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Hyatt strikes partnership to earn and burn points with SLH
The long and short: Hyatt has more than 700 hotels worldwide. Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has a collection of more than 500 properties and an impressive European and Asian footprint – something Hyatt needs. The partnership is fantastic for high end Hyatt loyalists who prefer boutique luxury to the large resort properties Hyatt typically offers. It’s also a big win for SLH as it will draw many Hyatt loyalists to their properties that may have otherwise overlooked or decided against an SLH property. But, is there a bigger winner than both Hotel companies? Let’s walk through my thinking.
A Helping hand to loyalists looking to qualify and leverage status for aspirational trips.
For a global chain, 700 hotels worldwide is a small footprint. Hyatt recognizes that their Hyatt Gold Passport devolvement into World of Hyatt was more than a lot of loyalists could stand to chew. While benefits for top tier elites got richer, qualification became very difficult. Stays were eliminated and 60 nights were required to hit status. 60 nights at 700 hotels? Marriott reps 6k properties and IHG over 5k. You can guess how that turned out.
While SLH caters to a relatively niche luxury market, it’s very helpful for a broader Hyatt loyalist. Not only do you have more options to book a paid stay that may provide a different feel than your traditional business hotel, but it provides a reason to go out of your way to stay with them throughout the year. The aspirational redemption.
They partner will drop dead gorgeous hotels in areas that normally are unattainable with hotel loyalty points. Now they will be, and that may be enough to lure loyalists to stay more often. If you can stay at that Baros ( the above image ) after a year’s worth of corporate travel…you may be willing to drive a little further to stay at a Hyatt Place than the closer Marriott/IHG/Hilton property.
The above image is of Baros Maldives – rates start well over $1k a night. Who knows if this will be a redemption option, and at what price, but right now we can dream. It also leads me to my next point.
The biggest uncertainty is redemption price
Will these SLH properties fit into the traditional category structure of Hyatt, or some price out of it, similar to Miraval? Will all of SLH properties be available for redemption? Will cash + points be available? Etc, etc. We’ll find out later this year when the programs are integrated, but SLH has some amazing properties in its stock. It’d be phenomenal to gain access to them all.
Hyatt is debuting a Park Hyatt in Auckland, New Zealand, but how bout this SLH property, Eichardt’s Private hotel. WOW – what a view! I’d like that for the price of….points, please.
Chase is a ( the?) big winner. Certain cardholders just got another 500+ redemption options.
Chase debuted a winner with the new World of Hyatt card – it just got way more valuable. Your potential redemption options almost doubled, and fingers crossed that earnings at these hotels will qualify at the 4x level the card offers, and if the anniversary free night is good at these properties – the card just got WAY more valuable.
But don’t forget Chase has their own loyalty program, Ultimate Rewards, which features the ability to transfer points to Hyatt 1:1. That’s already one of my favorite uses of the program, but now that I can potentially access 500+ beautiful boutique hotels around the world via a Hyatt transfer, it’s an even richer proposition.
The reason I think Chase/ Chase Cardholders may ultimately be the biggest winner here is access. There isn’t a program that has a better redemption rate than Hyatt, and if these boutique SLH properties fit into their current pricing structure…it’s more reason to spend your money on Chase cards vs the competition.
*feature image of Leopold Hotel, Sheffield ,England courtesy of SLH.com
The full press release:
CHICAGO (August 1, 2018) – Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) and Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) today announced plans to bring World of Hyatt members opportunities to enjoy loyalty benefits in many more places. The launch is targeted for the end of the year.
Hyatt, a leading hospitality company with more than 700 hotels worldwide, and SLH, a collection of more than 500 independently owned luxury hotels around the world, are working together to offer World of Hyatt members the opportunity to earn and redeem points during stays at participating SLH hotels when they book through Hyatt channels.
“This is another example of how Hyatt continues to listen to the wants and needs of World of Hyatt members and take meaningful action,” said Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer, Hyatt. “SLH’s high-end collection of boutique hotel experiences means our members will soon be able to earn and redeem World of Hyatt points in more places, including many new locations in Europe and Asia.”
“We are constantly looking for ways to add value for our many independently spirited hotels. This coming alliance with World of Hyatt does just that,” said Filip Boyen, chief executive officer, Small Luxury Hotels of the World™. “Our work together will allow World of Hyatt members to enjoy loyalty benefits across a wider choice of small independent luxury hotels. For SLH, our hotels are our brand, and we look forward to expected increased occupancy with significant exposure to the World of Hyatt program’s more than 10 million members.”
The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.
About Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) matches independently minded guests with independently spirited hotels. The diverse collection of over 500 hotels in more than 80 countries around the world includes everything from cutting edge design hotels and city center sanctuaries to historic country mansions and remote private islands – all SLH hotels are consistently different, however, they are all united by the fact that they offer the best locations, highest quality, personalized service and a truly authentic way to discover a destination. Guests can join SLH’s loyalty program, INVITED, to receive Small Luxuries from their very first visit. Reservations for any SLH hotel can be made online at www.slh.com or via the iPhone app, by contacting a travel agent or calling a Small Luxury Hotels of the World reservations office; click here to view a listing by country.
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027.
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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