World of Hyatt Announces 2025 Category Changes

Each year, World of Hyatt makes adjustments to the amount of points required for redemptions at various properties around the world. In some cases, properties move up in categories, while in others, they go down.

World of Hyatt has just released this year’s upcoming category changes, which are set to kick in on March 26, 2025. This time around, 151 hotels and resorts will change categories, with 118 moving up and 33 moving down.

With around a month until the category changes take effect, make sure to consult the upcoming changes, and then lock in some bookings with points or Free Night Awards before any higher prices take effect.

World of Hyatt Award Chart + Peak & Off-Peak Pricing

For starters, it’s worth noting that World of Hyatt isn’t making any changes to its award chart. Rather, what’s changing is the amount of points required for redemptions at some (but not all) properties.

Even after the changes take effect, there will still be eight categories of properties, with off-peak, standard, and peak pricing.

Bookings made prior to March 25, 2025 at 8am Central Time will follow the existing hotel categories, even if the price is higher after the changes kick in.

If the price is lower after the category changes take effect on March 25, members will receive a one-time refund of the points difference, although any subsequent changes to the reservation will be subject to the new pricing. 

As it stands, World of Hyatt remains the only major hotel loyalty program that still offers an award chart with fixed pricing for redemptions, with most others having moved to dynamic pricing.

World of Hyatt Announces 2025 Category Changes

In 2024, Hyatt had a total of 183 hotels and resorts with category changes, with 137 moving up and 46 moving down.

This year, the total number of properties changing categories is fewer, though a greater proportion of properties are moving up rather than down (78% moving up and 22% moving down compared to 74% moving up and 26% moving down last year).

As is usually the case, the hotels that are dropping down aren’t as impactful, while the ones that rise are some of the more aspirational properties that many Hyatt members look to redeem points for.

On the luxury end of the spectrum, six properties are rising from Category 7 to the highest Category 8 this year:

• Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort, Costa Rica
• Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
• Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa
• Grand Hyatt Tokyo
• IL Tornabuoni Hotel
• Park Hyatt Tokyo

At these properties, the cost will rise from 30,000 to 40,000 points at the standard rate, with the price possibly increasing to 45,000 points on peak dates. Furthermore, all of these properties will soon be out of reach for a Category 1–7 Free Night Award earned as a Milestone Reward. 

If you have your eye on any of the above properties, be sure to lock in an award booking before March 25, 2025, as you’ll otherwise have to part ways with more points for the same hotels once the category changes take effect.

Changes to Canadian Hyatt Hotels

This year, only one Canadian Hyatt property will be changing categories. The Hyatt Regency Vancouver is moving from Category 4 to Category 5, which will put it out of reach for a Category 1–4 Free Night Award going forward.

It’s worth noting that Hyatt has a relatively small footprint in Canada, as there are currently only 22 hotels across the country.

However, Hyatt plans to open a number of hotels in Canada by 2026, and we can expect to see more Hyatt properties popping up in the next couple of years.

Impact to World of Hyatt Free Night Awards

As a reminder, World of Hyatt issues three different types of Free Night Awards:

• A Category 1–4 Free Night Award as an anniversary benefit on the US-issued Chase Hyatt Visa, a Milestone Reward for staying 30 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year, and a reward for staying at five, 10, or 15 different Hyatt brands under Hyatt’s Brand Explorer feature
• A Category 1–7 Free Night Award as a Milestone Reward for staying 60 and 100 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year
• An Ultimate Free Night Award as a Milestone Reward for staying 150 nights with Hyatt during a calendar year

Altogether, six Hyatt properties are falling from Category 5 to 4…

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

While 11 Hyatt properties are rising from Category 4 to 5….

• Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
• Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport
• The Bellevue Hotel
• Hyatt Place Fort Worth Historic Stockyards
• 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

Thus, the Category 1–4 Free Night Award will see a lower range of redeemable properties after the change, including some valuable Category 4 hotels in desirable locations, especially in Asia.

If you have any Category 1–4 Free Night Awards to use, be sure to have a look at the 2025 category changes and redeem them at properties that are moving up before March 25, 2025.

Conclusion

World of Hyatt has announced its 2025 category changes, and this time, a total of 151 hotels and resorts will change categories, with 118 moving up and 33 moving down.

This year, there are fewer hotels changing categories than in the past two years; however, a greater proportion are moving up compared to moving down.

With a fair warning shot about the changes now fired, be sure to lock in any bookings that are set to see an increase before March 25, 2025, when the category changes come into effect.