Last month, Hyatt announced a massive shake up of its World of Hyatt loyalty program on the redemption side, with prices set to rise up to 67% later this spring when using points. Now Hyatt may be preparing to shake up its earning side as well, including changes to Globalist status and even the introduction of a new, higher elite tier.
Before anyone panics, it’s worth emphasizing that none of this is confirmed. The details come from a survey sent to some members, first flagged by Loyalty Lobby.
Still, surveys like this are rarely random.
Hyatt Globalist Devaluation? Survey Hints At Cuts And New Top Tier
A new Hyatt survey suggests the company is at least considering a number of changes to its loyalty program, particularly around Globalist status.
Some ideas are intriguing. Others would represent a clear devaluation.
Let’s walk through them.
A New Tier Above Globalist
This is the most significant potential change.
Hyatt appears to be considering adding a new elite tier above Globalist, which currently requires 60 nights per year.
That would follow a familiar industry trend. Marriott, Hilton, and others have all introduced higher tiers or invite-only levels to reward their biggest spenders.
But it would also fundamentally change the value proposition of Globalist.
Right now, Globalist is the top published tier. If Hyatt inserts a new level above it, some of the most valuable benefits could shift upward, effectively diluting Globalist in the process.
That may be great for Hyatt’s highest-spending customers.
For everyone else, it’s hard to see how that’s anything but a devaluation.
Free Parking And Resort Fees On The Chopping Block?
One of the most concerning ideas in the survey is the possibility of removing free parking on award stays and waived resort fees for Globalists.
These are not minor perks.
They are among the most valuable benefits in the entire program and one of the key reasons Hyatt Globalist has long been considered the most rewarding top-tier hotel status.
Turning those into one-time milestone rewards instead of guaranteed benefits would be a massive cut.
Globalist Concierge Could Be Eliminated
Hyatt also appears to be considering changes to the Globalist concierge program.
For some, this will not matter much. Many Globalists rarely use their concierge or have inconsistent experiences…mine was terrible for the many years I had one.
But for others, this is a meaningful benefit, particularly for complex stays, upgrades, or special requests.
Eliminating it would not be catastrophic, but it would certainly chip away at what makes Globalist feel special.
New Milestone Rewards…With Tradeoffs
Hyatt is also exploring changes to its Milestone Rewards program.
Some of these ideas are genuinely interesting:
- Award certificates that waive peak pricing
- The ability to force award availability
- Expanded ways to use or redeem points
Those would be welcome additions, especially in light of the brutal award chart inflation we are seeing.
But there’s a catch.
If some of the benefits currently included with Globalist status (like free parking and waived resort fees) are shifted into these milestone rewards, Globalists end up losing.
Free Night Certificate “Top-Ups”
One of the more positive ideas under consideration is allowing members to add points to free night certificates to book higher-category hotels.
This is something Hyatt has long resisted, even as Marriott and IHG have embraced it.
If implemented, this would be a meaningful improvement and make certificates far more flexible and valuable.
What This Really Means
Taken together, the survey paints a clear picture.
Hyatt is exploring ways to:
- Differentiate its highest-value customers (with highest-value defined by spending)
- Reduce the cost of delivering broad elite benefits
- Add flexibility and customization to rewards
That’s not surprising.
Still, I see it is a sad sign that Hyatt wants to see “how much it can get away it” rather than actually improving the program. Hyatt’s global footprint as grown, but it remains much smaller than many of its competitors.
CONCLUSION
For now, these are just survey ideas, not announced changes, but they are revealing ideas…
Hyatt has long had the most compelling top-tier elite status in the industry. Globalist has stood out precisely because it offered meaningful, consistent benefits without requiring massive spend.
These potential changes suggest Hyatt may be rethinking that model. Adding a new tier above Globalist could make sense for some members who don’t see a meaningful return on spending beyond 60 nights, even as milestone rewards have improved. Further improving milestone rewards could be a positive.
But removing guaranteed benefits and turning them into conditional perks would represent a clear step backward. Hyatt has built enormous goodwill with its loyalty program but seems ready to throw most of it away with these changes that have nothing to do with “sustainability” and everything to do with squeezing members as much as possible.
How would these surveyed changes to World of Hyatt impact you?
Between the devaluation of the Hyatt points and Hyatt + Hyatt hotel owners’ growing interest in slashing elite status benefits (and costs related to benefit delivery), the writing is on the wall and it means I won’t prioritize getting 60+ status nights with Hyatt.
Basically, Hyatt is getting Bonvoy’d.
This would be disappointing after making efforts to qualify for LT Globalist. Hyatt could as easily increase Globalist qualification requirements and create a new level just below Globalist.
And as much as it may make me look like an apologist, LT Globalist may have become too easy to earn – the ever growing number of Hyatt properties has created more and more opportunities for qualifying spend and inflation has devalued the true cost of qualification. Simply, it has required much less loyalty to get there,
Create a new level below 60 night/Globalist? There is already 30 night/Explorist with weak benefits, and Explorist is hard enough for people to qualify for outside the US and still doesn’t come with much in the way of benefits. A 45 night level status at Hyatt would be a poor shell of a status since Hyatt and Hyatt hotel owners want to slash benefits for 60 night Globalists.
If we’re being honest, the Hyatt elite tiers (whatever you want to call them) should be 25, 50, and 75 nights. Make the highest tier an actual 75 butt-in-bed nights. 60 nights for globalist with credit card promos, etc. is nothing. Really.
Given most all of Hyatt’s longer-term growth is going to be coming from outside of the US where Hyatt credit cards aren’t around, all Hyatt is going to do if hiking up status requirements while devaluing the benefits and points is become a company ever more addicted to non-loyal, infrequent customers who turn out to be transactionally higher margin because of the willingness or foolishness of such customers to pay for the incidentals which used to be free for loyalty program members at some or other elite status level in the loyalty program.
Here’s a cleaned-up version with grammar fixes and math verified:
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One problem with linking loyalty program status to dollars spent is international pricing. Hotels are cheaper in Asia and the Middle East—the very markets where Marriott, IHG, Hyatt, and others are expanding. It’s legitimately difficult to spend $23,000 a year and qualify for Marriott Ambassador status if you’re based entirely outside North America or Western Europe. Likewise, domestically, Hyatt doesn’t have the footprint to generate $20,000+ a year from elites seeking top-tier status.
Let’s look at a typical road warrior in a white-collar job—consulting, business development, and so on. Assume they take one week of vacation at a luxury property: $700 per night for seven nights, or $4,900. They then stay another 40 nights at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House properties at an average rate of $170, totaling $6,800. (Hyatt’s systemwide average daily rate is around $200–$204, but that includes Park Hyatt and other higher-end brands.) Add 10 nights at a Hyatt Regency at $200 per night, or $2,000.
At this point, we’re at 57 nights and $13,700 in spending.
Now add another five nights at a Grand Hyatt for an annual business meeting or trade show at $300 per night, or $1,500. That brings the yearly total to 62 actual, butt-in-bed nights and $15,200 in spending.
Marriott can extract $23,000 from Ambassador members because it has far more Sheraton, Westin, Renaissance, Marriott, and JW Marriott properties than Hyatt has Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt. Hyatt’s growth over the past five years has been almost entirely limited to all-inclusives, resorts and limited-service brands, like Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. It simply doesn’t have enough full-service, business-oriented four-star hotels to support that kind of spending threshold.
Well, more like bump Globalist up to 100 nights and create a new level at 50. I am obviously biased as an LT Globalist, but it would chafe to earn LT highest level only to have them create a higher level.
The Globalist concierge is a farce. It takes 2-3 days to get a response. There’s no real 24/7/365 coverage either, unlike Marriott’s ambassador.
I don’t see how Hyatt could require 100 nights for top-tier status because their foot print is still challenging. Maybe 60 or 75 actual butt-in-bed nights for globalist.
I think we’re most likely to see a revenue requirement for whatever the top tier of published status is. Hyatt already tracks eligible spending. They just don’t have it tied to anything. I think that changes since it is in keeping with industry-wide loyalty program trends.
I really wish Hyatt would focus on improving tangible benefits for globalist or whatever the top tier is called. Specifically at Hyatt Place and Hyatt House properties where two bottles of water a day just doesn’t cut it.
How about improving hotel operations? Club lounges are supposed to be brand standards at Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt. And yet even Hyatt corporate-operated properties don’t have lounges. If they aren’t going to require a lounge anymore then they need to provide something to globalists more than just a restaurant breakfast. Especially at the Hyatt Regencies that only offer a pathetic breakfast buffet, like the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center and Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment.
Indeed this nails down the problems with Hyatt and where Hyatt is headed.
Hyatt isn’t interested in increasing the rewards from loyalty; Hyatt is looking to cut the costs they have from loyal customers.
I think you’re way off if you feel complimentary parking and waived resort fees are “one of the key reasons Hyatt Globalist has long been considered the most rewarding top-tier hotel status.” Most people surely feel that confirmed suite upgrades and guaranteed 4pm checkout are the most attractive top-tier benefits.
I agree that those two are more important, but I loved how Globalists were not nickeled and dimed. I hate junk fees and this was a value-add that saves a ton of money over a calendar year.
I agree! Waiving Free Parking, Resort Fees and Destination Fees are quite valuable for many.
4 PM is nice to have but it really depends on one’s travel schedules. As far as Suit Upgrades, it does not mean as much to business travelers as for travelers on vacation stays.
Especially considering how overprices parking // valet can be in some markets. Easily $50+ / day. I don’t think valet is meant to be included but I find it almost always is.
As a Lifetime Globalist who clocks in 120+ nights a year at Hyatt my take is that a new tier would be a positive one. Especially amidst devaluations.
Once reaching Lifetime Globalist there is little incentive to worry about Globalist under the current structure. As such, I get pitted for upgrades alongside people who gained Lifetime and then just stay occasionally at Hyatt. My CONTINUED loyalty should be recognized against them. As well, it puts Hyatt more in line with the Marriott system that you can only achieve Lifetime Titanium – with Ambassador being above this (which I also have and has been far better this year in recognition and “real” upgrades). Ambassador has been improving so much that I see less incentive to go Hyatt for a 120+ nights as Ambassador is becoming more and more valuable and can’t be attained through Lifetime. Yes, I will still get Globalist on top of lifetime even cutting back by 50% – but if a new level is introduced with enhanced offerings you bet I will continue to make Hyatt my first choice and Bonvoy second.
As to Josh’s comment: Yes, waived resort/destination/BS fees being waived for all stays is a HUGE benefit and important to me as Globalist/Lifetime Globalist. As equal to suite upgrades. It is a driving force to my choice of hotels between Bonvoy or Hyatt. Take it away and it will most certainly affect how I choose which to stay each night. Especially since Marriott seems to have a new initiative on upgrades for Ambassador.
As a top tier Hyatt loyalist for the past decade+ I just don’t see how Hyatt announcing a massive devaluation recently and now making things most likely vastly worse when the new category changes arrive soon, how these changes can be construed in any way except a big middle finger to loyal guests.
I made lifetime Globalist a few years ago and continue to stay at Hyatt almost exclusively making Globalist tier each year without leveraging on my lifetime status.
I’d be interested to learn about how to achieve lifetime status at the new elevated tier.
I’d rather have waived resort and parking fees over suite upgrades. I think it would be better to keep the current benefits and just make it 75 or 80 nights to earn Globalist. I don’t like the direction Hyatt is going.