World of Hyatt is the last big hotel program that still tells you the price before you search. Marriott, Hilton and IHG price award nights against the cash rate, so the number moves. Hyatt publishes a chart, and in May 2026 it made that chart more detailed rather than throwing it away.
This guide covers how the chart works now: the five levels, what each room type costs, how Points + Cash compares to a straight free night, and the quirk in the all-inclusive chart that changes how a family of four should book.
Hyatt went the other way
Most of the industry moved to dynamic pricing. Hyatt said plainly that it is not going to.
From its own award chart announcement in February 2026:
"World of Hyatt remains firmly committed to preserving that structure and continuing to operate with fixed point thresholds rather than moving to dynamic pricing for award nights at Hyatt hotels and resorts."
What did change is the amount of detail. The same release:
"Beginning in May, the award chart will expand to five redemption levels, Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper and Top."
Before May 2026 there were three levels inside each category. Now there are five.
Hyatt's reasoning is worth reading, because it tells you what to expect next:
"This update enables more precise alignment at the hotel level within clearly defined category caps, and the added levels allow the program to manage peak demand more precisely by reducing the need for broad increases or major category shifts in the future."
In plain terms: more levels means Hyatt can raise the price of a busy weekend without moving a whole hotel up a category. That is better for you in some ways and worse in others, and the release is honest that the change is gradual:
"While the updated framework takes effect in May, World of Hyatt will implement the changes thoughtfully, with limited hotels moving a limited number of nights into the Upper and Top categories in 2026 and broader adoption in the years that follow."
So through 2026 most nights still price at the levels you are used to. The Upper and Top columns exist but are used sparingly.
What Lowest through Top actually mean
The five levels are not room types and they are not seasons in any published calendar. They are price points inside a category, and the hotel decides which nights sit where.
That is the important thing to understand. A Category 4 hotel is always Category 4. What moves is which of the five columns a given night falls into. A quiet Tuesday might price at Lowest and the Saturday of a festival at Top, in the same hotel, in the same week.
There is no published rule for which nights land where, and Hyatt has not released one. The only way to know is to search your dates.
Two things follow from that. First, flexibility is worth more under this chart than it was under three levels, because the spread between Lowest and Top is wider. Second, the category still caps your downside: however busy the hotel, it cannot charge more than its category's Top figure.
The hotel chart
Categories run 1 through 8. Each category has the five levels, and each has four room types: Standard Room, Club, Standard Suite and Premium Suite.
World of Hyatt: Hotels, Standard Room
A Category 1 standard room costs 3,000 to 9,000 points a night depending on the level.
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 3,000 | 4,500 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 9,000 |
| Category 2 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| Category 3 | 8,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| Category 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 22,500 | 25,000 |
| Category 5 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| Category 6 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| Category 7 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 |
| Category 8 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
Category 1
- Lowest
- 3,000
- Low
- 4,500
- Moderate
- 6,000
- Upper
- 7,500
- Top
- 9,000
Category 2
- Lowest
- 6,000
- Low
- 7,500
- Moderate
- 10,000
- Upper
- 12,000
- Top
- 15,000
Category 3
- Lowest
- 8,000
- Low
- 12,000
- Moderate
- 15,000
- Upper
- 17,500
- Top
- 20,000
Category 4
- Lowest
- 12,000
- Low
- 15,000
- Moderate
- 20,000
- Upper
- 22,500
- Top
- 25,000
Category 5
- Lowest
- 15,000
- Low
- 20,000
- Moderate
- 25,000
- Upper
- 30,000
- Top
- 35,000
Category 6
- Lowest
- 20,000
- Low
- 25,000
- Moderate
- 30,000
- Upper
- 35,000
- Top
- 40,000
Category 7
- Lowest
- 25,000
- Low
- 30,000
- Moderate
- 35,000
- Upper
- 45,000
- Top
- 55,000
Category 8
- Lowest
- 35,000
- Low
- 45,000
- Moderate
- 55,000
- Upper
- 65,000
- Top
- 75,000
The Standard Room table is the one most people mean by "the Hyatt chart." The other three room types are priced separately and cost considerably more.
Hyatt's own line on availability is the part competitors cannot match:
"Enjoy free nights at Hyatt hotels and resorts (with no blackout dates in standard rooms)."
No blackout dates in standard rooms means that if a standard room is for sale, it can be booked with points. That is a real commitment, and it is why the chart is worth learning.
Category changes happen once a year:
"World of Hyatt will continue its established annual hotel category review process, with yearly category changes announced in April."
So the chart's structure is stable and the hotel list is reviewed each April. If a hotel you use moves up a category, that is when it happens. Our guide to Hyatt Category 4 hotels covers the sweet spot most people book, and our award pricing changes guide covers what the recent shifts did.
Four room types, not one
The chart is often talked about as a single table. It is four, and the gap between them is large.
Every category prices a Standard Room, a Club room, a Standard Suite and a Premium Suite. Club rooms add lounge access. The two suite tiers are what they sound like.
The thing worth knowing before you plan around a suite is that suites are not a small step up. Across the categories the suite tables run well above the standard room for the same hotel and the same night, and the Premium Suite table is higher again.
That matters for a specific reason. Hyatt's no-blackout commitment is written for standard rooms only: the wording is "no blackout dates in standard rooms." Suite awards do not carry the same guarantee, so a suite can be unavailable on points even when the hotel has one for sale.
If a suite is the point of the trip, check availability before you count on it. If the trip is about being there at all, the standard room chart is the one that behaves predictably.
What the category cap is actually worth
The five levels get the attention, but the category is what protects you.
Under a dynamic program, a hotel's award price tracks its cash rate, so a sold-out city during a conference can price a night at a number with no ceiling. That is the normal experience at Marriott, Hilton and IHG, and it is why award prices at those programs are quoted as ranges rather than figures.
Hyatt's structure is different in kind. A Category 4 hotel on the busiest night of its year still cannot cost more than the Category 4 Top figure. The level moved; the cap did not.
This is the single strongest argument for learning the chart. It is not that Hyatt is always cheapest. It is that Hyatt is the program where you can know the worst case in advance, and plan against it. Our guide to how award flights work covers the same distinction on the airline side, where published charts have become rare.
Points + Cash is half the points, not half the price
Points + Cash is the option most people skip and it deserves a look. Hyatt states the terms exactly:
"Combine Points + Cash for 50% of the points required for a free night and 50 -70% off the Standard Rate for the chosen room type. Subject to availability."
Read that carefully, because the two halves are not symmetrical. You pay exactly half the points. You do not pay half the cash: you pay the Standard Rate reduced by somewhere between 50% and 70%, and Hyatt does not say what decides where in that range you land.
World of Hyatt: Points + Cash, Standard Room
A Category 1 standard room costs 1,500 to 4,500 points a night depending on the level.
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 1,500 | 2,250 | 3,000 | 3,750 | 4,500 |
| Category 2 | 3,000 | 3,750 | 5,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 |
| Category 3 | 4,000 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 8,750 | 10,000 |
| Category 4 | 6,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 11,250 | 12,500 |
| Category 5 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 |
| Category 6 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| Category 7 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 27,500 |
| Category 8 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 27,500 | 32,500 | 37,500 |
Category 1
- Lowest
- 1,500
- Low
- 2,250
- Moderate
- 3,000
- Upper
- 3,750
- Top
- 4,500
Category 2
- Lowest
- 3,000
- Low
- 3,750
- Moderate
- 5,000
- Upper
- 6,000
- Top
- 7,500
Category 3
- Lowest
- 4,000
- Low
- 6,000
- Moderate
- 7,500
- Upper
- 8,750
- Top
- 10,000
Category 4
- Lowest
- 6,000
- Low
- 7,500
- Moderate
- 10,000
- Upper
- 11,250
- Top
- 12,500
Category 5
- Lowest
- 7,500
- Low
- 10,000
- Moderate
- 12,500
- Upper
- 15,000
- Top
- 17,500
Category 6
- Lowest
- 10,000
- Low
- 12,500
- Moderate
- 15,000
- Upper
- 17,500
- Top
- 20,000
Category 7
- Lowest
- 12,500
- Low
- 15,000
- Moderate
- 17,500
- Upper
- 22,500
- Top
- 27,500
Category 8
- Lowest
- 17,500
- Low
- 22,500
- Moderate
- 27,500
- Upper
- 32,500
- Top
- 37,500
The way to think about it is that Points + Cash doubles the number of nights your balance covers, at the cost of some money per night. If you are points-rich and cash-poor, a free night is better. If you have a fixed balance and a long trip, Points + Cash gets you further.
One practical limit: not everything can be booked online.
"Book your Points + Cash standard rooms at Hyatt hotels and resorts and Hyatt Vacation Club resorts online now. To book standard suites at Hyatt Vacation Club resorts, or standard suites or premium suites at Hyatt hotels and resorts using Points + Cash, call (800) 544-9288 in the U.S. and Canada, or a Global Care Center."
Standard rooms online, suites by phone.
The all-inclusive chart, and why a family of four books two rooms
All-inclusive resorts use their own chart with categories A through F rather than 1 through 8. It covers ten brands:
"All-inclusive resort brands include Impression by Secrets, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts (coming soon), Alua Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape Resorts & Spas."
World of Hyatt: All-Inclusive, Standard Room
A costs 12,000 to 25,000 points a night depending on the level.
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 12,000 | 15,000 | 20,000 | 22,500 | 25,000 |
| B | 15,000 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 |
| C | 20,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 40,000 |
| D | 25,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 |
| E | 35,000 | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 |
| F | 45,000 | 55,000 | 65,000 | 75,000 | 85,000 |
A
- Lowest
- 12,000
- Low
- 15,000
- Moderate
- 20,000
- Upper
- 22,500
- Top
- 25,000
B
- Lowest
- 15,000
- Low
- 20,000
- Moderate
- 25,000
- Upper
- 30,000
- Top
- 35,000
C
- Lowest
- 20,000
- Low
- 25,000
- Moderate
- 30,000
- Upper
- 35,000
- Top
- 40,000
D
- Lowest
- 25,000
- Low
- 30,000
- Moderate
- 35,000
- Upper
- 45,000
- Top
- 55,000
E
- Lowest
- 35,000
- Low
- 45,000
- Moderate
- 55,000
- Upper
- 65,000
- Top
- 75,000
F
- Lowest
- 45,000
- Low
- 55,000
- Moderate
- 65,000
- Upper
- 75,000
- Top
- 85,000
Here is the part that catches families out. The chart prices two people, not the room:
"Free night values represent single or double occupancy. Additional guests require additional points as noted in the chart; maximum of 4 people per room."
So a third and fourth guest each cost extra points per night, on top of the room.
World of Hyatt: All-Inclusive, Additional Points Per Person
A costs 6,000 to 12,500 points a night depending on the level.
| Category | Lowest | Low | Moderate | Upper | Top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6,000 | 7,500 | 10,000 | 11,000 | 12,500 |
| B | 7,500 | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 |
| C | 10,000 | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 20,000 |
| D | 12,500 | 15,000 | 17,500 | 22,500 | 27,500 |
| E | 17,500 | 22,500 | 27,500 | 32,500 | 37,500 |
| F | 22,500 | 27,500 | 32,500 | 37,500 | 42,500 |
A
- Lowest
- 6,000
- Low
- 7,500
- Moderate
- 10,000
- Upper
- 11,000
- Top
- 12,500
B
- Lowest
- 7,500
- Low
- 10,000
- Moderate
- 12,500
- Upper
- 15,000
- Top
- 17,500
C
- Lowest
- 10,000
- Low
- 12,500
- Moderate
- 15,000
- Upper
- 17,500
- Top
- 20,000
D
- Lowest
- 12,500
- Low
- 15,000
- Moderate
- 17,500
- Upper
- 22,500
- Top
- 27,500
E
- Lowest
- 17,500
- Low
- 22,500
- Moderate
- 27,500
- Upper
- 32,500
- Top
- 37,500
F
- Lowest
- 22,500
- Low
- 27,500
- Moderate
- 32,500
- Upper
- 37,500
- Top
- 42,500
Points per night. Hyatt publishes twelve tables: four room types for hotels in categories 1-8, three Points + Cash tables, and five for the all-inclusive resorts in categories A-F. In Hyatt’s own words: "Enjoy free nights at Hyatt hotels and resorts (with no blackout dates in standard rooms)." "Combine Points + Cash for 50% of the points required for a free night and 50 -70% off the Standard Rate for the chosen room type. Subject to availability." "Free night values represent single or double occupancy. Additional guests require additional points as noted in the chart; maximum of 4 people per room." Hyatt expanded from three redemption levels to five in May 2026.
Chart as of .
Now compare the two tables and something useful falls out. In twenty-nine of the thirty cells, the additional-guest figure is exactly half the standard room figure for the same category and level. Two extra guests therefore cost exactly one more room's worth of points.
Which means a family of four pays the same points whether they book one room for four or two rooms for two. The points are identical. The difference is that two rooms give you two bathrooms, two balconies and somewhere to put the children.
The exception is Category A at the Upper level, where an extra guest costs 11,000 rather than the 11,250 that would be half a 22,500 point room. One room for four is 44,500 there and two rooms are 45,000, so the second room costs 500 points. It is the only cell in either chart where the halving is not exact.
If you are traveling as four and the resort has availability, book two rooms. Outside that one cell it is not a saving, it is the same price for more space, and that only works because Hyatt prices the third and fourth guest at half a room each.
Note also the ceiling: four people per room is the maximum, so a family of five needs two rooms regardless.
One caution before you plan a large trip around this. The comparison holds because of how Hyatt prices the third and fourth guest, and that pricing is a published figure rather than a promise. If Hyatt changes the additional-guest table at its next annual review, the arithmetic changes with it. Check both tables against your dates rather than carrying this rule forward from a guide, including this one.
What we could not verify
Two things on Hyatt's free-nights page are not covered here, and it is better to say so than to guess.
Miraval resorts have their own chart. Miraval is Hyatt's wellness brand, and its properties price differently from both the hotel and all-inclusive charts.
Upgrades on paid stays, where points move you up a room type on a cash booking, have their own costs.
Both sit further down the same page. Hyatt's site returns an error to automated readers, and the screenshots our figures come from did not extend that far. Rather than reproduce numbers from somewhere else, we have left both out until we can read them. The Hyatt free nights and upgrades page carries both if you want them now.
Getting the points
Hyatt points come from three places: paid stays, the Chase co-brand cards, and transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1:1.
The transfer route is the one worth understanding, because Hyatt is widely regarded as the strongest use of a Chase balance. Our guide to transferring World of Hyatt points covers the mechanics, and how to transfer credit card points covers the rules that apply across every program, including the one that matters most: a transfer cannot be reversed, so confirm the award night is bookable first.
Elite status also affects what you can book, not just how you are treated:
"Explorists, Globalists, Lifetime Globalists and World of Hyatt Credit Cardmembers will enjoy early access to award night availability."
Early access matters most at the Lowest level, where inventory is thinnest. Our Globalist status guide and elite status guide cover how the tiers work.
And at the top of the earning ladder there is a certificate that ignores the chart entirely, from Hyatt's loyalty program release:
"The Ultimate Free Night Award: Enjoy one free night in any participating Category 1-8 hotel, Category A-F all-inclusive resort or participating Miraval resort (earned at 150 qualifying nights in a year)."
Any category, any level. Our guide to free night certificates covers the more attainable ones.
The bottom line
Hyatt's chart is a genuine advantage and it survived the industry's move to dynamic pricing. Five levels make it more granular than it was, but the category cap still limits what any hotel can charge, and standard rooms carry no blackout dates.
Three things to take away. Search your dates rather than assuming a level, because the hotel decides which nights sit where and no calendar is published. Consider Points + Cash when your balance is the constraint, since it halves the points and takes 50 to 70 percent off the cash rate. And if you are four people going all-inclusive, book two rooms, because Hyatt prices the third and fourth guest at exactly half a room each and two rooms cost the same as one crowded one.
The full chart, with every category and level, is on our World of Hyatt program hub, updated as Hyatt publishes changes each April.
Sources
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