Should You Wait to Hit that 60th Elite Night with Hyatt?

Hyatt Globalist status is, without a doubt, the crown jewel of hotel elite statuses, and possibly one of the most valuable elite statuses across the board. With a slew of perks that make your hotel stays leaps and bounds better, it’s a highly sought-after status. Space-available suite upgrades, club lounge access, complimentary breakfast at all hotels, 4 pm late checkout, no resort fees even on cash stays, free parking on award stays, and being assigned a dedicated My Hyatt Concierge (after your 60th night). It’s a traveler’s dream come true.

But today, we’re here to discuss a lesser-discussed benefit that comes with hitting that magical 60-night threshold: the annual Category 1-7 free night certificate. This milestone award can be worth potentially thousands of dollars depending how it’s used, but its timing can make all the difference. And Hyatt has some room to do better here.

Here’s the deal: the Category 1-7 certificate is issued when you reach 60 nights, coincidentally the same threshold for achieving or renewing your Globalist status. However, a key point to remember is that this certificate is technically considered a milestone award and not a direct benefit of Globalist status (just like the My Hyatt Concierge benefit). So, if you obtained your Globalist status through Bilt Rewards or a corporate challenge, you won’t receive it unless you later hit the full 60 nights.

The Category 1-7 certificate isn’t your run-of-the-mill free night certificate, as it’s considerably rarer than the more common Category 1-4 certificates. You can only obtain one Category 1-7 certificate per year, and it’s issued soon after your 60th night posts in your account. The catch is, it’s only valid for six months, and the clock starts ticking the moment it’s issued. To make matters worse, it’s not enough to just book a stay before the expiration date; you must actually complete your stay by that date, just like all Hyatt free night certificates.

Now, here’s where the timing aspect comes into play. If you’re already a Globalist and you don’t have immediate plans to use that certificate, it might be in your best interest to pace yourself and time your 60th night closer to December 31st, which is the deadline to earn elite nights for the Hyatt membership year. Just remember you have to check out before the ball drops on Times Square in order to avoid inadvertently crediting those nights towards next year.

For example, if you hit your 60 nights today, you’ll have to complete your stay by mid-April. However, if you strategically time your 60th night for December, you could potentially use your Category 1-7 certificate as late as June.

Hyatt has some serious room for improvement regarding this aspect of their program. By tying the certificate’s expiration date to when you achieve an elite night milestone, it could unintentionally create a situation where a loyal member is actually discouraged from staying at a Hyatt to avoid triggering the certificate’s premature issuance. Hyatt could consider making changes to address this issue.

One way to do this would be to make the certificates valid until the end of the following calendar or membership year (December 31st or February 28th, respectively). Alternatively, extending the certificate’s validity to a full 12 months, similar to how several of the Hyatt free night certificates already are (such as those from the World of Hyatt Credit Card by Chase), could give Globalists greater flexibility in planning their stays.

The Category 1-7 free night certificate is a valuable perk that comes with achieving 60 elite nights with Hyatt. However, the timing of when you earn this milestone can significantly impact its usefulness. Hyatt could make a few adjustments to their program to provide more flexibility and ensure that loyal members can fully enjoy the benefits of their milestone awards. So, if you’re on the path to 60 elite nights with Hyatt, it might be worth pondering whether to wait a little longer before hitting that milestone.