World of Hyatt announces annual category changes, 118 properties getting pricier

World of Hyatt just announced its annual changes to where properties sit on its award chart, and while we are thrilled that the award chart itself remains unchanged, some of the individual property pricing changes will still likely sting.

A whopping 118 Hyatt hotels and resorts are moving to higher award categories, including some of our favorites. Higher-end and popular hotels and resorts in big cities and leisure destinations were especially hard hit.

That means booking them will cost you more World of Hyatt points once these adjustments take place. There is a bit of sweetener in the bitter news, however, as 33 properties are shifting to a lower award category.

Our early calculations show that among the hotels increasing in award category, the average award cost will be more than 2,444 points more per night once these changes take effect on March 25, 2025.

That’s not as bad as the 5,000-point cost average increase in 2023, but it’s higher on average than last year’s devaluation.

To give you an idea of how this year stacks up, here’s a comparison from previous years:

• 2022: 76 properties went down, 70 went up.
• 2023: 152 properties went down, 214 went up.
• 2024: 46 properties went down, 137 went up.
• 2025: 33 properties are going down, 118 are going up.

Another thing to flag is that the valuable free-night awards given to Hyatt members at certain elite night benchmarks or earned via the Hyatt credit cards are becoming less valuable.

For example, once these changes take place, you’ll no longer be able to use your Category 1-4 free night cert at these properties:

• Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
• Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
• The Bellevue Hotel
• Hyatt Regency Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui
• Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya
• Hyatt Regency Tokyo
• Hyatt Regency Koh Samui
• Hyatt Regency Vancouver
• Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile
• Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin
• Thompson Atlanta – Buckhead

I just used a Cat 1-4 award at the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo, and I’ve also used my free night awards at the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, so this is personally painful to me.

However, the Cat 1-4 certs will become valid at the following hotels that are going from Cat 5 down to Cat 4:

• Hotel Figueroa
• Dream South Beach
• Park Hyatt Doha
• Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa
• Grand Hyatt Jeju

And there are a few bright spots. For example, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa goes down a category (from Cat 7 to Cat 6), meaning you can book an award stay starting at 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

The vast majority of changes are also at the lower end of the award chart. Of the 118 properties moving up in category:

• 34.75% are going from Cat 1 to 2
• 23.03% are going from Cat 2 to 3
• 11.02% are going from Cat 3 to 4

Once these changes occur, those who like free night certificates will also have fewer options for using Category 1 – 7 certificates.

For example, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa goes from Cat 7 to Cat 8, making it out of reach for most free night certificates. Grand Hyatt Tokyo also going to Cat 8. And another TPG favorite, the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica goes up to a Cat 8 as well. This property was actually a Category 4 hotel just a few years ago, showing how quickly things can change.

Many Tokyo properties are jumping in price.

“Members will be able to use an Ultimate Free Night Award at Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Park Hyatt Tokyo and IL Tornabuoni Hotel, part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand and several other hotels when they shift to Category 8,” Hyatt told TPG. But what Hyatt neglected to mention in that quote is that you can only earn those Ultimate Free Night awards after staying at Hyatt 150 times a year!

Unfortunately, there will also be changes to properties that fall under Hyatt’s all-inclusive award chart, which will result in several popular resorts becoming significantly more expensive on award stays. This includes Secrets Playa Blanca Costa Mujeres, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun, Breathless Montego Bay Resort & Spa and Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa, which will all increase one level from 30,000 to 40,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

But it’s not all bad news since the World of Hyatt still has a published award chart, didn’t change the prices to each category and didn’t add a higher Category 9 to the program. It could always be worse.

Additionally, all bookings before the morning of March 25 will follow the current award chart, so it might be a good time to make some speculative bookings all the way into 2026.

Hyatt added, “However, members who have existing award or Points + Cash bookings as of 8:00 am CDT on Tuesday, March 25 for a night on or after Tuesday, March 25 at a Hyatt hotel that moved down to a lower category, will receive an automatic one-time refund on the point difference. Points will be returned to members’ accounts starting Tuesday, March 25.”

If you plan to use your Hyatt points at any hotels moving to a higher category (view the full list), you should make reservations before March 25 for stays as far out as the calendar will allow, which is typically 13 months. If you make or modify a reservation after that time, it will fall under the pricing rules that come into effect on March 25.

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