Hyatt is acquiring Mr. and Mrs. Smith the booking platform and collection of over 1500 independent hotels. While this is not a brand, and they do not manage or own hotels, in some sense this roughly doubles Hyatt’s footprint with high end properties around the world. The deal is expected to close this quarter.
In some sense Mr. and Mrs. Smith is like Small Luxury Hotels of the World which Hyatt partners with already. Some of the participating properties are also connected to other platforms and brands – you may see Relais & Châteaux, Leading Hotels of the World, and even some Design Hotels (which are part of Marriott) included in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The Mr. and Mrs. Smith moniker references checking in for an illicit stay under a pseudonym.
There are some absolutely crazy properties here, for instance several Virgin Limited Edition hotels like Moskito Island are part of this.
Hyatt is highlighting options in “Fiji, Croatia, Iceland and Anguilla,” but I’d add the Hamptons and on Martha’s Vineyard. There are multiple properties including Amangani, though I imagine it would be too good to be true if it became possible to redeem Hyatt points for an Aman Resort. And I’d be surprised if Hyatt elite benefits were extended in their entirety to this portfolio – I might expect to see something like a one room category upgrade, subject to availability.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith currently currently partners with IHG One Rewards, and has its own loyalty program with over a million members. Bookings through IHG were often pricier than direct bookings with a hotel or through Mr. and Mrs. Smith (just as they can be when booking SLH Hotels through Hyatt). However Hyatt plans to introduce “direct bookings” to Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotels through their distribution channels.
We don’t yet know what earning, redemption, elite status accrual or on-property benefits will look like. But this is a huge coup, even if it’s another step in Hyatt as a booking platform rather than actual manager of hotels, but in this case the experiences at Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties are intended to vary. This is potentially very good news for members.
You note that SLH bookings through Hyatt are sometimes more expensive than booking direct, but I’ve found the opposite to be true as well. Last year I booked a resort property in Africa for ~$300/night on hyatt.com that was almost double that when booking direct.
This is not really a “wow” in my opinion. Hyatt isn’t buying any hotels in this deal, but its just a marketing deal not very different from the deal with SLH Hotels . . . but less because Smith is more a travel agent like Agoda than a brand like SLH. The hotels will remain owned by others – sometimes direct Hyatt competitors – and can still be booked by others. Like with SLH I suspect that it will cost more to book these hotels through Hyatt than directly to get the Hyatt benefits, but will give some allusion of breadth that won’t change the reality that Hyatt neither owns nor manages hotels in the vast majority of these destinations.
Only about 315 of the 1500+ Mr & Mrs Smith hotels even participate with IHG. And none of the better ones. I wouldn’t get too excited.
I see it as a wash when it comes to cash rates for these new hotels (unless elite benefits are great, which I don’t really expect if the IHG partnership has any idea of what is going to happen), but this is much more interesting for redemptions.
I think it helps that Hyatt is actually acquiring the platform (as opposed to IHG, which merely partnered with the platform). I’m interested to see how negotiations with hotels goes when it comes to elite benefits, points earning, and redemptions.
What Hyatt should have done is bought Radisson. Hyatt needs full-service properties. Hyatt keeps acquiring resorts, all-inclusive and leisure pseudo-brands like Mr and Mrs Smith.
I find these hotels fill a gap that exists because there are very few resort style chain hotels in the northeast. The one time I stayed there at the one on Rockaway beach the reward redemption rates were really expensive but the hotel wasn’t too bad.
What’s next? Will they buy hotels.com…
Sorry to be snarky. This is interesting news for sure. I’m more interested in how it effects IHG.
I assume all IHG,Hilton & Marriott properties will leave Mr & Mrs Smith?
Stayed at a Mr And Mrs Smith’s (Yoo2) in Rio last week. Beautifully designed hotel named after the designer. That’s were it ended room was very small and despite being empty and knowing I was a IHG. Diamond I got a room on the fourth floor looking into another building. No warning on their website about severely restricted view of any of the rooms. Great rooftop bar view abs very friendly staff. Let down by the lack of anything to look out out of the window and very dirty room. Top of shower head had thick layer of grime and hadn’t been cleaned in months. Same for a faulty toilet seat that when pulled forward to its correction position had two dark brown rings where it attaches to the base of the toilet. No matter how pretty and funky the design, this hotel was not boutique as they could get the basic hygiene right.
I have several Mr. and Mrs. Smith hotels booked in Italy for September. What happens to the points I’ve used with IHG? I am assuming they’ll honor my reservations, but also, will Hyatt points be equivalent in terms of what I’d need to redeem. Have they figured that part out yet? IHG still has relationships with Six Senses, and that’s another brand that I’m dying to try some time, somewhere!
Interesting. Just last night I booked a stay at Bergen Børs Hotel in Bergen, Norway, through IHG as a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property. No IHG elite perks for the stay other than I will earn IHG One points…
I am pre-emtively asking if Gary can find out whether Hyatt points values will be the equivalent of IHG right now? In other words, does it make more sense to book with IHG points now if we have other potential stays, or wait to see what they Hyatt point values are? I have both Hyatt and IHG. Hoping that Hyatt will offer more perks at these Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotels than IHG currently does.
I don’t think I’d actually pay the rates for these properties, but they can be fun — and different — and would make good award redemptions at the right price. I stayed at one in Mexico last year with a IHG free night certificate (booked when IHG was offering elites a 15% discount to get it under the 40K limit). We go a free welcome gift and breakfast. The problem with the IHG partnership is that, when they are available for redemption, these properties are usually around 70K and probably not worth it. We’ll see what Hyatt charges for them, but I’m hopeful it will be more accessible.
Finally something exciting !!
Love the Prague property even without benefits with benefits I’m in
I would say just wait and see before celebrating…
For a 4-night stay I booked at Bergen Børs Hotel in Bergen, Norway, through IHG as a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property, here’s what the IHG app says will be the Diamond elite benefits that I will enjoy at this property,:
I will earn points at the standard IHG Diamonds rate and buffet breakfast is included in the room rate, which is good enough for what will be a business trip.
One hopes that World of Hyatt will be able to negotiate more substantive elite perks for their members staying at Mr & Mrs Smith. 😉
I have looked at a number of these hotels while with IHG and found that the websit ALWAYS showed no rooms available and had to go to the M & M site where I was not impressed with the search nor the pricing. On a recent search I found the hotel’s website was cheaper then the M&m site