Hotel chains revise their award pricing from time to time to keep up with the popularity and the average room rates of the property. Hotels do these changes annually. But In 2020, World of Hyatt announced they would only make minimal changes in 2021 and pinned down the changes to 12 hotels. Eight hotels would need fewer points, and four would take more. Here is the list:

• Stonebridge Inn, A Destination Hotel: Cat 5 -> 4
• Wailea Grand Champions Villas, A Destination Residence: Cat 6 -> 5
• Wailea Ekolu Village, A Destination Residence: Cat 6 -> 5
• Wailea Ekahi Village, A Destination Residence: Cat 6 -> 5
• Lichenhearth, A Destination Residence: Cat 6 -> 5
• Parker New York: Cat 6 -> 5
• Grand Hyatt Vail: Cat 7 -> 6
• Mauna Lani Point, A Destination Residence: Cat 7 -> 6
• Wailea Elua Village, A Destination Residence: Cat 8 -> 7
• Kaanapali Alii, A Destination Residence: Cat 8 -> 7
• Vail Residences at Cascade Village, A Destination Residence: Cat 8 -> 7
• The Lodge at Spruce Peak, A Destination Hotel: Cat 8 -> 7

Many more hotels have been added to this list in two tranches, and here is the next list, effective March 25, 2021:

• Hyatt Regency John Wayne Airport: Cat 2 -> 3
• Hyatt House Nashville/Downtown-SoBro: Cat 4 -> 5
• Mar Monte Hotel, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt: Cat 4 -> 5
• Park Hyatt Aviara: Cat 5 -> 6
• Hyatt Place Houston Downtown: Cat 3 -> 2
• Andaz Scottsdale: Cat 5 -> 6
• Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico: Cat 3 -> 4
• Hyatt Regency Dharamshala: Cat 2 -> 3
• Hyatt Place Delano: Cat: 1 -> 2
• Hyatt Place Fair Lawn/Paramus: Cat 1 -> 2
• Hyatt Place Palm Bay/Melbourne: Cat 1 -> 2

Now, I am not aware of the pressing need to slip in more changes closer to the date of the changes being implemented, but one of the changes is hitting closer home, the Hyatt Regency Dharamshala.

The Hyatt Regency Dharamshala is a comparatively young property that just opened up in November 2019. With the pandemic rearing its head up, this resort has been one of the few places people have been heading to for a break because what is better than an 80-key property nestled in the hills.

In terms of cash rates, this property commands a price of about INR 20,000 a night (plus GST) but only goes for 8000 World of Hyatt points for now (including GST), giving away a consistent value of INR 2.5 ex-tax per World of Hyatt point spent.

Not just that, if you wanted to book into a Suite, you could spend either INR 35,000 ++ in cash or only 16,000 World of Hyatt points, which is a value of INR 2.2++ per point.

The bad news is, this hotel will move, on March 25, 2021, to Category 3, which means that a redemption night here will cost 12,000 points for the room and 24,000 points for the Suite going forward. That immediately drops the value to INR 1.66 for the room (ex-tax) and INR 1.46 (ex tax) for the Suite.

You can still book for a stay anytime during the year at the old prices, as long as you do it before March 25, 2021. If you change the booking afterwards, you will have to pay with the new redemption category.

If you don’t have World of Hyatt points, you can buy them here. I ran the numbers, and even if you purchased points worth three nights for USD 576 (INR 42000), you still come out ahead by 50% since this is the price to be paid for two nights when you book with the hotel.

Have you been to the Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort? How did you like it?

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