Hyatt just announced that it’s making major changes to its World of Hyatt loyalty program —?and overall, they are a net positive. Starting Jan. 1, 2024, the program will implement a new Milestone Reward chart where members will have more choices within the awards they receive.
Milestone Rewards are available to all members of the program and are earned based on the number of nights stayed in a calendar year —?or from credit card spend with the World of Hyatt Credit Card. These rewards will continue to be available after earning just 20 qualifying nights and then again after each 10 qualifying nights —?up to 150 nights per year.
With the newly implemented chart, you’ll notice better —?and more —?reward options. However, the Guest of Honor benefit for those with Globalist elite status is changing significantly.
Let’s take a closer look at all of the World of Hyatt changes and how they’ll affect frequent travelers.
Milestone Reward chart changes
Separate from the benefits you receive from your World of Hyatt status tier, Hyatt offers Milestone Rewards that let you select extra awards every 10 nights earned, starting with 20 qualifying nights.
Currently, you receive set awards with little choice. And you’ll find that some of Milestone Rewards offer little value, such as the Club Lounge Access Awards for those with Globalist status. Or more Suite Upgrade Awards, which you may not care for if you’re a solo traveler.
With the 2024 Milestone Reward chart, you’ll have the ability to select the award that works best for your own personal travel habits. At each level, all members will earn the top “You Receive” category and then have a choice of one of the three options listed from the bottom “Your Choice Of.”
Currently, at both the 20 and 30 qualifying night milestones, members earn two Club Access Awards. But according to the new award chart, members will have two more options to choose from: 2,000 bonus points on their next stay at a Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Capital by Hyatt or UrCove hotel or a $25 Find Credit (in addition to the lounge access award).
This is a great addition for those who don’t typically stay at properties with lounges or for those who already get lounge access with Globalist status.
At the 40-night milestone, you’ll now have a choice between 5,000 bonus points, a Suite Upgrade Award or a $150 Find credit. At this milestone, you’ll also receive a Guest of Honor Award, which we discuss in more detail below.
At the 50-night milestone, you have the option to select 5,000 bonus points or a $150 Find Credit, in addition to the already existing two Suite Upgrade Awards. If you find yourself primarily staying at properties that don’t offer suites or you don’t have the need, you can now select a different option that suits you better.
The 60-night milestones are staying exactly the same. At this level, there are no choices and instead you’ll receive all awards listed. This includes a Category 1-7 Free Night Award, two Suite Upgrade Awards and access to My Hyatt Concierge. You’ll also receive two Guest of Honor Awards. At this point, you can earn up to five Suite Upgrade Awards, instead of four awards with the current Milestone Reward chart.
The 70-, 80- and 90-night milestones are adding an option where you can select a $300 Find Credit as well, if you prefer that over the 10,000 Bonus Points or another Suite Upgrade Award. All members will also receive a Guest of Honor Award at each of these three milestone levels.
Those who earn 100 qualifying nights per year are heavily rewarded under this new chart. In addition to the 10,000 Bonus Points or a Suite Night Upgrade Award, you can select a Miraval Extra Night instead. This works similarly to a BOGO, where if you stay one night at a Miraval Resort, you’ll receive a complimentary second night. On top of the choice awards, all members receive another Category 1-7 Free Night Award —?an added benefit with this new chart.
With the current Milestone Reward Chart, there are no benefits after the 100-night mark, but that’s changing after the New Year. Now, members will be rewarded more by staying 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150 nights at Hyatts.
This includes the opportunity to select from 10,000 Bonus Points, a Suite Upgrade Award or a Miraval Extra Night. You’ll also receive a Guest of Honor Award at the 110, 120, 130 and 140 night milestone and an Ultimate Free Night Award at 150 nights. The Ultimate Free Night Award is uncapped and lets you stay at any World of Hyatt property, which includes a participating Category 1-8 hotel, a Category A-F all-inclusive resort or participating Miraval resort.
Guest of Honor changes
One of the more favorable benefits of having Globalist status is that you can “gift” status to a friend or family member during their stay with the Guest of Honor benefit.
Right now, there’s no limit on the number of times you can book a Guest of Honor award for someone else —?as long as the reservation is booked with points from your account.
But that’s changing next year. Let’s take a look at the Guest of Honor changes that begin next year.
Negative changes to Guest of Honor bookings
Starting Jan. 1, 2024, the number of times you can book a Guest of Honor award will be limited. Instead, you’ll receive “Guest of Honor Awards” from the Milestone Reward chart above. For those that typically earn 60 nights per year for Globalist status, you’ll receive three Guest of Honor Awards (one at the 40-night mark and two more at the 60-night mark).
There are then opportunities to earn more awards for those that stay 70+ nights, where?up to seven more Guest of Honor awards can be earned.
Guest of Honor awards are valid for the rest of the year of which they’re earned, plus an additional 14 months. For example, if you were to earn the award in June 2024, the award won’t expire until Feb. 28, 2026.
And as a one-time courtesy, those who have Globalist status when the new program rolls out will receive five Guest of Honor awards deposited into their account —?valid through February 2025.
Positive changes to Guest of Honor bookings
Despite the fact that you’ll no longer have unlimited access to Guest of Honor bookings, there are a couple of positive changes to note.
The first is that since you’re earning a Guest of Honor award at the 40-night mark, you can actually gift that award to yourself to reap the benefits on your next stay. This lets you sample Globalist status before you earn it.
Further, Guest of Honor bookings are now valid for both cash and point stays. Being able to gift Globalist status on a paid stay —?and not just when using points —?is a nice enhancement. You’ll also soon be able to book a Guest of Honor stay online without having to call Hyatt.
When the changes take place, both parties will receive elite nights for the stay. As is currently the case, the guest receiving the Guest of Honor award will earn elite nights —?one elite night earned per night stayed. However, the member gifting the award will also earn one qualifying night for the entire stay. So if you’re able to earn and redeem three Guest of Honor awards, you’ll earn three more nights towards status.
Bottom line
The revamp of the Milestone Award Chart is a significant increase to the World of Hyatt program. There are now more choices to ensure all members receive an award that they’ll actually utilize and find beneficial. And for those that stay more than 100 nights per year, you’ll continue to be incentivized to stay with extra awards.
And while the Guest of Honor bookings will soon be limited based on the amount of awards earned, there are many positive enhancements with this change as well, like as the opportunity to redeem on paid stays.
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