World of Hyatt routinely evaluates their hotels within their award categories, and will generally make changes once a year. Hyatt has announced their latest round of changes, and similar to last year, many hotels are shifting categories this time around.

World of Hyatt members will see updates made to the number of points required for a free night at 217 hotels. 117 hotels will shift into a higher award category and 100 will shift to a lower award category. No new categories have been added, and the points required for each category will remain the same during the standard redemption period, with affected hotels shifting by only one category, up or down.

Here’s a look at some of the hotels that will be increasing as of March 22, 2020:

• Andaz 5th Avenue will be increasing from a Category 6 (25,000 points) to a Category 7 (30,000 points)
• Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa will be increasing from a Category 5 (20,000 points) to a Category 6 (25,000 points)
• Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa will be increasing from a Category 6 (25,000 points) to a Category 7 (30,000 points)
• Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo will be increasing from a Category 5 (20,000 points) to a Category 6 (25,000 points)

Here’s a look at some of the hotels that will be decreasing as of March 22, 2020:

• Park Hyatt Chicago will be decreasing from a Category 6 (25,000 points) to a Category 5 (20,000 points)
• Hyatt Centric Brickell Miami will be decreasing from a Category 5 (20,000 points) to a Category 4 (15,000 points)
• Grand Hyatt Bogotá will be decreasing from a Category 3 (12,000 points) to a Category 2 (8,000 points)
• Parker New York will be decreasing from a Category 6 (25,000 points) to a Category 5 (20,000 points)
• Hyatt at Olive 8 will be decreasing from a Category 5 (20,000 points) to a Category 4 (15,000 points)
• Hyatt Regency Paris – Charles de Gaulle will be decreasing from a Category 2 (8,000 points) to a Category 1 (5,000 points) to a

For those who have the World of Hyatt Visa, that comes with the Anniversary Free Night Award or those who earn the Brand Explorer Free Night, both which are good at Category 1-4, you’ll want to take note of the following to where you can redeem your nights at.

Here’s what Hyatt says about the changes:

• Off-peak and Peak Point Redemption – date announced

As previously announced, we will introduce three point redemption values for free nights: Off-peak, Standard and Peak.  This new structure will offer members more flexibility when redeeming points for free nights.  Plus, free night point redemption will be identified as Peak, Standard or Off-Peak as soon as nights are available for reservations (usually 13 months in advance) and will not change once posted.

• Hotel Award Categories – annual changes announced

This attached list outlines our annual hotel award category changes.  This year, updates will be made to the number of points required for a free night at 217 hotels – 117 hotels will shift to a higher award category and 100 will shift to a lower award category. To note, no new categories have been added, and the points required for each category will remain the same during the standard redemption period, with affected hotels shifting by only one category, up or down. 

• Points + Cash – increased savings announced

Furthermore, we’re pleased to share that we will be enhancing the value of our Points + Cash offering by enabling members to save between 50-70% off the Standard Rate when combining Points + Cash. This applies to Off-peak, Standard and Peak redemption periods. For reference the current rate is 50% off the Standard Rate.

You can within their award categories. For context, Marriott announced their Overview of Marriott Bonvoy 2020 Category Changes, which go into effect on Wednesday, March 4, 2020,

If you’re looking for more World of Hyatt points, World of Hyatt is a 1:1 transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards.

What are your thoughts on the latest category changes to the World of Hyatt program? Feel free to share your thoughts below.