How to Earn World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist Status

The World of Hyatt program allows loyal members to earn elite status and enjoy benefits and preferential treatment when staying at Hyatt hotels.

The highest status tier, Globalist, is where members receive the most perks, including suite upgrades, free breakfast, and more.

If you remain faithful to Hyatt, there's also a pathway for the most loyal members to earn Lifetime Globalist status, affording you access to all the perks without needing to re-qualify every year.

What Is World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist Status?

Globalist elite status is the only World of Hyatt status tier that has a lifetime equivalent.

Unlike all other World of Hyatt elite statuses, Lifetime Globalist status can only be earned through the accumulation of "Base Points". In other words, it doesn't matter how many nights you stay at Hyatt hotels, or even how many years you've been a World of Hyatt elite member.

In fact, the only way to earn World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist status is to earn 1,000,000 Base Points throughout your membership period.

It's important to note that World of Hyatt bonus points and points earned through credit card spending don't count towards the required Base Points.

Instead, you'll need to earn 5 Base Points for every US dollar spent at Hyatt hotels on eligible room rates and eligible incidental charges. This means you'll have to spend $200,000 (USD) at Hyatt hotels and resorts to reach Lifetime Globalist status.

As a World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist member, you'll receive all of the same benefits offered to regular World of Hyatt Globalist members, including the following:

• Free breakfast for up to two adults and two children
• Access to club lounges, where available
• Room upgrades, including standard suites (subject to availability)
• Guaranteed late check-out of 4pm
• Free parking on award stays at participating Hyatt hotels
• Access to a Hyatt Concierge agent

What's more, Lifetime Globalist members will receive an annual gift of one Category 1–7 Free Night Award and four Suite Upgrade Awards.

Once a World of Hyatt member earns Lifetime Globalist status, they'll enjoy all of the above benefits for the remainder of the member's natural life, until the World of Hyatt program is terminated, or the member's World of Hyatt membership is terminated, whichever occurs first.

If Hyatt removes the Globalist tier, they may transfer Lifetime Globalist status into a comparable elite tier.

In fact, this happened in 2017, when Hyatt transferred all previous Lifetime Diamond status members from the Hyatt Gold Passport program to Lifetime Globalist status in the updated World of Hyatt program.

World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist Status vs. Earned Globalist Status

Unlike Lifetime Globalist status, regular World of Hyatt Globalist status can be reached by earning Base Points or by earning qualifying nights.

You can reach this status year after year by earning 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 Base Points (spending $20,000 (USD)) in a calendar year.

There are some slight differences between the benefits that come with earning Globalist status in any given year versus earning Lifetime Globalist status.

As we've already mentioned, Lifetime Globalist members receive all of the same benefits as regular Globalist members, plus a Category 1–7 Free Night Award and four Suite Upgrade Awards.

Comparatively, members who earn Globalist status by reaching either 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 Base Points each year receive additional perks through World of Hyatt's Milestone Rewards.

In 2024, Hyatt expanded its Milestone Rewards program significantly. Rather than unlocking perks only at the 60-night threshold, members now earn rewards at every 10-night increment starting from 20 qualifying nights.

At the 60-night or 100,000-Base Point milestone, rewards include a Category 1–7 Free Night Award and two Suite Upgrade Awards.

Guest of Honor Awards, which allow you to gift Globalist benefits to someone else's stay, are also earned through Milestone Rewards. You'll earn your first Guest of Honor Award at 40 qualifying nights or 65,000 Base Points, with additional awards unlocking at higher milestones, up to 10 per calendar year.

Lifetime Globalist members can also enjoy this great feature, as they can continue to earn Milestone Rewards in addition to their yearly benefits as long as they meet the milestone requirements.

Given this, if you're a Lifetime Globalist member and reach the required number of qualifying nights or Base Points every year, you could double up on the Category 1–7 Free Night Award, bank even more Suite Upgrade Awards, and continue to benefit from your spending and stays at Hyatt hotels.

In terms of benefits during your stays, Globalist and Lifetime Globalist members should be treated equally; however, hotels and resorts can distinguish between Lifetime Globalist members and regular Globalist members.

Depending on the property, Lifetime Globalist members may receive preferential treatment.

May 2026 Program Changes: What They Mean for Lifetime Globalist

Starting in May 2026, World of Hyatt is overhauling its award chart for the first time in five years. The current three-tier pricing system (off-peak, standard, and peak) is expanding to five redemption levels: Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top.

The eight hotel categories remain, but pricing ranges within each category are widening considerably. At the top end, Category 8 properties could cost up to 75,000 points per night during Top periods, up from the current maximum of 45,000 points – a 67% increase.

Hyatt says it will roll out the changes gradually, with only a limited number of hotels moving nights into the Upper and Top tiers in 2026, and broader adoption in the years that follow.

There is some good news, though. Later in 2026, Explorist, Globalist, and Lifetime Globalist members, along with World of Hyatt credit cardholders, will gain early access to award night availability. This means elite members can book award nights 13 months in advance, one month before the general membership.

For Lifetime Globalist members, this is a notable addition. Locking in award nights at Lowest or Low pricing before the general population can access them could save thousands of points over the course of a year, especially at popular properties that tend to fill up quickly.

Hyatt is also introducing the ability to share points digitally with other members, making it easier to pool resources for a redemption.

Is It Worth Pursuing World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist Status?

World of Hyatt Globalist status is arguably the best hotel loyalty status to have, and World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist status comes with even more benefits.

That being said, it's hard to ignore the steep price tag of $200,000 (USD) attached to Lifetime Globalist status. In order to reach this level of spend at Hyatt hotels, you'd need to stay 1,000 nights at a cost of $200 (USD) per night.

As a point of comparison, Marriott Bonvoy's Lifetime Platinum elite status can be reached after earning 600 qualifying nights, plus 10 years of Platinum Elite status. If we assume the same $200 (USD) per night cost, this status would only cost $120,000 (USD).

Additionally, it's actually possible to earn Bonvoy's Lifetime Platinum elite status without spending any money at a Marriott-affiliated hotel. This can be achieved by earning the required number of qualifying nights through spending with co-branded credit cards.

Comparatively, there's no way of getting around World of Hyatt's spending requirement.

With this in mind, the question really is: should you spend $200,000 (USD) for World of Hyatt Lifetime Globalist status?

All things considered, it's difficult to say yes to this, since even if you were to spend $5,000 (USD) per year at Hyatt hotels, it'd still take 40 years to earn this status.

However, the May 2026 award chart changes add an interesting wrinkle. With Top-tier redemptions at Category 8 properties now reaching 75,000 points per night, the annual Free Night Award and four Suite Upgrade Awards that come with Lifetime Globalist become more valuable in relative terms. A single Category 1–7 Free Night Award could now be worth up to 55,000 points at peak pricing – a far cry from the old maximum of 35,000.

The early access to award availability is another factor worth considering. If you're a frequent Hyatt guest who books award stays at competitive properties, having that one-month head start on the general membership could make a real difference.

If you travel extensively for work and can funnel your hotel spending through Hyatt, or if you're already well on your way to the 1,000,000 Base Point target, the calculus shifts in your favour. But for most Canadian travellers, earning regular Globalist status annually through qualifying nights remains the more practical path.

One final thing to note is that you can earn regular World of Hyatt Globalist status without spending money at Hyatt hotels by earning qualifying nights through spending on World of Hyatt co-branded credit cards.

Chase offers two Hyatt-branded credit cards, and depending on which card you hold, you can earn qualifying nights for becoming a cardholder and for every $5,000 (USD) or $10,000 (USD) you spend.

If you earn 60 qualifying nights in a calendar year through this method, you'll enjoy the same benefits as you would by having Lifetime Globalist status, plus the perks earned through Milestone Rewards.

For most people, earning 60 qualifying nights is certainly easier than spending $200,000 (USD) at Hyatt hotels. However, with this method, you'll have to earn the 60 qualifying nights every year to keep enjoying the Globalist benefits.

Conclusion

Lifetime Globalist is the crown jewel of the World of Hyatt program, and the upcoming May 2026 changes make it slightly more interesting. The expanded award chart means your annual Free Night Award and Suite Upgrade Awards stretch further in points value, and the new early access to award bookings is a competitive edge.

The $200,000 (USD) spending requirement remains as steep as ever, though. Unless you're a road warrior with significant Hyatt spend, most Canadians are better served by earning regular Globalist status each year through qualifying nights – especially with the expanded Milestone Rewards now offering perks every 10 nights.

If you're already deep into Hyatt's ecosystem and tracking towards that 1,000,000 Base Point target, keep going. The lifetime guarantee is worth something in a loyalty landscape where programs seem to change their terms every year.