World of Hyatt Announces 2024 Category Changes

World of Hyatt has announced upcoming category changes, which are set to kick in on March 26, 2024. This time, 183 hotels and resorts will change categories, with 137 moving up and 46 moving down.

With just under a month until the category changes take effect, make sure to consult the upcoming changes, and then lock in some bookings with points or Free Night Awards before any higher prices take effect.

World of Hyatt Award Chart + Peak & Off-Peak Pricing

First off, it’s important to note that World of Hyatt isn’t making any changes to its award chart this year. Even after the changes take effect, there will still be eight categories of properties, with off-peak, standard, and peak pricing.

As a reminder, World of Hyatt’s award chart for Standard Room redemptions is as follows:

Bookings made prior to March 26, 2024 at 8am Central Time will follow the existing hotel categories, even if the price is higher after the changes kick in.

If the price is lower after the category changes take effect on March 26, members will receive a one-time refund of the points difference, although any subsequent changes to the reservation will be subject to the new pricing. 

World of Hyatt remains the only major hotel loyalty program that still offers an award chart with fixed pricing for redemptions, as most others have moved to dynamic pricing.

Luxury Hotels Changing Categories

In 2023, Hyatt had a total of 372 hotels and resorts with category changes, with 214 moving up and 158 moving down. While the total number of properties changing categories is less this year, a greater proportion of properties are moving up rather than down.

As is usually the case, the hotels that are dropping down aren’t very meaningful, while the ones that rise are some of the more aspirational properties that many Hyatt members look to redeem points for.

On the luxury end of the spectrum, five properties are rising from Category 7 to the highest Category 8 this year:

• Alila Villas Uluwatu
• Hotel Du Palais Biarritz
• Hyatt Centric Park City 
• The Everline Resort and Spa 
• Vail Residences at Cascade Village

At these properties, the cost will rise from 30,000 to 40,000 points at the standard rate, with the price possibly increasing to 45,000 points on peak dates. Furthermore, all of these properties will soon be out of reach for a Category 1–7 Free Night Award earned as a Milestone Reward. 

If you have your eye on any of the above properties, be sure to lock in an award booking before March 26, 2024, as you’ll otherwise have to part ways with more points for the same hotels once the category changes take effect.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that several higher-end properties are also dropping down, including the following:

• Alila Marea Beach Resort (from Category 8 to Category 7)
• Firstname Bordeaux (from Category 7 to Category 6)
• Hyatt Carmel Highlands (from Category 7 to Category 6)
• Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe (from Category 6 to Category 5)
• Magma Resort Santorini (from Category 7 to Category 6)

Once again, if your property is decreasing in category, there’s nothing you need to do, since you’ll receive a one-time refund once they take effect.

Changes to Canadian Hyatt Hotels

This year, three Canadian Hyatt properties will be changing categories, and all are increasing in category:

It’s worth noting that Hyatt has a relatively small footprint in Canada, as there are currently only 19 hotels across the country.

However, Hyatt plans to double its footprint in Canada by 2026, and we can expect to see more Hyatt properties popping up in the next couple of years.

Impact to World of Hyatt Free Night Awards

As a reminder, World of Hyatt issues three different types of Free Night Awards:

• A Category 1–4 Free Night Award as an anniversary benefit on the US-issued Chase Hyatt Visa, a Milestone Reward for staying 30 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year, and a reward for staying at five, 10, or 15 different Hyatt brands under Hyatt’s Brand Explorer feature
• A Category 1–7 Free Night Award as a Milestone Reward for staying 60 and 100 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year
• An Ultimate Free Night Award as a Milestone Reward for staying 150 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year

Altogether, five Hyatt properties are falling from Category 5 to 4, while 19 Hyatt properties are rising from Category 4 to 5. 

Thus, the Category 1–4 Free Night Award will see a lower range of redeemable properties after the change, including some particularly valuable Category 4 hotels in desirable locations.

For example, the Andaz Bali Ubud, Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, and Thompson Chicago are moving from Category 4 to Category 5 properties, and will therefore no longer be eligible for Category 1–4 Free Night Award bookings. 

If you have any Category 1–4 Free Night Awards to use, be sure to have a look at the 2024 category changes and redeem them at properties that are moving up before March 26, 2024.

Conclusion

World of Hyatt has announced its 2024 category changes, and this time, a total of 183 hotels and resorts will change categories, with 137 moving up and 46 moving down.

This year, there are fewer hotels changing categories than in the past two years; however, a greater proportion are moving up compared to moving down.

With a fair warning shot about the changes now fired, be sure to lock in any bookings that are set to see an increase before March 26, 2024, when the category changes come into effect.