts
Some positive changes to the program, coming into effect next week.To an extent, they are playing catch up to other programs, but still it is positive. It may make earning status just that little bit easier. In particular, I think it will help some get off the Discoverist bottom rung, and get Explorist.