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The World of Hyatt program is beloved by award travelers for its relatively predictable award pricing. While other major hotel programs (Marriott, Hilton, and IHG) use dynamic award pricing, Hyatt still assigns each property an award category and publishes award pricing for each category.
Well, we've got good news and bad news. The good news is that Hyatt reiterated its commitment to using published award charts. The bad news is that those award charts are about to get a lot more complicated.
Beginning in May 2026, World of Hyatt will adopt a new award chart with five tiers of pricing for each category. But that's not all that's changing with the World of Hyatt program. Hyatt plans to roll out some genuine improvements to its program later this year.
Here's what to know about upcoming World of Hyatt changes — as well as a surprise devaluation that took effect today.
Page Contents
New World of Hyatt Award Charts
The biggest changes to the World of Hyatt program are new award charts set to launch sometime in May 2026 (exact date to be announced). Every Hyatt award chart — from standard rooms to suites at all-inclusive wellness resorts — is adopting new five-tier pricing, ranging from very-off-peak “Lowest” to ultra-peak “Top.”
These aren't just minor tweaks. New award pricing will vary by up 300% for the same room. And the most-expensive night on Hyatt's award chart will increase from 137,000 to 160,000 points per night.
Standard rooms
Hyatt uses an 8-category award chart for most of its properties. The “Standard Room” chart is what you'll refer to — unless you want to book a suite or a room with club access. Here's a before-and-after award chart comparison showing how pricing is changing for a base room:
That's a ton of numbers. To save you from having to squint, here's the new Hyatt standard room award chart:
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,000 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 9,000 |
| 2 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 3 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 22,500 | 25,000 |
| 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 |
| 8 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
The cheapest Category 1 hotels are changing from a band of 3,500 to 6,500 points to a much wider band of 3,000 points to 9,000 points — a 3x spread! At the top end, the award chart increases from 45,000 to 75,000 points per night for the most expensive Category 8 nights.
In discussions with Hyatt, the company said that awards won't clearly “map over” from Off-Peak to Low, Standard to Moderate, and Peak to Upper. And Hyatt insisted that these changes won't meaningfully decrease the value of World of Hyatt points.
However, the midpoints of the old and new charts are increasing by 17% to 38%:
| Category | Current "Standard" Award Chart Pricing | Upcoming "Moderate" Award Chart Pricing | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | 6,000 | 20% |
| 2 | 8,000 | 10,000 | 25% |
| 3 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 25% |
| 4 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 33% |
| 5 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 25% |
| 6 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 20% |
| 7 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 17% |
| 8 | 40,000 | 55,000 | 38% |
Sure, some award nights might conceivably go down. The cheapest Hyatt awards will drop from 3,500 to 3,000 points. Category 5 “Lowest” awards will price at 15,000 points vs. 17,000 for off-peak Category 5 now. But generally, award travelers will need to see a lot of “Lowest” and “Low” availability in order for rates not to effectively increase.
Hyatt all-inclusive resort award chart
Hyatt is making similar changes to its award chart for all-inclusive resorts — which range from letters “A” to “F.” Here's the new Hyatt award chart for all-inclusive resorts:
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 12,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 22,500 | 25,000 |
| B | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| C | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| D | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 |
| E | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
| F | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 | 85,000 |
The pricing bands aren't as drastic for these properties, but “Top” is generally around double the pricing of the “Lowest” pricing. And again, unless Hyatt prices a lot of nights at Lowest and Low rates, this is going to be a modest increase from current rates. Here's how the midpoints of each chart compare:
| Category | Current "Standard" Award Chart Pricing | Upcoming "Moderate" Award Chart Pricing | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 15,000 | 20,000 | 33% |
| B | 20,000 | 25,000 | 25% |
| C | 25,000 | 30,000 | 20% |
| D | 30,000 | 35,000 | 17% |
| E | 40,000 | 55,000 | 38% |
| F | 50,000 | 65,000 | 30% |
No changes to redeeming Hyatt Free Night Awards
We were curious how these award chart changes might impact Hyatt Free Night Awards — which can be earned through Hyatt credit cards, Hyatt Milestone Rewards, and Brand Explorer. Currently, Hyatt Category 1-4 certificates can be redeemed for up to 18,000 points in value (Cat 4 Peak) while Category 1-7 certs are worth up to 35,000 points (Cat 7 Peak).
Would these certificates be redeemable for awards now costing up to 25,000 points and 55,000 points, respectively?
Hyatt confirms that the answer is yes. Free Night Award certificates will continue to be redeemable for any award night in eligible categories — even Upper and Top nights.
- Earn up to 5 free nights. Earn 3 free nights after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, 2 free nights after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 6 months. Free nights can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort worldwide.
- 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
Hyatt's 2026 Category Changes
Today's announcement mostly focuses on upcoming changes to the Hyatt award chart. But Hyatt also shared what to expect from this year's award category changes.
Hyatt just changed categories for 7 properties
Effective today, Hyatt changed the categories for seven properties. As you might expect with a no-notice change, this isn't good news. The following properties just increased one category overnight:
- Andaz Pattaya Jomtien Beach
- Hyatt Centric Malta
- Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort
- Hyatt Place San Antonio – Northwest/Medical Center
- Grand Hyatt Incheon
The Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman Resort & Spa increased two categories — before even opening. Meanwhile, Hyatt decreased The Barnett (part of the JdV by Hyatt brand) by one category with immediate effect.
Further category changes coming in May
Hyatt plans to do its “normal” category changes sometime in May. These changes will be announced in April, giving members time to book stays before the changes take effect.
Hyatt notes that these category changes will be “in line” with past years. If that holds true, we can expect around 100 properties to change category — with more increasing than decreasing.
Hyatt also confirmed that anyone with an existing stay at a property decreasing in category will get an automatic refund of the points difference. That's a traveler-friendly policy that Hyatt should certainly be applauded for.
We'll share more details once we get them in April.
Additional World of Hyatt Enhancements
Along with this announcement, Hyatt teased two enhancements coming later this year.
Digital points sharing
Over the past couple of years, Hyatt has made it incredibly easy to share rewards between members. Guest of Honor certificates can be transferred digitally. Hyatt Free Night Awards can be shared with friends and family with a few clicks.
However, one aspect still requires filling out a form and either emailing or faxing it to member services: Points sharing. Thankfully, that's going away. Later this year, World of Hyatt plans to (finally) introduce digital points sharing.
Extended award booking window
Right now, all World of Hyatt members have the same award booking window. But that's also set to change. Starting sometime in 2026, cardholders and select elites will get to book awards a month earlier than other World of Hyatt members.
This expanded award booking window will be available to Explorist, Globalist, Lifetime Globalist, and all World of Hyatt cardmembers.
Hyatt clarified that these eligible members will be able to start booking awards up to 13 months in advance. Discoverist elites and general members will still get the current 12-month award booking window.
Final Thoughts
The World of Hyatt stands apart from its competitors in utilizing fixed-rate award charts for almost all affiliated properties (although still not Mr & Mrs Smith properties). Even after the introduction of peak and off-peak pricing in 2021, travelers still had a pretty good idea how much they'd need to pay for an award night.
These new Hyatt award charts muddy that situation. Rather than a relatively narrow band of award pricing (e.g., 3,500 to 6,500 points for Category 1), each category will have a much wider range of potential award prices (e.g., 3,000 to 9,000 points for Category 1). That makes Hyatt award pricing that much less predictable for award travelers saving up points for that future trip.
In a conversation about these changes, Hyatt noted that these new award charts will help the “long-term sustainability” of the World of Hyatt program. These wider award pricing bands could make it easier to maintain or even reduce award categories for properties. For instance, hotels near college campuses could drop a category since the property can still charge “Top” award prices for football and graduation weekends.
This is a solid argument for why Hyatt needs ultra-peak pricing — but it doesn't explain the award pricing creep in the midpoint of award charts.
Hyatt argues that these new changes “shouldn't meaningfully change the value of Hyatt points.” And we hope that's the case. We will be watching closely to see.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The World of Hyatt Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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