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Hyatt announced a few key changes to the World of Hyatt program back in November last year and now that the new year has come around, those changes are in full effect. Fortunately, this set of changes hasn’t brought about much to disappoint most Hyatt loyalists, but with Milestone Rewards and Guest of Honor benefits now looking very different to how they looked last year, now seems a good time to go over just what these changes are.
Key changes to the World of Hyatt
- Milestone Rewards revamped:
- Milestone Rewards now earneable on up to 150 nights/year
- New Milestone Reward options
- Milestone Rewards are now giftable
- Guest of Honor rules have changed:
- Guest of Honor bookings can now be made on revenue stays
- Guest of Honor bookings now earn elite night credits
- Guest of Honor bookings will become bookable online
- Guest of Honor option now available from Milestone Rewards
Hyatt has not announced any changes to how elite status is earned, how points are earned or to how points are redeemed. All the changes are limited to Milestone Rewards and the Guest of Honor benefit.
Milestone Rewards revamped
For reference, this is what the old Milestone Rewards looked like:
Starting from 1 January 2024, Hyatt has brought in a few changes:
A ‘2K Next Stay‘ perk has been introduced which, when selected by a World of Hyatt member, will see them earn 2,000 bonus points when they complete an eligible stay at a Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Caption by Hyatt, or UrCove hotel within 180 days of the perk being issued.
These can be earned at the 20 night and 30 night Milestones and two eligible stays will be required to earn the 4,000 bonus points if two 2K Next Stay perks are issued.
A ‘Miraval Extra Night‘ per has been introduced as an option for those reaching the dizzying heights of 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 elite night credits. This certificate, if chosen, gives the holder a complimentary second night when a booking an eligible stay at any Miraval property.
The Miraval Extra Night Award is valid for 180 days from the date it was issued and must be redeemed for a reservation with a checkout date on or before the expiration of the award.
An ‘Ultimate Free Night Award‘ can now be earned by crediting an eye watering 150 elite night credits to your World of Hyatt account and as the name suggests, this award can be used in exchange for a free night in a standard room at any Category 1-8 hotel, Category A-F all-inclusive resort or Miraval resort that participates in the World of Hyatt program.
The Ultimate Free Night Award is valid for 180 days from the date it was issued and must be redeemed for a reservation with a checkout date on or before the expiration of the award.
Cash credits for FIND experiences (valued at between $25 and $300) can now be selected at each Milestone between 20 nights and 90 nights.
A Guest of Honor perk is now awarded at the 40 night milestone (meaning that Guest of Honor perks are no longer only available to top-tier Globalist elites) and further Guest of Honor perks are awarded at the 60 70, 80, 90, 110, 120,130, & 140 night Milestones.
The Guest of Honor option has been added because, going forward, Globalists are not going to be able to make an unlimited number of Guest of Honor Bookings (I’ll discuss this is a little later).
A Suite Upgrade Award valid for a stay of up to 7 nights can now be selected when hitting the 40 night Milestone.
The $50 Hyatt gift card and 10,000 points saving on a FIND experience are no longer options for those hitting the 40 night Milestone.
Alongside the 2 Suite Upgrades awards that have always been on offer for those who hit the 50 night Milestone, 5,000 Bonus points have also been added as an option … although I doubt many people will actually choose this as their 50 night perk.
A second Category 1-7 Free Night Award can now be chosen by anyone hitting the 100 night Milestone (the first certificate is still earned as usual at the 60 night Milestone)
New Milestones have been added at 110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 nights.
In summary, this is what the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards now look like:
Overall, these are mostly positive changes but there are certain things I think Hyatt could have done better (I have discussed my thoughts on those in a separate article).
Guest of Honor changes
Historically, Hyatt’s Guest of Honor benefit has allowed any top-tier (Globalist) elite member to redeem their points for stays for friends and family while also sharing their elite status benefits with their friends and family on that stay (of up to 7 nights).
Up until now, the Globalist member has been able to make as many of these bookings as they please but the sharing of elite status benefits has been limited to points bookings only.
Not any more.
For 2024, the rules surrounding the Guest of Honor benefit have been changed significantly.
- The Guest of Honor benefit can no longer be used on unlimited bookings.
- For 2024, existing Globalist members have been given 5 Guest of Honor Certificates (at the time of writing, these are not visible in my account) and can earn more through the Milestone Rewards.
- From 2025 onwards, the number of Guest of Honor bookings that a World of Hyatt member will be able to make will be limited to the number of Guest of Honor perks earned through the Milestone Rewards.
- The right to make up to 10 Guest of Honor can be earned through the new Milestone Rewards.
- The Guest of Honor benefit can now be applied to cash stays.
These Guest of Honor perks earned through Milestone Rewards are valid for the membership year in which they’re earned + a further 14 months (e.g. any Guest of Honor perks earned in 2025 will be valid for stays made through February 2027).
Per Hyatt: Guest of Honor Awards can be gifted (through your account or by calling a Global Care Center) to another World of Hyatt member. Once gifted, that member can book their own Guest of Honor stay through hyatt.com or by calling a Global Care Center. You can also book your Guest of Honor’s stay for them by calling a Global Care Center.
As I noted earlier, the option to redeem/gift Guest of Honor benefits is currently not yet live on the Hyatt website.
Another key change to note is that while the recipient of a Guest of Honor booking will continue to earn elite night credits for their stay (in the same way as if it was just a normal booking), the World of Hyatt member who gifts the Guest of Honor booking will now earn one elite night credit per Guest of Honor stay (not night) that was gifted and redeemed.
Bottom line
As of yesterday, the rules surrounding the World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards and Hyatt’s Guest of Honor benefits have changed. The changes are mostly positive with Guest of Honor benefits becoming more flexible and with more Milestone Rewards on offer, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
There are a few areas in which Hyatt could have made these changes better without going over the top and being overly generous, but my thoughts on those will have to wait for another upcoming article.
