Last month, Hyatt announced their annual category changes. There are 130 properties moving a category up and 129 properties moving down which is a massive Hyatt category change. Category changes take place on March 18th (exactly 11:01PM CST), so reservations at current award prices need to be made before then.
The Current Hyatt Award Chart
Hyatt Category Change
In total, 259 properties are changing categories. You can check out the entire list here.
Here are some of the specifics from Hyatt’s page regarding bookings made before or after:
- When you book before March 18th, your reservations will follow the current free night award chart.
- Reservations made on or after March 18th will follow the new free night award chart and incorporate the updates noted below.
- Existing reservations for nights on or after March 19th will receive a refund for the point difference if the hotel moved to a lower category.
Maximizing The World Of Hyatt Credit Card Annual Free Night
For many of us, the question is which properties can we no longer use for our Hyatt Credit Card Annual Free Night benefit? The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers an annual free night certificate at card anniversary every year. There is an annual fee of $95 and the free night certificate can be used at Category 1-4 hotels.
The good news is there are now 12 more properties bookable with the category 1-4 free night certificates as they move from category 5 to 4.
The bad news is there are now 18 fewer properties bookable, including the popular Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica. These 18 hotels increase from category 4 to 5.
Hotels No Longer Available for Free Night Benefit (From Category 4 to 5)
- Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco
- Hyatt Place Dewey Beach
- Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami
- Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa
- Hyatt Regency Boston
- Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown
- Grand Hyatt DFW
- Hyatt House Virginia Beach / Oceanfront
- Grand Hyatt Seattle
- Hyatt at Olive
- Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo
- Hyatt Regency Cologne
- Park Hyatt Hamburg
- Hyatt Regency Amsterdam
- Hyatt Regency Sochi
- Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
- Park Hyatt Busan
- Hyatt Regency Guam
On a personal note, I’m very sorry to see the Grand Hyatt Seattle lose the category 4 because it’s my go-to hotel in Seattle and a great use of the free night award. (See my review here.)
The Hyatt Regency in Amsterdam is a property I’ve been wanting to try, and as a Park Hyatt fan girl, I’m sad to see the PH Busan and PH Hamburg go up in category.
Hotels Now Available for Free Night Benefit (From Category 5 to 4)
- Andaz San Diego
- Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
- Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach
- Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile
- Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago
- Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina
- Hyatt House Jersey City
- Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson
- Park Hyatt Istanbul – Macka Palas
- Hyatt Regency Kiev
- Park Hyatt Zanzibar
- Park Hyatt Hangzhou
I predict the San Diego Hyatt properties now available for the award night certificate will be hugely popular. The Hyatt Centric Waikiki is the next property in Waikiki that I’ll try. Though I already have a go-to Hyatt I love in Waikiki, I did take a tour of the Centric and it looked fantastic.
Big Changes in Hawaii
Hawaii is popular as a holiday destination, perhaps even more so with Southwest Airlines opening up flights to the islands. If you enjoy Hawaii, take note of these property category changes. The two Hyatt properties in Maui, the Andaz and the Hyatt Regency Maui, are both moving up a category. The Hyatt in Kauai remains the same category. As I mentioned, the best news is that the hotel in Waikiki I want to sample next, the Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach, is moving down to a category 4.
When I book award tickets for my international travels, I always leave that part to Juicy Miles!
Other Popular Properties Changing Categories
Some other popular properties are moving up in category:
- Hyatt Regency Bali — from a category 1 to 2
(See our recent review of this property here. It’s still a good value at Category 2.) - Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa — from a category 3 to 4
- Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country — from a category 3 to 4
- Andaz Napa — from a category 5 to 6
- Hyatt Centric Park City — from a category 5 to 6
- Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa — from a category 6 to 7
The Upshot
Destinations I travel to such as Hong Kong, San Francisco, Seattle, and Western Europe lost opportunities for me to use my free award night as well as stay for less Hyatt points. I’m taking a closer look at the properties going down in category and seeing which of those appeal to me. I’m sure I’ll find some I hadn’t considered before.
If you have your eye on one of the properties increasing in price, book by March 18th to lock in the lower award rate. If you’re booking an award stay at one of the properties decreasing in price, make your move on Monday, March 18th once they drop in Hyatt award category.
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