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World of Hyatt Rewards: Everything you need to know in 2023


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As if hotel loyalty rewards weren’t already complicated enough, most of the programs we know and love — such as Marriott Bonvoy, IHG One and Hilton Honors — have undergone massive changes since the pandemic. The results are a mix of good, bad and ugly, ranging all the way from faster free nights to sneaky, unwelcome point devaluations. 

Thankfully, we’re pleased to report that World of Hyatt remains as steadfast and rewarding as ever with only positive updates for 2024. Between status tiers and Milestones, there’s now some kind of reward to score for every 10 qualifying nights you stay, plus a base tier that’s far more rewarding than it has any right to be. 

So how does it all break down and how can you achieve World of Hyatt status faster? We’ll explain.

World of Hyatt: Pros and Cons

Pros

  • One of the most rewarding hotel loyalty programs, with a new status or a new Milestone Reward to reach every 10 nights.
  • Reaching 30 nights is especially rewarding, with Explorist status, free upgrades, a free night and more. 
  • The companion World of Hyatt Card offers a hefty welcome bonus, an extra 4X on Hyatt purchases plus a free night awarded on every account anniversary. 

Cons

  • Hyatt has a relatively low global footprint (~1,300 total properties) compared to IHG (approaching 6,400) and Marriott (~8,700). 
  • Base Points and Bonus Points are really only good for future stays and upgrades and their value plummets with other redemption options (but that’s pretty typical for hotel rewards).

What is World of Hyatt? 

World of Hyatt, or WoH as the cool kids call it (not to be confused with WH, or Waffle House) is Hyatt’s hotel loyalty rewards program. It’s known for being surprisingly generous and even a little addicting, with new awards every 10 qualifying nights you stay. 

For context, here’s a list of all 24 hotel brands under the Hyatt corporate umbrella as of this writing: 

  • Alila
  • Alua 
  • Andaz
  • Breathless
  • Caption by Hyatt
  • Destination by Hyatt
  • Dreams
  • Grand Hyatt
  • Hyatt Centric
  • Hyatt House
  • Hyatt Place
  • Hyatt Regency
  • Hyatt Studios
  • Impression by Secrets
  • JdV by Hyatt
  • Miraval
  • Park Hyatt
  • Secrets
  • Sunscape
  • Thompson Hotels
  • The Unbound Collection
  • Hyatt Vivid
  • Hyatt Zilara/Hyatt Ziva
  • Zoetry

As soon as you join World of Hyatt as a free member, you’ll get up to 10% off bookings at these properties plus 5 “Base Points” for every dollar you spend. Free nights start at just 3,500 points, meaning you could potentially earn your first free night award after spending as little as $700. 

As for status, World of Hyatt heaps a surprising amount of perks onto lower status tiers. After just 10 qualifying nights or 25,000 base points you’ll unlock Discoverist status with free premium internet, free room upgrades when available, elite (read: expedited) check-in, late checkout and more. Other hotel rewards programs like Marriott Bonvoy reserve many of these perks for 25-night statuses or higher. 

If that all weren’t enough, you’ll also start earning “Milestone Rewards” at 20 qualifying nights and every 10 nights thereafter. These can range from a pair of Club Access tickets all the way to a free night at a Category 7 hotel (read: the second fanciest behind Category 8). 

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s dive into the details of the program and set you on your way to earning some points. 

How do I earn World of Hyatt status? 

For starters, you should know that World of Hyatt has two currencies: 

  • Qualifying Nights: You’ll earn one qualifying night for every night you stay at a participating World of Hyatt property, including free award nights you redeem.
  • Base Points: You’ll earn 5 points for every dollar spent at participating World of Hyatt properties (among many other ways listed below). 

You’ll reach new status tiers and milestone rewards once you collect enough nights or points (such as Discoverist at 10 nights/25,000 points). That way, the program doesn’t favor folks who stay a lot over folks who spend a lot. 

While qualifying nights only count towards status, base points can also be redeemed for rewards without affecting your running total. As a result, there are far more ways to earn points than qualifying nights. Here are the highlights: 

  • 5X on purchases at participating World of Hyatt properties (stays, upgrades, spa, dining etc.).
  • 10X on FIND Experiences, which are Hyatt’s curated selection of 500+ travel experiences (food tours, kayaking etc.).
  • 1X to 4X for using a World of Hyatt rewards card depending on purchase category (plus a welcome bonus ranging from 35,000 to 75,000 potential points).
  • 1X on qualifying American Airlines flights.
  • 500 points on Avis car rentals.
  • Up to 50,000 points for hosting meetings at Hyatt properties.

You don’t need a World of Hyatt credit card to earn Hyatt status, but it definitely helps. On the personal World of Hyatt Credit Card, for example, you’ll get instant Discoverist status, up to 9X total on Hyatt purchases, a free night at a Category 1 through 4 hotel or resort every account anniversary and more. Tack on a 35,000 bonus points if you spend $3,000 in first 3 months potentially good for up to 10 off-peak nights and it’s well worth the $95 fee if you plan to stay at a Hyatt property this year.

The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card similarly offers perks targeted to Hyatt-loyal small business owners. Cardholders get instant Discoverist status plus the ability to gift status to up to five employees, as well as up to $100 in Hyatt statement credits ($50 twice per year). 

Anyways, now that we’ve covered points and how to get them, let’s see what the status tiers have in store. 

Is World of Hyatt status worth it? 

Absolutely, as long as you’re willing to work around Hyatt’s smaller footprint compared to the big competitors. World of Hyatt offers exceptional value to the savvy traveler.  

As mentioned already, the World of Hyatt program gets surprisingly generous rather quickly. As soon as you hit Discoverist (10 nights/25,000 points) you’ll get a “preferred room” upgrade at check-in, meaning a room with a better view, on a higher floor and/or in the corner. You’ll also get elite check-in, late checkout (where available) and complimentary premium internet. 

Once you hit 20 nights/35,000 points you’ll earn your first milestone reward—which is your choice of 2,000 bonus points after your next stay, a pair of Club Access tickets or a $25 FIND Experience credit. At 30 nights/50,000 points you’ll unlock Exporist status and your next milestone, scoring upgraded rooms, guaranteed 72-hour availability, a free night at a Category 1-4 and more. 

Needless to say, there’s a lot in store for World of Hyatt members and it’s not too far out of reach. Here are some of the highlights of what you’ll enjoy at different status tiers: 

Free Membership

  • 5 base points per $1 spent.
  • Up to 10% off bookings.
  • Resort fees waived on free award nights.
  • 500+ bonus miles per flight with one of Hyatt’s 26 partner airlines.
  • One free night at a Cat 1-4 property thanks to the Brand Explorer Award after staying at five different Hyatt brands.

Discoverist (10 nights/25,000 points)

  • Preferred rooms (corner, view etc.).
  • 10% extra points on Hyatt purchases (5.5X total).
  • Free water and premium Wi-Fi.
  • Elite check-in and 2 p.m. checkout.

Explorist (30 nights/50,000 points)

  • Room upgrades (excluding suites).
  • 72-hour guaranteed availability.
  • 20% extra points on Hyatt purchases (6X total).

Globalist (60 nights/100,000 points)

  • 48-hour guaranteed availability.
  • Club access and/or breakfast.
  • Free parking on free nights.
  • Priority access to rooms.
  • 30% extra points on Hyatt purchases (6.5X total).

And here’s a quick overview of the milestone rewards you’ll receive, often in tandem with new status:

20 nights/35,000 points

Your choice of:

  • 2,000 points on your next stay.
  • Two Club Access tickets.
  • $25 FIND Experience credit.

30 nights/50,000 points

A Category 1-4 free night award, plus your choice of:

  • 2,000 points on your next stay.
  • Two Club Access tickets.
  • $25 FIND Experience credit.

40 nights/65,000 points

Guest of Honor award (Globalist status treatment for a single stay, including upgrades, breakfast, waived resort fees and more), plus your choice of:

  • 5,000 points.
  • Suite upgrade award.
  • $150 FIND Experience credit.

50 nights/80,000 points

Your choice of:

  • 5,000 points.
  • Two suite upgrade awards.
  • $150 FIND Experience credit.

60 nights/100,000 points

Your choice of:

  • Two Guest of Honor awards.
  • Category 1-7 Free Night Award.
  • Two suite upgrade awards.
  • My Hyatt Concierge.

And the list goes on, all the way up to 150 nights where you’ll score an Ultimate Free Night Award good for any Cat 1-8 property, including all-inclusive resorts. 

Keep in mind that the points you’re earning aren’t just good toward status—you can cash them in for nights, awards and more.

How can I redeem World of Hyatt points? 

For the most part, you’ll probably be using your World of Hyatt points for stays, upgrades and the occasional foot massage. But here’s a complete menu of redemption options as of February 2024. Free nights will start at the following point redemptions:

  • Regular hotels – from 3,500.
  • Homes & Hideaways – from 35,000.
  • All-inclusive resorts – from 12,000.
  • Miraval resorts – from 40,000.
  • Small Luxury Hotels of the World – from 6,500.
  • Points + cash – from 1,750. 

And your other redemption options include: 

  • Room upgrades – from 3,000.
  • Dining, spa and more – from 1,000.
  • FIND Experiences – from 1,000.
  • Meetings and event space rentals – from 15,000.
  • Points conversion to airline miles – 5,000 points for 2,000 miles with most partner airlines.
  • Avis rental car days – from 6,000.

You can also share and gift points to other World of Hyatt members. 

How does World of Hyatt compare to other hotel loyalty rewards programs? 

We’d consider World of Hyatt to be one of the best hotel loyalty rewards programs out there simply because it offers more stuff more quickly. 

With World of Hyatt you’ll get your first free “preferred room” upgrades at the 10-night tier, your first free night at the 30-night milestone and a wave of new perks and rewards every 10 nights in general. By contrast, you won’t get free upgrades until you reach Gold Elite with Marriott Bonvoy (25 nights) or Platinum Elite with IHG One Rewards (40 nights). In addition, neither of those programs will simply hand you a free night without you having to spend points. 

That said, World of Hyatt only comprises around 1,300 hotels in 76 countries, making it the most limited of the trio by far. IHG has 6,363 properties under its corporate banner as of this writing and Marriott has nearly 8,700. 

So if you’re looking for a single hotel chain to pledge fealty to, you might want to make sure Hyatt has a presence everywhere you’re looking to stay. 

But otherwise, there’s no risk or downside to joining World of Hyatt. And if you’re already a Hyatt loyalist (or plan to become one), check out our full review of the World of Hyatt Card to see if it’s a fit for your wallet. 


Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. 

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying. 


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