Last night, Hyatt announced some changes to the World of Hyatt program coming into effect from November 1. In the announcement, there is good news, and then there is bad news.
The Good News
So, let’s start with the good news. Mostly as it contains some changes that you need to know about when we get to the bad news 🙂
First up, World of Hyatt members will be able to use their points for free nights in premium suites. On top of that, the current minimum length of stay nights for suites is being removed.
| Hotel Category | Standard Room Points Per Night | Regency/Grand Club Points Per Night | Standard Suite Points Per Night |
NEW: Premium Suite Points Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 16,000 |
| 3 | 12,000 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 21,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 27,000 | 32,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 33,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 |
| 7 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 48,000 | 60,000 |
The ability to use your World of Hyatt points for a free night in a premium suite is a good thing. The table above shows that these will be priced at double the points required for a standard room. For many this may represent good value, especially if it includes club access (and hence breakfast).
The Bad News
Now we get to the bad news. World of Hyatt are changing the formula they use when you make a Points + Cash booking. That is, a booking where you use a mix of cash and points.
As of November 1, combining points and cash for a standard room will be calculated as 50% of the points required for a free night and 50% of the Standard Rate. These changes to the Points + Cash offer applies to all rooms – from the standard rooms through to the new options for Premium Suites.
The following chart shows this new offer (for standard rooms). Hyatt have published tables for suite awards as well.
| Hotel Category | Standard Room Points Per Night |
NEW: Standard Room Points + Cash Per Night1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 2,500 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 2 | 8,000 | 4,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 3 | 12,000 | 6,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 4 | 15,000 | 7,500 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 5 | 20,000 | 10,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 6 | 25,000 | 12,500 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
| 7 | 30,000 | 15,000 + 50% of the Standard Rate for standard rooms |
This is quite a marked change from the current offer, where there is a fixed cash component. The move to the cash portion of Points + Cash rates being based on the flexible daily rate (or the BAR). is less than impressive. It makes the idea of Points + Cash less attractive.
Closing Thoughts
On the one hand, this is good for people that have a large stash of points. They can now be used for premium suites. On the other hand, if you were conserving your points and going with Points + Cash, then things are not so rosy.
