With top-tier World of Hyatt Globalist status, travelers can enjoy a range of benefits such as complimentary breakfast, late checkout, waived parking and resort fees, club lounge access, and suite upgrades, among others. However, not everyone has access to this exclusive status. Fortunately, Hyatt has introduced a way for non-Globalist members to receive these amazing benefits through the World of Hyatt Guest of Honor awards.
In the past, all Globalist members were able to share their elite status benefits when booking award stays for others. However, starting from January 1st, 2024, Hyatt made some significant changes to its loyalty program, including the coveted “Guest of Honor” awards. These awards allow other Hyatt travelers to experience the benefits of Globalist status. In this article, we will explore the details of the World of Hyatt Guest of Honor awards.
Earning Hyatt Guest of Honor awards is relatively straightforward. The World of Hyatt program offers “Milestone Rewards” to members who earn a specific number of qualifying nights or base points. At each level, members receive a set reward or can choose from a list of options. One of the rewards available at various levels is the Guest of Honor award.
By applying a Guest of Honor award to a reservation, the recipient will receive all the in-house benefits of Globalist status. This includes a better room type, the potential for a suite upgrade, late checkout, waived resort fees, club lounge access, and complimentary breakfast. These perks not only enhance the stay experience but can also result in significant savings.
Guest of Honor rewards are automatically earned once members reach certain levels within the program. These levels range from 40 nights or 65,000 base points to 140 nights. Members can earn up to 10 Guest of Honor rewards in a single year. For those who typically earn Globalist status by crossing the 60-night threshold, they will receive three Guest of Honor awards for the year.
This provides ample opportunities for members to gift the perks of Globalist status to a friend or family member on a single reservation, for up to a seven-night stay. Unlike the previous policy where Guest of Honor reservations could only be applied to points reservations, Guest of Honor awards can now be used for both paid and points reservations. If points are used, the recipient can use points from their own account.
It’s important to note that only one award can be applied per reservation. This means that a free night certificate or a Suite Upgrade Award cannot be combined with a Guest of Honor award. However, members can earn qualifying nights through credit card spending on the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. These additional tier-qualifying nights allow high-spenders to quickly earn Milestone Rewards.
For 2024, members with Globalist or Lifetime Globalist status as of December 31, 2023, received five bonus Guest of Honor awards in their account at the start of the year. These awards can be gifted and redeemed in the same manner as regular Guest of Honor awards and have an expiration date of February 28, 2025. Additionally, Globalist members as of December 31, 2023, will be able to utilize the legacy Guest of Honor benefit after all their Guest of Honor awards have been applied or gifted. Legacy Guest of Honor reservations can only be made for rooms booked as a free night award stay, and points must be used from the Globalist member’s own account.
Booking a Guest of Honor award is a straightforward process. Members can sign in to their World of Hyatt account and navigate to the “Awards” section to either gift or redeem awards. To gift an award, members need to enter the recipient’s World of Hyatt membership number and last name. Once the award is gifted, the recipient will see it in their account almost instantly. Redeeming a gifted award can be done during the reservation process or by calling Hyatt to apply it manually.
The Guest of Honor program allows members to share their Globalist perks with others throughout the year. It’s a win-win situation, as the recipient benefits from the elevated status while the member gifting the award still earns qualifying stays toward their own status. With the World of Hyatt Guest of Honor awards, travelers can enjoy the benefits of Globalist status even without attaining the hard-to-reach status themselves.