There's hotel elite status, and then there's Hyatt Globalist status. Hyatt's top-tier status is reserved for those who earn 60 qualifying nights in a year and with it comes an impressive list of perks that make for a much more comfortable (and affordable) hotel stay.
The problem is, without spending two months out of the year in a Hyatt hotel, you'll never get to experience this level of status for yourself. That is … unless you're buds with a Hyatt Globalist.
What are we talking about? It's a perk called World of Hyatt Guest of Honor – and it's a way for us normal folks to get a taste of the Hyatt elite life. With Hyatt's Guest of Honor benefit, Hyatt elites can book a stay for someone else and bestow Globalist benefits on that guest … even if they're not staying at the hotel with them.
That means that a Guest of Honor will get most of the perks as a top Globalist – even if it's their first time stepping foot in a Hyatt hotel. Free breakfast each morning? Check. Waived parking fees? You got it. Room upgrades and a 4 p.m. late check-out? You bet!
Here's everything you need to know about how Hyatt Guest of Honor bookings work and exactly what kind of benefits you can expect.
Read more: Why Hyatt is the Best Hotel Rewards Program
Guest of Honor Award Changes in 2024
Before this year, Hyatt's Guest of Honor was an unlimited-use benefit available to all Hyatt Globalists. But it came with a major catch … you could only book these Guest of Honor stays with World of Hyatt points.
This meant that unless you really liked your friend, you'd need to first transfer World of Hyatt points between accounts before making your reservation. But after reshuffling milestone rewards last fall, that's no longer the case. These Guest of Honor bookings can now be made with cash, points, or even by using Hyatt free night certificates.
Hyatt also moved the Guest of Honor perk from an unlimited free-for-all to a benefit that's earned after staying a certain amount of nights. With these changes, it's possible to earn up to 10 Guest of Honor awards – but doing so would require spending 140 nights per year in a Hyatt property.
If you typically topped out at the 60 nights needed to earn Globalist, you'll only get three Guest of Honor bookings under the new system.
The upside though, is that you get your first Guest of Honor award at 40 nights – before even earning Globalist status. And since you can now use these Guest of Honor bookings for yourself, it's possible to sample Hyatt's best elite status for a stay of up to seven nights. That's a pretty sweet perk for someone still 20 nights short of reaching top-tier Globalist status.
To further soften these changes, Hyatt is awarding current Globalists with five Guest of Honor awards to start the year. If they use those all up, Globalists can still book unlimited Guest of Honor stays in 2024 by calling or messaging a Hyatt Concierge.
One last thing that looks different with Guest of Honor bookings in 2024: An elite night credit is awarded to both the Guest of Honor, and the Hyatt status holder booking the stay. This is a departure from how things previously worked where elite night credit only went to the Guest of Honor.
What Benefits Do You Get With Guest of Honor?
Hyatt's top-tier Globalist elite status is the best-of-the-best … but it's not easy to earn.
Unlike other hotel chains, Hyatt doesn't offer many shortcuts to the top. And while having a co-branded credit card like The World of Hyatt Credit Card or *world of hyatt business* will help get you there faster, it's no golden ticket.
Since Globalist status is reserved for Hyatt's most loyal customers – those spending upwards of 60 nights per year with the hotel chain – it comes with some pretty desirable perks: Free daily breakfast, free parking on award stays booked with points, regular upgrades (including to suites that other hotel chains won't bump elites up to), and more.
And most of them get passed onto your Guest of Honor when you book them a free night, too.
Here's what you can expect when staying as a Guest of Honor.
Complimentary Breakfast or Club Lounge Access
One of the best perks of being a Hyatt Globalist is having Club lounge access – or, in most cases, getting free breakfast.
If the hotel or resort you're staying at has a Club lounge, Guests of Honor will receive access and get complimentary breakfast, daily refreshments, and evening drinks and hors d'oeuvres there. Most Hyatt's in the U.S. have done away with their Club lounges, but you can still find them at many of the hotel chain's top international outposts.
When you're staying at a property without a Club lounge (or if it's closed), Guests of Honor will receive full breakfast each day in the hotel's restaurant. This breakfast benefit applies to each registered guest in the room – up to a maximum of two adults and two children. Complimentary breakfast includes an entree or breakfast buffet (and in some cases, both), juice, and coffee. Tax and tips are included, too.
So it really is a full breakfast … and complimentary.
Room Upgrades
Guests of Honor are eligible for a room upgrade to the best available room at the time of check-in. The “best room” may be a room type or category higher than the one that was booked, all the way up to standard suites.
It'll vary by property and how busy the place is, but Guests of Honor can benefit from some amazing upgrades.
At the Andaz Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi last year, our editor Kyle was bumped all the way up to a Capital Suite – nearly twice the size of the standard king bedroom with a separate living room and excellent bathroom.
Premium, specialty, and presidential suites are not eligible for this upgrade benefit. And you shouldn't expect an upgrade, period, at Caption by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Destination by Hyatt Residences, or Hyatt Vacation Club hotels and resorts.
But overall, consistent upgrades are one reason why frequent travelers love Hyatt above other hotel chains. And even Guests of Honor can benefit from them.
Free Parking and Waived Resort Fees
Free parking on award stays is a huge, money-saving benefit that gets passed on to Guest of Honor bookings. If you're staying at Hyatt property in a metropolitan area like Chicago or New York City, it's not uncommon for nightly parking rates to cost as much as $100 per night.
If you're staying for multiple nights and would otherwise be paying for parking, this benefit can be extremely valuable.
4 p.m. Late Check-Out
Another big benefit of Hyatt's Globalist elite status that gets passed on to Guest of Honor bookings is a 4 p.m. late check-out.
Late check-out isn't exactly guaranteed to Guests of Honor or even top Globalist members themselves. Hyatt terms clearly spell out that it's possible “as available at some locations.” But in our experience, that's a much safer bet than with the likes of Hilton or Marriott. And a 4 p.m. checkout is far later than you'll get with some chains.
That can be key for anyone with an evening flight or business meeting late in the day. Having the option to return to your hotel room to regroup after being out sightseeing – or even just having a secure place to store your luggage – is another nice perk that comes with being a Guest of Honor.
What Benefits Don't Come With Guest of Honor Bookings?
It's a short list, but there are a few Globalist benefits that don't get passed on to a Guest of Honor booking.
One such benefit is the 30% point boost that Globalists get on Hyatt purchases. This means if you're Guest of Honor booking is a paid stay, you'll only earn points at the standard level of five points per dollar. This also applies to any meals, spa treatments, or gift shop purchases that get charged to your room.
Finally, Hyatt Globalists are unable to use Suite Upgrade Awards on Guest of Honor bookings. These suite upgrades are available to Globalist members as Milestone Rewards starting at 40 nights with the hotel chain. Guest of Honor bookings are still eligible for complimentary room upgrades, including suites, but there isn't a way for Globalists to apply one of their prized Suite Upgrade Awards ahead of time in order to guarantee a suite.
Read more: The Best Ways to Use a Hyatt Free Night Certificate
How to Make a Guest of Honor Booking
If you're a World of Hyatt elite ready to treat a friend, or yourself, to an elite-like stay, it's gotten much easier than in years past.
As of 2024, you can now gift Guest of Honor awards to others online or redeem them for yourself right in your Hyatt account.
Previously, you had only two options: You could either call or email your Hyatt Concierge to complete the reservation for you.
If you prefer to go about it the old way, you can still call or email your concierge to complete these bookings as well. Hyatt Concierges are just another one of the many perks that come with being a Globalist: A dedicated representative that helps with requests like this and any other hotel-related issues that come up.
Earning Hyatt Points & Free Nights
Hyatt points are undisputedly the most valuable of any major hotel chain. You'd think that would also mean they're the toughest to earn … but thankfully, that's not the case.
Hyatt is a transfer partner with both Chase and Bilt, which means you can easily earn Hyatt points through new card welcome offers, day-to-day credit card spending, or even by paying your rent!
If you've got the ultra-popular *chase sapphire preferred* – or the business version, the *chase ink preferred* – in your wallet, you're already earning Hyatt points.
If you carry a Hyatt co-branded credit card like The World of Hyatt Credit Card, you're obviously earning Hyatt points, but you can also use the card's annual free night certificate to book a Guest of Honor stay. Since the card also earns an additional free night with $15,000 of spending each year, it's possible to use two certificates per year for a Guest of Honor booking, plus any additional points you may have earned.
Thrifty Tip: Earn additional free nights with Hyatt Brand Explorer! Once you stay at five different Hyatt brands, you'll earn a free night certificate that can be used at any Hyatt category 1-4 property within the next 12 months.
FAQs about Guest of Honor Bookings
We've covered a lot of ground about Hyatt Guest of Honor, but there are a few other details worth calling out – and others that bear repeating.
Are All Hyatt Properties Eligible for Guest of Honor?
Most … but not all.
From your standard Grand Hyatts and Park Hyatts to smaller Alila properties and the Joie de Vivre portfolio of boutique hotels, most Hyatt properties are eligible to book for your Guest of Honor.
But one specific kind of property misses the cut: Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), a collection of hundreds of independently operated hotels and resorts across the globe. While you can redeem your own Hyatt points for free nights at these properties, they're not eligible for a Guest of Honor booking.
Can I Book a Guest of Honor Stay for Myself?
Yes, you can! A Guest of Honor award earned at 40 nights can be redeemed for yourself or gifted to someone else.
Can You Book Paid Nights for a Guest of Honor?
Yes, with the recent revamp, you can now book Guest of Honor stays with cash, points, or Hyatt free night certificates.
What About Free Night Certificates?
Yes! Whether you use points or a free night certificate from a card like the World of Hyatt Credit Card, both work for Guest of Honor bookings.
Just keep in mind that you'll need to follow the terms of your free night certificate to use it for a Guest of Honor stay. For example, The World of Hyatt Credit Card‘s free night certificate is only eligible for Category 1-4 properties. That means you'll need to focus on properties that cost 15,000 points – or as much as 18,000 points, the rate for a peak night stay at a Category 4 property.
Can I Confer Guest of Honor Benefits to A Previously Booked Stay?
Sort of! Now that you can gift Guest of Honor awards online, you could transfer it to someone else and have them apply it to their stay. But for this to work, they'd need to cancel their existing reservation and rebook as a Guest of Honor.
The same would go for Guest of Honor stays booked for yourself on your way to full Globalist status.
Bottom Line
Hyatt's Globalist elite status is without a doubt the most rewarding top-tier status of any hotel rewards program – but one key benefit is often overlooked. Hyatt's Guest of Honor benefit allows Globalist members (and those on their way) to book a free night for a friend or family member (or themselves) and pass on nearly all of their elite benefits for that stay.
This means that Guests of Honor will get valuable perks like free breakfast, waived parking fees, late check-out, and even room upgrades – even if they've never stepped foot in a Hyatt hotel.
Featured image courtesy of Hyatt Hotels