Brand “Hyatt” is a famous hotel brand in India. For Indian travellers “Hyatt” has been synonymous with the image of a luxurious hotel. It is true though few properties of Hyatt are just remarkable. However, Hyatt is not the only brand in the world of Hyatt. There are several brands apart from Hyatt however it is the leading brand. If you wish to further upgrade your travel experience with Hyatt and its brand, then you can join “World of Hyatt” a hotel loyalty program from Hyatt.
Let’s dive into Hyatt’s World of Hyatt Hotel Loyalty Program and how Indian Travelers can use it.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in India and World
Hyatt hotels distinguish its brand by placing them in three collections which are:
- Timeless Collection
- Boundless Collection
- Inclusive Collection
A total of 26 Hyatt Hotel brands are placed in these three collections. The boundless and Inclusive collection has 9 Hyatt brands whereas the Timeless collection has 8 Hyatt Hotel brands.
In India, there are 43 Hyatt Brand Hotels & Resorts most of which are concentrated in the North, West, and South of India. In the Eastern part of India, there are only two hotels one at Raipur and another at Kolkata. Some of these 43 Hotels are just exceptional. Recently, Hyatt has been constructing, franchising, and opening new hotels across India.
Even though the number of Hyatt hotels in India is few, it still has over 1700+ properties across the world. So, knowing about and understanding how to use World of Hyatt will open the hotel world in India and worldwide.
List of Brand under World of Hyatt
List of Brand under World of Hyatt and Availability in India with the number of hotels:
| Collection | Brand | India | # In India |
| Timeless | Park Hyatt | Yes | 2 |
| Timeless | Grand Hyatt | Yes | 4 |
| Timeless | Hyatt Regency | Yes | 15 |
| Timeless | Hyatt | Yes | 5 |
| Timeless | Hyatt Residence Club | Yes | 0 |
| Timeless | Hyatt Place | Yes | 7 |
| Timeless | Hyatt House | No | NA |
| Timeless | UrCove by Hatt | No | NA |
| Boundless | MiRAVAL | No | NA |
| Boundless | ALiLA | Yes | 3 |
| Boundless | ANdAz | Yes | 1 |
| Boundless | THOMPSON Hotels | No | NA |
| Boundless | Hyatt Centric | Yes | 5 |
| Boundless | Caption by Hyatt | No | NA |
| Independent | The Unbound Collection | No | NA |
| Independent | DESTINATION BY HYATT | No | NA |
| Independent | jdv By HYATT | No | NA |
| Inclusive | HYATT ZIVA | No | NA |
| Inclusive | HYATT ZILARA | No | NA |
| Inclusive | Zoetry | No | NA |
| Inclusive | Secrets | No | NA |
| Inclusive | breathless | No | NA |
| Inclusive | DREAMS | No | NA |
| Inclusive | HYATT vivid | No | NA |
| Inclusive | ALUA | No | NA |
| Inclusive | SUNSCAPE | No | NA |
Hyatt Brand Hotels Around the World
The Hyatt Brand hotels are primarily concentrated in the United States, Latin America, and Greater Chain. These three regions have 1064 hotels out of 1700 Hyatt hotels. Thereafter, Europe has over 350+ hotels. Interestingly, India has the second highest number of hotels in Asia after Greater China. Although the number of hotels is not as significant as IHG Group or Marriott Group, it has properties at most of the popular destinations in the world. Here are the number of Hyatt Brand hotels region-wise:
| Region | Hotels |
| United States of America | 790 |
| Canada | 19 |
| Latin America | 125 |
| Europe | 381 |
| Africa | 24 |
| Middle East | 33 |
| Asia | 311 |
| Australia & Pacific | 17 |
Hyatt Hotel Category
Each Hyatt hotel is mapped to a category. There is a total of 8 categories starting from 1. A Hotel category differs based on certain factors not available in the public domain. However, such factors would be Hotel location, the hotel type or brand, demand, and many other factors. The topmost hotels are given a category above 5. But in India, there are no hotels above Category 4. The Category of a Hotel is vital since the points required for a night stay directly depend on the category of the hotel. And, every year Hyatt changes categories of hotels based on certain parameters.
But not having any hotel between categories 5-8 is beneficial since the points required for a free night will be less. The topmost category of hotels in India is Category 4. The “Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort” and “Alila Fort Bishangarh” are category four hotels. These hotels are exceptional and define luxury. You would be able to enjoy these properties at low points. Also, there are not many hotels in the category between 5 and 8. So, overall the points required for the free night would not be significant.
Now Let us move to the World of Hyatt.
World of Hyatt: Status & Eligibility Criteria
Joining the “World of Hyatt” hotel loyalty program is at no cost. However, after meeting specific eligibility criteria, the Hyatt loyalty program tier is given to a WOH member.
World of Hyatt: Status
As you join the World of Hyatt loyalty program, you are given a “Member” Status or Tier. This is the base tier. However, you will be upgraded to the next tier as you start to stay more with Hyatt Hotel Properties.
There are four regular tiers to be achieved yearly and one-lifetime tier in the World of Hyatt Loyalty Program :
- Member (Base)
- Discoverist
- Explorist
- Globalist
- Lifetime Globalist
As against popular hotel chains naming their tiers with precious metal names like gold, platinum, etc., Hyatt named its tier differently which is refreshing. Just like how someone discovers something first then explores it and becomes a master in it or say Globalist.
World of Hyatt: Status Eligibility Criteria
Each tier in World of Hyatt has different eligibility criteria. The good thing about WOH is that there are three criteria. If you meet any of these three criteria, you would receive a status. World of Hyatt Tier eligibility criteria is based on the following:
- Night Stays, or
- Points Based, or
- Meetings and Events based
The meetings and events-based criteria usually are not available in other hotels.
Let’s check the World of Hyatt tier-wise eligibility criteria:
Base Member Tier Eligibility: Enrollment
Discoverist Tier Eligibility (Any one):
- 10 Nights
- 25000 Points
- 3 Meetings and Events
Explorist Tier Eligibility (Any one):
- 30 Nights
- 50000 Points
- 10 Meetings and Events
Globalist Tier Eligibility (Any one):
- 60 Nights
- 100000 Points
- 20 Meetings and Events
Life-Time Globalist Tier Eligibility (Any one):
- 1000000 Points
Overall, the tier-wise eligibility criteria are competitive and can be achieved in a year.
Meetings & Events: Tier Eligibility
The Meetings & Events-based tier eligibility is a bit tricky. A qualified meeting or event would be one wherein not less than ten paid guest rooms have been booked for a night/night. However, in India having a wedding at Hyatt and booking ten rooms can easily be achieved.
World of Hyatt: How to earn Points and Nights?
There are multiple ways with which you can earn qualified points and non-qualified points at World of Hyatt.
Qualified Points:
The qualified points are the points that help in deciding the status of a member. Every member including the base member earns 5 WOH points for every $1 spent. The following spend is eligible to spend in the calculation of qualified points:
- Room Rate Paid
- Other Charges Paid Like Dining, Spa, etc
- Small Luxury Hotels of the World Stays
- MGM Resorts Stays
- Find Experience*
- Lindblad Expeditions
- Meetings and Events Stays
The Find Experience spending earns 10 WOH-qualified points for every $1 spent.
Spend Calculation for Every Status
For an Indian traveller, the base amount for calculation is USD, but the points calculation will vary based on the exchange rate. However, considering the rate of Rs. 80 per $1, you need to spend the following amount in INR for each status of World of Hyatt:
- Base Member: Zero
- Discoverisit Status:
- Qualified Points Required: 25000
- Minimum Amount to be Spent: Rs. 4 Lacs
- Explorist Status:
- Qualified Points Required: 50000
- Minimum Amount to be Spent: Rs. 8 Lacs
- Globalist Status:
- Qualified Points Required: 100000
- Minimum Amount to be Spent: Rs. 16 Lacs
At the Discoverist level spending, Rs. 4 lacs is huge and Rs. 16 lacs for Globalist is a lot for an average Indian traveller. However, don’t get disheartened. There is something good about these points; wait for a while.
Non-Qualified Points:
The non-qualified points do not qualify in status calculation however can be used for various transactions. Below are the non-qualified points that you earn in addition to base points:
- Bonus Points based on offers
- Sign-up Bonus or App Sign-in (Time-to-Time)
- Points Transfer from Credit Cards, Members, etc (Not Available in India)
- Bonus Points Based on Status
- American Airlines AAdvantge Spending
- Points Purchases (Bonus Points Offer May be available)
- Bonus Points for Meetings (1 Bonus Points Per USD 1)
Qualified Nights:
Only the qualified night is relevant for member status. All other nights are not counted anywhere. A Qualified night can be earned with any of the following transactions:
- Night by Paying an Eligible Rate
- Free Night Redemption
A free night redemption is booking a stay with World of Hyatt Points.
World of Hyatt: Status-wise Benefits
A member of World of Hyatt can avail of benefits of the:
- Status it holds
- Being a Brand Explorer
- Milestones
Let’s have a look at status-wise benefits first:
Base Member Benefits
- Member Rates (Discount up to 10%)
- Free Night Award Redemption
- Wavier of Resort Fees
Discoverist Member Benefits
- Bonus Points: 10 % Base Points
- Member Rates (Discount up to 10%)
- Free Night Award Redemption
- Wavier of Resort Fees
- Room Upgrade to same Category Rooms
- Late Check-out: 2 PM
- American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus
Explorist Member Benefits
- Bonus Points: 20 % Base Points
- Member Rates (Discount up to 10%)
- Free Night Award Redemption
- Wavier of Resort Fees
- Room Upgrade Excluding Suites and Club Lounge Access Rooms
- Late Check-out: 2 PM
- American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus
Globalist Member Benefits
- Bonus Points: 30 % Base Points
- Member Rates (Discount up to 10%)
- Free Night Award Redemption
- Wavier of Resort Fees
- Room Upgrade Including Standard Suites
- Late Check-out: 4 PM
- American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus
- Club Access or Breakfast
- Free Parking on Free Nights
- Guest of Honor: Share In-Hotel Benefits
Overall, the status-wise benefits don’t increase as one would expect. Firstly, bonus points are limited even at the topmost status one has obtained by staying 60 nights in a year at a Hyatt Brand. Also, the room upgrade could be better for explorist status. But there is more to the above benefits as Hyatt also offers milestone benefits that will enhance a member’s experience. Before that let’s see some of the unique things about the World of Hyatt.
MGM and Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Members of MFM Hotels and Small Luxury hotels can match but not precisely with the Status of the World of Hyatt. However, there are not many options available. Also, there are not any hotels of MGM in India or even Europe whereas there’s only one hotel under the Small Luxury Hotels of the world. As Indian travelers won’t earn the status of these hotels it would be of no benefit.
American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Point Benefit
If you travel with American Airlines, then you earn an additional one bonus point of World of Hyatt Points on every $1 spent with American Airlines. This benefit may be helpful for a handful of Indian travellers.
Brand Explorer – World of Hyatt
The Brand Explorer differentiates World of Hyatt from other popular hotel chains. In the World of Hyatt, there is a total of 26 hotel brands; Hyatt wants travellers to explore these 26 brands and be rewarded for that. Here’s how brand explorer works:
- Stay at five unique Hyatt brands.
- Get a Free Night for every such five unique brand stays.
With the help of Brand Explorer, you will experience some amazing and unique brands. Even though you will remain a base member with five stays but will be able to stay one night free. This free night also counts towards status.
However, you can only earn five free nights in your lifelong journey with Hyatt brands as there are only 26 distinct Hyatt brands in the world. In India, there are only 9 Hyatt Brands compared to a total of 26 brands, which means if you stay in India at Hyatt’s unique brands, you can only earn one free night. But if you travel outside India and complete your 10th stay at a unique Hyatt brand, you will get a second free night stay.
You can check the list of Hyatt Brands in India in the initial section “Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in India and World“.
World of Hyatt: Milestones Benefits Starts from 20 Nights Or 35000 Points
There are few Hotels chain in the world that gives Milestone benefits. And very rare which gives milestone benefits based on points earned. So, the World or Hyatt milestone benefits are unique in that sense. You are rewarded for the number of nights and the number of points earned, making it relatively easy to achieve milestones. These milestones also fill the benefits gap between nights or points required for different World of Hyatt statuses.
The Milestone in the World of Hyatt Program starts from the 20th Night stay or earnings of 35000 base points. There is a total of 9 Milestones. Following are the milestones and benefits:
- 20 Nights or 35000 Base Points
- 2 Club Lounge Access
- 30 Nights or 50000 Base Points
- 2 Club Lounge Access
- 1 Free Night at Category 1-4 Hotel
- 40 Nights or 65000 Points (Choose one)
- 5000 Bonus Points
- $100 Hyatt Gift Card
- $150 FIND experience credit
- 50 Nights or 80000 Points
- 2 Suite Upgrade Awards
- 60 Nights or 100000 Points
- 2 Suite Upgrade Award
- 1 Free Night at category 1-7 hotel
- Access to Hyatt Concierge
- 70 Nights (Choose one)
- 10000 Bonus Points
- 1 Suite Upgrade Award
- 80 Nights (Choose one)
- 10000 Bonus Points
- 1 Suite Upgrade Award
- 90 Nights (Choose one)
- 10000 Bonus Points
- 1 Suite Upgrade Award
- 100 Nights (Choose one)
- 10000 Bonus Points
- 1 Suite Upgrade Award
The number of free night awards is significantly less in milestone benefits 5000, or 10000 bonus points are enough to get a free night.
How to Earn World of Hyatt Loyalty Points in India?
The best option for earning world of Hyatt points in India is by spending on the following:
- Room Rate
- Other Charges Like Dining, Spa
- Meetings and Events Stays
- Points Purchases
All other options for earning World of Hyatt Points are either not available in India or are not cost-effective.
Related: 12+ Ways to Earn Hyatt Points in India.
Can you transfer credit Card points to the world of Hyatt Points?
No, In India no credit card allows the transfer of reward points to the World of Hyatt program. Even American Express credit card points can’t be transferred to the Hyatt loyalty program. So, your best bet at earning Hyatt points would be staying at Hyatt properties.
Where can you use World of Hyatt Points?
You can use World of Hyatt Points for:
- Reward Night Stay
- Dining Bill
- Spa Bill
- Paying for Find Experience
- Booking a Lindblad Expeditions
- Bill of Meetings and events
- Converting Points to Miles (2000 Miles for 5000 Points)
The Hyatt has a better point-to-mile conversion as compared to other Hotel Loyalty Programs. Most loyalty program carries a conversion ratio of 10000 points to 2000 points. However, Hyatt has a better conversion ratio. But it’s still not good enough to transfer your points to miles.
Use of Points for Reward or Free Night
Hyatt is one of the few major brands allowing you to use your points to book a Suite Room, unlike IHG and Marriott which only let you book basic rooms with Points except for a few hotels. So, you even get a suite room with your Hyatt points. Even the points-to-money conversion ratio is really good in the case of Hyatt. Better than other popular brands. However, since its earning capability is low due to earning only 5 points per USD 1 spent you cannot earn a lot of points.
Another exciting thing about using your Hyatt points is that Hyatt publishes the reward night chart for each hotel and hotel room category. This brings transparency. There are four types of rooms for which Hyatt issues a free night chart and related points. These room types are:
- Standard Room
- Club Room
- Standard Suite
- Premium Suite
The points are also increased or decreased based on the season. The three types of seasons are:
- Off-Peak
- Standard
- Peak
Hyatt Points required for each class of room:
Based on three combinations of:
- Category of Hotel
- Room Type
- Season
points for a free night is decided.
Related: How to Find Hyatt Best Points Redemption Rate?
Hyatt Points needed for booking a Standard Room for one night:
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 3500 | 5000 | 6500 |
| 2 | 6500 | 8000 | 9500 |
| 3 | 9000 | 12000 | 15000 |
| 4 | 12000 | 15000 | 18000 |
| 5 | 17000 | 20000 | 23000 |
| 6 | 21000 | 25000 | 29000 |
| 7 | 25000 | 30000 | 35000 |
| 8 | 35000 | 40000 | 45000 |
Hyatt Points needed for booking a Club Room for one night:
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 5500 | 7000 | 8500 |
| 2 | 10500 | 12000 | 13500 |
| 3 | 14000 | 17000 | 20000 |
| 4 | 18000 | 21000 | 24000 |
| 5 | 24000 | 27000 | 30000 |
| 6 | 29000 | 33000 | 37000 |
| 7 | 34000 | 39000 | 44000 |
| 8 | 45000 | 50000 | 50000 |
Hyatt Points needed for booking a Standard Suite for one night:
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 6500 | 8000 | 9500 |
| 2 | 11500 | 13000 | 14500 |
| 3 | 17000 | 20000 | 23000 |
| 4 | 21000 | 24000 | 27000 |
| 5 | 29000 | 32000 | 35000 |
| 6 | 36000 | 40000 | 44000 |
| 7 | 43000 | 48000 | 53000 |
| 8 | 56000 | 61000 | 66000 |
Hyatt Points needed for booking a Premium Suite for one night:
| Category | Off-Peak | Standard | Peak |
| 1 | 7000 | 10000 | 13000 |
| 2 | 13000 | 16000 | 19000 |
| 3 | 18000 | 24000 | 30000 |
| 4 | 24000 | 30000 | 36000 |
| 5 | 34000 | 40000 | 46000 |
| 6 | 42000 | 50000 | 58000 |
| 7 | 50000 | 60000 | 70000 |
| 8 | 70000 | 80000 | 90000 |
Value of World of Hyatt Points
The best part about the World of Hyatt points is its “Value in actual currency per point”. We tested five Hyatt Brand hotels in India and five in Europe to check the value of World of Hyatt Points for a night stay of 21st march 2023.
INR Value for one World of Hyatt Points in India is: INR 1.80
The below hotels were checked with different categories and different brands with the lowest category of room:
| Location | Hotel Name | Category | Room Rates | Points | Value |
| Delhi | Andaz Delhi | 2 | 17000 | 8000 | 2.10 |
| Mumbai | Grand Hyatt | 2 | 21240 | 12000 | 1.80 |
| Bangalore | Hyatt Centric | 1 | 9525 | 6500 | 1.50 |
| Dharamshala | Hyatt Regency | 4 | 27612 | 15000 | 1.80 |
| Goa | The Diwa Club by Alila | 3 | 26550 | 15000 | 1.80 |
Compared to other hotel brands, the value per world of Hyatt point is exceptional. Even though the points earned are low at 5 points per $1, the reward rate for such spending is around 10%, which is exceptional.
INR Value for one World of Hyatt Points in Europe is: INR 1.90
The value of World of Hyatt points is INR 1.90 in Europe which is similar to the value in India. Below are the hotels we checked:
| Location | Hotel Name | Category | Room Rates | Points | Value |
| Berlin | Grand Hyatt | 4 | 28217 | 12000 | 2.35 |
| Frankfurt | Hyatt Regency | 3 | 18426 | 12000 | 1.50 |
| Frankfurt | Hyatt Place | 1 | 11038 | 6500 | 1.70 |
| Paris | Hyatt House | 2 | 16824 | 8000 | 2.10 |
| Paris | Hyatt | 6 | 48956 | 25000 | 2.00 |
Note: As Hyatt has a tie-up with Small Luxury Hotels around the world, the value of points at these hotels may dip below what could be available with Hyatt’s brand.
How can an Indian Traveler book a free night at Hyatt with points?
You earn 5 Hyatt points for every $1 spent as a member. The minimum points required for booking a free night at Hyatt is 3500 points for a category one hotel. You need to spend $700 or Rs. 56000 to earn 3500 points. Since the value of one point is Rs. 1.80, 3500 points will be Rs. 6300, giving a return of 9.5%. But there is a better way. The short answer is to buy Hyatt Points whenever there is an offer for bonus points or a discount on the purchase cost. Let us see how it works.
Buy Hyatt Points
You can generally purchase one Hyatt point for INR 1.92, above INR 1.80 value per point. So until there is some offer the purchasing of points is not beneficial except at some hotels where the value is more than the cost.
Below is the table which shows the regular purchase cost of points:
| Points Purchased | Regular Price | Cost Per Point |
| 5000 | 9600 | 1.92 |
| 10000 | 19200 | 1.92 |
| 25000 | 48000 | 1.92 |
| 40000 | 76800 | 1.92 |
| 55000 | 105600 | 1.92 |
Note: A World of Hyatt member can only buy 55000 points a year.
Now, if you receive an offer with the following:
- 25% discount on purchase cost then the cost per point will be Rs. 1.44
- 25% bonus points then the cost per point will be Rs. 1.53
These values are around 20% less than the value per point. So, buying Hyatt points works if you get a discount on the bonus points offer. Wait for the 100% bonus points offer which will reduce costs below Rs. 1.
Bottomline
The Hyatt brand of Hotels is still evolving in India. But the brand is recognizable and offers excellent value to the members of World of Hyatt. The World of Hyatt hotel loyalty program may not offer things as compared to other hotel loyalty programs, but it makes sure to give significant value back to its member. You can book suite rooms with a value per point, which is just exceptional. So, Stop whatever you are doing now and register as a World of Hyatt member. For an Indian traveller lookout for offers from Hyatt as those offers will be hard to refuse.
