2019 World Of Hyatt Category Changes To Take Effect March 18

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It’s safe to say that 2019 has already been a year of hotel program devaluations. From Marriott’s upcoming category changes to the IHG Rewards Club’s award chart changes in January and Radisson Rewards’ upcoming adjustments, many travelers have likely been left with trepidation any time a program announces new pricing for stays booked using points.Well, the World of Hyatt program is now joining the fray, as it has released hotel category changes that will take effect March 18, 2019. While it looks like a relative wash between properties moving up and those moving down, a closer look reveals that we’re facing yet another devaluation in the coming weeks.The BasicsWill your favorite Hyatt be increasing in cost? Photo by Summer Hull / TPG.Let’s start with the base information. These changes impact 259 hotels in the World of Hyatt program, with 130 hotels moving up one category and 129 moving down one category. It’s worth noting that no properties are moving into the program’s newest tier (Category 8), which is still reserved solely for select properties from the Small Luxury Hotels of the World partnership. In addition, all of the changes fall into Hyatt’s brands, so no SLH properties are increasing or decreasing in price. Please see the end of this post for a full table of properties going up in price and a separate table for properties dropping in price, or you can download the Excel spreadsheet I created with the full list.When you consider that there are currently 973 properties listed on Hyatt’s website (including SLH), over 25% of them are changing categories, with a roughly even split between those going up and down.Some other interesting numbers:The average nightly price increase for the 130 properties going up a category is 3,900 points.The average nightly price decrease for the 129 properties doing down a category is ~3,558 points.The overall average nightly price change across the entire portfolio of Hyatt is +185.33 points.The changes take effect for all stays booked on or after 11:01pm Central Time on Monday, March 18, 2019. This gives you exactly five weeks to lock in your stays at the current award rates for properties increasing in price. Note that Hyatt allows you to book roughly 13 months in advance, so you should be able to utilize current rates for stays through mid-April 2020. Again though, you must book before 11:01pm Central Time on March 18 to do so.Keep in mind too that, as is often the case with these award chart adjustments, any changes to reservations after this date and time will be subject to the new award pricing, so you can’t just redeem your points now and then firm up your plans later. You should do everything possible to finalize your dates before March 18.However, one very nice aspect of these changes is that you won’t need to rebook your reservations for hotels that are dropping a category. Here’s the statement we received from Hyatt along these lines (emphasis mine):Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.“For members who have existing reservations for nights after March 18 at any hotels moving to a lower award category that will require fewer World of Hyatt points, we will proactively refund the point difference. Points will be refunded in members’ accounts starting on Tuesday, March 19.“This is a very user-friendly approach to these changes, as members shouldn’t have to take any formal steps to get their points back.Properties Increasing in PriceThe Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica will soon require 20,000 points for a free night. (Photo courtesy of the hotel)As noted above, there are 130 properties increasing in price with these changes, including the following:18 are moving from Category 1 (5,000 points) to Category 2 (8,000 points).39 are moving from Category 2 (8,000 points) to Category 3 (12,000 points).34 are moving from Category 3 (12,000 points) to Category 4 (15,000 points).18 are moving from Category 4 (15,000 points) to Category 5 (20,000 points).17 are moving from Category 5 (20,000 points) to Category 6 (25,000 points).4 are moving from Category 6 (25,000 points) to Category 7 (30,000 points).As you can see, the majority of properties undergoing increases fall into the lower tier of Hyatt’s award chart; exactly 70% of them are Category 1-3. However, there are a couple of big implications with the other three categories, as we’ll explore more fully below.Properties Decreasing in PriceAlmost exactly the same number of properties (129) are decreasing in price with these award category changes. Here’s a breakdown of how these fall:52 are moving from Category 2 (8,000 points) to Category 1 (5,000 points).36 are moving from Category 3 (12,000 points) to Category 2 (8,000 points).23 are moving from Category 4 (15,000 points) to Category 3 (12,000 points).12 are moving from Category 5 (20,000 points) to Category 4 (15,000 points).6 are moving from Category 6 (25,000 points) to Category 5 (20,000 points).None are moving from Category 7 to Category 6.Once again, the bulk of these changes are clustered to the bottom, though it’s even more pronounced here.So what are the practical impacts of these changes? Let’s take a closer look.Free Night CertificatesYou’ll soon be able to use your free night certificates at the Hyatt Centric Waikiki. Photo by Zach Honig / TPG.One of the harder pills to swallow will apply to credit card holders. The World of Hyatt Credit Card (and the old Hyatt Credit Card, which is no longer available to new applicants) both offer a free night certificate every year upon renewal of the card, and this award is valid at Category 1-4 properties. Starting March 18, 2018, you have a net loss of six properties that are eligible for this perk. Even though that represents a tiny portion of the program’s overall portfolio, there are still some very notable hotels shifting from Category 4 to Category 5:Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula PapagayoGrand Hyatt SeattleHyatt at Olive 8 (also in Seattle)Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf (San Francisco)Hyatt Centric South Beach MiamiHyatt Regency AmsterdamHyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa (Florida)Hyatt Coconut Point (Summer Hull / The Points Guy)I’ve personally redeemed a free night certificate at the Grand Hyatt Seattle in the past, and I’ve been eyeing the Andaz in Costa Rica for a while now. Losing the ability to use your certificates at these properties is a major blow to the value proposition on the card.That being said, I do see some solid properties dropping from Category 5 to Category 4, thus making them eligible for these free night certificates:Andaz San DiegoTwo Hyatt Centric locations in ChicagoHyatt Centric Waikiki BeachThe Hyatt House and Hyatt Regency in Jersey CityPark Hyatt Istanbul - Macka PalasPark Hyatt ZanzibarHyatt Centric Waikiki (Zach Honig / The Points Guy)Again, a net loss of six hotels isn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things, but if you were eyeing any of the 18 moving up to Category 5 as a possible target for your free night award, you’ll be out of luck after March 18, 2019.(Note: If you’re expecting your free night certificate to arrive after March 18, you could try to book one of those properties now using points and then try to swap the points and the certificate at a later date. However, I’m almost certain that such a plan won’t work, since that would likely be considered a change to an existing reservation and thus be subject to the new award rates).Other Luxury IncreasesThe gorgeous Park Hyatt Mallorca is one property increasing in price. Photo by the author.There are some other notable properties that are jumping in price with these changes. While everyone has their own list of desirable Hyatts, here are the ones that jump out to me:Park Hyatt Mallorca (Category 5 to 6): I had a phenomenal stay at this property with my family shortly after it opened in 2016, so I’m not surprised to see it moving up a category.Andaz Maui (Category 6 to 7): This change is a bit of a head-scratcher. It’s already notorious for restricting award availability and has relatively few rooms even classified as standard accommodations, so I’m not sure why it needed to jump to an even higher category.Park Hyatt Maldives (Category 6 to 7): This change is one that many probably saw coming. There was general shock back in 2015 when it dropped down to Category 6, as paid rates typically start at $600+ per night. Picking up a massive, 165-square-meter villa for just 25,000 points per night was a terrific deal, so it’s no surprise to see the increase.Beach at Andaz Maui (photo by Sarah Silbert / The Points Guy)Again, for a full list of these award changes, you can see the tables below or download the Excel spreadsheet I created to filter the properties or crunch the numbers in other ways.Bottom LineIt’s always nerve-wracking to learn about a hotel program’s category changes, since it almost always means that award sweet spots are likely being devalued. That appears to be the case here with World of Hyatt, as many top properties are increasing in price. However, you have almost an equal number of hotels dropping in price, and the program is providing over a month’s worth of notice. If you’ve been thinking about a trip to one of the properties jumping a category, now’s the time to book before the new prices take effect on March 18.Table of Properties Increasing in PriceHotelPrevious CategoryPrevious PriceNew CategoryNew PriceHyatt House Atlanta Cobb Galleria15,00028,000Hyatt House Dallas/Las Colinas15,00028,000Hyatt House Fishkill/Poughkeepsie15,00028,000Hyatt Place Atlanta/Cobb Galleria15,00028,000Hyatt Place Boise/Downtown15,00028,000Hyatt Place Cleveland/Lyndhurst/Legacy Village15,00028,000Hyatt Place Cleveland/Westlake/Crocker Park15,00028,000Hyatt Place Detroit/Royal Oak15,00028,000Hyatt Place Fort Myers/At the Forum15,00028,000Hyatt Place Lansing Eastwood Towne Center15,00028,000Hyatt Place Novi15,00028,000Hyatt Place Phoenix Chandler-Fashion Center15,00028,000Hyatt Place Phoenix-Mesa15,00028,000Hyatt Place Phoenix-North15,00028,000Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert15,00028,000Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix Airport15,00028,000Hyatt Regency Bali15,00028,000Hyatt Regency Green Bay15,00028,000Hyatt House Anchorage28,000312,000Hyatt House Boston/Burlington28,000312,000Hyatt House Chicago/Evanston28,000312,000Hyatt House Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port28,000312,000Hyatt House Morristown28,000312,000Hyatt House Orlando Universal28,000312,000Hyatt House Pleasant Hill28,000312,000Hyatt House San Ramon28,000312,000Hyatt House Scottsdale/Old Town28,000312,000Hyatt House Seattle/Bellevue28,000312,000Hyatt Place Ann Arbor28,000312,000Hyatt Place Athens Downtown28,000312,000Hyatt Place Biloxi28,000312,000Hyatt Place Bloomington Indiana28,000312,000Hyatt Place Boston/Medford28,000312,000Hyatt Place Boulder/Pearl Street28,000312,000Hyatt Place Champaign/Urbana28,000312,000Hyatt Place Coconut Point28,000312,000Hyatt Place Columbia/Downtown/The Vista28,000312,000Hyatt Place Dublin/Pleasanton28,000312,000Hyatt Place Fremont/Silicon Valley28,000312,000Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center28,000312,000Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port28,000312,000Hyatt Place Madison Downtown28,000312,000Hyatt Place Manati28,000312,000Hyatt Place Minneapolis Downtown28,000312,000Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal28,000312,000Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown28,000312,000Hyatt Place Saratoga/Malta28,000312,000Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town28,000312,000Hyatt Place UC Davis28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Cartagena28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Fukuoka28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Morristown at HQP28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Moscow Petrovsky Park28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Saipan28,000312,000Hyatt Regency Tashkent28,000312,000Park Hyatt Mendoza28,000312,000Grand Hyatt Fukuoka312,000415,000Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center312,000415,000Hyatt House Augusta Downtown312,000415,000Hyatt House Belmont/Redwood Shores312,000415,000Hyatt House Charleston/Historic District312,000415,000Hyatt House Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area312,000415,000Hyatt House Naples/5th Avenue312,000415,000Hyatt House Pleasanton312,000415,000Hyatt House San Jose/Silicon Valley312,000415,000Hyatt House Santa Clara312,000415,000Hyatt House Seattle Downtown312,000415,000Hyatt Place Augusta312,000415,000Hyatt Place Charleston/Historic District312,000415,000Hyatt Place Chicago – South/University Medical Center312,000415,000Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop312,000415,000Hyatt Place Delray Beach312,000415,000Hyatt Place Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area312,000415,000Hyatt Place Long Island/East End312,000415,000Hyatt Place Pittsburgh-North Shore312,000415,000Hyatt Place Portland - Old Port312,000415,000Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown312,000415,000Hyatt Place South Bend/Mishawaka312,000415,000Hyatt Place State College312,000415,000Hyatt Place Washington DC/White House312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Bellevue312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Changbaishan312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Louisville312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Naha, Okinawa312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Santa Clara312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Sarasota312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country312,000415,000Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center312,000415,000Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo415,000520,000Grand Hyatt DFW415,000520,000Grand Hyatt Seattle415,000520,000Hyatt at Olive 8415,000520,000Hyatt Centric Fishermans Wharf SF415,000520,000Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami415,000520,000Hyatt House Virginia Beach/Oceanfront415,000520,000Hyatt Place Dewey Beach415,000520,000Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Amsterdam415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Boston415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Cologne415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Guam415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui415,000520,000Hyatt Regency Sochi415,000520,000Park Hyatt Busan415,000520,000Park Hyatt Hamburg415,000520,000Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya520,000625,000Andaz Napa520,000625,000Carmelo Resort & Spa, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt520,000625,000Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort520,000625,000Hotel du Louvre520,000625,000Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo520,000625,000Hyatt Centric Park City520,000625,000Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa520,000625,000Hyatt Regency Kyoto520,000625,000Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe520,000625,000Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa520,000625,000Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi520,000625,000Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires520,000625,000Park Hyatt Jeddah Marina, Club and Spa520,000625,000Park Hyatt Mallorca520,000625,000Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort520,000625,000Park Hyatt Seoul520,000625,000Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort625,000730,000Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills625,000730,000Hotel Martinez625,000730,000Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa625,000730,000Table of Properties Decreasing in PriceHotelPrevious CategoryPrevious PriceNew CategoryNew PriceGrand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty28,00015,000Hyatt House Hartford North/Windsor28,00015,000Hyatt House Houston/Galleria28,00015,000Hyatt House Mexico City Santa Fe28,00015,000Hyatt House Philadelphia/Plymouth Meeting28,00015,000Hyatt House Pleasant Grove28,00015,000Hyatt House Shanghai Hongqioa CBD28,00015,000Hyatt House Shanghai New Hongqiao28,00015,000Hyatt House Shelton28,00015,000Hyatt Place Austin Airport28,00015,000Hyatt Place Baltimore/BWI Airport28,00015,000Hyatt Place Baltimore/Owings Mills28,00015,000Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit28,00015,000Hyatt Place Chesapeake/Greenbrier28,00015,000Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Sharonville Convention Center28,00015,000Hyatt Place Dubai/Al Rigga28,00015,000Hyatt Place Dubai/Baniyas Square28,00015,000Hyatt Place Fair Lawn/Paramus28,00015,000Hyatt Centric Goa Candolim28,00015,000Hyatt Place Houston Galleria28,00015,000Hyatt Place Houston-Northwest/CY-Fair28,00015,000Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land28,00015,000Hyatt Place Lexington28,00015,000Hyatt Place Milford/New Haven28,00015,000Hyatt Place Nashville/Hendersonville28,00015,000Hyatt Place North Charleston28,00015,000Hyatt Place Phuket Patong28,00015,000Hyatt Place Provo28,00015,000Hyatt Place Salt Lake City/Lehi28,00015,000Hyatt Place San Jose Pinares28,00015,000Hyatt Place Sao Jose do Rio Preto28,00015,000Hyatt Place Shanghai Hongqioa CBD28,00015,000Hyatt Place Shanghai New Hongqiao28,00015,000Hyatt Place Shanghai Tianshan Plaza28,00015,000Hyatt Place Shenzhen Dongmen28,00015,000Hyatt Place St George/Convention Center28,00015,000Hyatt Place Yerevan28,00015,000Hyatt Place Zhuhai Jinshi28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Belgrade28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Deerfield28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Delhi28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Dushanbe28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Fuzhou Cangshan28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Jinan28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Mumbai28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Shanghai Jiading28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Wuhan Optics Valley28,00015,000Hyatt Regency Wuxi28,00015,000Grand Hyatt Amman312,00028,000Grand Hyatt Bali312,00028,000Grand Hyatt Changsha312,00028,000Grand Hyatt Chengdu312,00028,000Grand Hyatt Mumbai312,00028,000Grand Hyatt Xi’an312,00028,000Andaz Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi312,00028,000Hyatt Centric Guatemala City312,00028,000Hyatt Centric Levent Istanbul312,00028,000Hyatt Centric Montevideo312,00028,000Hyatt House San Diego/Carlsbad312,00028,000Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport312,00028,000Hyatt Place Baltimore Inner Harbor312,00028,000Hyatt Place College Station312,00028,000Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport312,00028,000Hyatt Place Houston/The Woodlands312,00028,000Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport312,00028,000Hyatt Place Marlborough Apex Center312,00028,000Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields312,00028,000Hyatt Place West London Hayes312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Atlanta312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Baku312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Bishkek312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Dubai312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Greenwich312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Houston312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Istanbul Atakoy312,00028,000Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport Newport Beach312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Perth312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor312,00028,000Hyatt Regency Valencia312,00028,000Jinmao Hotel Lijiang312,00028,000Andaz Delhi415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Beijing415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Istanbul415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Manila415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro415,000312,000Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo415,000312,000Hyatt Centric San Isidro Lima415,000312,000Hyatt Hotel Canberra - Park Hyatt415,000312,000Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai415,000312,000Hyatt Place Page Lake Powell415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Chicago415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Hua Hin415,000312,000Hyatt Regency La Jolla415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Mission Bay415,000312,000Hyatt Regency New Orleans415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Orlando415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort415,000312,000Hyatt Regency Trinidad415,000312,000Park Hyatt Siem Reap415,000312,000Spirit Ridge415,000312,000Andaz San Diego520,000415,000Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile520,000415,000Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago520,000415,000Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach520,000415,000Hyatt House Jersey City520,000415,000Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay520,000415,000Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson520,000415,000Hyatt Regency Kiev520,000415,000Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego520,000415,000Park Hyatt Hangzhou520,000415,000Park Hyatt Istanbul - Macka Palas520,000415,000Park Hyatt Zanzibar520,000415,000Andaz Liverpool Street London625,000520,000Andaz Singapore625,000520,000Andaz Wall Street625,000520,000Grand Hyatt New York625,000520,000Hyatt Centric La Rosiere625,000520,000Hyatt Herald Square New York625,000520,000