World of Hyatt announces 2019 category changes

Hyatt's new categories will kick in on March 19...leaving you with 5 weeks to lock in some aspirational properties at their existing prices.

These few months are going to be very busy for holders of hotel points. In addition to the rush to lock in reservations at Marriott hotels before March’s portfolio re-categorization (which will see the introduction of more expensive Category 8 pricing), World of Hyatt has just announced a significant re-categorization of its portfolio.

World of Hyatt Category Changes for 2019

Hyatt has announced its intention to update its award charts from March 18. Although there will be no new categories and the points for each category will remain the same, 259 hotels will be moving categories, with 130 moving up one category, and 129 moving down one category. No hotels are moving into the new Category 8 tier, which is still exclusively for select SLH properties in the World of Hyatt program.

Hyatt has about 700 properties (excluding SLH) in its portfolio, which means that more than a third of all hotels will be changing category. In contrast, previous re-categorizations saw at most 40 or 50 hotels changing categories.

These award category changes take effect on March 18, 11 pm CST (or March 19, 1pm SGT). There are two important things to note here

  1. Bookings made prior to this time will priced at the old rates, although if you subsequently make any changes to these bookings you’ll have to pay the new prices.
  2. If you hold an existing booking at a hotel that is going down a category, you’ll be refunded the difference automatically.

Hyatt allows you to book award nights about 13 months in advance, so stays can be booked all the way to April 2020.

Which hotels are changing category?

For reference, here’s what Hyatt’s award chart currently looks like:

Of the 130 properties that are going up in price

  • 18 are moving from Cat 1 (5K points) to Cat 2 (8K points)
  • 39 are moving from Cat 2 (8K points) to Cat 3 (12K points)
  • 34 are moving from Cat 3 (12K points) to Cat 4 (15K points)
  • 18 are moving from Cat 4 (15K points) to Cat 5 (20K points)
  • 17 are moving from Cat 5 (20K points) to Cat 6 (25K points)
  • 4 are moving from Cat 6 (25K points) to Cat 7 (30K points)
Park Hyatt Maldives- Soon to be a Category 7

What’s bumming me out? The Park Hyatt Maldives is moving from a Category 6 to 7. Revenue rates at this property can start from US$970 during peak season, so redeeming this hotel at Category 6 pricing was an incredible deal. I’m sure everyone has their own pet properties, but this one was the standout loss for me.

Here’s the full list of properties that are moving up a Category:

HotelPrevious CategoryNew Category
Hyatt House Atlanta Cobb Galleria12
Hyatt House Dallas/Las Colinas12
Hyatt House Fishkill/Poughkeepsie12
Hyatt Place Atlanta/Cobb Galleria12
Hyatt Place Boise/Downtown12
Hyatt Place Cleveland/Lyndhurst/Legacy Village12
Hyatt Place Cleveland/Westlake/Crocker Park12
Hyatt Place Detroit/Royal Oak12
Hyatt Place Fort Myers/At the Forum12
Hyatt Place Lansing Eastwood Towne Center12
Hyatt Place Novi12
Hyatt Place Phoenix Chandler-Fashion Center12
Hyatt Place Phoenix-Mesa12
Hyatt Place Phoenix-North12
Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert12
Hyatt Place Tempe/Phoenix Airport12
Hyatt Regency Bali12
Hyatt Regency Green Bay12
Hyatt House Anchorage23
Hyatt House Boston/Burlington23
Hyatt House Chicago/Evanston23
Hyatt House Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port23
Hyatt House Morristown23
Hyatt House Orlando Universal23
Hyatt House Pleasant Hill23
Hyatt House San Ramon23
Hyatt House Scottsdale/Old Town23
Hyatt House Seattle/Bellevue23
Hyatt Place Ann Arbor23
Hyatt Place Athens Downtown23
Hyatt Place Biloxi23
Hyatt Place Bloomington Indiana23
Hyatt Place Boston/Medford23
Hyatt Place Boulder/Pearl Street23
Hyatt Place Champaign/Urbana23
Hyatt Place Coconut Point23
Hyatt Place Columbia/Downtown/The Vista23
Hyatt Place Dublin/Pleasanton23
Hyatt Place Fremont/Silicon Valley23
Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale 17th Street Convention Center23
Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port23
Hyatt Place Madison Downtown23
Hyatt Place Manati23
Hyatt Place Minneapolis Downtown23
Hyatt Place Orlando/Universal23
Hyatt Place San Jose/Downtown23
Hyatt Place Saratoga/Malta23
Hyatt Place Scottsdale/Old Town23
Hyatt Place UC Davis23
Hyatt Regency Cartagena23
Hyatt Regency Cleveland at the Arcade23
Hyatt Regency Fukuoka23
Hyatt Regency Morristown at HQP23
Hyatt Regency Moscow Petrovsky Park23
Hyatt Regency Saipan23
Hyatt Regency Tashkent23
Park Hyatt Mendoza23
Grand Hyatt Fukuoka34
Hyatt House at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center34
Hyatt House Augusta Downtown34
Hyatt House Belmont/Redwood Shores34
Hyatt House Charleston/Historic District34
Hyatt House Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area34
Hyatt House Naples/5th Avenue34
Hyatt House Pleasanton34
Hyatt House San Jose/Silicon Valley34
Hyatt House Santa Clara34
Hyatt House Seattle Downtown34
Hyatt Place Augusta34
Hyatt Place Charleston/Historic District34
Hyatt Place Chicago – South/University Medical Center34
Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop34
Hyatt Place Delray Beach34
Hyatt Place Emeryville/San Francisco Bay Area34
Hyatt Place Long Island/East End34
Hyatt Place Pittsburgh-North Shore34
Hyatt Place Portland – Old Port34
Hyatt Place Seattle/Downtown34
Hyatt Place South Bend/Mishawaka34
Hyatt Place State College34
Hyatt Place Washington DC/White House34
Hyatt Regency Bellevue34
Hyatt Regency Changbaishan34
Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa34
Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf34
Hyatt Regency Louisville34
Hyatt Regency Naha, Okinawa34
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara34
Hyatt Regency Sarasota34
Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country34
Hyatt Regency Tysons Corner Center34
Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo45
Grand Hyatt DFW45
Grand Hyatt Seattle45
Hyatt at Olive 845
Hyatt Centric Fishermans Wharf SF45
Hyatt Centric South Beach Miami45
Hyatt House Virginia Beach/Oceanfront45
Hyatt Place Dewey Beach45
Hyatt Place Nashville Downtown45
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam45
Hyatt Regency Boston45
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa45
Hyatt Regency Cologne45
Hyatt Regency Guam45
Hyatt Regency Hong Kong Tsim Sha Tsui45
Hyatt Regency Sochi45
Park Hyatt Busan45
Park Hyatt Hamburg45
Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya56
Andaz Napa56
Carmelo Resort & Spa, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt56
Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Resort56
Hotel du Louvre56
Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo56
Hyatt Centric Park City56
Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa56
Hyatt Regency Kyoto56
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe56
Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa56
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi56
Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Buenos Aires56
Park Hyatt Jeddah Marina, Club and Spa56
Park Hyatt Mallorca56
Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort56
Park Hyatt Seoul56
Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort67
Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills67
Hotel Martinez67
Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa67

Of the 129 properties that are going down in price

  • 52 are moving from Cat 2 (8K points) to Cat 1 (5K points)
  • 36 are moving from Cat 3 (12K points) to Cat 2 (8K points)
  • 23 are moving from Cat 4 (15K points) to Cat 3 (12K points)
  • 12 are moving from Cat 5 (20K points) to Cat 4 (15K points)
  • 6 are moving from Cat 6 (25K points) to Cat 5 (20K points)
  • No properties are moving from Cat 7 (30K points) to Cat 6(25K points)

A brief scan of the list indicates good news for Hyatt members who like to frequent Bangkok- both the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and the Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit are moving down a category. The Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit now becomes a Cat 1 property, which at 5,000 points is hard to beat. Plus, it’s right smack in the middle of the action, near Phrom Phong BTS and EmQuartier mall. 

Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit- soon to be a Category 1

Here’s the full list of hotels which are moving down a category:

HotelPrevious CategoryNew Category
Grand Hyatt Kochi Bolgatty21
Hyatt House Hartford North/Windsor21
Hyatt House Houston/Galleria21
Hyatt House Mexico City Santa Fe21
Hyatt House Philadelphia/Plymouth Meeting21
Hyatt House Pleasant Grove21
Hyatt House Shanghai Hongqioa CBD21
Hyatt House Shanghai New Hongqiao21
Hyatt House Shelton21
Hyatt Place Austin Airport21
Hyatt Place Baltimore/BWI Airport21
Hyatt Place Baltimore/Owings Mills21
Hyatt Place Bangkok Sukhumvit21
Hyatt Place Chesapeake/Greenbrier21
Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Sharonville Convention Center21
Hyatt Place Dubai/Al Rigga21
Hyatt Place Dubai/Baniyas Square21
Hyatt Place Fair Lawn/Paramus21
Hyatt Centric Goa Candolim21
Hyatt Place Houston Galleria21
Hyatt Place Houston-Northwest/CY-Fair21
Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land21
Hyatt Place Lexington21
Hyatt Place Milford/New Haven21
Hyatt Place Nashville/Hendersonville21
Hyatt Place North Charleston21
Hyatt Place Phuket Patong21
Hyatt Place Provo21
Hyatt Place Salt Lake City/Lehi21
Hyatt Place San Jose Pinares21
Hyatt Place Sao Jose do Rio Preto21
Hyatt Place Shanghai Hongqioa CBD21
Hyatt Place Shanghai New Hongqiao21
Hyatt Place Shanghai Tianshan Plaza21
Hyatt Place Shenzhen Dongmen21
Hyatt Place St George/Convention Center21
Hyatt Place Yerevan21
Hyatt Place Zhuhai Jinshi21
Hyatt Regency Belgrade21
Hyatt Regency Deerfield21
Hyatt Regency Delhi21
Hyatt Regency Dushanbe21
Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg21
Hyatt Regency Fuzhou Cangshan21
Hyatt Regency Jinan21
Hyatt Regency Mumbai21
Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport21
Hyatt Regency Shanghai Jiading21
Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh21
Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Airport21
Hyatt Regency Wuhan Optics Valley21
Hyatt Regency Wuxi21
Grand Hyatt Amman32
Grand Hyatt Bali32
Grand Hyatt Changsha32
Grand Hyatt Chengdu32
Grand Hyatt Mumbai32
Grand Hyatt Xi’an32
Andaz Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi32
Hyatt Centric Guatemala City32
Hyatt Centric Levent Istanbul32
Hyatt Centric Montevideo32
Hyatt House San Diego/Carlsbad32
Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport32
Hyatt Place Baltimore Inner Harbor32
Hyatt Place College Station32
Hyatt Place Frankfurt Airport32
Hyatt Place Houston/The Woodlands32
Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport32
Hyatt Place Marlborough Apex Center32
Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields32
Hyatt Place West London Hayes32
Hyatt Regency Atlanta32
Hyatt Regency Baku32
Hyatt Regency Beijing Wangjing32
Hyatt Regency Bishkek32
Hyatt Regency Bloomington-Minneapolis32
Hyatt Regency Dubai32
Hyatt Regency Greenwich32
Hyatt Regency Houston32
Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria32
Hyatt Regency Istanbul Atakoy32
Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport Newport Beach32
Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle32
Hyatt Regency Perth32
Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor32
Hyatt Regency Valencia32
Jinmao Hotel Lijiang32
Andaz Delhi43
Grand Hyatt Beijing43
Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok43
Grand Hyatt Istanbul43
Grand Hyatt Manila43
Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro43
Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo43
Hyatt Centric San Isidro Lima43
Hyatt Hotel Canberra – Park Hyatt43
Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai43
Hyatt Place Page Lake Powell43
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor43
Hyatt Regency Chicago43
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress43
Hyatt Regency Hua Hin43
Hyatt Regency La Jolla43
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay43
Hyatt Regency New Orleans43
Hyatt Regency Orlando43
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort43
Hyatt Regency Trinidad43
Park Hyatt Siem Reap43
Spirit Ridge43
Andaz San Diego54
Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile54
Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago54
Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach54
Hyatt House Jersey City54
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay54
Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson54
Hyatt Regency Kiev54
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego54
Park Hyatt Hangzhou54
Park Hyatt Istanbul – Macka Palas54
Park Hyatt Zanzibar54
Andaz Liverpool Street London65
Andaz Singapore65
Andaz Wall Street65
Grand Hyatt New York65
Hyatt Centric La Rosiere65
Hyatt Herald Square New York65

Conclusion

Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo

Although there’s roughly an equal number of hotels moving up and down in category, this tends to feel like an overall devaluation given the increase in price at desirable properties like the Park Hyatt Maldives, Park Hyatt Seoul, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, Hyatt Regency Kyoto and other properties that travelers based in Singapore might be interested in visiting.

The good news is there’s still about 5 weeks to make your travel plans and lock in your reservations, although remember once again that you won’t be able to change your dates and keep the old pricing after the new categories kick in.

Remember that there’s currently an ongoing Hyatt point sale where you can buy points at a 30% bonus. This isn’t the largest sale we see (that’s typically 40%), however if you’re just short of points and need to lock something in before March 19 then this is your best bet.

If you’ve always been curious about how to score better hotel stays for less, do consider checking out Hotel Hacks, the workshop where we learn exactly that. In addition to covering shortcuts to elite status, the ins and outs of buying hotel points and getting opaque/wholesale pricing on hotels, we’ll be covering all the recent changes to programs like World of Hyatt and Marriott Rewards as well.

Aaron Wong
Aaron Wong
Aaron founded The Milelion to help people travel better for less and impress chiobu. He was 50% successful.

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