Hyatt's first chart restructure in three years lands at 8:00 AM CT on May 20, 2026. The old 3-tier system (off-peak / standard / peak) becomes a 5-tier (Lowest / Low / Moderate / Upper / Top) system, with prices changing in both directions depending on the category.
What's actually changing
The 8 award categories themselves stay (Cat 1 through Cat 8). What changes is the points required for each tier within a category. The headline numbers:
- Category 1: was 3,500 / 5,000 / 6,500 → now 3,000 / 4,000 / 5,000 / 7,000 / 9,000. Floor drops 14%; ceiling jumps 38%.
- Category 4: was 12,000 / 15,000 / 18,000 → now 10,000 / 13,000 / 15,000 / 17,000 / 20,000. Familiar middle of the chart; modest movement.
- Category 7: was 25,000 / 30,000 / 35,000 → now 25,000 / 30,000 / 35,000 / 40,000 / 45,000. Floor unchanged; top dates up 29%.
- Category 8: was 35,000 / 40,000 / 45,000 → now 35,000 / 45,000 / 55,000 / 65,000 / 75,000. Top dates clear 67% higher than today's max.
The booking-date-locks-pricing strategy
This is the most important operational fact about the change: reservations booked before 8:00 AM CT on May 20 keep today's 3-tier pricing for the full stay, even if the stay itself is later in 2026 or 2027. Reservations booked at or after the cutover use the new 5-tier chart.
If you have a high-value Cat 7 or Cat 8 stay coming up (Park Hyatt Maldives, Park Hyatt Tokyo, the Andaz Mayakoba properties), book it before the cutover even if your dates are flexible. You can always cancel within Hyatt's normal free-cancellation window if plans change. The downside risk is small; the upside is locking the pre-cutover rate.
Who this hits hardest
- Chase UR and Bilt holders planning Cat 7-8 redemptions. Top-tier dates at the highest categories see the biggest jumps. A peak-date Park Hyatt Maldives stay that costs 35K today could cost 75K post-cutover if it lands in Cat 8.
- Cat 1-3 budget travelers benefit on off-peak dates. Floors come down across the lower categories. Hyatt Place Bangkok, Hyatt House cities, secondary US markets get cheaper at the entry tier.
- Anyone who values predictability. The 5-tier system is dynamic, meaning Hyatt can shift more dates into higher tiers without changing the chart. Expect more day-to-day rate variance than the 3-tier era.
What to do today
- If you have any high-category Hyatt stay you're 60%+ confident about, book it before May 20 to lock the 3-tier chart.
- If you're sitting on a Hyatt-bound transferable balance, don't transfer speculatively yet. Transferred points are non-refundable.
- Check our Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa and Hyatt Category 1 pages for the firsthand math under both charts.