World of Hyatt is one of the few major hotel loyalty programmes that still uses an award chart (as opposed to dynamic pricing), and theyโve just unveiled their annual hotel category changes for 2024 which come into effect from 26 March 2024.
Compared to 2023 when 372 hotels changed category, this yearโs changes are relatively modest: 183 hotels will be changing categories. However, 2023 saw 58% of hotels moving up and 42% of hotels moving down. This year, the ratio is much more skewed: 75% of hotels are moving up, and 25% of hotels are moving down.
Thereโs still time to lock in your reservations at the current prices, so read on for whatโs changing.
World of Hyatt 2024 category changes
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| World of Hyatt 2024 Category Changes |
World of Hyattโs category changes kick in from 26 March 2024, 10 p.m SGT.
All bookings made prior to this date will follow the current award chart, even if your stay dates fall after the new chart kicks in.
- If youโve booked a stay at a hotel moving down a category, youโll receive an automatic one-time refund of the points difference from 26 March
- If youโve booked a stay at a hotel moving up a category, no further payment will be required. However, if you subsequently change this booking from 26 March, youโll need to pay the new prices
As a reminder, hereโs World of Hyattโs current award chart.
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
| 5 | 17,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| 6 | 21,000 | 25,000 | 29,000 |
| 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| 8 | 35,000 | 40,000 | 45,000 |
Unlike Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt uses fixed peak and off-peak dates, decided at the start of each year.
Whatโs changing?
A total of 183 hotels are changing categories worldwide:
- 137 hotels are moving to a higher category
- 46 hotels are moving to a lower category
Hereโs a breakdown of changes by region:
| Region | Up | Down |
| United States | 65 | 21 |
| Africa & Middle East | 7 | 1 |
| Asia & Pacific | 24 | 20 |
| Canada, Caribbean & Latin America | 17 | 1 |
| Europe | 24 | 3 |
As with last year, the brunt of the devaluations will be felt in the West, with North America and Europe seeing a significant number of increases relative to decreases. But for those of us in Asia, the changes (at least in quantitative terms) are more subtle, with 24 hotels increasing and 20 hotels decreasing.
Some noteworthy hotels moving down a category include:
- Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay down from Category 4 to Category 3
- Grand Hyatt Taipei down from Category 4 to Category 3
- Hyatt Centric Melbourne down from Category 4 to Category 3
- Hyatt Regency Naha down from Category 4 to Category 3
- Hyatt Place Kyoto down from Category 3 to Category 2
- Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu down from Category 2 to Category 1
- Hyatt Regency Cape Town from Category 2 to Category 1
Some noteworthy hotels moving up a category include:
- Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport up from Category 1 to Category 2
- Hyatt House Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport up from Category 1 to Category 2
- Hyatt Place Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport up from Category 1 to Category 2
- Hyatt Regency Bangkok up from Category 2 to Category 3
- Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh up from Category 2 to Category 3
- Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa up from Category 3 to Category 4
- Andaz Bali up from Category 4 to Category 5
- Alia Ubud up from Category 4 to Category 5
- Andaz Singapore up from Category 5 to Category 6
What should you do now?
If a hotel youโre interested in is moving up a category, be sure to lock it your reservation by 26 March 2024. Since points reservations are generally flexible, you can always cancel it later if you change your plans. Remember, you can book stays up to 13 months in advance.
If a hotel youโre interested in is moving down a category, hopefully your stay dates fall after 26 March 2024, because youโll get an automatic refund.
Conclusion
World of Hyatt will be implementing its annual category changes from 26 March 2024, and this year sees nearly three hotels moving up for every hotel moving down.
If you travel mostly within Asia, however, thereโs some positive changes to take note of, with several properties in Japan becoming cheaper, as well as a handful in Taiwan and Malaysia. Those travelling to the USA and Europe will have less to cheer, especially the latter with eight hotels going up for every hotel going down.
This basically amounts to a soft devaluation, but it is largely in line with the increase in cash prices weโve seen at many popular hotels. I suppose we can at least be thankful that World of Hyatt still has award charts, which bring some measure of transparency to the programme.
What do you make of World of Hyattโs 2024 category changes?
Thanks for the comprehensive article.
Believe there is a typo with the sentence โAlia Ubud up from Category 4 to Category 5โ as Alila Ubud is moving from Category 2 to 3.