In this post, I will share the best ways to redeem World of Hyatt points for maximum value.
Earning World of Hyatt points
1) Stays
Staying in a World of Hyatt property earns you points according to your membership level.
Note that points are only earned on paid room rates and other spending (dining, spa etc.) during your stay. In other words, you do not earn points on taxes, fees and award stays.
| Membership | Points per USD |
|---|---|
| Normal | 5 |
| Discoverist | 5.5 |
| Explorist | 6 |
| Globalist | 6.5 |
2) Buy points
World of Hyatt runs regular points sales where members can buy points for around 1.68 to 2 cents (USD) each.
Click here to visit our dedicated page on World of Hyatt points sales.
Method of determining these Sweet Spots
- Find out the amount of points required for each night in the property and the value of those points. As sweet spots are all about value, I am only looking at off-peak nights.
- Find out the cash rate for a night in the same property. As nightly rates can vary widely, I picked the lowest rates with fair availability all year round.
- The price in point no. 2 must be at least 30% lesser than the value in point no. 1.
Here’s World of Hyatt’s award chart for standard rooms:
| Category | Off Peak | Standard | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| 5 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| 6 | 21,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| 8 | 35,000 | 40,000 | 45,000 |
World of Hyatt Sweet Spots
Booking a fairly-priced night in a hotel or making a high-value redemption require some sort of flexibility on your travel plans.
To find off-peak award dates, visit hyatt.com on your browser and click on “Points Calendar” (see image below).
Although most award bookings made on Hyatt hotels come with free-cancellation, some cash rates reflected in the table below are non-refundable and require pre-payment. This means that the “value” can be higher if you choose to compare them against flexible nightly rates.
It is also worth noting that you do not have to pay any taxes or fees on most award bookings, except for some resorts in North America and Maldives that impose substantial surcharges, even on award bookings.
❗A quick reminder (and warning), not to get yourself into a value trap, when redeeming hotel points:
Just because a hotel costs a lot in cash, does not necessarily mean that it is worth that much to you. For example, some hotels add a huge premium to their cash rates, just for being near a mall or convention centre. You may not find those locations beneficial.
| Hyatt Property | Min. Points Required | Typical Cash Rate (nett) | Buy Points* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alila Bangsar 📰 review | 3,500 | US$90 | US$63 |
| Story Hotel Signalfabriken 📰 review | 3,500 | US$130 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu | 3,500 | US$140 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Regency Shanghai Jiading | 3,500 | US$150 | US$63 |
| Hyatt House Frankfurt 📰 review | 3,500 | US$150 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport 📰 review | 3,500 | US$150 | US$63 |
| Alila Manggis 📰 review | 3,500 | US$150 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Regency Oryx Doha 📰 review | 3,500 | US$180 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Regency Cape Town | 3,500 | US$180 | US$63 |
| Story Hotel Malmo 📰 review | 3,500 | US$190 | US$63 |
| Caption Osaka | 3,500 | US$200 | US$63 |
| Hyatt Place Kyoto | 6,500 | US$150 | US$117 |
| Park Hyatt Kyoto | 35,000 | US$2,100 | US$630 |
| Alila Ventana Big Sur | 35,000 | US$3,200 | US$630 |
*When buying points at 1.8 cents (USD) each.
Bottom line
World of Hyatt’s peak/off-peak chart can give you some incredible sweet spots, if you plan ahead and have a little bit of flexibility in your travel plans. These sweet spots will not last forever, enjoy them while they last!
Check out sweet spot articles of other hotel loyalty and frequent flyer programs.