It was just announced that Hyatt will soon be changing their award chart. After August 1, 2016, 50 hotels will be going up in category, and 56 hotels will be going down in category. You can see the full list of which properties are undergoing a category change below:
Properties going up in category
Properties going up in category. Chart from The Points Guy
Properties going down in category.
Properties going down in category. Chart from The Points Guy
As a reminder, here is the Hyatt Award chart:
There’s also a huge amount of value in booking some Hyatt properties with Points & Cash (you also still get a stay credit). I recently made a Points & Cash reservation at the Park Hyatt Vienna for 127 EUR + 12,500 points, which is an incredible value because the suite I was in was selling for $1,200 that night!
While award chart changes usually scream devaluation, this time it’s not so bad. I’m happy to see that several great properties are going down in category, such as the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur, Hyatt Place Secaucus/Meadowlands, Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria, and Hyatt Regency Phuket Beach Resort.
As a pleasant surprise, there’s one property in particular that’s going down 2 categories (!!) that I’m most excited about – The Hyatt Centric Miami.
I like to travel to South Beach often during the colder months, and while my usual “home away from home” is Kimpton’s Surfcomber property, Hyatt made it’s debut on Collins Ave last June, right in the heart of South Beach. I’ve stayed at this property several times, and now it’s looking like a sweet-spot redemption for me.
Once requiring 25,000 Hyatt points per night, bookings made after August 1 will only cost 15,000 points per night. The real value stems from points & cash redemptions – 7,500 points + $100 (stay credit included!). Combined with the free breakfast benefit (for up to 4 guests) as a Diamond member, that’s a steal! I think I found my new winter home…
What are your thoughts about the Hyatt Award chart changes that are about to kick in next month? Anything else to be excited about?
Was excited about Hyatt South Beach, too, but Diamond recognition beyond the breakfast seems to be pretty poor. Meanwhile, places like Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen seem really nice.
The diamond breakfast isn’t poor at all. I was last there in February and was able to order pretty much what I wanted with a lot of substitutions. Maybe things have changed, but I remember the benefit being great. Ah yes grand Hyatt playa del Carmen is also something I’m eyeing!
But apparently no other recognition, whereas GH has a nice lounge, free alcohol, etc. I do love South Beach, though.
I’ll definitely try South Beach if I can make it out there. Seems to me they thought they were going to be hotter than they turned out to be, given that they just opened in what… the last year or so?
I am not taking these changes so excitedly. Out local HH Cat 1 closed beginning of this year, and the only other Cat 1 in the area is moving up to Cat 2, making future mattress runs either borderline or completely untenable (depending on the future cash rate).
Nor am I in the least happy about what is arguably one of the best places to use my Hyatt Visa annual night— HR SFO, moving to a 5. I stay here 2-3 times a year, love the hotel and the club, and have even been comped upgrade to their best suite, and I find a TON of value in that free night. Next best is HR Monterey, which I might get to once a year, but never as valuable. (Gotten $450+ nights for free at HR SFO with the annual night)
But they did recently renovate, so I’m sure that’s their reasoning. Maybe they’ll go back down in a year or so.
Nice catch on the Hyatt Centric! Finally another place were we can use our free night cert that comes with the Chase card that we actually want to stay at :D