Hyatt Announced 136 Hotels Changing Free Night Price Categories — Data Shows The Devaluation Is Worse Than It Looks

Next month Hyatt will devalue its award chart adding more price levels within each category so that there are 78 different price points, with top hotels becoming up to 67% more costly on some nights. This goes into effect May 20th.

That’s not enough, though. In advance of those changes, Hyatt is still doing its annual moves of hotels between categories.

• Category changes also go into effect May 20, 2026, at 8 a.m. Central time
• You can make future bookings before then at the current rate to lock those prices in
• You can book hotels now that are going down in price and get the differencein points back

Hyatt Regency Aruba

In total 136 hotels are changing category – several sites are saying that 113 are going up and 23 going down, but the number is actually 112 hotels moving up in category and 24 moving down.

And in a sign that the world – or at least one particular building in Chicago – may have gone insane, Hotel du Louvre, Park Hyatt London; Andaz 5th Avenue; and Hyatt Regency Aruba are all going up to the top Category 8. Hyatt category 1-7 free nights are no longer valid at these!

Andaz 5th Avenue

Park Hyatt London is a very nice hotel in the middle of nowhere. Hyatt Regency Aruba is nice enough, but it’s a resort factory where you need to reserve pool and beach chairs in advance and then claim them day-of by 9 a.m. or lose your reservation (and show up by 9:05 a.m. if you have any hope of a chair without a reservation made ahead of time).

Park Hyatt London

Here’s the regional breakdown of changes:

Region		Hotels		Increase		Decrease		% Increase
United States		72		64		8		89%
Africa & Middle East		10		8		2		80%
Asia & Pacific		22		10		12		45%
Canada, Caribbean & Latin America		16		15		1		94%
Europe		16		15		1		94%
Total		136		112		24		82%

The U.S. is 53% of the list, and almost everything in the U.S. moves up. Europe and Latin America/Caribbean are almost entirely up. Asia-Pacific isn’t – the 9 China properties changing category move down.

Within the U.S., the clusters are Florida (11 up), New York/New Jersey (11 up, 1 down), California (3 up, 3 down), North Carolina (6 up), Texas (4 up, 1 down).

Park Hyatt Chicago

Somewhat surprisingly, the big shifts cluster at the bottom end of the chart. Category 1->2 and 2->3 increases drive this list, totaling 72 of the moves. Hyatt Place and Hyatt House are 64 of the 136 hotels changing caegory, and 60 of those move up.

Current category		Hotels		Share of list		Direction
Category 1–2		75		55%		72 up / 3 down
Category 1–3		88		65%		82 up / 6 down
Category 1–4		109		80%		96 up / 13 down
Category 5–8		22		16%		11 up / 11 down
All-inclusive A–F		5		4%		5 up

Alila Marea

Here’s how to think about the price increases, since we’re seeing both the category move and the pricing band change at the same time:

Move		Count		Old Standard → New Moderate		% Change
1→2		39		5,000 → 10,000		100%
2→3		33		8,000 → 15,000		87.50%
3→4		10		12,000 → 20,000		66.70%
4→5		14		15,000 → 25,000		66.70%
6→7		3		25,000 → 35,000		40%
7→8		5		30,000 → 55,000		83.30%

The surprise for many members is that a downward category moves isn’t really a price decrease. Taking the midpoint pricing on the award chart, and comparing what the midpoint price will be when the change happens, A category 5→4 move is 20,000 on the old standard price to 20,000 on the new moderate. The category goes down, but the price stays the same!

The same holds for a 6 to 5 move, where midpoint is 25,000 under the old 6 and 25,000 in the new 5. A 7 to 6 category move is 30,000 midpoint under the old 7 to 30,000 midpoint in the new 6. So even ‘good news’ category drops are mostly offset by price increases in the new chart. (Lowest/Low dates can still become cheaper.)

Park Hyatt New York

Another major issue is the loss of category 4 hotels.  In moving from category 4 to 5, they are no longer redeemable with category 1-4 free night certificates (that come with the consumer credit card, are earned from spend on that card, from staying across Hyatt brands, etc.).

Moreover, with the double whammy of the category change and the new award chart, a move from 4 to 5 means going from 15,000 points per night at standard to 25,000 points per night at the new moderate (18,000 old peak to 35,000 new top as well).

Hotel		Location
Hotel Figueroa		California
Hyatt Place Santa Cruz		California
Hyatt Regency Coral Gables		Florida
Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale		Florida
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort		Florida
Hyatt House Jersey City		New Jersey
Hyatt Regency Jersey City on the Hudson		New Jersey
The Carolina Inn		North Carolina
Hyatt Regency Seattle		Washington
Grand Hyatt Kuwait Residences		Kuwait
Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah		Saudi Arabia
Hyatt Regency Riyadh Olaya		Saudi Arabia
Hyatt Regency Lisbon		Portugal
Hyatt Regency Hesperia Madrid		Spain

That does mean that 5 to 4 is a certificate win, and includes The Standard Singapore, Andaz Macau Hyatt Regency Dharamshala, Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue and Dream Nashville. The category drop doesn’t reduce points per night price, but does allow for certificate redemptions.

The Seabird

Hyatt pitches that “only 136 hotels” are changing category but the truth of these changes is much greater. The annual category change list isn’t the major driver, although that list of hotels is heavily skewed upward. The big change is that all hotels will be in categories with 5 potential prices, and those prices now generally range much higher.

Hyatt’s CEO says loyalty isn’t about points. They’ve made that clear! Hoplamazian says points leave us feeling “objectified” so this devaluation is actually for your own good. World of Hyatt is about “experiences” and this way you can experience what it feels like to no longer be able to afford free nights at nice hotels.