World of Hyatt has officially launched its partnership with Mr & Mrs Smith, which adds more than 700 luxury properties Hyatt’s current portfolio, with more to come.
After acquiring the luxury travel platform in 2023, select Mr & Mrs Smith properties across the globe are now eligible for earning and redeeming World of Hyatt points, which went live on April 24, 2024.
Mr & Mrs Smith Properties Now Bookable through Hyatt Channels
Over 700 properties available on the Mr & Mrs Smith platform are now eligible for booking through Hyatt channels.
As a reminder, Mr & Mrs Smith is a curated collection of boutique and luxury hotels across the world. This means that Mr & Mrs Smith is a platform from which guests can book stays at the associated properties, but there aren’t any branded Mr & Mrs Smith properties.
A good comparison would be Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which is ending its relationship with Hyatt and onboarding with Hilton in the coming months.
While Hyatt acquired Mr & Mrs Smith in 2023, no properties have been available through Hyatt channels until April 24, 2024. There are over 2,000 properties associated with Mr & Mrs Smith; however, only 700 are available through Hyatt channels at the outset, with more to come in the future.
On the earning front, World of Hyatt members will accrue points and elite qualifying nights at Mr & Mrs Smith properties in the same way they would with other brands under the Hyatt umbrella. They’ll also enjoy bonus points based on their status, and stays are eligible for bonus points through promotions.
However, it’s important to note that Mr & Mrs Smith properties do not count as purchases at Hyatt hotels and resorts for purposes of the World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.
Instead, World of Hyatt cardholders will earn 1 World of Hyatt point per $1 (USD) spent using their World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card at Mr & Mrs Smith properties.
To be eligible for earning points on stays, you’ll need to book Mr & Mrs Smith properties through Hyatt channels. It’s worth noting that you can also book them on the Mr & Mrs Smith website directly; however, you won’t enjoy the ability to earn or redeem points if you do so.
On the redeeming front, Mr & Mrs Smith properties won’t be subject to the standard pricing available with the World of Hyatt award charts. Rather, stays are subject to a form of dynamic pricing, which is more closely tied with the cash price and less likely to result in outsized value for redemptions.
If you have World of Hyatt Elite status, unfortunately, you won’t enjoy the usual benefits at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. While it’s possible that Globalists might enjoy an upgrade for your stay, the usual perks like free breakfast or late check-out for eligible members won’t be available.
The full list of participating hotels can be found on the Hyatt website, and more information about the partnership can be also be found on the Hyatt website.
Hyatt Adds to its Luxury Portfolio
In the past year or so, there has been a lot of announcements coming from Hyatt about partnerships, as well as Hilton and Marriott, for that matter.
There have been frequent announcements of brand acquisitions or launches, new and shifting partnerships, and expanded reaches in various market segments, and that’s not likely to stop any time soon.
Earlier this year, Hilton announced that it’s launching a new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which also happens to mark the end of Hyatt’s six-year relationship with the platform.
Last year, Hyatt’s partnership with MGM Hotels & Resorts also came to an end, and MGM entered into a 20-year agreement with Marriott instead.
While Hyatt has recently ended two major partnerships, it has now added a new one with the acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith, which is now live.
Aside from the earning rates at Mr & Mrs Smith properties, which are more-or-less in-line with what you’d earn at other Hyatt properties (aside from co-branded credit card multipliers), the biggest change with this partnership is on the redemption side.
Previously, it was possible to book Small Luxury Hotels of the World using World of Hyatt points at the rates listed on the published award charts. While availability was rather scarce, it opened the doors for some excellent high-value redemptions, at properties such as Calala Island in Nicaragua.
World of Hyatt is one of the few remaining loyalty programs to use a published award chart, and this move to a form of dynamic pricing at Mr & Mrs Smith properties is indeed a big change. While Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt also uses dynamic pricing for redemptions, there aren’t any indications that there are plans to move towards dynamic pricing at Hyatt properties.
As with any program that uses dynamic pricing, it’s best to crunch the numbers before you make a booking to ensure that you’re happy with the value you get from a redemption at a Mr & Mrs Smith property.
You should also compare cash prices between what’s listed on the Hyatt website and the Mr & Mrs Smith website, as it may be more advantageous on one over the other.
Conclusion
The first batch of Mr & Mrs Smith’s collection of luxury hotels across the world is now available for booking on Hyatt channels. At the outset, you can earn and redeem World of Hyatt points at 700 properties, with the remaining 1,300+ properties set to join in the months ahead.
As the partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World is set to end as of May 15, 2024, and after MGM’s partnership with Marriott Bonvoy is now live, it’s nice to see more properties available to World of Hyatt members, especially in the luxury segment.
While the opportunity for outsized value from redemptions isn’t as good as it is with the fixed pricing on the award chart, World of Hyatt members now have more luxury properties around the world at which they can earn and redeem points.
It’s trash. Several FB travel groups I’m in have thousands of people canceling their world of Hyatt credit cards because of this. You used to be able to get about two to four nights on a sign-up bonus. Now you’re lucky if you get one. Sorry Hyatt, jumping brands.
The average redemption rates are like a penny a point…. You don’t need to have Hyatt points if the value is so poor.
I booked three nights in Greece for 30,000 points a night at a $650/night hotel. The Mr and Mrs Smith options are like 75,000 points a night for $500/night rooms.
Hyatt blew it with losing SLH.
I went to book a Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hyatt-participating property. This appears on the booking page:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Stays at Mr & Mrs Smith properties do not count as purchases at Hyatt hotels and resorts for purposes of the World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. World of Hyatt credit card members will earn 1 Bonus Point per $1 USD spent using their World of Hyatt Credit Card or the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.
At least with Marriott’s Design and Tribute brands, which are the Marriott equivalent of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you get more elite status benefits and credit card spend bonuses. I imagine this also means you may not get Hyatt points on any incidental spending at a Mr. and Mrs. Smith property.
I looked at several of the Mr and Mr Smith properties in the United Kingdom, where they have some attractive country inns and local hotels in quaint towns and villages a little off the U.S. tourist trail. Some of the cash rates are under US$180 a night. Here’s an example for early June. The George Hotel in Rye, England. For a standard room, US$117 per night directly through the hotel, $98.11 through Mr and Mrs Smith, or US$98.15 or 11,250 points through Hyatt.com.
I think this is the only “good” thing about Mr and Mrs Smith. You can find some interesting hotels in markets that otherwise don’t have a chain hotel. And you get a Hyatt night out of it. $98.15 for a quaint 3 1/2 or 4 star in a small English town is a pretty good deal with or without breakfast benefits. It’s certainly better than spending $5,000 on the Hyatt-Chase Visa credit card to get elite credit for 2 nights.
In a word, disaster. This means that at 36% of Hyatt’s footprint, Globalists don’t even get a bottle of water (never mind the perks that actually mean something). Massive, massive deval.