During the past week, the World of Hyatt program announced that it was introducing Peak and Off-Peak award rates. The new charts come into effect from March 2020, although I did not see an exact date in the announcement.
In doing so, they join other programs such as Marriott Bonvoythat have decided to take this approach.
A look at Peak and Off-Peak Award Rates
First up, keep in mind that this is not changing until March 2020. Secondly, standard rates don’t look to be changing. They are simply adding a lower rate and a higher rate, that will be somehow tied to how busy the hotel is.
World of Hyatt has published the updated charts on its website. It is worth perusing to see exactly how it may affect you.
World of Hyatt describes three rates – Standard, Peak, and Off-Peak.
The standard rate is basically the rate that we have today. We should also expect that most of the time, this will be the rate in place for a given hotel.
During Off-Peak times you can expect to pay fewer points. Conversely, in Peak times, you can expect to pay more points.
In a Category 1 scenario, the standard rate will remain at 5,000 points. Off-peak award rates will be 3,500 points per night and the peak rate will be 6,500 points per night.
Transitional Arrangements
World of Hyatt has announced some transitional arrangements that will come into place when the new charts come into effect.
While the award chart remains the same, there is some chance that the award rates for a room already booked may decrease. If this happens in March (that is, you have a room booking that is lowered to an Off-peak rate), you will receive a refund of points to reflect this change.
Fortunately, in the opposite direction, Hyatt will wear the cost. They won’t ask you to pay the extra points.
This really represents World of Hyatt largely moving with the industry – to a more dynamic style of award pricing. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out in practise.
