If you’ve ever looked at pictures of Antarctica and thought, “Wow, I wish I could use Hyatt points to go there.” Well, now’s your chance. Beginning today, Sept 26, 2019, World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points for use with Lindblad Expeditions, the pioneer in expedition travel.
What Is Lindblad Expeditions?
Lindblad Expeditions started in 1958, with Lars-Eric Lindblad. An adventurer who wanted to go really far off the beaten path, Lars-Eric formed his own company and took anyone who wanted to go with him. His “organized” travels took civilians to Svalbard, Antarctica, the Galapagos, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, and the Amazon, among others. All of his trips were formed “with the focus of creating experiences that foster an understanding and appreciation of the most remote and pristine places on the globe.”
Lars-Eric’s son Sven began Special Expeditions as a branch of Lindblad Travel in 1979, offering “innovative and educational” marine travel expeditions. In 2004, Lindblad Expeditions joined forces with National Geographic to further sustainable expedition travel. And in 2019, Lindblad announced they were going carbon-neutral, offsetting ship emissions, New York and Seattle offices, and even employee travel.
Now, with a fleet of eight National Geographic ships (and several more on the way), plus five chartered ships, Lindblad offers itineraries to every corner of the globe.
Lindblad Expeditions have an extensive family travel program, offer scholarships to science teachers, conduct research, promote photography, and introduce new generations to our world at large.
Ships hold less than 200 passengers. Leave the dinner jacket at home, too — Lindblad ships are casual and entirely at the whims of nature. It’s not uncommon for the expedition leader to wake you up at 6am with a soft voice over the intercom announcing wildlife, or to be woken at 3am by a tapping on your door to indicate northern lights in Alaska’s late summer season. Meals can – and often are – interrupted by wildlife sightings.
Lindblad Expeditions and World of Hyatt
This new and exciting partnership between Lindblad and Hyatt is unique in the hotel world.
Not only can World of Hyatt members earn points, they can also redeem points for free expeditions! Hyatt says this partnership is “yet another example of Hyatt’s continued commitment to listening to the wants and needs of its members and delivering more distinct and personalized experiences beyond the traditional hotel stay.”
If you recall, Hyatt has in recent months partnered with Small Luxury Hotels, American Airlines, and Two Roads Hospitality.
Every single one of these partnerships (that we have covered extensively here at Point Me) aims to expand the world of the Hyatt member into luxury lifestyle, destination brands, and – now – adventure travel.
Imagine using your WOH points to help take a wanderlist-worthy trip to the ends of the earth – Antarctica – and being able to redeem even more to stay at the stunning Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau in Buenos Aires for a few nights before embarking on the trip of a lifetime.
Or spending time in Nam Nghi Phu Quoc, an Unbound Collection property in Vietnam, and then boarding a Lindblad expedition on the Mekong. The pairings are endless, and I am so excited.
Our World of Hyatt Expansion Posts
- Expanded: World of Hyatt Reaches 200+ Small Luxury Hotels
- Hyatt’s SLH Properties – Full Sortable List with Categories – Redemptions, Elite Benefit Details & Destination Overview
- Small Luxury Hotels in Europe
- Hyatt’s Footprint Expands: My Top 5 Choices from SLH
- Our Favorite Small Luxury Hotels in Australia and New Zealand
- Our Favorite Small Luxury Hotels in Asia, Bali, and The Maldives
- Hyatt Acquires Two Roads Hospitality, Adds 23 New Markets for WOH
- World of Hyatt Officially Adds Thompson Hotels to its Portfolio
- Hyatt’s Footprint Expands: My Top 5 Choices from Two Road Hospitality
- Hyatt Welcomes New Destination Hotels, Adds More Choice For Members
- The Beekman New York, Now Bookable With Hyatt Prive Benefits
What Do World of Hyatt Members Get?
As noted above, World of Hyatt members earn five base points per $1 USD of eligible spend, not including incidentals. They receive standard elite tier Bonus Points on eligible spend, not including incidentals (10% Discoverist, 20% Explorist, 30% Globalist). And WOH members are able to redeem points to use for free expeditions. No word on the number of points required.
Member benefits include:
-
- $250 on-board credit to use on expeditions
- Elite tier qualifying night credits for eligible nights on a Lindblad expedition
- Members can purchase or redeem points for specially curated Lindblad Expedition experiences during limited-times through FIND
- World of Hyatt Credit Cardmembers can earn an additional 4x points per $1 USD of eligible spend on Lindblad Expeditions. Hyatt Credit Cardmembers can earn an additional 3x points per $1 USD of eligible spend on Lindblad Expeditions.
- AAdvantage® members with elite status (Gold or higher) who are also members of World of Hyatt and have linked their accounts can earn 1 AAdvantage bonus mile per $1 USD of eligible spend on Lindblad Expeditions
The Upshot
Hyatt has really opened doors for its clients – worldly adventurers with expendable income – to truly explore the world.
This partnership with Lindblad Expeditions highlights Hyatt’s goal to become a global travel industry powerhouse. It’s strategic partnerships with American Airlines, Small Luxury Hotels, Two Roads Hospitality, and now Lindblad, allow members to earn and redeem points across a wide variety of experiences, as well as combine various elements for a truly unique vacation.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
