New World of Hyatt Starts Today

Today, March 1, 2017 marks the start of the new World of Hyatt loyalty program, and the Gold Passport program is no longer.

We’ve known about the change since October so this didn’t come as a surprise.

Last night I was on Hyatt’s website looking for a Cash & Points redemption at a property when all of a sudden I got an error and was thrown out. I was unable to return back onto the website and figured that as it was just after midnight on the East Coast, the switchover was underway.

This morning I logged back in successfully and to my relief, the cash & points redemption I was looking for was still available. The only difference I noticed was that instead of the check box to tick that used to reference Gold Passport points now says “Show World of Hyatt Points & Awards”.

Hyatt did away with the three tiers of Member, Platinum, and Diamond, and there are now four tiers – Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist.

When I logged in the Diamond status had been replaced with the new equivalent – Globalist.

As a refresher, to reach the Discoverist tier, you’ll need either 25,000 base points ($5,000 in spend) or 10 nights.

To reach the Explorist tier, you’ll need either 50,000 base points ($10,000 in spend) or 30 nights.

To reach the highest tier of Globalist, you either need 100,000 base points ($20,000 in spend) or 60 nights (55 to requalify).

Starting today, March 1, Hyatt is offering a free night after you stay at 5 different brands. The free night will be good at any category 1-4 property, and is good for a year.

After you stay at your 10th brand, you get a second free night. There is no date that the stays need to be completed by so it could be several years before people reach this milestone.

I’m not crazy about the new tier names, nor am I wild about the “World of Hyatt” name for the loyalty program. There are no more welcome amenity points for Globalists, nor points for closed Club Lounges, but I do love that confirmed suite upgrades will be valid even on Award stays. Plus, Globalists no longer have those dreaded resort fees to contend with or parking fees when on award stays.

Hyatt is working hard to improve benefits for their loyal members rather than diluting, something that is rare in today’s travel landscape. Personally, the thing I’m most looking forward to is that Globalists now get unlimited suite upgrades (based on availability) at check-in. It is a new day and a new world with Hyatt, and I’m looking forward to seeing the new program in action.

What are you looking forward to with Hyatt’s new loyalty program?