Holding hotel status isn’t (just) a flex.  Yes, it sounds nice, but it can be a means to save money, and reap additional perks and benefits.  I wasn’t always one who “chased” hotel status.  But once you taste the Globalist life (the highest status you can hold with World of Hyatt), there’s no turning back.  With a little strategy, organization, and of course, loyalty, it’s easy to see why it’s worth it.

Why World of Hyatt?

Amongst major hotel loyalty programs, such as Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt has a smaller global footprint.  But that doesn’t stop many like me from being a loyalist, and finding great redemptions all over the world.  Frankly put, World of Hyatt’s award rates just can’t be beat.  As a family of five, we need to book two rooms any time we travel.  Other major hotel loyalty programs can cost the same rate in points for one night, that it would cost me for a complete stay at a World of Hyatt property!  (Off-peak nights can start at just 3,500 points/night; this of course depends on timing of travel, and the property.)

The best part?  There are NO taxes and fees on Hyatt award stays (stays booked in points)!  This means that our stays come out as $0 in the end.  Free hotel stays, yes please!

We had five Hyatt stays in 2024 that cost us $0 thanks to booking in Hyatt points (including Istanbul & Makkah).

Tiers & Benefits

World of Hyatt has four membership levels: Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.  If you are a World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card holder you automatically receive Hyatt Discoverist status, for as long as you are a cardmember.  Rewards begin after 20 qualifying nights (or 35,000 Base Points).

 

(Picture courtesy of World of Hyatt.)

 

Here are Milestone Rewards (based on qualifying nights or base points) that you can earn:

Category 1-4 Free Night Award –  This is an award for a free night at any category 1-4 property.

Category 1-7 Free Night Award – This is an award for a free night at any category 1-7 property.

Brand Explorer Award – If you stay at 5 different Hyatt brands, you can earn a free night at a category 1-4 property.

Club Access Award – Some Hyatt properties have what’s called a club lounge.  If you apply this award to your reservation, you can get complimentary breakfast, snacks, drinks, and/or dinner, as applicable at the hotel’s club lounge.  (For Globalists, you receive automatic club access.)  Call the property in question prior to your arrival to understand what they have available, and what you would receive if you applied this award to your reservation.  Often times, a lounge can be under construction, and you can receive free breakfast at the restuarant on site, for example.  This award grants you admission into the hotel’s club lounge for up to seven consecutive nights.

In the fall of 2023, we stayed 9 nights (for $0) at Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay.  I had booked 2 rooms for our family of five.  I applied Club Access Awards, as at that time I was not a Globalist.  We received complimentary breakfast, drinks, and light dinner, daily.  You can only imagine how much money this saved us!

Suite Upgrade Award – This award allows you to upgrade your room to a suite.  Sure if you hold elite status, you can be offered a complimentary upgrade, as available, upon arrival.  But when you apply this award (or link it to your reservation) in advance, you get a better shot at an upgrade.

Guest of Honor Award – With this award, you can gift someone else Globalist elite benefits for a single stay of up to seven nights.  This allows them to receive free perks such as free breakfast, free parking, waived resort fees, room upgrades, and late checkout.  They don’t need to hold Globalist status, and you don’t need to be there.  You also get 1 night credit towards status when gifting someone this award.

I have gifted this award multiple times to my parents and they have received an upgraded room, free parking, and free breakfast during their respective stays.

Note: As a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder you automatically get 5 nights towards status each year, and an annual Category 1-4 Free Night Award.  I typically redeem this award for a night that costs much more than the $95 annual fee I pay each year, making this card a keeper for me as a loyalist.

This is where you can find any award you have, in your World of Hyatt account. 

Awards expire a year from the time you have earned them.

 

World of Hyatt Family Plan Rate

As a family of 5, well, I have to book 2 rooms everywhere due to room capacities maxing out at 4.  (At some international properties, room capacity is max 2-3/room!)

Hyatt has what’s called a Family Plan Rate.  This is where when you book the first room on points, you can book the second room for 1/2 off the going cash rate/night.  This can offer you additional flexibility and savings when it comes to how you book two rooms.  If you don’t have enough points for two rooms and/or you find the cash rate affordable, this can be a great option.

Not all properties have this plan available, and be mindful of varying definitions of this rate – especially when traveling internationally.  You can check out this list of properties shared on the Hyatt website as having “family accomodations,” but my best advice is to call or email the property directly and ask if they have this plan available.

Age cut-offs for this plan can vary: some Hyatts will state that you can book the second room for 50% off for children 12 and under, some will state you must be under 18.

I’ve personally been able to book this rate at Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Hyatt Regency Merida, and Hyatt Regency Manchester.

How To Earn Hyatt Points

It’s fairly easy to earn Hyatt points as there are so many options!  For starters, World of Hyatt offers two co-branded cards, World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Busines Credit Card.

In addition, Hyatt is a hotel transfer partner of Chase, meaning, you can transfer points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.  This is an excellent value for your Chase points, and my personal favorite way to use these flexible bank points.

Chase has multiple card offerings across all types of cards: no fee, personal, and business credit cards.  In order to be able to transfer your Chase points to Hyatt, you need a Sapphire product to combine your points into.  Only then can you transfer your points to World of Hyatt, and book an award redemption directly through the hotel loyalty program.

Cards that can help you earn lots of Chase points:

Chase Sapphire Cards

Chase Ink Suite of Business Cards

For me, my Chase Sapphire Preferred is a keeper.  It’s one I’ve had for many years, and use regularly.  I combine my Chase points (earned across multiple cards) into this card, and then transfer points to my World of Hyatt loyalty account.

[Related: Current Best Card Offers]

Combining Hyatt Points

My husband often travels for work.  I have him book Hyatts (when he can) so he can earn Hyatt points on those cash stays.  Because I book our family stays, I have him fill out the Points Combining Request Form, so any points earned in his account can be transferred to mine.  It’s fairly quick, and generally speaking, I’ll see the points in my account in 1-2 days, max.

Why I’m filling out a form in this day and age to do so, and can’t do online – I honestly don’t know.

Put Some Spend On That Card

Along with loyalty to the hotel brand, you can also earn nights towards status by putting spend on your World of Hyatt Credit Card.  For every $5,000 worth of expenses, you earn 2 nights towards status.

Sometimes, when I know we have larger expenses coming up, I’ll put the spend on my Hyatt card to help me earn some nights.

Loyalty Is The Name Of The Game

In this season of life and travel, loyalty serves us best not just in great award redemptions, but in saving us money in our travels.  This in turn, allows us to travel smarter and be more cost efficient when it comes to travel expenses.

By being loyal to World of Hyatt, I earn different awards along the way to earning status.  These awards, and now Globalist status, help me save money on expenses such as breakfast, parking, and/or resort fees (as applicable).  Because we all know how quickly such costs add up when you’re traveling with a family.  Someone is literally always hungry!