How to make the most of the Hyatt award chart

February 4, 2021 By Sarah Hostetler

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.

MMS readers and our entire team love Hyatt. We love the hotels, we love the service, and we love the loyalty program.

There are well over 1,000 hotels worldwide at which you can redeem Hyatt points for a free stay. Plus, it takes relatively few points to stay at top-notch hotels compared to other chains.

Hyatt points are easy to earn, too. You can rack them up through the World of Hyatt Credit Card — or even better, you can transfer points from many of the best Chase credit cards to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. For example, the welcome bonuses that come with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card can net you well over $1,000 in Hyatt stays!

I’ll show you how to use the Hyatt award chart to do just that.

View from the Andaz 5th Avenue, New York City. (Photo courtesy of Hyatt.)

Hyatt award chart and top brands

There are currently 20 Hyatt brands where you can earn and redeem Hyatt points. You may be familiar with more than you think:

The majority of Hyatt hotels are subject to an award chart, where Hyatt organizes its hotels into eight different categories. Free nights in a standard room range from 5,000 points to 40,000 points. And you’ll pay up to 80,000 points per night for a premium suite at some locations! Don’t let that scare you off, though – there are some tricks to the Hyatt award chart.

The award charts below reflect peak and off-peak prices. These prices are coming to Hyatt sometime in 2021, though we’re not entirely sure when. Until then, you can book any award night at the standard rate and if the prices drop to off-peak, you’ll be issued a refund. Even better, if the price increases to peak rates, you won’t have to pay extra.

Using the award chart for standard rooms

Hyatt doesn’t impose blackout dates (at least not in theory), so if a standard room is available you should be able to book an award stay. Here’s what you’ll pay.

Standard award night (regular room)

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Category 1	3,500	5,000	6,500
Category 2	6,500	8,000	9,500
Category 3	9,000	12,000	15,000
Category 4	12,000	15,000	18,000
Category 5	17,000	20,000	23,000
Category 6	21,000	25,000	29,000
Category 7	25,000	30,000	35,000
Category 8	35,000	40,000	45,000

This is a great award chart. Dramatically lower prices than other hotel chains, like Hilton and Marriott – though note that it’s generally easier to earn those other points currencies than Hyatt. Still, the ability to stay at some of the best hotels in the world for between 25,000 and 45,000 points is hard to beat.

Using the award chart for suites

You can guarantee yourself a suite at check-in if you’re willing to spend more points. The exact percentage of extra points you’ll need in relation to the standard award rate varies by category – the most you’ll pay is a 21,000-point premium per night. That’s a ton of points, and not usually recommended.

We estimate Hyatt points value to be 1.5 cents each. If you’re booking a suite with your points, use the following formula to decide whether it’s a good deal:

(Cash value of suite night – cash value of standard night) / Number of points above standard room price

If the price comes out to 1.5 cents or more, it’s not a bad deal.

Standard suite award night

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Category 1	6,500	8,000	9,500
Category 2	11,500	13,000	14,500
Category 3	17,000	20,000	23,000
Category 4	21,000	24,000	27,000
Category 5	29,000	32,000	35,000
Category 6	36,000	40,000	44,000
Category 7	43,000	48,000	53,000
Category 8	56,000	61,000	66,000

Premium suite award night

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Category 1	7,000	10,000	13,000
Category 2	13,000	16,000	19,000
Category 3	18,000	24,000	30,000
Category 4	24,000	30,000	36,000
Category 5	34,000	40,000	46,000
Category 6	42,000	50,000	58,000
Category 7	50,000	60,000	70,000
Category 8	70,000	80,000	90,000

There’s another trick you should know about, too. When you book a paid night with Hyatt, you can pay a flat number of points per night to upgrade yourself to a suite:

Standard suite upgrade: 6,000 points per night
Premium suite upgrade: 9,000 points per night
Regency Club/Grand Club upgrade: 3,000 points per night

If you can foot the bill for a standard room, you can get huge value by using points to upgrade to a suite. Take a look at the Park Hyatt Zurich, for example. This is a Category 7 hotel, which means it costs 30,000 points for a free night – or up to 60,000 points for a Premium Suite free night, as you can see below.

If we look at cash prices, we see that this hotel charges 332 euros for a standard room on this particular night per night (that’s cheaper than usual, FYI). However, a Park Suite costs 1,309 euros (or 48,000 points), and the Park Corner Suite costs $1,947 euros (or 60,000 points).

In other words, you could spend 60,000 Hyatt points for a 1,947 euro room (about $2,355 at the time of writing), and you’d receive a value of 3.92 cents per point. That’s outstanding.

But get this – if you were to simply pay for the room with cash, you’d spend 332 euros. You could then contact Hyatt to upgrade yourself to a standard suite for 6,000 Hyatt points per night – or a premium suite for 9,000 points per night! Seeing as the premium suite is 1,615 euros (or $1,954) more expensive than the base room, you’re getting $1,954 in value from just 9,000 points! That’s a value of 21.7 cents per Hyatt point.

Take a minute to appreciate that. With The World of Hyatt Card, you’ll earn at least 9.5 Hyatt points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels. If you were to use your points in the way described above – and achieve a value of 21.7 cents per point – the 9.5 points you earn is like receiving $2.06 in value for every dollar you spend at Hyatt.

Only note that to upgrade with points may require you to book a certain room type or a certain rate at various hotels. You can quickly and easily find out by calling 800-544-9288 – or, you can direct message @Hyatt Concierge on Twitter. There are very few things they’ve not been able to achieve for me.

Using points for all-inclusives

Hyatt’s all-inclusive properties can be a great use of your points, whether you’re traveling with kids or are more interested in a quiet, adults-only experience. I spent a night at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun and can confirm that it’s a super chill spot. There’s a lovely beach, multiple pools, and, of course, unlimited food and beverages.

Double occupancy in a standard room costs just 20,000 to 25,000 Hyatt points per night. Here’s a look at standard award rates for Hyatt’s all-inclusive resorts, as well as standard suite award prices. We also outline the number of points it’ll cost you to book three or more guests in a room.

Standard free night (regular room)

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Hyatt Zilara Cancun	21,000	25,000	29,000
Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana	21,000	25,000	29,000
Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall	21,000	25,000	29,000
Hyatt Ziva Cancun	21,000	25,000	29,000
Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana	21,000	25,000	29,000
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos	17,000	20,000	23,000
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta	17,000	20,000	23,000
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall	21,000	25,000	29,000

Standard suite award night

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Hyatt Zilara Cancun	35,000	40,000	45,000
Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana	35,000	40,000	45,000
Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall	35,000	40,000	45,000
Hyatt Ziva Cancun	35,000	40,000	45,000
Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana	35,000	40,000	45,000
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos	27,000	32,000	37,000
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta	27,000	32,000	37,000
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall	35,000	40,000	45,000

Additional points per person

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Hyatt Zilara Cancun	10,500	12,500	14,500
Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana	10,500	12,500	14,500
Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall	10,500	12,500	14,500
Hyatt Ziva Cancun	10,500	12,500	14,500
Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana	10,500	12,500	14,500
Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos	8,500	10,000	11,500
Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta	8,500	10,000	11,500
Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall	10,500	12,500	14,500

Using points for Miraval resort stays

There are currently three Miraval Resort locations:

Miraval Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
Miraval Austin (Austin, Texas)
Miraval Berkshires (Lenox, Massachusetts)

If you want to use your points for a unique experience these resorts offer just that. They are hyper-focused on wellness and luxury.

Standard rooms at Miraval Resorts cost 45,000 points per night for single occupancy. Rates are an additional 20,000 points per night for double occupancy. That means you’re looking at 65,000 points per night for you and a partner, which is outrageous. That said, we’ve seen decent off-season promotions before (50% points rebate), so it’s worth checking on if you’re looking to splurge.

	Off-peak	Standard	Peak
Standard room – Single occupancy	40,000	45,000	50,000
Standard room – Double occupancy	57,500	65,000	72,000
Standard suite – Single occupancy	65,000	75,000	85,000
Standard suite – double occupancy	82,500	95,000	107,000
Premium Suite – Single occupancy	95,000	105,000	115,000
Premium suite – Double occupancy	112,500	125,000	137,000

Best redemptions

Park Hyatt Sydney

The Park Hyatt Sydney is ridiculous. I look at pictures of it from time to time and marvel that Hyatt was able to lock down a property with such a perfect location in Sydney Harbour. It’s a waterfront hotel sandwiched between the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge – two of the most photogenic structures in the world.

The price Hyatt charges per night at the Park Hyatt Sydney indicates they’re fully aware that this hotel is special. Expect to pay $1,000+ regularly – or just 30,000 Hyatt points! That gives you a value per point of 3.33 cents. More than double our estimated average value!

**The boardwalk right outside the Park Hyatt Sydney. (Image courtesy of Hyatt)**

Viceroy Bali

The Viceroy Bali is a jaw-dropper of a redemption among the lush forests of Ubud. Bali is a bucket list destination for many (including me), and while there are a handful of hotels in Bali that I’m determined to try, this one is near the top of the list.

Rooms can cost $800 per night here, as you can see.

However, you’ll pay just 30,000 points, giving you a value of 2.66 cents per point. That’s far above our estimated average of 1.5 cents per point. Plus, you book right into a Pool Suite!

Calala Island

Calala Island is a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property, which partners with Hyatt. It’s located off the coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea.

There are only four rooms on the entire island – and you can use points for a free stay! It’s even an all-inclusive experience. Who knew traveling to your own private island is one of the cheapest vacations you can possibly take??

There’s one catch to staying at Calala Island: You must book at least three nights at a time. Rooms here cost 40,000 points per night, meaning you’ll need at least 120,000 points to vacation at Calala Island.

However, the cash price for these rooms is $2,300+ per night. That gives you a whopping return of 5.7+ cents per point!

These are just a few ways to maximize your Hyatt points. Read our post on the best ways to use Hyatt points for more inspiration. You can get thousands of dollars in free stays in Paris, Japan, California, and much more!

How to earn Hyatt points

There are many ways to earn Hyatt points, but the fastest method is by earning credit card welcome bonuses.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card currently offers up to 60,000 points:

30,000 Hyatt points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Up to 30,000 more points with 2 points per dollar spent on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point, up to $15,000 in the first six months of account opening

This is objectively not a great deal. We recommend you instead earn Hyatt points indirectly by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt. If you have one of the below cards, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, in increments of 1,000 points:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®

You’ll usually get a better deal redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards points with airline partners, but Hyatt is the exception – as you can see from the above examples. Some of the MMS team’s biggest travel awards have been for Hyatt stays.

Bottom line

Whether you want a glamorous hotel getaway worth thousands of dollars or just a respectable hotel along the highway, Hyatt points are a worthwhile investment of your time and effort. They’re easy to earn, and the Hyatt award chart makes them easy to redeem.