World of Hyatt is the rewards program for over 1,200 Hyatt hotels and resorts in nearly 72 countries. It’s not as big as Marriott or Hilton, but it has a rich portfolio of properties from budget-friendly hotels to luxury resorts.
The hotel company operates properties under several Hyatt brands from economy to upscale including Destination by Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Vivid, Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, JDV by Hyatt, Park Hyatt, the Unbound Collection and all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zalara. They also operate a number of boutique, resort and wellness brands including Alila, Alua, Andaz, Breathless, Caption, Dreams, Hotel Du Louvre, Secrets, Sunscape, Thompson Hotels, Miraval and Zoetry.
Hotel and resort locations can be found around the world including locations in the US and Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands.
Elite Status Levels
There are three levels of elite status in the World of Hyatt reward program beyond basic membership including Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist. The program is free to join, and just belonging to World of Hyatt allows you to earn five base points toward elite status for every dollar spent at Hyatt hotels for rooms, dining and spa services at the hotel or resort. Once you gain elite status, you earn those base points plus up to a 30% bonus. Plus there are a host of other benefits as you move up the tiers.
Basic membership offers benefits like free nights using points earned, preferred member rates, waived resort fees on award nights booked, and even a status match with M Life Rewards, which is the loyalty program of MGM Resorts International. This is a great perk if you frequent Las Vegas. The top-tier Globalist level also comes with free club access or breakfast and free parking with award bookings.
Learn about Marriott elite status and rewards program
You become a basic Hyatt member once you sign up for the program, and you earn elite status with nights stayed or points accumulated. If you host meetings or events that will also move you up the elite ladder faster.
World of Hyatt members reach the Discoverist level after 10 nights or after accumulating 25,000 base points or hosting three meetings or events at Hyatts. Explorist status requires 30 nights or 50,000 points. And you reach the highest level, Globalist, after 60 nights or 100,000 points. Status lasts for a year, but if you manage to accrue a million points you can achieve lifetime Globalist status. Points expire after 24 months of inactivity.
Qualifications
| MEMBERSHIP LEVEL | NIGHTS | BASE POINTS | MEETINGS & EVENTS |
| Member | Free to Join — No Minimums on nights, points or meetings hosted | ||
| Discoverist | 10 | 25,000 | 3 |
| Explorist | 30 | 50,000 | 10 |
| Globalist | 60 | 100,000 | 20 |
| Lifetime Globalist | N/A | 1,000,000 Lifetime Base Points | N/A |
Perks and Partners
Elite tiers offer extra perks like elite check-in, late check-out (see chart below for times), room upgrades and an American Airlines AAdvantage bonus when you link your AAdvantage account to your Hyatt program. That will allow you to earn one AAdvantage mile for every dollar spent at Hyatt properties and on Hyatt experiences in addition to the points you earn in the World of Hyatt program.
AAdvantage members that have achieved that program’s highest level, ConciergeKey, receive automatic Globalist status once the accounts are linked. If you already hold Concierge level, it’s a no-brainer to link your Hyatt program to AAdvantage to get that top-level Hyatt Globalist status as well and all the perks that come with it. AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro and Platinum membership can also earn World of Hyatt elite status more quickly. To do this log in to your AAdvantage account and select Partner Accounts where you’ll find the option to link.
The Hyatt Co-branded Credit Card Can Help You Achieve Status
You can also get automatic Discoverist status by signing up for the World of Hyatt credit card. That will give you a 10% earning bonus, premium in-room internet and a 2:00 pm late checkout on request if available. The card can help you accelerate points collected by giving you nine points on hotel stays, including four bonus points plus five base points per $1 spent.
You will keep the status as long as you hold the card, which also comes with up to 60,000 points as a sign-up bonus. You earn 30,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months, and you can earn two bonus points per dollar spent on up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening, which will give you another 30,000 points. You will continue to get double points on dining, airline tickets purchased directly, local transit and commuting purchases, gym memberships and Hyatt FIND experiences, but everything else will earn one point per dollar (unless there is a promotion) after you reach $15,000 in spend or the six month period ends.
This credit card also currently includes five qualifying night credits and each year you renew the card you get five credits towards status as well. You’ll also get two additional night credits for every $5,000 you spend using the card, which will help you achieve the next elite tier. The card does carry a $95 annual fee, but it comes with a host of other benefits including a free night in a Category 1- 4 hotel on your anniversary, or two nights if you spend $15,000 on the card. This credit card is also contactless so you can check out quickly and safely.
Racking up Points by Tier and Redeeming Them
Hotel loyalty program enthusiasts and elite status chasers love racking up points so they can get to the next level and enjoy perks during their stays. All World of Hyatt program members earn five points per dollar spent at Hyatt properties, but you get a 10% point bonus at the Discoverist level, a 20% bonus for Explorist elites and a 30% bonus at the Globalist level.
Not all hotel loyalty reward points are comparable, and even within a chain like Hyatt you’ll find some bargain redemptions for 3,500 points with the off-peak rates, and some 5-figure point trade-ins at high-end luxury properties and resorts. If you plan to use your points to fund the hotel portion of your trip be sure to look at the types of properties and redemptions available in the destination of your choice to see if there’s a good fit.
For budget-conscious travelers, peak-travel rooms begin at 5,000 points for stays in a Category 1 hotel. A Category 8 hotel will cost 40,000 points. Points needed for a night’s stay also vary by type of room including standard rooms quoted above, as well as Regency/Grand Club rooms, and standard and premium suites. A premium suite at a Category 7 hotel will cost you 60,000 points for example.
You can also book all-inclusive Ziva and Zalara resorts starting at 20,000 points a night for the Ziva in Los Cabos and 10,000 points more if you bring a guest. They also have all-inclusive properties in other parts of Mexico including Cancun, as well as in Jamaica.
| Hotel Category | Standard Room Points Per Night | Regency/Grand Club Points Per Night | Standard Suite Points Per Night | Premium Suite Points Per Night |
| 1 | 5,000 | 7,000 | 8,000 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 13,000 | 16,000 |
| 3 | 12,000 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 24,000 |
| 4 | 15,000 | 21,000 | 24,000 | 30,000 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 27,000 | 32,000 | 40,000 |
| 6 | 25,000 | 33,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 |
| 7 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 48,000 | 60,000 |
| 8 | 40,000 | — | — | — |
Full Benefits of the Hyatt Rewards Program
The World of Hyatt loyalty program has benefits similar to other big chains. You get bonus points on stays with higher elite status as noted above. Explorist and Globalist also get guaranteed rooms at 72 and 48 hours respectively. All elite members get bottled water and premium internet. For more perks and to compare the elite levels, see the chart below.
Benefits
| BENEFIT TYPE | MEMBER | DISCOVERIST | EXPLORIST | GLOBALIST |
| Points Earning | 5 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent | 5 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent + 10% Bonus on eligible purchases | 5 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent + 20% Bonus on eligible purchases | 5 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent + 30% Bonus on eligible purchases |
| Free Nights | x | x | x | x |
| Member Rates | x | x | x | x |
| Resort Fees Benefit | Waived on Free Night Awards | Waived on Free Night Awards | Waived on Free Night Awards | Waived on Eligible Rates & Free Night Awards |
| Exhale Benefits | 10 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent | 10 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent | 10 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent, plus a Week of Wellbeing | 10 Base Points per eligible $1 USD spent, plus a Week of Wellbeing and complimentary classes when paying an eligible rate at any Hyatt hotel |
| M life Rewards Status Tier Match | Sapphire | Pearl | Gold | Gold |
| Small Luxury Hotels of the World Benefits | x | x | x | x |
| Premium Internet | — | x | x | x |
| Bottled Water | — | x | x | x |
| Room Upgrade (as available at check-in) | — | Preferred room within type booked based | Upgraded Room excluding Suites and Rooms with Club lounge access | Including Standard Suites |
| Elite Check-in | — | x | x | x |
| Late Checkout (as available at some locations) | — | 2:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| American Airlines AAdvantage® Bonus | — | x | x | x |
| Guaranteed Availability | — | — | 72 hours | 48 hours |
| Club Access or Breakfast | — | — | — | x |
| Free Parking on Free Nights | — | — | — | On Free Night Awards |
| Priority Access to Rooms | — | — | — | x |
| Guest of Honor | — | — | — | x |
Hyatt also offers Milestone Rewards that include club lounge access, free nights, bonus points and suite upgrades. This perk is separate from elite status benefits, but bonus points offered such as earning 5,000 points after 40 nights will also help boost your points balance and move you up to the next tier.
As you can see, there are many ways to gain elite status through stays, points earned on money spent at hotels and on credit cards, and linking with partners like American Airlines to earn bonus points. And of course, moving up the elite status tiers to earn even more bonus points on stays.
Other Changes for Hyatt Rewards
Hyatt Rewards began offering peak and off-peak point redemptions and Points + Cash reward bookings in October 2021. Redemptions are as low as 3,500 for stays during off-peak times at Category 1 hotels, standard rates for the same properties are 5,000 points, and they start at 6,500 points during peak travel times.
If you haven’t already joined the World of Hyatt Rewards program yet, that’s a good place to start. Get your matching MGM status and link your AAdvantage account to access those bonuses. Also, consider signing up for the hotel chain’s co-branded card to really jump-start your points balance, and to get a free night on your anniversary.
You can also use the 60,000 sign-up point bonus to stay at a Category 1 hotel off-peak for 17 nights with those new off-peak rates. Or you might decide to use 40,000 of them for one night at a resort. But when you see how fast these points add up using the various strategies outlined, you may just decide to aim for Globalist status.
Are you still trying to decide which hotel rewards program to join? Take a look at our Marriott Bonvoy Guide and Hilton Honors Guide for details.
What has been your experience with Hyatt Rewards? Let us know in the comment section below.
