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One of the unique features of the World of Hyatt program is the Guest of Honor benefit. During Guest of Honor stays, guests can enjoy the in-hotel perks typically afforded to top-tier Globalist members even if they don't have elite status themselves.
Here's everything you need to know about Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards, including how to earn, use, and gift them — if you're feeling generous.
What Is a Hyatt Guest of Honor Award?
Guest of Honor Awards are one of the many perks offered to Hyatt members through the Hyatt Milestone Rewards program. These single-use awards can be used for your own stay or shared with another member, allowing the guest to enjoy Globalist benefits for the duration of the stay.
In the past, Hyatt Globalist members could book an unlimited number of Guest of Honor stays for other members. But that changed in 2024, when the Guest of Honor benefit became a single-use Hyatt Milestone Reward as part of a broader World of Hyatt program revamp.
What Benefits Do You Get as a Guest of Honor?
When a Guest of Honor Award is applied to an eligible stay of up to seven nights, the guest receives Globalist in-hotel benefits, including:
- Free breakfast or club access for all registered guests (up to two adults and two children)
- Room upgrades, including standard suites, when available
- Waived resort, destination, or facility fees on eligible paid rates and award stays, subject to exclusions
- Free parking on eligible award nights when parking can be charged to the room
- Late checkout until 4 p.m. — when available
- Premium internet at no cost
- Complimentary bottled water
While some of these perks aren't particularly exceptional (I'm looking at you, bottled water), others can help the Guest of Honor recipient save money and enjoy their stay — such as having resort fees waived, free parking on award stays, or enjoying complimentary breakfast for up to four people each day.
Related: Hyatt Club Access Awards: Your Guide to Earning, Using, and Gifting These Valuable Perks
How To Earn Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards
Guest of Honor Awards are earned at several Hyatt Milestone Rewards thresholds, with members able to earn up to 10 awards each calendar year:
- 40 nights or 65,000 base points: One award
- 60 nights or 100,000 base points: Two awards (total of three)
- 70 nights: One award (total of four)
- 80 nights: One award (total of five)
- 90 nights: One award (total of six)
- 110 nights: One award (total of seven)
- 120 nights: One award (total of eight)
- 130 nights: One award (total of nine)
- 140 nights: One award (total of 10)
Qualifying nights earned through The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card also count toward Milestone Rewards thresholds, so you don't necessarily need to spend 40 nights in Hyatt hotels to earn your first Guest of Honor Award.
- Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points. Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
- Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
- Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
- Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
- Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
- Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
- Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays - 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
- Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- Member FDIC
- Up to 9X points total per $1 spent at Hyatt - 4X points per $1 when you use your card at Hyatt hotels & 5X points per $1 you can earn as a World of Hyatt member
- 2X points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airlines tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point per $1 everywhere else
By the time members qualify for Globalist each year at 60 nights or 100,000 base points, they'll have earned three Guest of Honor Awards. From there, they'll earn another Guest of Honor Award at most 10-night Milestone Rewards thresholds, all the way up to 140 qualifying nights in a year.
Track your Hyatt Guest of Honor balance and get email alerts before your certificates expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account and then linking your World of Hyatt account to AwardWallet.
Bonus Guest of Honor Awards for Lifetime Globalists
Hyatt treats its ultra-loyal Lifetime Globalist members a bit differently. In addition to any Guest of Honor Awards earned through Milestone Rewards, Lifetime Globalists receive five bonus Guest of Honor Awards every March.
Enjoy Globalist perks before earning Globalist status
World of Hyatt members get their first Guest of Honor Award before even reaching Hyatt Globalist elite status. That's not a mistake — it's an intentional aspect of the program.
That means members who haven't yet reached Globalist can use a Guest of Honor Award on their own stay to enjoy Globalist benefits for up to seven nights. For example, you could use the award at a high-end Hyatt to score complimentary breakfast for up to two adults and two children, along with other valuable Globalist perks.
When do Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards expire?
Milestone Guest of Honor Awards are valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which they're earned plus 14 months. To use an award, your stay must have a checkout date on or before its expiration date.
Guest of Honor Awards issued annually to Lifetime Globalists work differently, expiring 12 months after they're issued.
How To Use Your Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards
Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards can be applied to eligible paid rates and award bookings — or a mix of both through Hyatt Pay My Way. That means you can enjoy Globalist benefits during an eligible stay regardless of whether you're paying with cash, points, or a combination of the two.
Or perhaps you have a friend or family member going on a honeymoon. They can book their own stay using cash or points, and you can share a Guest of Honor Award so they can enjoy Globalist benefits during their trip.
Related: Sweet Spots for World of Hyatt Award Redemptions
Steps to apply a Guest of Honor Award
If you have an available Guest of Honor Award, you'll see the option to use it when making a hotel reservation. Simply check the box next to the award to apply it to your stay.
When choosing your rate on the next page, you won't find any mention of the Guest of Honor benefit. However, you'll see it on the final page before confirming your payment.
You'll also see the Guest of Honor Award listed on the confirmation page after completing your reservation.
While Globalist members may see the option to apply a Guest of Honor Award to their own stay, there's no reason to do so since they already receive Globalist benefits. Instead, Globalists can get more value by sharing their awards with other World of Hyatt members — plus earn an elite qualifying night when the recipient uses the award. More about this below.
Gifting Guest of Honor Awards to Other Members
Under the old Guest of Honor program, Globalists had to book Guest of Honor stays for other members using their own points. The transition to single-use Guest of Honor Awards added another option: You can now transfer an award directly to another World of Hyatt member.
This allows you to gift a Guest of Honor Award even if the recipient doesn't have firm travel plans yet. Once transferred, the award will appear in their account for them to use on an eligible stay before it expires.
Note that awards can only be transferred once. That means the recipient won't be able to transfer the award back to you if they're unable to use it. So, be careful before transferring awards to someone else.
To gift an award from the Hyatt app (or from Hyatt's website), navigate to your “Account,” where you'll see your available awards and their expiration dates.
Select the award you want to share, then tap on “Gift.”
You'll then need to provide the recipient's last name and membership number. The recipient must be a World of Hyatt member to receive the award.
The award should show in the recipient's account immediately. Both you and the recipient will also receive an email confirming the transfer.
Earning Elite Night Credits on Guest of Honor Awards
There's another incentive to share your Guest of Honor Awards: You'll earn one qualifying night each time an award is used by another member, regardless of whether their stay is one night or seven nights.
Interestingly, that means Guest of Honor Awards can potentially help you earn more Milestone Rewards — and even more Guest of Honor Awards. For example, members will have earned six Guest of Honor Awards by the time they reach 90 qualifying nights. If all six are used by other members, that's another six qualifying nights toward the next Milestone Rewards threshold.
Keep in mind that the qualifying night will only post to your account once the stay is completed. So, make sure that you factor that timing into your plans for elite status credit.
How To Maximize a Hyatt Guest of Honor Award
Since Guest of Honor Awards can be applied to stays of up to seven nights, it pays to be strategic about when you use one.
Generally, you'll get the most value on longer stays at properties where Globalist benefits can save you significant money. Think high-end resorts with pricey breakfast, resort fees, and expensive parking, along with properties where you might score a valuable room or suite upgrade.
For example, free parking on eligible award stays can be particularly valuable at properties where nightly parking rates are steep, provided the parking charges can be billed to your room.
That doesn't mean every stay is worth a Guest of Honor Award. Before applying one, consider the length of your stay and which Globalist benefits you'll actually be able to use. The more valuable perks you can take advantage of over multiple nights, the more value you're likely to get from your award.
Bottom Line
Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards are one of the more unique perks of the World of Hyatt program, letting members share valuable Globalist benefits with friends and family — or enjoy those perks themselves before reaching Globalist status.
Since Guest of Honor Awards can be used on eligible paid or award stays of up to seven nights, there's plenty of opportunity to get significant value from them. And if you share an award with another member, you'll even earn a qualifying night once they complete their stay.
Page Contents
- What Is a Hyatt Guest of Honor Award?
- What Benefits Do You Get as a Guest of Honor?
- How To Earn Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards
- How To Use Your Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards
- Gifting Guest of Honor Awards to Other Members
- Earning Elite Night Credits on Guest of Honor Awards
- How To Maximize a Hyatt Guest of Honor Award
- Bottom Line
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
