I’ve written previously about how valuable I think World of Hyatt points are. I find great value in redeeming them at their all-inclusive properties. On the other hand, category 1 and 2 properties are only 5,000 and 8,000 points per night respectively. Hyatt has had a lucrative partnership with MGM Resorts over the last couple of years. However, if you’re sitting on a stash of Hyatt points, should you book your next stay using Hyatt points? Here are the details of the partnership and the reciprocal benefits.
Earning Hyatt Points
In addition to hotel stays, the fastest way to earn World of Hyatt points is by signing up for the World of Hyatt Credit Card by Chase. Currently, you’ll earn 50,000 points after you sign up for the card and meet the minimum spend requirements. You’ll earn 25,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. If you spend a total of $6,000 in the first six months, you’ll earn an additional 25,000 points, totaling to 50,000 points.
With the World of Hyatt Credit card, you’ll automatically get Hyatt’s Discoverist status. You can match Hyatt’s Discoverist status to MLife’s Pearl status. For someone who doesn’t have Mlife status through stays, I’ve made great use of the Pearl status. The most valuable benefit for me has been the dedicated VIP line for breakfast while staying at the Bellagio. During peak times, these lines can often take over 30 minutes to clear.
Points Transfers
The World of Hyatt program is a transfer partner of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program. You can transfer your Chase points to World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. Among all of Chase’s impressive suite of Sapphire Cards, the Ink Business Preferred currently has the highest sign-up bonus of 80,000 Ultimate Rewards Points.
If you’re approved for the Ink Business Preferred and spend $5,000 in the first 3 months, you’ll earn 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. You can read a full review of the benefits here.
Redemption Values
Here’s where the rubber hits the road. If you have a significant stash of Hyatt points, should you book a stay at Vegas with these points? For the purpose of analysis, let’s break this down into two different time periods, peak and off-peak. Let’s define peak as weekend and certain holidays. All other weekdays will be considered as off-peak, since that’s usually the case in Vegas, unless there’s a huge conference in town.
Please note that these values are ball park figures based on analysis of prices over the next few months, all the way till the end of 2019. These figures include taxes and resort fees, which are often obscene, upwards of $30 per night.
| Hotel | Points Per Night | Off Peak Price | CPP | Peak Price | CPP |
| Hyatt Place Las Vegas | 8,000 | $155 | 1.94 | $250 | 3.13 |
| Hyatt Place Las Vegas at Silverton Village | 8,000 | $160 | 2.00 | $185 | 2.31 |
| The Mirage | 20,000 | $210 | 1.05 | $280 | 1.40 |
| Bellagio | 25,000 | $270 | 1.08 | $450 | 1.80 |
| Vdara | 20,000 | $270 | 1.35 | $400 | 2.00 |
| Aria | 25,000 | $275 | 1.10 | $550 | 2.20 |
| Park MGM Las Vegas | 15,000 | $140 | 0.93 | $400 | 2.67 |
| New York New York Hotel & Casino | 15,000 | $120 | 0.80 | $480 | 3.20 |
| Excalibur | 12,000 | $110 | 0.92 | $350 | 2.92 |
| Luxor | 12,000 | $105 | 0.88 | $245 | 2.04 |
| The Signature at MGM Grand | 20,000 | $157 | 0.79 | $322 | 1.61 |
| MGM Grand | N/A | $175 | N/A | $302 | N/A |
| Delano Las Vegas | 25,000 | $219 | 0.88 | $384 | 1.54 |
| Mandalay Bay | N/A | $318 | N/A | $245 | N/A |
The Pundit’s Mantra
If you look at the redemption values in the above chart, you can see that it makes great sense to redeem Hyatt points at Las Vegas properties during peak travel dates, subject to availability.
Based on the above chart, you can redeem Hyatt points for great value for certain properties on the strip. If you’re looking to stay at the Bellagio, Vdara or Aria, you can get close to 2 cents per point in redemption value with Hyatt points. At other properties like New York New York and Luxor, you can get close to 3 cents per Hyatt point you spend.
If you’re looking to redeem points at the MGM grand or Mandalay Bay, then you’re out of luck. These properties are only showing availability for cash & points bookings, a benefit that Hyatt recently devalued.
Have you redeemed your Hyatt points for a stay in Las Vegas? What has your experience with reciprocal benefits been like? Let us know in the comments section.
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MGM hotels still require you to pay the resort fee if you book with Hyatt points, so you should not include the resort fee in those peak and off peak figures since you will be paying it regardless. The only valuable use of points would be to book during a peak time at one of the 2 Hyatt Places.
Hi Mike. Thanks for pointing that out. Your assessment is correct. However, as we end up spending more points per night at higher category properties, the resort fees will cause less deviation in the CPP values.
Hi the PP:
1. I am not aware that I can use Hyatt points to book numerous hotels in LV.
Thank you for the info.
2. I have struggled with using Avios BA miles. I hardly find anything available when booking on BA online. I read a few advices online but still do not understand. Could you help?
Thank you.
Hi Lac, thanks for reading. Before checking BA online, you can check OneWorld partners for saver availability. That’s another way to confirm that the seat that you are looking for is available. I recently wrote about my redemption using BA Avios https://travelupdate.com/how-i-flew-to-south-america-for-just-17000-points-20-60/