By Bryce Casson, Founder · Cardocrat · Updated June 2026
The short answer: World of Hyatt is the most loved hotel program, and it still publishes an award chart, but it has devalued steadily by moving hotels into higher categories almost every year. The 2023 update raised 214 hotels, 2024 and 2025 each pushed roughly three in four changed hotels upward, and a May 2026 overhaul expanded the chart from three tiers to five, raising some awards up to 67 percent. The chart survives, but the numbers keep climbing.
A chart that keeps inching up
World of Hyatt earned its reputation by keeping a transparent, fixed award chart when rivals like Marriott and Hilton abandoned theirs. The catch is that Hyatt devalues a different way, by quietly reshuffling hotels into higher categories each year. In March 2023, 372 hotels changed categories and 214 of them moved up, with some jumping from Category 7 to 8, a 33 percent increase, and many all-inclusive resorts rising 60 percent or more. The chart stayed; the prices rose.
2024 and 2025: the annual upward drift
The pattern repeated. In 2024, 183 hotels changed price and about three quarters of them increased. In 2025, 151 hotels changed, with 118 going up and just 33 going down, a 78 to 22 split. Each year the reclassification is modest enough to avoid an uproar, but the cumulative effect is a steady erosion: the hotels you most want to book keep creeping into pricier categories while the chart itself looks unchanged. See best ways to use Hyatt points.
The 2026 five-tier overhaul
The biggest change came in May 2026, when Hyatt expanded its award chart from three redemption levels to five, replacing Off-Peak, Standard, and Peak with Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top pricing. In the transition, 112 hotels moved to a higher category and only 24 moved lower, with some awards rising as much as 67 percent. Hyatt remains one of the better hotel programs, with a real chart and strong transfer value from Chase, but the direction is unmistakable. Earn toward a specific stay and book it rather than banking points for years. See our 2026 Hyatt chart study and the devaluation overview.
Frequently asked questions
Has World of Hyatt devalued its points?
Yes, steadily. Hyatt keeps a published award chart but raises it by moving hotels into higher categories almost every year, with major reshuffles in 2023, 2024, and 2025 and a five-tier chart overhaul in 2026 that lifted some awards up to 67 percent.
Does World of Hyatt still have an award chart?
Yes, which is part of why it is well regarded. Unlike Marriott and Hilton, Hyatt still publishes a fixed chart. It devalues by reclassifying hotels into higher categories rather than by abandoning the chart for dynamic pricing.
What changed in the 2026 Hyatt award chart?
Hyatt expanded from three redemption levels to five, replacing Off-Peak, Standard, and Peak with Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top. In the move, 112 hotels rose a category and only 24 fell, with some awards up as much as 67 percent.
Are World of Hyatt points still worth it?
Yes. Hyatt remains one of the strongest hotel programs, with a real chart, generous elite benefits, and excellent transfer value from Chase. But because categories keep rising, the smart approach is to earn toward a specific stay and redeem promptly rather than hoard.
Bryce Casson, Founder of Cardocrat. Every card is ranked by what it actually returns, with all points valued at a flat 1 cent and offers verified against issuer sources. About the author.
