Hyatt Gold Passport announces a major program change over a three-day holiday weekend in the USA. Of course, hotels never sleep or take vacation days off.
- Effective January 7, 2014 a new award chart goes into place adding Category 7 at 30,000 points per night and raising the price of reward nights in category 5 from 18,000 to 20,000 points per night and category 6 from 22,000 to 25,000 points per night.
- The cost for Regency Club upgraded rooms and suite upgrades increases for Category 2-7 hotels.
- 27 hotels rise in hotel reward category including six properties in the new Category 7.
- 17 hotels drop one category on January 7, 2014.
Category 1-4 No change to Standard Room awards.
Category 5 Standard Room night increases from 18,000 to 20,000 points.
Category 6 Standard Room night increases from 22,000 to 25,000 points.
Category 7 Standard Room night at six hotels increases from 22,000 to 30,000 points per night.
Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, Avon Colorado near Vail really surprises me. Sure this hotel is popular during peak ski season, but much of the year the rates sit below $200 per night. Here is a post I wrote about my hotel visit there in May 2013.
What is changing about redeeming points for room upgrades on paid stays?
Upgrades to a Regency Club® or Grand Club® room on paid nights will change from 3,000 points for up to a four night stay to 3,000 points per night. Upgrades to a suite on paid nights will change from 6,000 points for up to a four night stay to 6,000 points per night.
This is a huge change if this was an award choice you used. Personally, I never used these upgrades since I had Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond confirmed suite upgrades the past several years.
Credit Card holders may want to book one of these category 4 hotels before January 7 changes.
All Hyatt Credit Card Anniversary Award Night redemptions booked before January 7, 2014 will follow the current Award Chart. For example, if you book an Anniversary Award Night prior to January 7, 2014 for a stay that occurs on January 7, 2014 or after, the current Award Chart will apply. Any Anniversary Award Night redemption booked on January 7, 2014 or after will follow the new Award Chart. Hyatt Credit Cardmembers may continue to redeem Anniversary Award Nights for Category 1-4 hotels only.
A Hyatt Place at 20,000 points? Wow.
27 Hotels Increase Hotel Award Category on January 7, 2014
17 Hotels decrease Hotel Award Category on January 7, 2014.
Hyatt Award Chart FAQ.
7. Will Free Night Awards booked prior to January 7, 2014 be impacted if the hotel I am staying at now requires more or fewer points?
Redemptions for Hotels Moving to a Higher Category
Any Free Night Award booked prior to January 7, 2014, at a property that is shifting to a higher category on January 7, 2014 and thus would require more points will not be affected. Reservations will remain in place, and the number of points required will remain at the point level required at the time that the reservation was made. For example, a Free Night Award booked at a Category 1 hotel for 5,000 points before January 7, 2014 will still only require 5,000 points even if that hotel is moving to Category 2 and would thus require 8,000 points on or after January 7, 2014. Please note that modifications to this reservation will affect this.
Redemptions for Hotels Moving to a Lower Category
Any Free Night Award booked prior to January 7, 2014, at a property that is shifting to a lower category on January 7, 2014 and thus would require fewer points will receive an adjustment. Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service will proactively deposit the point difference into a member’s account. For example, a member with a Free Night Award booked before January 7, 2014 for a Category 2 hotel for 8,000 points will receive 3,000 points returned to his/her account if that hotel is moving to Category 1 and would thus only require 5,000 points on or after January 7, 2014. Points will be deposited into a member’s account after January 7, 2014. Please note that modifications to this reservation will affect this. See Question 8 below for more details.
Starting January 7, 2014, how will modifications to existing reservations be handled?
Any Free Night Award reservation booked before January 7, 2014 for stays starting January 7, 2014 can be modified through February 15, 2014 – following the terms of the current Award Chart. Any modifications made to these reservations after February 15, 2014 will follow the terms of the new Award Chart, effective January 7, 2014. Any modifications to Hyatt Credit Card Anniversary Award Night reservations that cause an award reissue cannot be redeemed for hotels that moved from a Category 1-4 to Category 5 or 6 as of January 7, 2014.
My thoughts
Basically these Hyatt Gold Passport changes nearly complete the cycle of hotel reward night category changes of 2013:
IHG moved from brand award nights to hotel category award nights in nine tiers.
Hilton created a peak season award chart that makes their ten category tiers almost meaningless in HHonors.
Marriott added category 9 on its upper end and shifted half of category 4 hotels to category 5.
Starwood Preferred Guest increased the cost of Cash & Points Awards.
Wyndham changed their hotel award categories twice in two months at the beginning 2013.
The worst part of creating new high-end award categories is the general upward shift of hotels across award chart spectrum to higher hotel award categories.
Now we wait for Club Carlson changes.
Hyatt link: Hyatt Gold Passport 2014 Award Chart Changes
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