It's no secret that we love World of Hyatt! They offer reasonable prices (whether you're paying with money or points) and many family-friendly properties with rooms for 4+ people. Plus—when you book an award stay, you don't have to pay any taxes or additional fees (like resort fees).

Hyatt has a strong loyalty program as well. Holding Globalist status helps you get even more value out of your Hyatt hotel stays. With status, you are eligible to receive extra perks like free upgrades, late checkout, free parking, and more.

This article goes over all the ways to earn Globalist status with Hyatt to help you earn status faster. I'll also help you decide whether or not chasing status makes sense for you. Although it's nice to have, working towards status isn't for everyone. We'll also go over the best ways to use Globalist perks. 

Quick Hits

• The best perks of Globalist status are free parking on all award stays, free breakfast at all hotels, and suite upgrade opportunities (when available). See below for tips on getting upgraded more often. 
• There are some shortcuts to earning Globalist status the first time you earn it, especially if you can get targeted to Fast Track promos. 
• Be on the lookout for opportunities to earn 2x elite night credits—these help, too. These can even be given to current Globalists. 
• Most people who have Globalist status long-term earn it through a combination of actual stays, credit card spending, promos, and the occasional mattress run. 
• You have to travel a lot to make it worth chasing. You can also get many of the perks by buying Guest of Honor certificates on places like Ebay, but review our suggestions first. 
• Along the way to becoming a Globalist, you'll also earn a variety of Milestone Rewards. See details on how to redeem these, especially confirmed Suite Upgrades. 

The World of Hyatt Loyalty Program

The World of Hyatt loyalty program includes four tiers: Member, Discoverist, Explorist, and Globalist. As you level up in the program, you qualify for additional benefits. Globalist is the highest tier.

Why Globalist Status is so Valuable

It's harder to earn Globalist status with Hyatt than it is to earn elite-level status in many other hotel programs. This is partly because no credit card gives automatic high-level status with Hyatt, while several credit cards give high status with other hotel chains.

This means earning status can be challenging, but it also means far fewer people have it compared to other major hotel chains. That makes holding status that much more valuable. Since not as many people hold Globalist status, it's easier to get perks like free upgrades because not as many people qualify for them.

Benefits of Hyatt Globalist Status

It's important to note that a member only gets these benefits for one room per night. If you're a large family and booking 2 rooms, you only get these benefits for 1 room. If you want Globalist benefits for multiple rooms, you'd need to redeem Guest of Honor awards for the additional rooms. 

Free Parking (on award stays only)

Globalist members don't have to pay parking fees when booking free night awards or stays with points. This can add up to a huge savings, especially in larger cities where parking can run $70+ per night. 

Free Breakfast (or Club Access)

When staying at properties with a Club Lounge, Globalist status gets you free access to the lounge—even if you're not staying in a room that includes Club Lounge access.

Club lounges typically include breakfast, afternoon/evening snacks, and drinks. At some lounges, the afternoon snacks are substantial enough to be dinner.

If the hotel you're staying at doesn't have a Club Lounge, you get free breakfast for each registered guest (up to 2 adults and 2 children). Typically breakfast includes either the hotel buffet or an entree, a side, and a non-alcoholic drink. 

It's best to ask the hotel at check-in or breakfast to clarify exactly what's included for Globalist breakfast. Some hotels even give you the option of room service!

Tip is included with the Globalist benefit. We typically sign the bill with "Globalist" on the total line to make sure the hotel staff remembers to credit it. 

Waived Resort Fees – even on cash bookings

When you book with points, resort fees are always waived for everyone, even without status. What makes this special is that if you have Globalist status, resort fees are waived for cash bookings as well.

Late Checkout – 4pm

Globalist members get 4 pm late checkout at select locations when available. This is so convenient on checkout days. You don't have to worry about storing your luggage while you spend time out and about; you can just leave it in the room!

Hotels that are classified as resorts are exempt from providing a guaranteed 4pm checkout. 

If your flight is later in the day, you can come back to the room to clean up, shower, or just relax before heading to the airport.  

Guest of Honor

Along the way to earning Globalist status, you can earn Guest of Honor awards as part of the Milestone Rewards program. These awards allow you to share your Globalist benefits with a friend or family member for a specific stay. That includes free parking for award stays, free breakfast for 2 adults and 2 children, late checkout, and room upgrades.

When one of your Guest of Honor awards is redeemed, you earn 1 elite night credit, no matter how long the stay is. You can gift these awards to a friend or family member. If you're booking 2 rooms, you can also use these to add Globalist benefits for the 2nd room. 

Even More Benefits

This list isn't all. Globalist members get even more benefits like free bottled water, a welcome gift at Hyatt Studios locations, premium internet, guaranteed room availability, and more.

Check out the full list of benefits and all the details at the World of Hyatt website.

How to Earn Hyatt Globalist Status

Hyatt has two standard ways to earn Globalist status. Stay 60 or more nights at Hyatt properties in a calendar year, or earn 100,000 base points.

60 Nights

This is the most common way someone will earn Globalist status. You don't have to actually stay 60 nights! There are other ways to earn "nights stayed" on your account without staying. We'll get to shortcuts later in the article. 

Stays with any brand in the Hyatt portfolio count towards the 60-night total. Hyatt has over thirty brands, so you have lots of options to choose from.

Stays can be paid in cash or booked with points. Either way, it counts towards your total as long as your membership number is attached to the booking.

Typically stays booked through a third party don't count towards your total. This includes booking through a travel agent, bank travel portal, or booking sites like Expedia and Booking.com. There are some third party sites that do allow you to credit your nights to Hyatt. One example is when you book a hotel through The Edit Collection from Chase. 

100,000 Base Points

Unless you are spending a lot on Hyatt hotels out of pocket, it's unlikely you'd earn Globalist status this way. 

You earn base points when you book eligible paid stays at Hyatt hotels, and your membership number is attached to the reservation. Rooms booked with points don't earn base points. Most paid stays are eligible to earn points, but some promotional rates are excluded.

You also earn base points for dining, spa treatments, and other purchases you make at the hotel when you charge those purchases to your room, and your membership number is attached. 

Shortcuts for Earning Elite Nights

There are a few ways to fast-track earning status and make the process easier! Keep in mind that promotions come and go and change regularly. Keep an eye on your Hyatt account to see any available promotions.

You can find some of these types of offers by going to your account and selecting "My Offers".

To see available promotions, click on "Available" at the top of the page. Any promotions you're registered for will show up under the "registered" tab. 

Hyatt Promos

You might see promos to earn extra elite night credits or extra base points to help you earn status faster. The most valuable promotions are those that allow you to earn double elite night credits for every night you stay. These tend to be promotions targeted to certain people. 

It's more common to see promotions to earn bonus points for different things. These are great, but bonus points are not the same as base points.

Bonus points can be used to redeem for future stays, but they don't count towards base points needed for status. 

Fast Track to Status

Hyatt sometimes runs promotions where you can qualify for Globalist status with just 20 nights instead of the usual 60. Sometimes you'll see these in your Hyatt account and sometimes they may be targeted in other ways. 

If you want to register for one of these promos, it's important to time your registration so that your 90 day window includes planned stays. For these promos, the 20 nights you need must be nights actually booked and stayed at Hyatt hotels. Nights you earn from a Hyatt credit card won't count towards these promos. 

Here's an example of a status promo with American Airlines and Hyatt:

Corporate Challenges

Hyatt often offers a challenge to fast-track your status with your corporate email account. This is only available if your company partners with Hyatt sales force. This is usually large companies. The current offer is available for registration until December 31, 2025.

Typically for these promos, you'll need to stay 20 nights in a period of 90 days to earn Globalist status. You'll want to be strategic about when you register so that you have a plan to meet the 20 night stay requirement. For these promos, the 20 nights you need must be nights actually booked and stayed at Hyatt hotels. Nights you earn from a Hyatt credit card won't count towards these promos. 

These offers are often emailed out. If you didn't get an email or you aren't sure if you're eligible, just try to register using your corporate e-mail account.

You can register for this type of corporate challenge once every 3 years.

Holding the World of Hyatt Credit Card

The personal Hyatt card—the World of Hyatt Credit Card gives you 5 elite qualifying nights towards status every year just for holding the card. This gives you an immediate boost towards your Milestone Rewards and Globalist status. 

Spending on a Credit Card

Hyatt offers two credit cards and they both allow you to earn elite qualifying nights through spending. 

The personal Hyatt card—the World of Hyatt Credit Card—gives you 2 qualifying nights for every $5,000 you spend on the card.

These aren't free night certificates that can be used for stays; they're just credits toward the nights needed to earn status. 

The business card — the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card does not give you any elite nights for holding the card but gives you 5 elite qualifying nights for every $10,000 you spend on the card.

It's better to hold the business card for earning elite nights through spending. 

For businesses with large spend, you can earn Globalist by spending $120,000 a year on the business card even if you have no stays at all. 

Mattress Runs

Mattress runs are when you book a hotel room for the night (or a few nights) for the sole purpose of earning elite night credits. You can plan a mini stay-cation or just hang out in the room for a bit without even staying the night.

A Category 1 Hyatt that costs just 3,500 points per night (off-peak) can be a good way to do this.

Now, it might not make sense to plan a bunch of extra hotel stays to earn status. But if you're just a few nights away from earning Globalist, it could be worth it to plan a couple extra nights to help you reach that goal.

Milestone Rewards

Along the way to earning Globalist status, you'll also earn "Milestone Rewards" when you reach certain numbers of elite night credits. You receive different awards at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 nights (and beyond)

Sometimes you get a choice between awards at certain levels. You can see current Milestone Rewards here. 

It's important to note that you cannot ever use 2 awards on the same booking—so you can't use a Club Access Award and Suite Upgrade award together. Or you can't use a Free Night Award and Suite Upgrade Award. 

You can, however, use points plus any single award. 

These Hyatt awards can be gifted (once) to any other Hyatt member so these are great benefits to share with friends and family, even if you won't use them yourself. 

Club Access Awards

You can redeem these for a stay of up to 7 nights. The room will receive Club Access at a qualifying hotel. Globalists get this benefit but also can gift these to friends and family or use them on a 2nd room. See our map with all Hyatts with Club Lounges here. 

Suite Upgrade Awards

You can redeem these for a stay of up to 7 nights. To use these with points, you must have a date where a standard room and a standard suite are both available. You can pay for the standard room and if a standard suite is available, you'll be able to attach this award at booking and confirm a suite. 

This only works for standard suites and sometimes it is hard to identify which room is considered a standard suite at the hotel. Look for the phrase "This is a standard suite" in the room description. Some hotels may have more than one kind of standard suite. 

Often you can see the phrase "This is a standard suite" in the room description.

You cannot use Suite Upgrades to confirm a Premium Suite, just a Standard Suite. 

Here's how to apply a Suite Upgrade Award:

This is what your awards look like when you are searching for a reservation, if you want to apply an award, select it

Before I selected that I wanted to use a Suite Upgrade Award, it showed me this 2 Queen Bed room for 17,000 points per night

Before selecting to use the Suite Upgrade Award, it showed the Suite as a "Standard Suite" and bookable only with Points Plus Cash.

Once I selected the Suite Upgrade Award, it showed that I could book the Suite for 17,000 points and that I was using points plus the upgrade.

Free Night Awards

After 30 Nights, you'll receive a Category 1-4 Free Night Award. This award can be used at any hotel that is listed as having Category 1-4 and has a standard room bookable with points. 

After 60 Nights, you'll receive a Category 1-7 Free Night Award. This award can be used at any hotel that is listed as having Category 1-7 or Category A-D all-inclusive resort and has a standard room bookable with points.

Guest of Honor Awards

Guest of Honor awards allow you to use Globalist benefits like free parking and free breakfast on one stay of up to 7 days. 

But keep in mind, you cannot use 2 awards on the same reservation so you cannot use a Free Night Award and then also use a Guest of Honor. 

These are helpful if you are booking 2 rooms at the same hotel—you can still get Globalist benefits on the 2nd room. Or nice to give to family and friends. 

Is it Worth Chasing Status with Hyatt?

The answer is really going to depend on your travel style and goals.

For many "normal people", chasing status just for the sake of having status is not going to be worth it—especially if it means you end up planning a bunch of hotel stays that you wouldn't have otherwise. It takes time and money (or points) to earn status. That cost may not be worth the potential benefits you get.

On the other hand, if you already have a lot of stays planned with Hyatt or you can maximize a promotion, you could earn status without much effort at all. And if you're close to earning a higher level of status, it could be worth putting in a little extra effort to get there.

Work travel

If you travel for work and can stay in Hyatt brand hotels, those nights can help you get to Globalist status. It can be worth choosing Hyatt over other hotel brands to help you reach a status goal.

Will you use the benefits?

If you are very loyal to Hyatt and stay with them several times a year, it's easier to use the benefits that come with Globalist status.

If you have a few trips planned where you know the benefits of Globalist will be particularly useful (like free parking in a big city), having status could end up saving you a lot of money.

In that case, putting in a small amount of time or money to reach that higher level can make sense because you'll get a good amount of value out of the benefits.

On the other hand, if you don't stay with Hyatt that often or don't have any big trips planned, chasing status can cost you a lot more than you'll gain.

Don't let FOMO decide

When thinking about whether chasing status is worth it or not, think about the cost vs. the benefits. What are you putting in (time, points, and money), and what benefits will you get in return? 

For example, if you could take advantage of a promo where you only need 20 nights to earn Globalist, you could do it by staying 20 nights at Cateogry 1 Hyatt properties that cost 3,500 points per night. That would cost you 70,000 points.

Now, if you're planning to stay those nights at a hotel anyway during that period, it can make sense to stay at a Hyatt. But if you're only planning a few hotel nights, adding a bunch of extra nights just to earn status is going to take a lot of points that could be used for something else.

Don't let a fear of missing out on status make the decision for you.

Consider the travel you have coming up in the period when you'll hold the status.

If you have a lot of stays coming up where you'll get good value from upgrades, free breakfast (that isn't already included for everyone), free parking, etc., it could be worth it to earn Globalist.

If you mostly stay at Hyatt Place or other hotels where you already get free breakfast, that particular perk isn't going to add much value for you.

Hyatt has a somewhat limited global footprint when compared to some other hotel brands. There just aren't as many Hyatts outside the US, so keep that in mind as well. If most of your upcoming travel is outside the US, Hyatt hotels may not be the best option. In that case, having Globalist status isn't going to be very beneficial for you.

Tips for Getting Upgrades as a Globalist

This is the same process I recommend for Guest of Honor bookings as well!

Check in via the Hyatt app at 9 am on the day of check in (or as soon as you are able).

You'll be able to see if they've already upgraded you.

Do a search for the hotel on your exact dates to see what types of rooms are still available to book.

Pick a specific room type that you like and ask for it. If there is a standard suite available, they are required to give you that upgrade. If a premium suite is available, you can ask if it would be possible to be upgraded to that room.

You can make the request by texting if the hotel has that option. If not, you can call the hotel front desk and ask for the upgrade.

Final Thoughts

Holding Globalist status can be a great way to elevate your hotel experience. Before going all in with chasing status, make sure the cost vs. the benefits makes sense for your travel style and plans.

And remember, Hyatt can still be a great option, even if you don't hold status!