Hyatt has made significant improvements in the last few years. While the number of properties in its portfolio is smaller than other brands, Hyatt has grown substantially. It is now possible to stay at a Hyatt affiliated hotel in nearly every popular destination. Hyatt has some truly amazing properties and they treat every member of World of Hyatt very well.
In This Post
What are the World of Hyatt Brands?
Hyatt has several core brands that have been in the portfolio for a number of years. Plus, it has made some acquisitions in recent years to nearly double the number of brands.
Currently, there are 15 World of Hyatt brands:
- Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt Centric
- Grand Hyatt
- Park Hyatt
- Andaz
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt House
- Unbound Collection by Hyatt
- Hyatt Ziva/Zilara
- Miraval
- Caption by Hyatt
- Alila
- Thompson Hotels
- Destination Hotels
- Joie de Vivre
World of Hyatt Loyalty Program
In 2017, Hyatt completely redesigned the loyalty program and gave it a new name. What was Hyatt Gold Passport is now World of Hyatt. Gold Passport had just 2 elite status levels – Platinum and Diamond – while are now 3 elite levels in the World of Hyatt Program – Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.
How To Earn World of Hyatt Elite Status
Earning elite status is based on how many nights you stay, how much money you spend, or how many meetings you organize with Hyatt in a calendar year. Both cash stays and award nights count towards elite status with World of Hyatt.
| Membership Level | Qualifying Nights | Base Points* | Meetings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Discoverist | 10 | 25,000 | 3 |
| Explorist | 30 | 50,000 | 10 |
| Globalist | 60 | 100,000 | 20 |
* Bonus points earned do not count towards elite status.
Benefits of World of Hyatt Elite Status
The usefulness of elite status benefits varies greatly, even among the status levels. [Benefits from lower tiers included in tiers above it.]
Member
- Earn 5 base points per dollar spent
- Waived resort fees on free night awards
- Status match to MLife Sapphire elite status
Discoverist
- 10% bonus points on eligible purchases
- Status match to MLife Pearl elite status
- Free premium internet and bottle of water
- Complimentary room upgrade (when available)
- 2 pm late checkout
Explorist
- 20% bonus points on eligible purchases
- Status match to MLife Gold elite status
- Week of Wellbeing at Exhale
- Complimentary upgrades (excluding Suites and Club-level rooms)
- 72-hour room guaranteed availability
Globalist
- 30% bonus points on eligible purchases
- Waived resort fees on eligible rates
- Free Exhale classes on eligible room rates
- Complimentary upgrades to Suites and Club-level rooms
- 4 pm late checkout
- Club access or daily complimentary breakfast
- Free parking on award nights
- Guest of Honor benefits
Guest of Honor Benefit for Globalists
The Guest of Honor benefit is a very unique benefit across all hotel loyalty programs. This allows a member with Globalist status to book hotel rooms, using their points, for other people. The guests staying at the hotel would then be treated as a Globalist member, and get all of the benefits of elite status.
How To Earn World of Hyatt Points
You’ll earn World of Hyatt points when you book a room directly with Hyatt. Plus, there are several other ways to earn World of Hyatt points. However, you will not earn points, stay credits, or benefits when booking through 3rd- party services like Expedia, TripAdvisor, and other online travel agencies.
Earn Points at Hyatt Hotels
All members earn 5 points per dollar spent when staying at hotels. You can also earn 5 points per dollar on dining and spa services at a Hyatt hotel when you’re not staying there. This is in addition to the bonus points from any elite status you may have.
If you organize a meeting or event at a Hyatt hotel, you can also earn 1 point per dollar.
Staying at an MGM Hotel
World of Hyatt has a partnership with MGM. When you stay at an MGM hotel in Las Vegas, not only will you earn 5 points per dollar (as if it is a Hyatt hotel), but you will also earn elite qualifying nights.
All you have to do is link your MGM MLife account to your World of Hyatt account. To ensure that you get WOH points, we recommend checking to make sure your World of Hyatt shows up on the reservation at check-in.
World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt credit card earns an additional 4 points (for a total of 9) per dollar spent at a Hyatt hotel. Plus, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on local transit, dining, airline tickets, and fitness memberships. Cardholders receive automatic Discoverist status and five elite night qualifying credits each year that they hold the card.
It also includes a free category 1-4 night each year. The value of this free night more than covers the annual fee for most redemptions. Plus, you’ll earn an additional category 1-4 free night when you spend $15,000 during your cardmember anniversary year.
The card also earns 2 elite qualifying nights for every $5,000 in eligible spend, which makes elite status easier to attain. Since there is no cap on this feature, you can earn elite status based solely on your spending (or in combination with your stays).
For the latest offers on this and other travel credit cards, check out our credit card marketplace.
Earn Points with Expeditions and Experiences
There are a few ways to earn World of Hyatt points with what Hyatt calls Experiences – though one of these is really more of an excursion.
- FIND Experiences – earn 10 points per dollar spent on experiences like learning how to make sushi from a top-rated sushi chef or a private dinner cruise on the Seine in Paris.
- Exhale Spa – earn 10 points per dollar spent on fitness classes, spa services, or subscriptions at several luxury spa locations around the world.
- Lindblad Expeditions – earn 5 points per dollar spent on this luxury cruise line will get you to many highly desirable remote locations, like Antarctica or the Galapagos.
Avis Rental Cars
Earn 500 World of Hyatt points with each qualifying car rental through Avis. Make sure you compare points earning rental rates with non-points earning rates to make sure it’s a good deal – sometimes it isn’t!
Redeeming World of Hyatt Points
Much like earning points, there is a multitude of ways to redeem World of Hyatt points. Not all are good deals, but many of them are.
For points redemptions, Hyatt assigns all of its hotels to one of eight hotel categories. In 2021, Hyatt will introduce off-peak and peak point redemptions. This was supposed to be introduced in 2020, but due to COVID-19, Hyatt delayed the rollout.
Hyatt says the hotels will be in charge of changing the peak/non-peak dates but should have approximately the same amount of peak vs non-peak days each year. We’ll see about that.
Free Nights at Hyatt Hotels
Free nights start at 5,000 World of Hyatt Points and go up to 60,000 per night. It is possible to redeem for different categories of rooms, including Regency, Club access, and suites. There are no blackout dates at Hyatt hotels, so as long as there is a standard room available then it should be possible to use World of Hyatt points.
You can search for free night awards at World of Hyatt hotels by searching this map or this listing by country. On the map, click on “Points” and adjust your filters as necessary to pick amenities, categories (aka points), and brand.
| Hotel Category | Standard Room Per Night | Regency/Grand Club Per Night | Standard Suite Per Night | Premium Suite 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 |
| 8 | 40,000 | – | – | – |
It is also possible to redeem points for MGM hotels in Las Vegas, with the standard room points rates above. However, you will likely get a much better cash rate booking directly with the hotel, especially if you have MLife status.
Points & Cash Rates
With World of Hyatt it is possible to use a combination of points and cash for rooms at Hyatt hotels. In general, it costs 50% of the points plus 50-70% of the Standard room rate. Before booking a Points & Cash rate, compare the total cost versus booking part of your reservation with points and part with cash. You may get a better deal this way.
Standard Rooms Using Points & Cash
| Hotel Category | Standard Room (Points & Cash) Per Night | Standard Suite (Points & Cash) Per Night | Premium Suite (Points & Cash) Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,500 + Cash | 4,000 + Cash | 5,000 + Cash |
| 2 | 4,000 + Cash | 6,500 + Cash | 8,000 + Cash |
| 3 | 6,000 + Cash | 10,000 + Cash | 12,000 + Cash |
| 4 | 7,500 + Cash | 12,000 + Cash | 15,000 + Cash |
| 5 | 10,000 + Cash | 16,000 + Cash | 20,000 + Cash |
| 6 | 12,500 + Cash | 20,000 + Cash | 25,000 + Cash |
| 7 | 15,000 + Cash | 24,000 + Cash | 30,000 + Cash |
Using Points for Room Upgrades
At the standard Hyatt brand hotels, it is possible to upgrade your room on a full cash rate using points. Depending on the property this may be well worth the redemption for suites.
| Room Upgrade Award | Points Per Night |
|---|---|
| Regency/Grand Club Upgrade | 3,000 |
| Standard Suite | 6,000 |
| Premium Suite | 9,000 |
Free Nights at All-Inclusive Properties
There are 7 all-inclusive resorts in the Hyatt portfolio. They are all in Mexico and the Caribbean. These rates are for single or double occupancy only.
If you are traveling with a family or friends, note that there is an additional charge per person, per night. It may make more sense to book your room in cash or to book separate rooms on points. For example, four people in a room are the same price in points as two rooms.
| Hotel | Standard Room Points Per Night | Suite Points Per Night | Additional Points Per Person Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Zilara Cancun* | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
| Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana* | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
| Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall* | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos | 20,000 | 32,000 | 10,000 |
| Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta | 20,000 | 32,000 | 10,000 |
| Hyatt Ziva Cancun | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
| Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall | 25,000 | 40,000 | 12,500 |
* Denotes an Adults Only location
If you’ve never stayed at an All-Inclusive Resort, check out these tips from my friend Adam at The Sterling Traveler.
Free Nights at Luxury Wellness Resorts
One of Hyatt’s brands is Miraval – a line of high-end luxury wellness resorts. Using points at these resorts will come with a resort credit, gourmet food, snacks, beverages, and a wide breadth of complimentary wellness activities.
| Standard Room Per Night* |
Suite Per Night* |
Premium Suite Per Night* |
Second Person Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45,000 | 75,000 | 105,000 | 20,000 |
* Denotes Single Occupancy
Points & Cash Rates at Miraval
Interestingly, it is possible to use points and cash at Miraval resorts. This, however, when compared to the full points rates and the full cash rates, likely won’t make for a valuable redemption.
| Room Type | Single Occupancy |
Double Occupancy
|
| Standard Room | 22,500 + Cash | 32,500 + Cash |
| Standard Suite | 37,500 + Cash | 47,500 + Cash |
| Premium Suite | 52,500 + Cash | 62,500 + Cash |
Dining, Spa Experiences, and More at Hotels
Hyatt gives members the option of redeeming points for food, spa services, movies, parking, and more at some participating hotels. However, these redemptions only average about 1.2 cents per point which is well below what we value World of Hyatt points (1.7 cents per point).
FIND Experiences
World of Hyatt members are able to not only earn points for FIND experiences, which was mentioned above but are also able to redeem points for experiences. Experiences start at only 3,000 points. The redemption rates average about 1.4 cents per point.
Lindblad Expeditions
Much like FIND experiences, it is also possible to redeem points for Lindblad Expeditions. These redemptions start at 174,000 points, but most itineraries we found were well over 500,000 points. Some were over a million points!
Lindblad Expeditions can be quite pricy so these redemptions may be worth it if you have a ton of World of Hyatt points.
Exhale Fitness and Spa Services
It is also possible to redeem World of Hyatt points for fitness classes and spa services at Exhale locations. Fitness classes are 2,000 points and 60-minute spa therapies are 12,000 points.
Explorist and Globalist elite status members get additional benefits.
- Explorist Benefits – Week of Wellbeing, including a week of unlimited Barre, Cardio, Yoga, and HIIT classes, 25% off spa therapies, and 15% off boutique purchases
- Globalist Benefits – Week of Wellbeing, including a week of unlimited Barre, Cardio, Yoga, and HIIT classes, 25% off spa therapies, and 15% off boutique purchases. Complimentary classes when paying an eligible rate at any Hyatt hotel.
Hosting Meetings at Hyatt Hotels
If you are going to host a meeting at a Hyatt hotel, it may be possible to use points to get a credit towards the cost of the meeting
| Points Required | Meeting Credit |
|---|---|
| 15,000 | $200 |
| 30,000 | $400 |
| 45,000 | $600 |
| 60,000 | $800 |
| 75,000 | $1,000 |
Five-Brand Free Night Awards
Starting March 1, 2017, Hyatt introduced the 5-Brand Free Night Awards (aka Hyatt Brand Explorer) for all World of Hyatt members. Members can earn this benefit after paying an eligible rate and completing their stay (of one night or more) at five different Hyatt brands. Some data points suggest that free nights and Points & Cash stays also count, but points stays do not.
Stays at the following brands are eligible for this promotion:
- Park Hyatt
- Miraval
- Grand Hyatt
- Hyatt Regency
- Hyatt
- Andaz
- Hyatt Centric
- The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
- Hyatt Place
- Hyatt House
- Hyatt Zilara
- Hyatt Ziva
- Hyatt Residence Club
No other brands are eligible for this promotion and third-party bookings do not count. Additionally, all hotels and resorts within The Unbound Collection count as the same brand for this promotion.
Although this perk is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit, World of Hyatt members may receive more than one 5-Brand Free Night Awards. As of November 2018, there is a maximum of two awards per year. To earn two awards, you’ll need to stay at 10 unique brands.
After you’ve received this perk, you may book the free night online or by calling Hyatt customer service.
Milestone Rewards
In addition to earning points, free nights, and benefits from your stays, credit card, and elite status, World of Hyatt offers Milestone Rewards. These rewards are completely separate from elite status and are available to anyone with a World of Hyatt membership.
Milestone Rewards begin after 20 qualifying nights and continue for each 10 qualifying nights, up to 100 nights per year. Rewards include bonus points, free night awards, suite upgrades, and more.
| Nights | Base Points | Benefit |
| 20 | 35,000 |
2 Club Lounge Access Awards
|
| 30 | 50,000 |
1 Category 1-4 Free Night Award AND
2 Club Lounge Access Awards
|
| 40 | 65,000 |
5,000 Bonus Points OR
A $100 Hyatt Gift Card OR
10,000 Point savings on a FIND experience |
| 50 | 80,000 |
2 Suite Upgrade Awards
|
| 60 | 100,000 |
1 Category 1-7 Free Night Award AND
2 Suite Upgrade Awards AND
Access to My Hyatt Concierge
|
| 70 | n/a |
10,000 Bonus Points OR
1 Suite Upgrade Award |
| 80 | n/a |
10,000 Bonus Points OR
1 Suite Upgrade Award |
| 90 | n/a |
10,000 Bonus Points OR
1 Suite Upgrade Award |
| 100 | n/a |
10,000 Bonus Points OR
1 Suite Upgrade Award |
Sharing World of Hyatt Points
World of Hyatt is one of the unique programs that lets you freely transfer points from one member to another, for the purpose of booking rooms. Unlike other hotel loyalty programs, there is no charge to transfer World of Hyatt points to friends, family, or anyone else.
Members may only transfer or receive points once every 30 days. Complete this World of Hyatt points transfer form with basic contact information and account number for each person. Both people must also sign the form. When you’re done, email or mail it to Hyatt to complete the points transfer.
Tips on Maximizing World of Hyatt Redemptions
As you may have noticed, there is a wide variety of redemption options that the World of Hyatt has. Some are better than others. The best redemptions are usually for free nights even though room rates at hotels may fluctuate.
The number of points that are needed for a free night is not tied to the price of the room, thus some outstanding redemptions can be found. Also, depending on the hotel, using points for room upgrades can be a great redemption when standard room rates are relatively low.
We generally recommend against using your points to pay for meals, experiences, and fitness sessions because these redemptions are typically not a good value.
However, keep in mind that the best redemption is the redemption that works for you and what you want. Don’t let anyone “points shame” you because you didn’t maximize the value of your rewards.
My favorite World of Hyatt hotel stays
We all need some inspiration about where to spend all of the World of Hyatt points you’ll be earning. Here are a few of the reviews I’ve written about previous stays at World of Hyatt hotels and resorts.
- Hyatt Regency Kinabalu review
- One night wasn’t enough! Hyatt Regency Palais de la Mediterranee
- Hyatt Miraval Resort Review: Highest value for free nights
- Where to stay in Cabo – Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
- Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort review
The Bald Thoughts
The World of Hyatt loyalty program is likely one of the most user-friendly hotel loyalty programs. It is very straight-forward, and Hyatt does a good job of being transparent with details. And customer service is typically on point throughout the organization.
Point sharing is also a big advantage in this program. Other programs require members to pay to share their points with another member – typically at the same rate as buying points. However, Hyatt allows this at no cost!
Hyatt was typically a secondary hotel chain, with respect to someone’s loyalty, due to their relatively small footprint of properties. But, it has done an amazing job of expanding over the last several years. Many people now view Hyatt as their primary hotel chain and get a lot of value from their elite status, hotel points, and credit card.