Just last week, we wondered aloud: Could Hyatt finally ditch its beloved award chart altogether? For once, we're glad to be wrong … but this still hurts.
Hyatt released its upcoming round of award pricing changes on Tuesday, shifting 118 properties up to a higher category – meaning they'll cost more World of Hyatt points (or transferrable Chase points) – while just 33 properties are moving down. Some incredibly popular hotels like the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Grand Hyatt Kauai, and the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica are all taking a hit.
If there's one silver lining, it's that these changes don’t take effect until March 25. That means you've got a full month to lock in a future stay before the points price increases. On the flip side, Hyatt says it will automatically refund members who book a stay at one of the 33 properties that will soon drop in price for bookings made before award rates drop.
This is an annual ritual for Hyatt, and you could argue this year's version isn't as bad as last year's award chart shuffle – particularly for Hyatt's ever-expanding portfolio of all-inclusive resorts. Still, there's not much to celebrate here when some great Hyatt redemptions will soon cost you up to 10,000 points more per night.
We’ve rounded up a list of some great Hyatt properties on the move that you might want to book before award rates rise on March 25. And keep in mind: Hyatt generally allows you to book as far out as April 2026 … while some all-inclusive resorts are even bookable into the summer of 2026!
The Basics of Hyatt's Award Chart Changes
Hyatt sets the number of points you need to book a free night based on an award chart, divided up into eight different categories. That’s a good thing – at least most of the time.
If you want to book a standard room at a Hyatt Category 5 hotel, it will cost you 20,000 World of Hyatt points per night. With Hyatt's peak and off-peak award pricing, the timing of your stay could change that rate … by as much as 5,000 additional points for a stay during peak travel times (or 5,000 points fewer for an off-peak reservation).
Here’s a look at Hyatt’s award chart.
Hyatt handles the award chart for its all-inclusive properties a bit differently. As its portfolio of resorts has grown, Hyatt has introduced a whole new award chart with Category A through Category F: The further down the alphabet you get, the more points it will cost, with rates ranging from 15,000 points to as many as 50,000 points for a standard night stay. Here's a look at Hyatt's all-inclusive award chart:
In all, 33 Hyatt properties will drop a category, thus costing fewer points per night. But there's no need to worry about that: Hyatt will refund the difference in points if you book a hotel that costs fewer points after March 25.
It's the hotels and resorts that will increase in price that you should really care about.
Notable Hyatt Properties Going Up
Travelers with a stash of Hyatt (or Chase) points and their sights set on Europe and Asia will be hit the hardest by Hyatt's latest round of award chart changes. Meanwhile, domestic travelers will feel the pain most at Hyatt's lower-end properties – think Hyatt Place and a handful of Hyatt Regency hotels.
Let's start by looking at some of the prime properties you should book now before the price goes up on March 25.
The Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica has long been a favorite of Hyatt fans. Just over a year 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 last year, it's on the move again, becoming a top-tier Category 8 property: It will soon clock in at 40,000 points per night for a standard night – or as high as 45,000 during peak dates.
Hotels in Japan were hit especially hard, with popular properties like the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, and the iconic (but currently closed for renovations) Park Hyatt Tokyo all jumping up to Hyatt's highest-priced Category 8. Now a standard night at one of these properties will cost you a whopping 40,000 points … or as much as 45,000 points during peak dates.
Even the once-affordable Hyatt Regency Tokyo goes from a Category 4 to Category 5, now costing 20,000 points per night and putting it out of reach for anyone with a Hyatt Free Night award.
The Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin has also been a steal at just 15,000 points per night as a Category 4 hotel. Sadly, this property will be moving up to Category 5 when these changes go into effect, meaning a free night will now cost 20,000 points for a standard night. Like the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo, it'll no longer be eligible for a free night award.
Hawaii is a bucket list destination for many, but it's far from cheap. One particular change will hurt for travelers hoping to go to Kauai.
The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is one of Hyatt's best properties in Hawaii … and it's getting more expensive. This hotel is set to go from a Category 7 to Category 8, costing 40,000 points for a standard night when these changes go into effect on March 25.
Unlike last year, only a handful of Hyatt's all-inclusive properties were impacted this go-around. Notably, two prime Mexico resorts – the Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun and Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres – as well as the Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa in the Dominican Republic are all moving up from Category D to E, costing a 40,000 points per night. That's a bruising, 10,000-point increase.
The list of properties that will soon cost you more points is much, much longer. If you're eyeing a stay at any of these properties, you'll want to book before prices increase on March 25.
| Property Name | Current Category | New Category | Current Points Per Night | New Points Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson Palm Springs | 5 | 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa | 7 | 8 | 30,000 | 40,000 |
| Grand Hyatt at SFO | 5 | 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport | 2 | 3 | 8,000 | 12,000 |
| Lindner Hotel Prague Castle | 1 | 2 | 5,000 | 8,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht | 6 | 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill | 6 | 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Baha Mar | 6 | 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| Caption by Hyatt Namba Osaka | 1 | 2 | 5,000 | 8,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Tokyo | 7 | 8 | 30,000 | 40,000 |
| Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Kyoto | 5 | 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo | 6 | 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| Alila Seminyak | 5 | 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Alila Ubud | 3 | 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| Andaz Bali | 5 | 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Bali | 2 | 3 | 8,000 | 12,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Park Hyatt Chennai | 1 | 2 | 5,000 | 8,000 |
No More Free Night Certificates…
These category changes are particularly disappointing for anyone with the World of Hyatt Credit Card or a Hyatt Brand Explorer award.
One of the card's key selling points is the annual free night award that you get each year upon renewal. With this perk, you can book a night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort each year for free … more than making up for the card's $95 annual fee. You can earn another free night award by spending $15,000 or more each year on your World of Hyatt Card or by staying at five Hyatt brands thanks to the Brand Explorer feature.
With the latest round of category changes, 11 hotels will go from Category 4 to Category 5, putting them out of reach for anyone hoping to use one of those free night awards. This includes a handful of popular properties like the Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin, Hyatt Regency Tokyo, and the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile.
Here's the full list:
| Property Name | Current Category | New Category | Current Points Per Night | New Points Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Regency Newport Beach | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| The Bellevue Hotel | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Place Fort Worth Historic Stockyards | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Vancouver | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Tokyo | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
| Hyatt Regency Koh Samui | 4 | 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 |
Properties Going Down in Price
It's not all bad news, though. Some properties – including a few we love – will actually drop in price.
While another property on a neighboring Hawaii is taking a hit, the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa is actually getting less expensive. It will drop down to a Category 6 hotel, costing just 25,000 points for a standard night.
The Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country is a popular hotel out in the wine lands of northern California that will actually drop in price, from a Category 4 to a Category 3. That drops the price of a standard night stay down to just 12,000 points, surely making it an even more popular hotel for travelers headed for wine tasting.
And while many properties are now out of reach for Hyatt free night certificates, six hotels will soon be newly eligible as they drop to a Category 4. Here's the full list:
| Property Name | Current Category | New Category | Current Points Per Night | New Points Per Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel Figueroa | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| Dream South Beach | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| Thompson Atlanta - Buckhead | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| Park Hyatt Doha | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
| Grand Hyatt Jeju | 5 | 4 | 20,000 | 15,000 |
Bottom Line
While the changes may not be as brutal as last year – nor as bad as we feared – Hyatt's looming award chart changes are still undeniably bad news for travelers with Hyatt points.
In all, 118 properties will be more expensive while just a few dozen will drop in price. Some of the properties seeing an increase are incredibly popular redemptions – including a few that have seen back-to-back increases over the last two years.
You'll want to book your stay with Hyatt points before March 25 at any of these properties that are negatively impacted.
Lead photo courtesy of Hyatt