World of Hyatt has announced some upcoming changes to the Guest of Honor benefit and Milestone Rewards, set to take effect as of January 1, 2024.

Both the Guest of Honor benefit and Milestone Rewards are getting a significant overhaul, and depending on how you engage with the program, the changes should be positive overall.

Upcoming Changes to World of Hyatt Guest of Honor

One of the perks offered to top-tier World of Hyatt Globalists is the Guest of Honor benefit, which passes on Globalist benefits to a guest booked on a redemption from a Globalist’s account. 

It’s a great way for Hyatt’s highest-tier elites to give a friend or family member an elevated stay, and it’s indeed one of the hallmark features of the program.

World of Hyatt has announced some major changes to the Guest of Honor benefit, which are set to take effect as of January 1, 2024.

Historically, Globalists could make an unlimited number of Guest of Honor bookings from their account. However, this is set to change, and Guest of Honor will become tied to Milestone Rewards.

 Members will be able to earn up to 10 Guest of Honor Awards, which are awarded at the following milestones:

• One Guest of Honor Award at 40 nights or 65,000 Base Points
• Two Guest of Honor Awards at 60 nights or 100,000 Base Points
• One Guest of Honor Award at each of 70, 80, 90, 110, 120, 130, and 140 nights

While earning Guest of Honor Awards will now be tied to earning Base Points or stays, and not unlimited, which is a downside of the changes, the upside is that you don’t need to be a Globalist to earn a Guest of Honor Award.

Crossing the threshold to Globalist status requires 60 nights or 100,000 Base Points; however, you’ll earn a Guest of Honor Award at 40 nights or 65,000 Base Points, while you’re an Explorist member. You could then gift it to yourself on a stay to get a taste of the Globalist treatment, or award it to someone of your choosing.

It’s important to note that Guest of Honor Awards are awarded automatically at these thresholds, and you won’t need to choose them over other Milestone Rewards. 

Once earned, Guest of Honor Awards will be valid for the remainder of the calendar year in which they’re earned, plus an additional 14 months. Importantly, they must be redeemed for a reservation with a check-out date on or before the expiration of the Award.

If you’re currently a Globalist member, World of Hyatt will deposit five Guest of Honor Awards in your account for 2024 as a one-time gesture, valid through February 2025.

Guest of Honor perks have previously only been applied to award bookings; however, as of January 1, 2024, they can also be applied to stays booked with cash. This way, you’ll be able to share Globalist perks on bookings that make sense to book with cash instead of points, or when booking through Hyatt Privé isn’t possible.

Previously, elite qualifying nights for Guest of Honor bookings were awarded to the individual who stayed at the hotel. Going forward, the guest who stays at the hotel will continue to earn nights, and the member who gifted the Guest of Honor Award will be credited with one elite qualifying night per Guest of Honor stay (not per night).

Lastly, Guest of Honor Awards will become bookable online and through the app, and you’ll no longer have to go through other channels to make a Guest of Honor booking.

Upcoming Changes to World of Hyatt Milestone Rewards

World of Hyatt has also announced a number of upcoming changes to Milestone Rewards for 2024.

As a reminder, as you accumulate elite qualifying nights and Base Points, you’re gifted or get to choose Milestone Rewards, such as Club Access Awards, Free Night Awards, and Suite Upgrade Awards, at various thresholds. 

As of January 1, 2024, Milestone Rewards will be available at up to 150 qualifying nights. Previously, Milestone Rewards were available until 100 qualifying nights, so the changes will incrementally reward members who accumulate a large number of qualifying nights each year.

New options for Milestone Rewards are being introduced next year, including the following:

• 2K Next Stay: Earn 2,000 bonus points on your next stay at a Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Caption by Hyatt, or UrCove hotel
• FIND Experience Credit: Earn a $25–300 (USD) credit to use on any FIND experience around the world
• Miraval Extra Night: Stay one night at a Miraval resort and receive a complimentary second night
• Ultimate Free Night Award: Enjoy a free night at any participating Category 1–8 hotel or Category A–F all-inclusive resort or Miraval resort (earned at 150 nights only)

As part of the changes, World of Hyatt is also allowing members to share many Milestone Rewards with others.

If you earn Suite Upgrade Awards, Club Lounge Access Awards, Free Night Awards, Miraval Extra Night Awards, FIND credits, and other eligible Milestone Rewards, you’ll be able to share them with anyone of your choosing.

You’ll be able to share them on your account dashboard, through the Hyatt app, or by contacting Hyatt, and all you’ll need is the member’s last name and World of Hyatt number.

Lastly, at the 40-night threshold, a Suite Night Award is replacing the $100 Hyatt gift card Milestone Reward option. 

Overall Positive Changes for World of Hyatt Members in 2024

Typically, when announcements from loyalty programs are described as enhancements, it means the opposite. However, the upcoming changes to World of Hyatt Guest of Honor Awards and Milestone Rewards are largely positive, which is particularly refreshing after a year that saw a number of sweeping devaluations and negative changes to other programs.

When it comes to the Guest of Honor benefit, it’s worth noting that no longer being able to make unlimited bookings from your account is indeed a negative change, especially if you’re someone who makes a lot of bookings.

Sure, you can earn up to 10 Guest of Honor Awards each year through the refreshed program, but doing so would require earning 140 qualifying nights, which is a tall order.

If you earn 60 nights to reach Globalist status, you’ll have three Guest of Honor Awards available in your account, and from there, you can earn up to seven more. It’s worth noting that you can earn qualifying nights through spending on World of Hyatt co-branded credit cards, although it may not be worth the effort simply to earn more Guest of Honor awards.

Otherwise, the changes to Guest of Honor Awards are largely positive, since they’ll now apply to cash bookings, credit the gifter with one qualifying night per stay, be bookable online, and earned at the 40-night threshold for Explorist members.

When it comes to Milestone Rewards, the upcoming changes are overwhelmingly positive.

While most members likely won’t earn more than 100 qualifying nights in a year, it’s nice to see the program provide incremental rewards for those that do, which is comparatively rare with hotel programs.

Perhaps the most exciting changes are that Milestone Rewards will be transferable to other members with greater ease. It’s rare for elite members to be able to share things like lounge access or suite upgrades with others on separate stays, and it’s a hallmark of the program that differentiates World of Hyatt from other programs.

Most Milestone Rewards tiers now come with three options to select from, including some meaningful perks and benefits en route to top-tier Globalist status. 

For example, a would-be Globalist could earn the following benefits either automatically or by choosing them as a Milestone Reward:

• 2K Next Stay Award, two Club Access Awards, or $25 FIND credit
• Category 1–4 Free Night Award, and 2K Next Stay Award, two Club Access Awards, or $25 FIND credit
• Guest of Honor Award, and 5,000 points, Suite Upgrade Award, or $150 FIND credit
• 5,000 points, two Suite Upgrade Awards, or $150 FIND credit
• Two Guest of Honor Awards, Category 1–7 Free Night Award, two Suite Upgrade Awards, and My Hyatt Concierge

Keep in mind that these perks come in addition to other Globalist benefits, such as free breakfast, 4pm late check-out, and others.

That’s a pretty meaningful suite of perks for the program’s top-tier elites to enjoy and share with others, as they wish.

Let’s hope that other hotel programs take note and provide actual enhancements to reward those who engage the most with the programs.

Conclusion

World of Hyatt is rolling out a number of changes to the Guest of Honor benefit and Milestone Rewards in 2024. 

While the changes are sweeping, they’re largely positive, and members should find plenty of value in the added options and flexibility.

The amendments to the program come into effect as of January 1, 2024. The full list of updated terms and conditions can be found on the Hyatt website.