Hyatt has announced its 2025 Award Category Changes, which will take effect on March 25, 2025, at 8:00 AM CT.
These changes impact 151 hotels globally, with 118 moving to higher categories and 33 shifting to lower categories. Here’s a breakdown of what this means for World of Hyatt members and how to maximise your points.
About half of the changes apply to hotels in the United States.
You can check out the full lists of all the changes here.
How to Lock in Current Rates
- Book Before March 25, 2025: Reservations made before the deadline will follow the current award chart, even if your stay is after March 25.
- Modify with Caution: Any modifications made after March 25 will adhere to the new award chart.
- Points Advance Reservations: These do not lock in current pricing. Additionally, applying suite upgrade certificates later will reprice the award based on the new chart.
Proactive Adjustments for Lower Categories
If you’ve booked a property that is moving to a lower category, Hyatt will automatically refund the point difference to your account starting March 26, 2025.
For example:
- A booking at a hotel moving from Category 2 (8,000 points) to Category 1 (5,000 points) will result in 3,000 points refunded.
Bottom line
While these changes aren’t as severe as some might have feared, they still limit the value of Hyatt’s free-night certificates and increase costs for many popular properties. If you’ve been eyeing a stay at a property moving to a higher category, book now to lock in current rates.
