World of Hyatt announces annual hotel category changes

World of Hyatt just announced its annual changes to where properties sit on its award chart, and while we are thrilled that the award chart itself remains unchanged, some of the individual property pricing changes will still likely sting.

A whopping 118 Hyatt hotels and resorts are moving to higher award categories, including some of our favorites. Higher-end and popular hotels and resorts in big cities and leisure destinations were especially hit hard.

That means booking them will cost you more World of Hyatt points once these adjustments take place. There is a bit of sweetener in the bitter news, however, as 33 properties are shifting to a lower award category.

Our early calculations show that among the hotels increasing in award category, the average award cost will be more than 2,444 points more per night once these changes take effect March 25.

That’s not as bad as the 5,000-point average cost increase in 2023, but it’s higher than last year’s average cost increase.

To give you an idea of how this year stacks up, here’s a comparison from previous years:

• 2022: 76 properties went down, 70 went up
• 2023: 152 properties went down, 214 went up
• 2024: 46 properties went down, 137 went up
• 2025: 33 properties are going down, 118 are going up

Another thing to flag is that the valuable free night awards given to Hyatt members at certain elite night benchmarks or earned via the Hyatt credit cards are becoming less valuable.

For example, once these changes take place, you’ll no longer be able to use your Category 1-4 free night certificate at these properties:

• Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
• Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
• The Bellevue Hotel
• Thompson Atlanta – Buckhead
• Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
• Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya
• Hyatt Regency Tokyo
• Hyatt Regency Koh Samui
• Hyatt Regency Vancouver
• Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile
• Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin

I just used a Category 1-4 award at the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo, and I’ve also used my free night awards at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile, so this is personally painful.

However, the Category 1-4 certificates will become valid at the following hotels that are going from Category 5 down to Category 4:

• Hotel Figueroa
• Dream South Beach
• Park Hyatt Doha
• Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa
• Grand Hyatt Jeju

And there are a few bright spots. For example, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is moving down a category (from Category 7 to Category 6), meaning you can book an award stay starting at 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

The vast majority of changes are also at the lower end of the award chart. Of the 118 properties moving up in category:

• 34.75% are going from Category 1 to 2
• 23.03% are going from Category 2 to 3
• 11.02% are going from Category 3 to 4

Once these changes occur, those who like free night certificates will also have fewer options for using Category 1-7 certificates.

For example, the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is moving from Category 7 to Category 8, putting it out of reach for most free night certificates. The Grand Hyatt Tokyo is also moving to Category 8. And another TPG favorite, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica is going up to Category 8 as well. This property was actually a Category 4 hotel just a few years ago, showing how quickly things can change.

Many Tokyo properties are jumping in price.

“Members will be able to use an Ultimate Free Night Award at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Park Hyatt Tokyo and IL Tornabuoni Hotel, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand and several other hotels when they shift to Category 8,” Hyatt told TPG. But what Hyatt neglected to mention in that quote is that you can only earn those Ultimate Free Night Awards after staying at Hyatt 150 times a year!

Unfortunately, there will also be changes to properties that fall under Hyatt’s all-inclusive award chart, which will result in several popular resorts becoming significantly more expensive on award stays. This includes Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa and Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa, which will all increase one level from 30,000 to 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

But it’s not all bad news since World of Hyatt still has a published award chart, didn’t change the prices for each category and didn’t add a higher Category 9 to the program. It could always be worse.

Additionally, all bookings before the morning of March 25 will follow the current award chart, so it might be a good time to make some speculative bookings all the way into 2026.

Hyatt added, “However, members who have existing award or Points + Cash bookings as of 8:00 am CDT on Tuesday, March 25 for a night on or after Tuesday, March 25 at a Hyatt hotel that moved down to a lower category, will receive an automatic one-time refund on the point difference. Points will be returned to members’ accounts starting Tuesday, March 25.”

If you plan to use your Hyatt points at any hotels moving to a higher category (view the full list), you should make reservations before March 25 for stays as far out as the calendar will allow, which is typically 13 months. If you make or modify a reservation after that time, it will fall under the pricing rules that come into effect March 25.

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