The World of Hyatt Rewards Program

The World of Hyatt Rewards Program is designed to enhance your travel experiences by offering a range of benefits and rewards. Members can earn points through stays at Hyatt properties, dining, and even spa services. These points can be redeemed for free nights, room upgrades, and other exclusive perks. The program also includes tiered membership levels—Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist—each offering increasing benefits such as late check-out, complimentary breakfast, and access to club lounges. Whether you're a frequent traveler or just planning a special trip, the World of Hyatt Rewards Program aims to make your stays more rewarding and luxurious. Let’s delve into the different member tier levels, the exciting milestone rewards, and share some handy tips and tricks for making the most out of your membership!

World of Hyatt Hotels

As of 2024, Hyatt operates over 1,300 properties in more than 70 countries worldwide. This portfolio includes a wide range of brands, from luxury hotels like Park Hyatt and Andaz to more budget-friendly options like Hyatt Place and extended-stay accommodations like Hyatt House. They also have a collection of all-inclusive resorts. Hyatt is well known for its reward program, offering reasonable point redemption rates and exceptional value to top tier elites.

Member Tier Levels and Their Benefits

Hyatt’s loyalty program consists of several member tiers: Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist. Each tier offers its own unique set of perks that enhance your stay.

• Member: (this is automatic after signing up)

  • Earn 5 points per dollar at most Hyatt hotels and resorts

  • Access to member-only rates and offers

  • Complimentary standard internet

  • Ability to redeem points for free nights

  • Waived resort fees on Free Night Awards

• Discoverist:

  • All Member benefits

  • 10% bonus on points earned

  • Priority check-in

  • Late check-out (2 PM, subject to availability)

  • Preferred room upgrade

  • Premium internet

  • Complimentary bottled water

• Explorist:

  • All Discoverist benefits

  • 20% bonus on points earned

  • Room upgrades (excluding suites)

  • Guaranteed availability (72 hours in advance)

• Globalist:

  • All Explorist benefits

  • 30% bonus on points earned

  • Room upgrades (including standard suites)

  • Club lounge access or complimentary breakfast at participating hotels

  • Waived resort fees on eligible stays

  • Late check-out (4 PM, subject to availability)

  • Guaranteed availability (48 hours in advance)

  • Free parking on Free Night Awards

With a plethora of perks and free night redemptions starting at just 3,500 points per night, Hyatt delivers exceptional value to its loyal members. Achieving Globalist status through credit card spending and stays at Hyatt properties can significantly enhance your experience, offering benefits like complimentary breakfast and more!

Milestone Rewards: More than Just Points

Milestone rewards are another great perk within the World of Hyatt Program. As you reach specific milestones (i.e. so many nights/ year), they unlock additional benefits. Rewards start after 20 nights, and the perks increase as you progress. These might include complimentary suite upgrades or bonus Award Night certificates, which can be used for free hotel stays. Planning your stays accordingly can significantly amplify your rewards! Here are the milestone rewards for 20-60 nights:

• 20 Nights: Choice of 2 Club Lounge Access Awards, 2K points Next Stay Award, or $25 FIND Experience Credit

• 30 Nights:1 Free Night Award (Category 1-4) AND your choice of 2K points Next Stay Award, 2 Club Lounge Access Awards, or $25 FIND Experience Credit

• 40 Nights: Guest of Honor Award AND your choice of 5,000 Bonus Points, Suite Upgrade Award, $150 FIND Experience Credit

• 50 Nights: Choice of 5,000 Bonus Points, Suite Upgrade Award (2), $150 FIND Experience Credit

• 60 Nights: You earn the following: Guest of Honor Award (2), My Hyatt Concierge, Category 1-7 Free Night Award, Suite Upgrade Award (2)

• and there are more rewards every 10 nights from there on out as well.

Here is my real-world example to maximize these milestone rewards. When planning our 2-month trip, I knew I would reach the 40-night milestone prior to our 7-night stay at the Hyatt Regency in Kathmandu. One of the awards at 40 nights is a Guest of Honor Award, which essentially gives you Globalist status for up to a 7-night stay. Thus, I planned to use this award for that stay prior to ever earning it! This is just another way to make sure your points and miles/loyalty programs, etc. are working for you!

Tips and Tricks for Maximizing Your Hyatt Rewards

To make the most of your Hyatt Rewards membership, consider these practical tips:

• Book Directly: Always book directly through Hyatt’s website or app, as this guarantees that you earn full points and benefits. Booking via a third-party site like Expedia will not allow you to earn your loyalty points. Personally, I used to be a Travelocity booking queen, but after discovering and learning about the world of points and miles, realized that was a huge mistake. After just 18 months, we booked a 2-month long trip and paid cash on only 9 out of 61 nights. All other nights were booked on points or using Free Night Certificates.

• Stay loyal: If you are looking to earn Globalist status, stay loyal to Hyatt and stay at Hyatt as often as possible.

• Utilize Points Wisely: Redeem your points for high-value rewards such as free nights during peak seasons to maximize benefits.

• Keep an Eye on Promotions: Hyatt frequently runs promotions where you can earn extra points or bonuses—sign up for newsletters to stay in the loop!

• Get the World of Hyatt Credit Card: This is one of my favorite hacks for earning points and miles and this hotel card comes with a slew of benefits in addition to the welcome bonus. The current welcome bonus at publishing earns you Five Category 1-4 free night awards after a 4K spend in the first three months of account opening. This could be worth up to 90K points if redeemed for a hotel stay worth 18K points per night. Additional perks include:

  • Automatic Discoverist Status

  • An annual Category 1-4 free night certificate - this perk easily pays for the $95 annual fee, making this card a keeper!

  • The opportunity to earn an additional Category 1-4 free night certificate after spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year

  • 5 elite qualifying nights per year (accelerates your path to Explorist/Globalist status)

  • 2 elite qualifying nights per $5,000 spend on the card (this perk also accelerates your path to Explorist/Globalist status!)

  • No foreign transaction fees

  • Earn 2x points at restaurants

  • Earn 4x points for Hyatt stays (in addition to the points earned from Hyatt directly for your stay)

Why It Might Make Sense for Hyatt to be Your Hotel Brand of Choice

Hyatt points are very valuable. If you are interested in getting into the points and miles game, or if you have been in the game for a while, but don't have any Hyatt points, here is why I think you should change that.

Hyatt points hold significant value, and elite status can unlock a range of benefits to enhance your travel experiences, making them a worthy addition to your rewards strategy. Hyatt award nights start at just 3,500 points per night for a standard room at a Category 1 hotel which is incredible! See the award charts below for the typical redemption rates for Hyatt properties. We just started with Hyatt this year and I have to say, I am blown away by the value! The redemption rates are so much more reasonable than most Marriott/Hilton/IHG properties and in places like Southeast Asia, you get incredible value, service, and amenities for your points! (Like at the Hyatt Place in Kathmandu for 6,500 points per night. Check out the review here.)

Next Steps to Getting Started with Hyatt

First, if you aren't a member of World of Hyatt, go sign up now! It takes just a couple of minutes and requires little effort!

Second, if you aren't super loyal to another hotel brand, or you are interested in going deeper into the points and miles world, consider signing up for the World of Hyatt credit cards (there is a personal card and a business card). These are a great way to accelerate your elite status and also earn you a good chunk of points to redeem for your next vacation! Points can also be transferred from Chase bank, so cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, can be transferred to Hyatt. Read about transferrable points here.

Lastly, consider making Hyatt your hotel of choice when you travel. You don't have to jump straight to earning Globalist status. You can start with earning points on your normal hotel nights, maybe signing up for the Hyatt credit card, and before you know it, you will be ready to redeem them for something like one of these below.

Redemption Award Possibilities

• Take your family to Disney World by redeeming 6,500-9,500 points/night to stay at the Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Buena Vista

• Make that dream trip to the Maldives a reality by redeeming 25,000-35,000 points/night to stay at the Park Hyatt Maldives

• Escape to Hawaii by redeeming 20,000-23,000 points/night to stay at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach

• Stay in Times Square New York City by redeeming 21,000 to 25,000 points/night to stay at the Hyatt Centric Times Square New York

• and the options are endless!

This is what I LOVE about the points and miles game. You can go as deep into it as you are willing and the rewards just get better and better. As I write this, I'm currently staying at the Hyatt Regency in Kathmandu for 6,500 points per night with excellent perks due to my Globalist status. So, even if it seems overwhelming, I'd encourage you to start somewhere and for hotel loyalty programs, Hyatt is one of the best!

Leave your questions below and as always, Happy Travels!