In September 2023, Hyatt announced its plan to introduce a short-term vacation rental platform called Home & Hideaways by World of Hyatt. This new initiative offers members the opportunity to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points on vacation rentals made through the platform.
The platform has now officially launched, and Homes & Hideaways is competing with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, as well as platforms that solely offer short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO.
Hyatt Launches Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt
Hyatt has launched a new short-term vacation rental platform called Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt.
Homes & Hideaways is comprised of existing properties already being managed by Hyatt under its Destination Residences Management division. However, as part of the initial announcement, Hyatt identified that a separate company, Lowe, will be responsible for purchasing and operating the existing rental management business.
Tying these together, Hyatt is shifting its business strategy by divesting from short-term property management, and instead focusing on distribution and marketing through the Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt platform.
Now live, the Homes & Hideaways platform offers World of Hyatt members access to thousands of properties across the United States, including beachfront accommodations in Hawaii and Florida, as well as mountain chalets in Colorado.
Crucially, professional companies manage all of the properties, rather than individual hosts – setting them apart from many properties listed on Airbnb and VRBO.
World of Hyatt members can now earn and redeem points for stays, and also accrue tier-qualifying nights for earning elite status.
Earn & Redeem World of Hyatt Points on Homes & Hideaways
With the platform now live, we have more insight into how World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points for stays on Homes & Hideaways.
On the earning side, members will earn 5 World of Hyatt points per US dollar spent on Homes & Hideaways bookings, as is standard for the World of Hyatt program.
If you have elite status, the standard elite tier bonuses apply:
- Discoverist members earn a 10% bonus
- Explorist members earn a 20% bonus
- Globalist members earn a 30% bonus
Nights booked through the Homes & Hideaways platform count towards elite status; however, you won’t receive any incremental perks on account of your status for stays. If you have your American Airlines AAdvantage account linked, you can also earn AAdvantage miles on Homes & Hideaways stays.
For booking, head to the Homes & Hideaways landing page, and search for your stay with your desired destination, dates, and number of guests.
The results page shows the price in cash, and clicking through will give you the option to redeem points for your booking.
After running a few searches on the platform, it appears that the value for a redemption is fairly consistent at around 1.2 cents per point (USD).
We value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents per point (USD). Homes & Hideaways bookings come in at below this metric; however, if you don’t have another specific use for your points, at least you now have another way to redeem them.
It’s worth noting that Homes & Hideaways bookings don’t count as Hyatt properties for the purposes of credit card multipliers on the Chase-issued World of Hyatt cards, and you can neither redeem Free Night Awards, nor use the Pay My Way payment option, for Homes & Hideaways stays.
Another Hotel Chain Enters the Short-Term Rental Space
Hyatt’s launch of Homes & Hideaways follows in the footsteps of Marriott, which launched Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy in 2019. The platform has since grown to offer 115,000 listings, and has recently added properties in Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Korea.
While Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt begins exclusively in the United States, Hyatt plans to eventually go global with its offerings.
As opposed to other short-term rental options like Airbnb or VRBO, the properties offered through major brand platforms are all professionally managed, which gives travellers some assurance and standards that may not otherwise be offered.
Furthermore, Airbnb and VRBO aren’t attached to a loyalty program that offers guests the ability to earn and redeem points for stays, as well as accrue nights towards elite status.
It’s worth noting that Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt don’t fall into the standard or all-inclusive award charts for earning and redeeming points, as with other stays booked through World of Hyatt.
Rather, Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt properties require varying levels of points to redeem for a stay, with a value of around 1.2 cents per point (USD).
Conclusion
Hyatt has launched Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt. The new platform lists short-term vacation rentals that are managed by professional companies, rather than by individuals, like most listings on Airbnb and VRBO.
During its initial phase, the platform consists solely of properties in the US, especially in Colorado, Florida, and Hawaii; however, Hyatt intends to go global with the brand in the future.
World of Hyatt members can earn and redeem points, as well as receive tier-qualifying nights and tier-based point bonuses, as if they were staying at any other Hyatt-branded property.
