Hyatt Announces the Biggest Change to Its Award Chart Since Peak Pricing Was Introduced

Hyatt has just announced what loyalty experts are calling the biggest change to its World of Hyatt award chart since peak and off-peak pricing debuted in 2021, with sweeping impacts on how members redeem points for free nights. The change will take effect in May 2026.

At its core, the update expands the award chart from three redemption levels to five, replacing the current Off-Peak, Standard, and Peak tiers with a more granular set of Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top pricing bands within each of Hyatt's eight hotel categories. This change marks a structural overhaul of the award chart—the first of its scale in several years—designed to give Hyatt finer control over pricing without fully abandoning a published chart in favor of dynamic pricing.

The practical result for members is that the potential point cost of award nights may rise substantially. All categories will see at least a 30 percent price jump on their most expensive nights. But the higher tiers will be hit the hardest. Under the new system, maximum redemption levels ("Top") have been increased by up to 67 percent, compared with existing Peak pricing. For example, a Category 8 property that once topped out at 45,000 points per night could now reach 75,000 points at high demand, according to The Points Guy .

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Across categories, average rates at higher tiers are expected to land significantly above the current peak and even standard pricing, meaning spreads between the cheapest and most expensive nights will widen dramatically.

There is a small silver lining, however. The lowest tier in the new chart has been set slightly below current off-peak levels for many categories. In some cases, it's by as much as a few hundred points, which could create new value opportunities for stays during quieter periods.

In other words, while Hyatt isn't transitioning to full-on dynamic pricing, the new award chart structure will add complexity to travel planning.

"We are the only global hospitality loyalty program left that has a published award chart, and we are very much committed to maintaining that fact because our members know and love and expect it from us," Laurie Blair, Hyatt's senior vice preisdent of global marketing and loyalty, told The Points Guy , explaining that the change intends to strengthen the program's long-term stability.

Hyatt is also adding a few loyalty enhancements alongside the award chart update, such as digital point sharing later this year and early award access for top elite members and Hyatt credit cardholders. This gives them up to a month's head start on booking inventory.

In essence, Hyatt's changes represent a major evolution of its awards structure, maintaining fixed award charts while introducing significant variability, especially at the high end.

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.