Hyatt mixes up hotel categories for 2022

Keen on using your World of Hyatt points for a stay-cay or getaway this year? Well, you better get cracking because Hyatt is rejigging some hotel categories as part of an annual points shake-up. From 22 March 2022, some properties will become more expensive to book with Hyatt points (though some will also get cheaper).

Here’s the latest on the World of Hyatt’s award chart changes in 2022.

Hyatt’s Sydney hotels see two changes

Australia is relatively unaffected by this year’s changes compared to the rest of the world. Two Hyatt properties in Sydney will shift categories by the end of March.

The Hyatt Regency Sydney, located adjacent to Darling Harbour in the CBD, will change from Category 5 to Category 4. You’ll now only need 15,000 points per night instead of 20,000 points.

But it’s the scenic Park Hyatt Sydney that will make your eyes water – that’s switching from Category 7 to 8, now commanding 40,000 points a standard night instead of 30,000 points. With peak pricing in place, you might be up for 45,000 points a night – an increase of 50% over the previous pricing.

Park Hyatt brand commands Category 8

Across the world, eight other properties will join the Park Hyatt Sydney in Category 8. Five of those are also Park Hyatts – in Kyoto, Milan, New York, Niseko and Paris. The Alila Napa Valley, Alila Ventana Big Sur and Andaz Maui at Wailea round out the list.

All of these esteemed properties would normally cost you dearly with cash, so it’s unsurprising that you’ll need to fork out more points from 22 March. Once again, these properties will increase from 30,000 points a night to 40,000 points during standard periods.

During quieter periods, Category 8 rooms go for 35,000 points a night, while peak periods – think school holidays and ski seasons – are charged at 45,000 points a night.

Summing up

You can see the full list of annual changes on the Hyatt website. Thankfully, the overall award chart structure isn’t changing, just the hotel categories. While 76 properties are getting cheaper, 70 properties are set to become more expensive, including many aspirational (i.e. expensive) Hyatt hotels.

The new rates kick in from 22 March 2022. Make sure you book before then if your favourite hotel is going up a category. Any changes or new bookings after that date will follow the revised rates. If you have an existing booking at a hotel that is going down in category, you’ll get an automatic points refund of the difference.

World of Hyatt isn’t a particularly big program in Australia. But if you’re diligently building up your points balance, then you might need to work a bit harder to unlock free nights at the best hotels.