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The World of Hyatt program is one of the best hotel loyalty programs out there — and it's actually No. 2 in NerdWallet's annual ranking of the best hotel loyalty programs. Hyatt ranked highly for many reasons, including no blackout dates for award redemptions, waived resort fees on award bookings, and ability to redeem points at Hyatt's all-inclusive hotels, like the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.
But among the biggest reasons why Hyatt stands out is its high point value. NerdWallet values one Hyatt point at 2.8 cents, which is far higher than the value of points at all other major hotel loyalty programs including Marriott Bonvoy, IHG and Wyndham.
Hyatt rooms simply don't require that many points to book, relative to all the other big hotel chains. For example, you can redeem 35,000 Hyatt points for a free night at the luxurious Park Hyatt New York, whereas it’ll cost you 70,000 to 100,000 Marriott points per night to book an award stay around the corner at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park. That's about $570 worth of points for the Hyatt, versus sacrificing at least that much — or potentially as much as $700 in points value — to book the Marriott-owned Ritz-Carlton.
That makes the Park Hyatt a pretty good redemption, and there are many more like them. Consider them "Hyatt sweet spots." At properties that NerdWallet considers Hyatt sweet spots, the cost to book a room in points is significantly lower than the cost to book in cash. If you have Hyatt points to redeem, these are the best properties to use them at:
Understanding the Hyatt award charts
Before diving into the Hyatt sweet spots, you should understand how Hyatt's award chart works. Each Hyatt property is classified into a category, and whatever the category is determines how many points it'll cost to stay there.
Award night prices range from 5,000 points per night at a Category 1 hotel to 40,000 points per night at a Category 8 hotel, for standard redemption nights. Bigger rooms, like suites, cost additional points.
However, not every night is a standard night. The company actually has three different award charts: standard, peak and off-peak. If you're traveling during a busy time, say, Florida during Spring Break or New York City during Christmas, you'll likely pay a peak rate. Head to Minnesota in January, and it's likely the room will be an off-peak rate. You'll save some points in exchange for braving a Minnesota winter.
Here's how many points a Hyatt room costs per night, broken down by hotel category:
Hotel 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. |
» Learn more: Guide to the World of Hyatt award chart
Given NerdWallet's redemption of a point at 2.8 cents, it might seem like a 12,000-point room would otherwise cost about $340 in cash. But, that's not always the cash. Sometimes rooms with super-high cash rates have lower rewards rates. If a room were to cost, say, $1,000 in cash but only 12,000 points, then that's certainly a very sweet spot.
NerdWallet rounded up the best sweet spots to find out the best ways to redeem your Hyatt points for maximum value.
The best Hyatt sweet spots
There’s no right or wrong way to use your Hyatt points. Ultimately, it comes down to your travel goals and preferences. Some travelers prefer to stretch the value of their points bank by booking stays at lower category hotels, while others like to splurge and use points for a luxury stay at a hotel that might otherwise be too expensive when paying cash. That said, here are a few general Hyatt sweet spots.
Want to use points to book a hotel in Times Square during New Year's Eve? As long as rooms are still available at the Hyatt Centric Times Square New York, you can. Other hotel brands won't let you use points to book on popular nights. Image courtesy of Hyatt.
Peak travel dates and special events
Most hotel chains limit award night inventory or increase prices during popular travel times. Hyatt, on the other hand, has a no blackout date policy. As long as a standard room is available for sale, you can book a stay using points.
This means using Hyatt points can save you a lot of money during peak travel times when the cash cost of a hotel stay tends to increase, such as around holidays. Or if you’re booking a hotel stay for a special event, like the Sundance Film Festival, Super Bowl or Times Square New Year’s Eve.
The Category 7 Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort costs 30,000 points per night (worth about $600) even though room rates can easily cost close to $1,000. Image courtesy of Hyatt.
Top-tier properties
Room rates at certain top-tier Category 7 and Category 8 Hyatt hotels can regularly exceed $700 per night plus taxes. This includes top-rated hotels like the Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Ventana Big Sur, Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Park Hyatt Sydney and Nobu Hotel Marbella.
Using Hyatt points instead of paying cash for a stay at these luxury hotels could save you thousands of dollars or provide you an experience you might not otherwise book with cash.
Find out the very best Hyatt redemptions for luxury resorts here.
The all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica starts at just 25,000 points per night. Image courtesy of Hyatt.
All-inclusive resorts
As far as travel trends go, 2022 became the year of all-inclusive travel — and that's due in large part to Hyatt's growth in the space. In Spring 2022, Hyatt added more than 100 properties comprising seven brands will be added to its roster of all-inclusive resorts (largely due to its acquisition of Apple Leisure Group in November 2021).
Other Hyatt-branded all-inclusives include the Hyatt Zilara Cancun and Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.
As it turns out, those all-inclusives have turned out to be pretty solid points redemptions, especially when you consider that your points get you unlimited food, drinks and entertainment, too.
Unlike the Category 1-8 award charts, all-inclusives are broken out by a separate A-F points, with rates spanning between 12,000 and 58,000 points per night for standard rooms. That translates to about $335 to $1,600 per night in points value. But considering that rate includes double occupancy (additional guests cost more), that can be a fairly good deal considering what's included.
Here's the Hyatt all-inclusive award chart:
Miraval resorts
Hyatt has one particular brand of all-inclusive that is clearly a cut above the rest, called Miraval. Given its status, there's a separate award chart for Miraval Resorts, which has properties in Austin, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona. Hyatt is continually expanding the brand, including future plans to open a Miraval resort in Saudi Arabia.
These all-inclusive wellness resorts feature gourmet cuisine and numerous activities, including meditation and yoga.
An award night at these resorts costs 40,000 points per night for single occupancy for off-peak stays. (Though, unlike other all-inclusives, there’s an additional 20,000 points per night charge to add a second person). While these Hyatt properties are the most expensive to book using points, each award night comes with a $175 resort credit per person, which is a good deal if you plan to book activities during your stay.
NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.8 cents each, which makes 40,000 Hyatt points worth $1,100. That's a lot of money, but so are rooms at Miraval properties. Rooms can easily cost $1,500 per night and sometimes well over that. In this example, you'd save $400 by booking on points — plus you still get that $175 resort credit.
Plus, if you have Hyatt elite status, your benefits apply to award stays, including room upgrades when available.
» Learn more: How to book award nights with Hyatt
You don't need to spend a ton of money (or points) to see the world. The Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit is located in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand and is just 3,500 points (including free breakfast). Image courtesy of Hyatt.
Extended Stays at Hyatt Place Hotels
There are lots of Category 1 and Category 2 Hyatt Place branded hotels around the world. Award stays at these hotels cost 3,500 to 9,500 points per night. So if you’re planning a weeklong vacation and want to conserve your points, you can find great deals at these lower cost hotels.
Plus, World of Hyatt members enjoy free breakfast at Hyatt Place hotels when booking through Hyatt, including award stays.
The biggest pros and cons of the World of Hyatt program
Top Con: With about 1,150 properties, Hyatt isn’t the largest hotel chain. It's much more likely your destination will have a Hilton or a Marriott versus a Hyatt — and Hyatt points don't mean a whole lot if you can't spend them. The good news: Hyatt has been actively expanding the number of hotels in its program through acquisitions and alliances, including the addition of Miraval and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Top Pro: Hyatt has no blackout dates when using points, which is terrific if you’re looking to book a stay during peak travel dates. On that note, you’ll get the best value when nightly room rates are expensive because the cost to book using points doesn’t change.
If you need more points to book these sweet spot rates, there are a few ways to go about it. Sure, you can stay at Hyatt hotels earn points, but you'll likely earn Hyatt points for free stays much faster with the World of Hyatt Credit Card. If you don't like being tied to one hotel brand, you can also get points by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards® points.
Photos courtesy of Hyatt.
