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Am sure most of you have read about the upcoming changes to the World Of Hyatt award chart. Starting March 22, 2022, 146 hotels will change categories in the award chart. But its not all bad news. Here is my assessment of the changes, and why you need not scream into a pillow.
Tldr;
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- 70 hotels move to a higher award category, and 76 move to a lower award category.
- 9 Hyatt Properties entering Cat-8, which historically included Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) hotels and Destination by Hyatt residences.
- Introduction of Cat-1 properties at airport hubs, is a good news for travellers, and status chasers.
- Booking completed before March 22, will follow the current award chart found here
- Existing reservations for nights on or after March 22 will receive a refund for the point difference if the hotel moved to a lower category
The breakdown of upcoming changes, based on regions of the world, is available here. My observations of some wins and duds, associated with these changes;
US:
Cat-7 (30,000 points ) to Cat 8 (40,000 points) is a serious devaluation on the following properties;
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- Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort
- Alila Ventana Big Sur
- Park Hyatt New York
No wins in the US
Africa/Middle East:
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- Grand Hyatt Muscat moves down from Cat-4 (15,000 points) to Cat-3 (12,000 points) is good news. As one of two Hyatt properties in Muscat, this is a potential saver for those considering a trip to Oman.
- Park Hyatt Zanzibar moving from Cat-4 (15,000 points) to Cat-5 (20,000 points) is a devaluation for sure. Having stayed at the property few years ago, I can attest that the service and product were well above Cat-4, or even Cat-5, tbh. Given the popularity of the property, I think a Cat-5 is still a ‘deal’ worth travelling for.
- Hyatt Place Dubai Wasl District and Hyatt Regency Dubai both will now be Cat-1 (5000 points) properties. Good news for mattress runners, especially when it is in a major hub like DXB 🙂
Asia:
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- Asia has the best collection of Park Hyatt properties, purely based on value proposition. With that in mind, a category jump for both, Park Hyatt Hangzhou (20,000 points) and Park Hyatt Suzhou (15,000), is not great.
- Andaz Delhi goes down a category to Cat-2 (8,000 points). Perhaps the biggest win in the entire chart changes. It is often a go-to hotel for those transiting New Delhi, and known for their excellent service, and food. For someone like me that travels to India often, this change is a major win!
- Bali gets two new Cat-1 properties, that has to be good news, right? Both, Grand Hyatt Bali and Hyatt Regency Bali will now be available for 5000 points each.
- Sadly, the much loved Park Hyatt Kyoto enters Cat-8 (40,000 points). Given the popularity of this property, chances are it will be at Peak redemption rate (45,000) than Standard, for most of the year.
Australia:
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- Ditto for Park Hyatt Sydney, this aspirational property jumps another category, now a Cat-8 (40,000 points). Don’t get me wrong, the view are amazing, and so is the food, but dare I say, this PH is not worth 40,000 points.
Canada, Carribean, and Latin America:
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- Spirit Ridge is a popular resort award redemption in Canada, and its sad to see it at Cat-4 (15,000 points) now.
- On the plus side, Chile get a new Cat-1 property – Hyatt Place Santiago/Vitacura now available for 5000 points.
Europe:
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- Le Sigh, PH Vendome has made its way to Cat-8 (40,000 points) as well, and good chance that it will be more peak than off-peak, for award stays.
- Good News: Major transit hubs in Europe will now be Cat-1 redemptions – Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport, Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport. This is great news for those of us looking to spend a night in transit or simply mattress running internationally.
Take Away – World Of Hyatt Award Chart changes
Its lazy to term the entire list of changes a devaluation. Yes, there are severe devaluations to higher end luxury properties, but lets not overlook the introduction of Cat-1 redemptions at airport hubs, that tend to be expensive on cash rates. The real impact of these changes will depend on your travel plans, and redemption style. If you redeem Hyatt points at Cat-7 exclusively, maybe you do need a pillow.
What do you think, these changes seriously dent your travel plans?
