If you want to use some Hyatt points (or Chase and Bilt points that transfer to Hyatt) to book luxury hotels anytime in the next year, you won’t get a better rate than right now.
World of Hyatt dealt award travelers a major blow in February, unveiling a sweeping overhaul to its award chart. The current system is being scrapped in favor of a new five-tier pricing model across Hyatt’s eight hotel categories.
Many standard award rates (soon to be called “moderate” demand) at the fanciest Park Hyatts or other top-tier Category 8 hotels will jump from 40,000 points per night to 55,000 points per night – a nearly 38% increase! And the priciest stays during the busiest times at those same properties go from 45,000 to as much as 75,000 points per night – a 67% jump … ouch.
The biggest unanswered question has been when those changes will actually take effect. At the time, Hyatt said only that the higher pricing would roll out sometime in May, remaining tight-lipped about exactly when and how bad the damage would be. A Hyatt spokesperson followed up with Thrifty Traveler last week saying, “We will provide confirmed details on the upcoming award chart updates shortly.”
While we still don’t have all the details, now is the time to get booking. Award availability at the most sought-after properties is likely to disappear quickly at today’s lower rates, especially after this announcement, which we expect in the coming days.
And it’s not just the luxury hotels either. There will be some increases in all categories, meaning that Hyatt Place or Thompson you’re eyeing might go up during the busier periods, too.
So, consider this an early warning to lock in a stay at today’s lower rates – especially at some of Hyatt’s top-tier hotels in Asia, Europe, and beyond. While we should be happy that Hyatt didn’t ditch its beloved award chart altogether, this still hurts.
In the past few weeks, we’ve been highlighting some of the properties you should book now before prices go up for our Thrifty Traveler Premium hotel alerts members. From the historic Park Hyatt Tokyo to California’s Alila Ventana Big Sur, and many more – here are the properties at the top of our list.
Curious about how our Thrifty Traveler Premium hotel alerts work? Read all about it!
Park Hyatt Tokyo
Want to stay at one of Tokyo’s most iconic hotels during the peak Cherry Blossom season? You should probably book the Park Hyatt Tokyo for next spring right now.
This deal we sent to Thrifty Traveler Premium members showed availability at the hotel made famous by the movie Lost in Translation, all the way through spring of 2027! So if you’re planning a trip to Japan in 2027, now’s a great time to lock it in.
If you book now, you can secure summer and winter rates for 35,000 World of Hyatt points a night. But in a few weeks’ time, the starting price will be north of 55,000.
Both of those options beat the going cash rates, which are usually north of $1,400 per night.
Recently renovated, early word is that the hotel is even grander and more luxurious than before. I visited just weeks before it shut down for renovations a few years ago and couldn’t find any flaws then!
Alila Ventana Big Sur
The Alila Ventana Big Sur is one of the most sought-after hotels in Hyatt’s portfolio. Points and miles people go crazy for this private, all-inclusive escape in the hills of Big Sur, California – and it appears it’s for good reason.
But that makes finding availability to book rooms (which normally go for more than $2,000 a night) difficult. Unless, that is, you have a team of award experts searching for the availability every single day …
We found this availability, including some extremely rare peak summer dates in June 2026, just a few weeks ago. You could find more availability next winter, but award space at places like this never lasts long.
The resort has a minimum two-night stay, so you’ll need (at least) 90,000 Hyatt points to book a two-night stay at the current rate of 45,000 points per night. But that price will go up in a few weeks to at least 55,000 points per night and more during peak periods. Book now!
Park Hyatt Paris
To spend Christmas at the Park Hyatt Paris, you could fork over thousands and thousands of dollars … or just 45,000 World of Hyatt points a night if you ran with this availability we sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
If you booked just a few weeks after Christmas, in January or February 2027, you can secure rooms for just 35,000 World of Hyatt points instead, too. But like the hotels above, that base rate is going up to 55,000 points per night in just a few short weeks, so there’s no reason to wait if you have some points stashed away!
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica, has been a favorite of Hyatt fans for years.
Just a couple of years ago, it was a Category 6 hotel, costing just 25,000 points per night for a standard award night. After bumping up to a Category 7 property the next year, and up to the top-tier Category 8 last year, it’s clearly a prize in Hyatt’s portfolio.
That also means the 40,000 or 45,000 points per night for a standard room you’ll pay right now will be 55,000 in a few weeks.
Considering peak season nights typically cost $1,000 or more, this is still an awesome use of Hyatt points. Why not book now before it costs you at least 10,000 points per night more?
Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Hyatt Regency Tokyo & More in Japan
Hotels in Japan were hit especially hard by last year’s award chart reshuffle: Nine of them got more expensive.
The Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills is near the top of our list for hotels to lock in before the damage gets worse. It’s easily among the best points properties in all of Tokyo and a phenomenal World of Hyatt redemption, with standard nights currently available for 40,000 points per night.
As recently as last year, you could get this hotel for as few as 25,000 points per night before it bumped up to Category 8. Now, just a little over a year later, that hotel will cost World of Hyatt members more than 55,000 points per night. That stings.
Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
Hawaii is a bucket-list destination for many, but it’s far from cheap. For years, though, points and miles people visiting the lush island of Kauai at least had this gorgeous points option bookable for only 40,000 points per night.
The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is one of Hyatt’s best properties in Hawaii … and, stop me if you’ve heard this already … it’s getting more expensive. Standard rates are set to go from 40,000 a night to at least 55,000 a night when the changes go into effect. Devastating.
Nights here regularly go for $700 or more, making the current point rate a bargain by comparison.
Not-so-Thrifty Tip: The Grand Hyatt Kauai is home to the famous Poipu Bay Golf Course – a stunning championship course right on the ocean that I was lucky enough to play (at a hefty price) in March. It was the most spectacular round of golf of my life and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Plus, you can charge the whole thing to your room to rack up even more Hyatt points!
And More!
Here’s a full list of our favorite properties in categories 7 and 8 that we think you should book soon to beat the price increase.
Category 8:
- Park Hyatt Paris
- Park Hyatt Sydney
- Park Hyatt Cabo del Sol
- Park Hyatt Tokyo
- Park Hyatt Milan
- Park Hyatt Zurich
- Grand Hyatt Kauai
- Andaz Maui
- Andaz Papagayo
- Park Hyatt New York
- Alila Napa Valley
- Andaz Tokyo
- Thompson Rome
- The Chatwal NYC
- The Manner NYC
- Alila Villas Uluwatu
- Park Hyatt Niseko
- Hyatt Centric Park City
- IL Tornabuoni Hotel Florence
- Grand Hyatt Tokyo
While the price of nearly every Hyatt is expected to go up with these changes, Hyatt also unveils some resorts that will change categories around this time each year. For that reason, we closely watch the most popular Category 7 hotels, because those tend to move into the 8th tier. Here’s what’s on our radar this year.
Category 7:
- Park Hyatt St. Kitts (our review)
- Park Hyatt Maldives
- Park Hyatt London (our review)
- Park Hyatt Vienna
- Park Hyatt Aviara
- Park Hyatt Marrakech
- Carmel Valley Ranch
- Hyatt Regency Aruba
- Andaz 5th Ave NYC
- Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
- Hyatt Paris Madeleine
- Hôtel du Louvre
- Alila Kothaifaru Maldives
Bottom Line
Time is running out to book several great Hyatt properties at their current (lower) rates before Hyatt switches to its new, five-tiered award chart. We don’t know exactly when these changes will go into effect (yet)– Hyatt has only let on that it’s happening sometime in May – but you can bet that when it’s announced, there will be a stampede of travelers trying to book the same hotels with points.
If you’ve got a stash of Hyatt points (or Chase or Bilt points), the time to book is now.
Lead image courtesy of Hyatt
