Hyatt is about to overhaul its award chart — here's what to do now

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World of Hyatt has long been considered one of the most valuable hotel loyalty programs, thanks to its relatively reasonable award pricing and strong redemption value — especially at many high-end properties.

But major changes are coming on May 20, and for Hyatt loyalists, that means now is the time to lock in future stays before award prices potentially increase.

The biggest change is Hyatt’s updated award chart structure. Instead of the current three-tiered structure with "Off-Peak", "Standard," and "Peak" award pricing, Hyatt is introducing a five-tier system with wider pricing bands across all categories.

For example, a top-category hotel during peak pricing currently costs 45,000 points per night, but with the new 5-tier award chart, that same room will require 75,000 points — a 67% increase.

In fact, the AI-powered direct hotel-booking platform Gondola provided us with some analytical data that points to a meaningful decrease in redemption value. Based on Gondola's data, Hyatt points are worth about 1.4 to 2 cents apiece across all Hyatt categories (during a standard redemption).

Under the new award chart, that value drops to roughly 1.1 to 1.7 cents per point at the comparable pricing level (the new moderate redemption tier). While some categories and tiers hold their value better than others, there are very few winners with this change.

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In addition to a new — and unfavorable — award chart, 136 Hyatt properties are changing categories. While some hotels will become less expensive, the majority are moving up a category.

Some of the most notable category increases include popular properties such as the:

• Alila Mayakoba
• Hyatt Regency Seattle
• Hyatt Place Kyoto
• Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort

Come May 20th, travelers will most likely need more points for the exact same stay. This means if you have any upcoming travel, lock in your Hyatt point reservations now. And since many properties open up their booking calendar 13 months in advance, there's no reason not to book.

As long as you book your stay prior to May 20th, you'll lock in today's rate. However, any changes to your reservation will negate the old booking rate — even something as simple as changing your reservation to checking in one day later. If you aren't fully certain of your dates, you might even want to book your stay as multiple single reservations, just in case.

There’s also little downside to booking early: If your hotel drops to a lower category after May 20, Hyatt will refund the point difference on your existing reservation.

Despite these changes, Hyatt will likely remain one of the stronger hotel loyalty programs for travelers — especially since there are many opportunities to earn their points with Chase Ultimate Rewards cards like the Sapphire Reserve and Bilt Rewards.

But the upcoming adjustments are a reminder to not hoard your points. If you’ve been saving Hyatt points for a future trip, now may be the best opportunity to put them to use before award prices climb higher.

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