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The World of Hyatt hotel loyalty program is often viewed as one of the most lucrative options out there. Hyatt has an expanding portfolio of properties all over the world, including many that fall into the boutique category, as well as a rewarding loyalty program that encourages members to stay at the chain’s hotels.
The World of Hyatt loyalty program has two credit cards with which card holders can earn benefits and bonus points for their stays at Hyatt properties. First up, there’s the World of Hyatt Credit Card. With the Hyatt card’s sign-up bonus, you can earn up to 60,000 points — 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months after you open the account, plus earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on everything you purchase with the card that normally earns 1 point per dollar, up to $15,000 in spend, which will give you up to 30,000 additional bonus points.
And for small-business owners, there’s also a business credit card. Not only is this a great way to earn credit card reward points, but it also offers a chunk of points up front from the card’s sign-up bonus. With the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card, business owners have the opportunity to earn up 60,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of opening the account.
With these offers, you’re probably wondering where the points can take you. Whether you’re looking to relax beachside at an all-inclusive resort or explore a new city, Hyatt points can give you a great jump-start on that much-needed vacation.
Before diving into our favorite redemptions, keep in mind, too, that you can transfer points from the Chase Ultimate Rewards program to World of Hyatt at a 1-to-1 rate. In other words, the 60,000 bonus points you could currently earn as a sign-up bonus from the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card after spending $4,000 in the first three months could be transferred to Hyatt to boost your World of Hyatt account balance even further.
Here are our top 11 Hyatt hotels and resorts where you can redeem the 60,000 points from the sign-up bonus on the Hyatt Business card or the World of Hyatt card. Just remember that Hyatt charges off-peak, standard and peak pricing (at a fixed price per category), meaning the exact cost of points per night will vary based on the dates you’re looking to stay. Although we listed out the number of points required for a standard date, you might be required to pay additional — or fewer — points depending on the date of your stay.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar — Nassau, Bahamas
Embark on a Caribbean vacation and use your Hyatt points for a free stay. With plenty of palm trees and bright blue skies, you’ll never want to leave this sprawling resort. Along the coastline of Cable Beach, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar features seven pools, 45 dining options, a huge casino, a full-service spa and a kids club. And those who want to embrace nature can enjoy multiple wildlife sanctuaries where you can feed birds, touch starfish and even go on a walk with flamingos.
But the real appeal for kids — and those young at heart — is the 15-acre water park next door at Baha Bay. Access is included in your stay where you can enjoy 24 water slides, a lazy river, a 500,000-gallon wave pool and even an area designed specifically for toddlers.
But as you can imagine, cash rates at this property cost a pretty penny. But at just 25,000 points per night (21,000 on off-peak dates or 29,000 on peak dates), this is a great place to redeem your points. And since you’re using points, you won’t have to worry about paying the exorbitant resort fees that this property typically charges.
The Welk — Escondido, California
A newer addition the World of Hyatt program, The Welk is a luxury resort spanning 450 acres in Escondido, just north of San Diego. With eight swimming pools (and a waterslide), two golf courses, an on-site spa and a 6,000-square-foot fitness center (with a two-story rock-climbing wall), this is the ideal destination to bring the kids or for an adults-only trip.
And best of all, the smallest room type is a one-bedroom suite, giving you more space to spread out and relax. Based on availability, you might be able to score a suite with a full kitchen and in-room laundry for the same number of points. As one of the few Category 4 resort properties in the United States, this is a great-value resort for domestic travel. Not only do you have many amenities and activities at your disposal, but you’re also about 30 minutes from the beach and 45 minutes from downtown San Diego.
At just 15,000 World of Hyatt points per night on standard dates (12,000 on off-peak dates or 18,000 on peak dates), by using points from the sign-up bonus on the World of Hyatt card or the World of Hyatt Business card, you’ll be able to stay up to four nights for free. Or, you can also use your award night certificate earned from the personal World of Hyatt card at this resort for an additional night for free.
Alila Ventana Big Sur — Big Sur, California
If you’re looking for luxury, the Alila Ventana Big Sur will blow you away with its beautiful grounds and view. It’s situated on the south side of Big Sur, California, right off of the Pacific Coast Highway, and rates often top $1,000 per night. That’s a price that well exceeds the travel budget for most, but you can instead stay at this property for essentially no cash at all by using your points.
The Alila Ventana Big Sur is on the higher end of the World of Hyatt award chart as a Category 8 property, costing 40,000 points per night during a standard date (35,000 on off-peak dates or 45,000 on peak dates). While staying at this property will eat up your points quicker than most, you can think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime one-night stay for free — all on points. With the welcome offer from the World of Hyatt Business card, you’ll be able to earn enough points to redeem for almost a two-night stay — once you earn additional points from credit card spend.
The best news about this hotel is that it’s now an all-inclusive property, meaning you won’t have to pull out your wallet for much. All meals and snacks are included, as well as many activities. However, you’ll want to book well in advance, since standard room nights are sparse, and you might find yourself with only a premium and more-expensive room available.
Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach — Honolulu, Hawaii
If you always thought that Hawaii was too expensive for a vacation, think again. There are many opportunities to use your hotel points to explore the various islands. One of the best options is the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach. Located less than a 10-minute walk from the beach, you’re close to Diamond Head, the zoo, the aquarium and Kapiolani Park.
At just 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night as a Category 3 property (9,000 on off-peak dates or 15,000 on peak dates), you can ultimately stay in Hawaii for five nights with the sign-up bonus from the World of Hyatt card. Being in the heart of Oahu for a week can allow you to explore the beautiful island with your hotel fully paid for with points.
Although a Hyatt Place property might not scream luxury to most, the Waikiki Beach hotel gets great reviews, offering a pool on site and complimentary breakfast. Although you can only reserve a king bed with a pullout couch on points, the property offers many room options, including two queen beds plus a pullout couch. If you’re looking for a room to accommodate more guests, after you make your reservation, you can always call the hotel directly to see if it’s able to move you to a different room.
The Elms Hotel and Spa — Excelsior Springs, Missouri
You don’t need to get on an airplane to enjoy a relaxing getaway. A vacation that’s just a short drive away can sometimes be the perfect medicine.
For example, the Elms Hotel and Spa is just half an hour outside of Kansas City, Missouri, but it allows you to truly feel on vacation. With a 25,000-square-foot lavish spa, there’s pretty much every spa treatment available that you could ask for. Within the spa’s grotto, there’s a dry sauna, steam sauna, hot tub, cold plunge shower and steam shower. The hotel’s claim to fame is its exfoliation bar, which offers the opportunity to soften your skin with many custom blends of sea salts, herbs and essential oils.
Although this property is only a Category 3 within the Hyatt program, costing 12,000 points per night (9,000 on off-peak dates or 15,000 on peak dates), you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better spa. And since you probably won’t redeem all the points earned from the World of Hyatt card or the World of Hyatt Business card sign-up offer at once at this property, that means you can spread out your points and use them for another vacation down the line.
Hyatt Grand Central New York — New York, New York
If relaxing at a resort or spa isn’t how you want to spend your vacation, how about using your points in the Big Apple instead? While there are many Hyatt properties dotted around New York City, the Hyatt Grand Central is centrally located and only costs 20,000 Hyatt points per night as a Category 5 property (17,000 points on off-peak dates or 23,000 on peak dates).
Here, you’re within walking distance to Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Central Park and Union Square. You also have access to almost every train line, allowing you to venture around the entire city on the subway.
With New York City hotel rates starting to climb again, using points is a great opportunity to save some money. And with up to 60,000 points in hand, you can easily stay three nights at this property exploring the city, all on points.
Hotel Lincoln — Chicago, Illinois
Hotel Lincoln in Chicago provides another great opportunity to explore a city. Located right at Lincoln Park and not too far away from Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, this hotel will put you in a perfect location to see all of the great sites the city has to offer.
As a Category 3 property, the Lincoln requires just 12,000 points per night (9,000 on off-peak dates or 15,000 on peak dates) to stay at a great hotel in a top location. Similar to the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach, this means you can stay for almost a week purely on the points from the sign-up bonus on either of the Hyatt cards for no out-of-pocket cost. Or redeem points for just a few nights and save the rest to use at another property in the future.
Hyatt Place Rogers/Bentonville — Rogers, Arkansas
Your points don’t always have to be used for an extravagant vacation. And sometimes, being able to use points for an off-the-beaten-path destination or visiting friends and family is the perfect opportunity. Fortunately, there are many Hyatt properties that fall into a Category 1 or 2 Hyatt property, costing as low as 3,500 points on an off-peak date. That means 60,000 points earned from the sign-up bonus on the World of Hyatt card can get you as many as 12 free nights at one of these Category 1 Hyatt properties on standard dates or 7 free nights at a Category 2 property (where rates start at 6,500 points per night).
For example, The Hyatt Place Rogers/Bentonville is a Category 2 property. Located in Northwest Arkansas and home of Walmart, there’s plenty to do in the surrounding area. This hotel is just 10 minutes away from the well-known Crystal Bridges Museum and adorable Bentonville Town Square. With many hiking and biking trails, underground caves, state parks and lakes, northwest Arkansas is an ideal destination for outdoor lovers.
And if you want to venture down to Fayetteville — where you’ll find the University of Arkansas and many great restaurants — you’re less than 30 minutes away. Whether Bentonville is your end destination or just a pit stop on a road trip elsewhere, you can stay at the Hyatt Place Rogers/Bentonville for 6,500 to 9,500 points per night — depending on the time of year.
Great Scotland Yard — London, United Kingdom
Looking to truly get away and cross the pond? If so, your Hyatt points can take you there as well. With the Great Scotland Yard hotel in London, you’ll be right in the middle of the action and not too far from Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park and Leicester Square.
Although you’ll most likely spend much of your time outside of the hotel exploring London, it’s nice knowing that you have a five-star hotel waiting for you at the end of a long day. The hotel has its own restaurant on site and even offers afternoon tea.
With a price tag of 25,000 World of Hyatt points per night on standard dates (21,000 on off-peak dates or 29,000 on peak dates), you’ll be able to redeem your points for two to three nights simply from the sign-up bonus on the World of Hyatt card or the World of Hyatt Business card. This is a great opportunity to stay in one of the best cities in the world for free.
Hyatt Ziva Cancun — Cancun, Mexico
The Hyatt Ziva Cancun is one of Hyatt’s luxury family-friendly all-inclusive properties. Located on the peninsula of the hotel zone in Punta Cancun, this sprawling resort is a top property for adults and kids alike. With multiple pools, two separate beach areas, daily activities, a complimentary kids club and evening shows, this resort truly has it all.
Best of all, you can use your World of Hyatt points to stay here, though all-inclusive resorts work slightly differently than other Hyatt locations when it comes to point redemptions. There’s a specific all-inclusive award chart, which sees the Hyatt Ziva Cancun as a Category E property, costing 40,000 Hyatt points a night for double occupancy (35,000 points on off-peak dates or 45,000 on peak dates).
Children under 3 are complimentary, but any additional guests cost 17,000 to 23,000 points each per night. However, for children between the ages of 3 and 12, you can sometimes pay a cash upcharge instead by calling the hotel directly.
With points earned from the sign-up offer on either the World of Hyatt card or the World of Hyatt Business card and a little extra spend, you can stay at this top-notch resort for two nights and put your wallet away for your entire stay, with the option to eat and drink at eight different restaurants, six bars and three lounges.
Hyatt Regency Amsterdam — Amsterdam, Netherlands
If you are looking for a European destination, but one with a shorter flight from the United States, Amsterdam is a great option. Although there are many hotels available in this beautiful city, the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is a great choice — especially due to the low price point.
At a Category 4 property in the World of Hyatt loyalty program, a free night will run you just 15,000 points (12,000 on off-peak dates or 18,000 on peak dates). With 60,000 Hyatt points on hand from the World of Hyatt card, you can settle into Amsterdam for a full four nights of sightseeing.
Also, with the personal World of Hyatt Credit Card, you’ll receive an award night certificate on your account anniversary that can be used for a complimentary night at any Hyatt property up to Category 4. This means you can redeem the certificate earned from the card at this property at any time of the year. When coupled with the maximum 60,000 points you can get as part of the sign-up bonus, you could get five nights at this property for free.
Learn more about the World of Hyatt Card.
Learn more about the World of Hyatt Business credit card.
Check out CNN Underscored’s guide to the best travel credit cards currently available.