Hyatt Privé

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts may not have as large of a footprint as some of the other major hotel chains. Still, with over 1,100 properties worldwide, Hyatt has a solid global presence and a very popular World of Hyatt loyalty program.

Hyatt also has a program that allows you to book stays at a large number of luxury Hyatt hotels and still enjoy a generous set of benefits, without having to hold elite status through World of Hyatt.

In this guide, we’ll dive into Hyatt’s preferred partner program, Hyatt Privé. We’ll look at what Hyatt brands participate in the program, what the potential benefits are, and when it makes the most sense to use Hyatt Privé to book your next trip.

What Is Hyatt Privé?

Hyatt Privé is Hyatt’s preferred partner program. Hyatt Privé bookings can only be made through a travel advisor or a travel agency.

The price you’ll pay for a participating Hyatt property through Hyatt Privé is the same price you would find if you were to book a public flexible rate with Hyatt on your own.

Prepaid rates, corporate rates, member rates, third-party rates, and other promotional rates might be cheaper than the Hyatt Privé rate. On the other hand, these lower rates can come with more restrictive cancellation and change policies, and aren’t eligible for the exclusive benefits of booking through Hyatt Privé.

Many, but not all, Hyatt properties participate in Hyatt Privé program. All Park Hyatt, Andaz, and Miraval Hotels and Resorts participate, while select properties participate from the following brands:

• Grand Hyatt
• Hyatt Centric
• Hyatt Regency
• The Unbound Collection
• Thompson
• Alila
• JdV by Hyatt

If you are booking a Park Hyatt, Andaz, or Miraval property through Hyatt Privé, there’s no minimum stay requirement; however, there is a two-night minimum stay if you wish to book Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Alila, JdV by Hyatt, Thompson, or The Unbound Collection.

By booking through Hyatt Privé, you’ll receive a great choice of benefits and perks, which may even surpass the benefits you receive if you have World of Hyatt elite status.

For eligible stays booked via Hyatt Privé, you’ll receive:

• A $50 or $100 (USD) property credit per room per stay
  • Park Hyatt hotels always offer a $100 (USD) property credit
  • Other brands mostly offer a $100 (USD) property credit, although some hotels offer only $50 (USD) and some hotels do not offer a property credit
• Complimentary breakfast for two in the hotel’s restaurant
• One-category room upgrade, subject to forecasted availability, confirmed within 24 hours of booking
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability
• A welcome gift and letter

While the two standout benefits are the $100 (USD) property credit and the complimentary breakfast, one powerful and unique benefit of the Hyatt Privé program is the ability to confirm a room upgrade within 24 hours after making your booking.

This is one of the unique perks that sets Hyatt Privé apart from Virtuoso, Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, or other major hotel preferred partner programs.

The ability to lock in an upgrade well before you arrive to check-in can help you better plan for your trip, taking the stress out of having to ask for upgrades in the days leading up to the stay.

What’s more, if the hotel isn’t able to confirm an upgrade in advance (for example, if forecasted occupancy for your stay dates is quite high), then it’s nice to know that ahead of time as well, as you can set up your expectations accordingly and look at other hotel options that may be able to confirm an upgrade in advance.

Note that the confirmed room upgrade benefit is typically room-to-room or suite-to-suite, and limited to one room category only (although some hotels have exceptions and will upgrade certain room types multiple categories higher).

If you’d like to request a suite upgrade that’s multiple categories higher than what you originally booked, you may still need to rely on “suite-talking” magic in the lead-up to your stay, likely with World of Hyatt elite status to back you up.

Still, the one-category pre-confirmed upgrade via Hyatt Privé can give you a higher base to start from as you seek out the biggest and best suite upgrades.

Lastly, the early check-in and late check-out, while not guaranteed, are great perks to have if you are arriving at your destination early, or are planning on leaving later in the day.

Why Book Hotels Through Hyatt Privé?

The main reason why you’d want to book through Hyatt Privé is to be able to enjoy the host of elite-like benefits without having to earn your way through World of Hyatt’s elite status tiers.

In fact, in many ways the benefits through Hyatt Privé are even better than the benefits offered to Hyatt’s top-tier Globalist members.

World of Hyatt Globalist members do not receive a hotel credit, and while they are entitled to an upgrade, subject to availability and potentially including standard suites, that upgrade can’t be confirmed until the time of check-in, rather than at the time of booking as is offered through Hyatt Privé.

What’s more, if you’re a World of Hyatt member, bookings made through Hyatt Privé will count towards earning elite qualifying nights to help you in retaining your World of Hyatt status, or levelling up to the next elite status tier. In addition to earning elite qualifying nights, you’ll also earn the applicable World of Hyatt points on all Hyatt Privé bookings.

On top of earning all the usual elite qualifying night credits and World of Hyatt points, if you have Suite Upgrade Awards, you can apply them to a Hyatt Privé booking. 

You may want to apply a Suite Upgrade Award if, say, you’ve booked a base-level room through Hyatt Privé, and the upgrade offered at the time of booking is to a better room, but not a suite.

If there is a suite available for your dates, your travel advsior can contact the property on your behalf to see if they are willing to upgrade you to the suite without having to apply a Suite Upgrade Award. If this isn’t possible, you still have the option of using your Suite Upgrade Award.

Getting the Most from Hyatt Privé

If you’re planning to stay at a Hyatt hotel, or even if you’ve already booked a Hyatt stay, it can certainly be worthwhile to reach out to a travel advisor to see if your hotel participates in the Hyatt Privé program.

Here are a few ways to make the most of the value you get from booking through Hyatt Privé as you plan your upcoming Hyatt stays.

Compare with Public Rates

The Hyatt Privé rate will beat out the public flexible rate every time, thanks to the extra benefits you get.

Even if there are lower rates available to you, Hyatt Privé may still benefit more in terms of the value you’ll receive with the hotel credit, complimentary breakfast, and upgrades confirmed at the time of booking.

Also, if you have access to World of Hyatt points, make sure to compare the price and benefits of Hyatt Privé against the value you’d get from redeeming points for an equivalent stay. 

Compare with Virtuoso and Amex FHR

If you hold an American Express Platinum Card or an American Express Business Platinum Card, you’ll have access to the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program, where you may be able to book select Hyatt properties and still enjoy similar perks.

Similar to Amex FHR, Virtuoso is another hotel booking platform that offers additional benefits. Keep in mind that there are more Hyatt hotels that can be booked through Hyatt Privé than through either Amex FHR or Virtuoso. 

Note that upgrades can only be confirmed upon check-in with Amex FHR and Virtuoso, subject to availability. This is where booking through Hyatt Privé is clearly superior, as you’ll have the ability to confirm an upgrade at the time of booking. 

In addition, Hyatt properties will typically prioritize on-arrival upgrades and early check-in if you book through Hyatt Privé, rather than booking through Virtuoso or Amex FHR.

However, with Amex FHR, 4pm late check-out is a guaranteed benefit, rather than subject to availability as Virtuoso and Hyatt Privé, so Amex FHR may be your preferred booking option if you value a later check-out time. (The exception is if you’re a Globalist member, in which case you have guaranteed 4pm late check-out even when booking through Hyatt Privé.)

Property-Specific Promotions

Another way to make the most of Hyatt Privé is to keep an eye out for property-specific promotions available only through the program.

In the past, these have often included 3rd, 4th, or 5th Night Free offers at specific properties, sometimes only if you book select suites or villas.

If a Hyatt property offers free nights, then the price you’d find through Hyatt Privé would almost certainly be lower than even the lowest rates found elsewhere, and that’s before factoring in all of the other benefits.

Conclusion

Hyatt Privé is a preferred partner program offered by Hyatt that allows you to enjoy elite-like benefits without needing to be a World of Hyatt elite member.

At the same price as a flexible rate, you can enjoy hotel credits up to $100 (USD), complimentary breakfast, and even an upgrade confirmed at the time of booking, subject to availability, alongside a few other valuable perks.

If you have your eyes on a specific Hyatt property, or if you want to check and see if the city you’re visiting has participating Hyatt hotels, then be sure to connect with a travel advisor to see if booking hotels through Hyatt Privé makes sense for your next trip.