In 2013, World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards entered into a strategic partnership, through which members of either program could enjoy reciprocal benefits when staying at partner properties.
Today, it was announced that the partnership between World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards will come to an end. As of September 30, 2023, members will no longer be able to earn or redeem points at properties between the two programs, nor will they be able to earn elite qualifying nights.
Fortunately, there are still a few days left to take advantage of a Tier Match, which could provide some tangible benefits for stays in Las Vegas until early 2024.
World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards to End Partnership
Later on this year, the decade-long strategic partnership between World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards will come to an end. While the official termination date is September 30, 2023, there are some important implications to be aware of, both before and after that date.
As of September 30, 2023, MGM properties will no longer be available for booking through Hyatt channels, and Hyatt properties will no longer be bookable through MGM channels.
Until then, all reservations made at either property will be honoured, and guests will continue to enjoy reciprocal benefits until September 30, 2023.
After that, while the reservations will still be honoured, guests will no longer accumulate World of Hyatt points or elite qualifying nights at MGM properties, nor will they be able to redeem World of Hyatt points for stays at MGM properties.
Likewise, MGM Rewards members will no longer be able to collect MGM Tier Credits at Hyatt properties from September 30, 2023 forward.
After September 30, 2023, in order to make any changes to stays at MGM properties booked through Hyatt channels, you’ll need to cancel the reservation entirely and rebook it through MGM directly. The same is true for Hyatt properties booked through MGM channels.
In terms of the reciprocal status-matching partnership, World of Hyatt members who’ve tier matched into MGM Rewards between February 1–July 14, 2023 will receive the tier match through to January 31, 2024.
As a reminder, base-level Hyatt Discoverists can match to MGM’s base-level Pearl tier, while Hyatt Explorists and Globalists can match to MGM’s higher Gold tier.
If you match your MGM Rewards status to World of Hyatt between March 1–July 14, 2023, you’ll enjoy the corresponding World of Hyatt status through to February 29, 2024.
Furthermore, MGM Rewards Gold members who earned their tier status through the reciprocal status-matching agreement between February 1–July 14, 2023 will continue to have resort fees waived for bookings made directly with MGM Rewards through January 31, 2024.
If you stand to benefit from any of the reciprocal status-matching arrangements, be sure to make your request by July 14, 2023, as you can still enjoy some benefits until early 2024.
The End of an Era
For many years, the strategic partnership between World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards provided members with unique opportunities through status matching and cheap stays in Las Vegas.
As for status matching, it was particularly beneficial for Explorists and Globalists, since the match to MGM Rewards Gold status came with a number of useful perks for stays in Las Vegas.
For example, when staying at MGM hotels in Las Vegas, guests with MGM Rewards Gold status enjoy the following benefits:
- Waived resort fees
- Priority check-in
- Complimentary room upgrades
- Dedicated lines at participating restaurants and nightclubs
Of these, the waived resort fee benefit saved members $39 (USD) per night, which is arguably the most valuable benefit that is set to disappear.
For some, a trip to Las Vegas also meant cheap stays at MGM properties, especially in the absence of daily resort fees. However, how many guests leveraged this strategic partnership was earning elite qualifying nights to earn or requalify for Hyatt Globalist status.
For example, it isn’t difficult to find nights at a property like Excalibur for $30–50 (USD) per night. Therefore, if Hyatt Globalist status was within reach, strategically timed trips to Vegas could bring you up to and over the threshold, without paying a premium to earn the nights.
While there’s still time to earn nights this way, it will all come to an end as of September 30, 2023, and anyone who has been leveraging this for years is sure to be disappointed.
Conclusion
World of Hyatt and MGM Rewards have announced that they’ll end their strategic partnership as of September 30, 2023. Until then, it’s business as usual, and guests can continue to earn and redeem points at the respective properties.
After that, World of Hyatt members will no longer earn World of Hyatt points or elite qualifying nights at MGM properties, and MGM Rewards guests will no longer able to earn Tier Credits at Hyatt hotels.
If you complete a status match before July 14, 2023, you can still continue to enjoy some reciprocal benefits until early 2024. Should you have any trips to Las Vegas planned before then, be sure to complete the request soon, and then take advantage of it while you still can.