If you’ve been in the points and miles world for a while, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “Transfer your points to Hyatt!!!!”

And honestly… for years, that’s been really solid, no-brainer advice!

Hyatt has had one of the most predictable, valuable, easy-to-understand award charts in the entire travel loyalty space — which made it especially helpful for families trying to plan trips more than 6–12 months in advance.

But Hyatt just announced a major update to the World of Hyatt program that’s going into effect in May 2026.

And while this isn’t the worst possible outcome (we’re not moving to full dynamic pricing), it does change how easy it will be to get outsized value from your points — especially at higher-end properties.

Let’s walk through what’s actually changing… and what I’m personally going to do about it!

What’s Changing in May 2026?

Right now, Hyatt prices award nights using three fixed pricing levels within each hotel category:

Off-Peak
Standard
Peak

Starting in May 2026, Hyatt will expand that to five pricing levels:

Lowest
Low
Moderate
Upper
Top

Hotel categories will still exist (Category 1 through Category 8), and Hyatt will continue publishing an award chart — so this is not fully dynamic pricing.

However… the range of possible point prices within each category is getting wider.

Which means while some nights may price slightly lower than before, many nights — particularly at higher-end or in-demand properties — will now have the ability to price significantly higher than what we’re used to seeing today!

For example:

A Category 8 standard room currently tops out at 45,000 points per night on Peak dates
Under the new chart, Category 8 standard rooms can go as high as 75,000 points per night on “Top” dates

That’s a pretty significant jump!

Visual: How the New Pricing Compares

New All Inclusive Point Pricing Coming May 2026

The Bad News

The biggest loss here isn’t just the higher pricing ceiling.

It’s the predictability.

One of the reasons Hyatt has been such a strong program for families is that you could look at a Category 6 or Category 7 hotel and know — within a fairly tight range — what it would cost in points, even during busy travel times like spring break or summer.

Now, with five pricing levels instead of three, there’s more flexibility for Hyatt to charge more points during periods of high demand.

And realistically, that likely means:

Popular properties during school breaks
Beach resorts
Ski destinations
All-inclusive resorts
Newly opened or high-end luxury hotels
Hyatt annual award category changes will still come - the full list will be release in April.

…will drift toward the higher pricing tiers more often over time.

The Good News

This isn’t a total shift to fully dynamic pricing (which some other hotel programs already use).

Hyatt is still

Keeping hotel categories
Keeping a redemption chart
Offering a fixed range for standard room redemptions
adding the ability to digitally share points (verses emailing in a points combining form)

Which should still make it easier to plan ahead than programs that price entirely based on cash rates.

And historically, when programs introduce more pricing tiers, the biggest changes tend to show up at the luxury end first — not necessarily at lower- or mid-range properties.

So families booking:

Category 1–4 hotels
Airport properties
offseason stays

…may notice less impact than travelers who were consistently redeeming points for top-tier aspirational resorts at peak travel times.

It’s also possible that some new mid-range sweet spots emerge over time as pricing adjusts across the portfolio.

Chase has also made it a bit harder to earn large amounts of Hyatt points this year — which means redemptions may now cost more and be slower to accumulate for some travelers.

What I Recommend Doing Now

1. Book Upcoming Hyatt Stays Before May 2026 (If You Can!)

If you already have Hyatt stays in mind — especially at:

Category 5–8 hotels
Resorts
All-inclusive properties
Peak travel dates

…book those now under the current pricing structure!

Hyatt has indicated that reservations made prior to the change will be honored as booked, even if the same dates later price higher under the new chart!

Some of my very favorite nicer Hyatt stays have been the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort, Hana-Maui Resort, The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, Secrets Akumel Riviera Maya, Thompson Central Park, Grand Hyatt Kauai, ILTornabuoni Hotel and the Great Scottland Yard Hotel.

2. Consider Diversifying Your Hotel Strategy

I’m not planning to stop using Hyatt points - but I AM going to be more strategic about how I use them.

I also plan to rely less heavily on Hyatt as my default transfer partner for hotel stays moving forward.

If your long-term strategy has been:

Earn flexible points → Transfer to Hyatt → Book hotel stays (🙋🏻‍♀️ that’s me!)

This is the time to diversify your hotel strategy!

There are still plenty of ways to cover hotel stays using points — I’ll be sure to continue to share my hotel strategies going forward!

Final Thoughts

Changes like this are never fun.

But they’re also not unusual in the points and miles world!

Sweet spots evolve over time — and part of using points strategically is staying flexible as programs adjust.

Hyatt is still a valuable program in many situations.

It just may no longer be the easiest single program to specialize in if your goal is maximizing value on higher-end family trips.

As always, I appreciate it so much when you use my credit card affiliate links to apply for a new credit card! It supports my small business at no cost to you!

World of Hyatt’s New Award Chart: The Good, the Bad, and What I’m Doing Next