Hyatt has today announced its award category changes for 2025 that take place a month from now.
There are 151 hotels total, roughly 11% of Hyatt’s system moving mainly up (78%) and some down (22%) on March 25 at 8 AM CT.
You can access Hyatt’s page for award category changes here.
READ MORE: World of Hyatt Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Note that you can lock in the current pricing if you make the award reservation before the deadline. The new point requirements will kick in if you need to modify the stay later.
Points advance reservations don’t lock in the current price, and if you later apply a suite upgrade certificate, the award reservation will be priced at the new level.
Hotels moving to Hyatt’s highest category 8:
- Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
- Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
- Grand Hyatt Tokyo
- IL Tornabuoni Hotel
- Park Hyatt Tokyo
World of Hyatt March 25, 2025 Award Category Changes:
Conclusion
This is not as bad as one might have expected, but I don’t like that there are fewer hotels where you can use your up to cat 4 free-night certs and an ever-increasing list of Category 8 hotels where you cannot use the Cat 1 – 7 one.
Park Hyatt Tokyo, currently closed for renovations, will become category 8, as will the Andaz and Grand Hyatt hotels in Tokyo.
Frequently Asked Questions by Hyatt:
- Why is the Award Chart changing?
Every year World of Hyatt performs an audit of the number of points required to redeem a free night and Points + Cash at each property. A hotel’s award category may be adjusted based on the current market conditions.
- How will the World of Hyatt Award Chart change?
Some hotels will move to a higher category, and some hotels will move to a lower category. No other changes are being made to the chart at this time.
- When will the changes to the award chart become effective?
Effective 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, World of Hyatt will adjust the award categories for 151 hotels.
- How many hotels are shifting to a higher category?
118 hotels will move to a higher award category. Free night award redemptions at these hotels will require additional World of Hyatt points for reservations made or modified beginning at 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025.
- How many hotels are shifting to a lower category?
33 hotels will move to a lower award category. Free night award redemptions at these hotels will require fewer World of Hyatt points effective 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025.
- What are the current standard point redemption values for each free night award category?
The standard point values for each category aren’t changing. They remain as listed below:
Category 1 = 5,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 2 = 8,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 3 = 12,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 4 = 15,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 5 = 20,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 6 = 25,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 7 = 30,000 World of Hyatt points
Category 8 = 40,000 World of Hyatt points
- What are the current standard point redemption values for each free night award category at all-inclusive resorts?
The standard point values for each category aren’t changing. They remain as listed below:
Category A = 15,000 World of Hyatt points
Category B = 20,000 World of Hyatt points
Category C = 25,000 World of Hyatt points
Category D = 30,000 World of Hyatt points
Category E = 40,000 World of Hyatt points
Category F = 50,000 World of Hyatt points
- Are any existing Hyatt hotels moving into Category 8?
Yes, 6 Hyatt properties are moving into Category 8 with this change. These include:
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Grand Hyatt Tokyo
IL Tornabuoni Hotel
Park Hyatt Tokyo
- For free night award redemption reservations made before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, which award chart will be effective?
All free night award redemptions booked before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, will follow the current Award Chart. For example, if you book an award night prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, for a stay that occurs on March 25, 2025, or after, the current Award Chart will apply. Any free night award redemptions booked or modified at 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, or after will follow the new Award Chart.
- For Category 1-4 award and Category 1-7 award reservations made before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, which award chart will be effective?
All Hyatt Category 1-4 and 1-7 free night awards booked before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, will follow the current Award Chart. For example, if you book a category 1-4 or 1-7 free night award night prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, for a stay that occurs on March 25, 2025, or after, the current Award Chart will apply. Any Category 1-4 or 1-7 free night award redemption booked or modified at 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, or after will follow the new Award Chart.
- How will award nights booked prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, be impacted if the hotel I am staying at now requires more points?
Any Free Night or Points + Cash Award booked prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, at a property that is shifting to a higher category and will require more points will not be affected. Reservations will remain in place at the originally booked point level. For example, a Free Night Award booked at a Category 1 hotel for 5,000 points before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, that is moving to a Category 2 hotel for 8,000 points will remain at 5,000 points. If the member subsequently cancels this Free Night Award, only 5,000 points will be returned to the member’s account because the member only used 5,000 points originally.
- How will award nights booked prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, be impacted if the hotel I am staying at now requires fewer points?
Any Free Night or Points + Cash Award booked prior to 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, for nights on or after March 25, 2025, at a property that is shifting to a lower category and will require fewer points will receive an adjustment. World of Hyatt Guest Care Center will proactively deposit the point difference into a member’s account starting on March 26, 2025. If the reservation that received an adjustment is canceled, the points originally deducted for the award reservation will be returned to the member’s account and the adjusted points will be removed from the member’s account.
For example, a member with a Free Night Award booked before 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, for a Category 2 hotel for 8,000 points that is moving to a Category 1 hotel that requires 5,000 points at 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, will receive 3,000 points returned to his/her account. If the member subsequently cancels this Free Night Award, the 8,000 point award will be returned to the member’s account and then the 3,000 points adjustment will be removed.
- Starting at 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, how will modifications to existing reservations be handled?
Any modifications made to reservations at or after 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, will follow the terms of the new Award Chart. At or after 8:00 a.m. CT, March 25, 2025, any modifications to Category 1-4 or 1-7 Award Night reservations that cause an award to be reissued cannot be redeemed for hotels that moved above Category 4 or 7 as part of these changes.
