World of Hyatt announced the 2026 category shifts on February 25, 2026 in its newsroom, with the changes taking effect on May 20, 2026 at 8:00 AM CDT (9:00 AM EDT). 136 properties are moving categories: 112 going up, 24 going down. More than 90% of the global Hyatt portfolio is unchanged, but the changes that are happening land squarely on US members and on the top end of the chart.
Hyatt itself frames the update as a stability story. From the official statement: "World of Hyatt remains firmly committed to preserving that structure and continuing to operate with fixed point thresholds rather than moving to dynamic pricing for award nights." That distinction matters: this is a chart UPDATE, not a transition to dynamic pricing. The program stays predictable in shape even as specific prices move.
The sharpest impact lands on US urban properties moving out of Category 1-4 eligibility. Per AwardWallet and The Points Guy, nine US hotels shift from Cat 4 to Cat 5, including Hyatt Regency Seattle, Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, both Jersey City Hyatt properties (Regency and House), Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort, Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale, Hotel Figueroa, Hyatt Place Santa Cruz, and the Carolina Inn. The Cat 1-4 ceiling is the threshold for the annual free-night certificate that comes with the Chase World of Hyatt cards and with Globalist elite status, so these properties stop being free-night-cert redeemable as of May 20.
At the top end, five properties are entering Category 8 for the first time, per Frequent Miler and corroborated by AwardWallet and The Points Guy: Andaz 5th Avenue in New York, Hotel du Louvre in Paris, Hotel Fluela Davos in Switzerland, Park Hyatt London River Thames, and Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino. The Top tier at Category 8 climbs to 75,000 points per night, up from a peak of 45,000 under the old chart, a ceiling jump of about 67% (per One Mile at a Time).
A few hotels offset the upward pressure. Properties moving DOWN in category include The Standard Singapore (Cat 5 to Cat 4), Dream Nashville, Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin, Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort in India, and Andaz Macau. Existing reservations at those properties will get a one-time points refund credited on May 20 (per The Points Guy).
The booking-lock-today strategy is explicit in the official statement: "Providing advance notice allows members time to plan and book at current category levels before changes take effect (those reservations will be honored as booked)." If you have a high-Category Hyatt stay in mind for the next 12-18 months, book it before 8:00 AM CDT on May 20 to lock the pre-cutover chart, even if your dates are still flexible (free-cancellation windows on standard award reservations let you back out if plans change).
This category change is paired with the broader chart restructure that introduces the five-tier (Lowest / Low / Moderate / Upper / Top) system across all categories on the same May 20 cutover. The category change tells you WHICH bucket a property sits in; the restructure tells you HOW each bucket is priced. Both go live together.