AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
Back in December 2019, Hyatt announced it would be changing the way award nights are priced. Those plans were temporarily put on hold, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But as of October 26, 2021, Hyatt implemented these changes for all nights stayed on March 1, 2022 or after.
Here's what you need to know about the new peak and off-peak pricing.
The New Structure
- Off-peak: During off-peak dates, fewer points will be required. Free nights start at as low as 3,500 points per night.
- Standard: For standard-pricing periods, free nights will start at 5,000 points. This chart reflects the pricing currently being used.
- Peak: At peak-pricing periods, the number of points required for a free night start at 6,500 points. Peak award prices cost no more than 5,000 points more than the Standard point requirement.
Key Things to Know
- Hyatt's new peak- and off-peak pricing began on Tuesday, October 26, 2021.
- Peak pricing only affects stays starting March 1, 2022.
- Award stays will continue to price at the Standard rate for nights stayed through February 28, 2022.
- The new structure applies to all award nights, regardless of room type.
- Points + Cash awards will also use the Hyatt off-peak and peak pricing.
- Hotel categories are not changing.
- Free Night Award certificates, which are category-based, are not be affected by these changes.
What if the price of my reservation changes?
- Existing award bookings that change to off-peak on October 26, 2021 will automatically be refunded the difference in points.
- If a booking changes to peak pricing, Hyatt will not charge additional points.
Going forward, Hyatt has stated that it will announce the new rates for award redemptions as soon as nights are available for reservations. Usually, this is around 13 months in advance.
Related Content: World of Hyatt Rewards Program – A Complete Guide
Milestone Rewards Won't Change
Milestone Rewards, which are awards based on how many nights you've stayed, won't change. Neither will the usability of the awards you get from these stays.
A good example here is free night award certificates. Category 1-4 or Category 1-7 free night certificates will remain unchanged. You can earn these certificates by holding the The World of Hyatt Credit Card or by unlocking various achievements through Hyatt Milestone Rewards.
For the entire list of Hyatt's Milestone Rewards, click here.
Final Thoughts
It's always a little nerve-wracking when you hear that an award chart is being changed. It's even more terrifying when these changes come from one of the most beloved hospitality brands out there. Fortunately, Hyatt's implementation of a seasonal award chart with peak- and off-peak pricing isn't all that negative. In some situations, it can even work out better.
What do you think about Hyatt moving to a peak and off-peak model of pricing?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
We knew this was coming. At some point something had to change. Hyatt needs to compete with everyone else. It does make me nervous what other changes they might be considering. I’ll just have to make sure to price out what I am looking for later to keep up with what I might need, because I am looking for what I might in 2023.
I think that dynamic award pricing was inevitable. Fixed rewards was just too good and made peak season even busier in some cases. This will probably spread people out more throughout the year.
I still think Hyatt provides the best value for your points.
If you can be flexible, there will likely be some real deals out there in the off peak pricing season. I love to stay in Hyatts in Washington DC, so here’s hoping there’s some real values to be had in the slow months.
Good info, then we will have to reserve the rooms before the changes are implemented
This must be cosidered as a points devaluation
Bad news 🙁
Change is always expected in the loyalty program and it is usually for the worse. In this case, it is not all that bad.
It’s a pity, using awards during a peak time usually was a great value and a good way to avoid the insane rates.
This is unfortunate. I’ve always found Hyatt to be good value when I need to book a room in an expensive area like New York, but I fear this will make that less useful.
Good to know about the changes. Off peak booking will be the best savings for this change.
So, now all the major players offer dynamic award pricing.
I agree that it’s not all negative but it becomes negative when every night starts to become a peak night!
Yes, let’s hope it doesn’t come to resemble off-peak pricing for MLB games. It seems like only a weekday game… in April… against the Pirates is off-peak.
Booooooo. 🙁 I guess we knew it was coming. Hopefully it’s not 30 weeks of peak pricing and two weeks of off peak.
Ditto. If much of the year is defined by standard and off-peak, then this is only a minor change, and overall a win-win for everyone (except those who want to book during holidays). If the calendar is disproportionately skewed toward peak (my expectation), then this is just a devaluation with a courtesy heads-up.
At least there is warning the changing are coming.
By warning you mean 5 days? 🙁 I’m curious what the breakdown will be. No way will there be equal weeks of peak and off peak. I’d bet there will be more peak days than off peak days.
I’m not crazy about this move, but it could’ve been worse. They still have better award pricing than Marriott, Hilton et al and provide better service and benefits too.
thanks, just booked, almost forgot!
Sounds like a good deal if you can be flexible. But, it adds another layer of complexity if you are trying to maximize flights and hotel stays with points.
Smart strategy to get more occupancy rate.
Thanks
It seems inevitable…
Too bad I have no trips planned right now. Hope that they are off-peak when I book them.