Earlier this year, Hyatt announced a tie-up with the Small Luxury Hotels of the world, where over 10 million members of World of Hyatt could use the new alliance to earn and burn Hyatt points at the SLH hotel alliance. At that point in time, it was not shared about how the alliance would work and the only thing we knew was the timeline. So, now Hyatt is ready to share more.

The alliance is going live today, November 29, 2018. To start with, 50 hotels from the SLH chain are going to go live, and additional SLH properties will continue to get added to the alliance over the rest of 2018 and into 2019.

In terms of earnings, World of Hyatt members will earn 5 Base Points per $1 USD spent on eligible room revenue. Members will also receive their standard tier Bonus Points on eligible room revenue spend (10% Discoverist, 20% Explorist and 30% Globalist). Qualifying nights at SLH hotels will count toward earning World of Hyatt elite-tier status. SLH stays will also get the following benefits for all World of Hyatt members,

• Complimentary continental breakfast
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Early check-in 12:00pm (based on availability at check-in)
• Late check-out 2:00pm (based on availability at check-in)
• One category room upgrade (based on availability at check-in)

In terms of burning,  World of Hyatt members can redeem points to use for free night awards on SLH hotel reservations; each SLH property has been categorized into Hyatt’s existing hotel award chart, which includes a new Category 8 at 40,000 points. About 11 hotels have made it to this Category from the first 50.

Hyatt claims that the Category 8 has been added given the diversity and caliber of the SLH portfolio. Some SLH properties will fall into this new eighth category on the award chart, but not all. Hyatt is right now evaluating these properties to determine the most suitable award category for each hotel, and the text from their PR team makes me believe this is fluid at the moment.

To me it appears that the on-boarding of SLH properties is being done as per location. The initial list includes hotels such as as Alexander House Hotel & Utopia Spa, UK; Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista, Verona; Pangkor Laut Resort, Malaysia; San Antonio, Santorini and DUKES LONDON.

Here is the complete list of the first batch of properties going live and can be booked today onwards for stays December 6, 2018 onwards.

Malaysia

• Pangkor Laut Resort, Pangkor Laut [Cat 5]
• Gaya Island Resort Borneo [Cat 5]
• Lanson Place Bukit Ceylon Kuala Lumpur [Cat 3]
• The Edison George Town Penang [Cat 3]

Italy

• Villa Spalletti Trivelli Rome [Cat 7]
• Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista Verona [Cat 6]
• Ca’Sagredo Hotel Venice [Cat 7]
• Grand Hotel Parker’s Naples [Cat 5]
• Hotel de La Ville – Monza [Cat 3]
• Hotel Lord Byron Rome [Cat 5]
• Hotel Vilon [Cat 8]
• Magna Pars Suites Milano [Cat 6]
• Margutta 19 Rome [Cat 7]
• Palazzo Vecchietti Florence [Cat 8]
• Park Hotel ai Cappuccini Gubbio [Cat 4]
• Relais San Lorenzo Bergamo [Cat 6]
• Sikelia Sicily [Cat 7]
• Centurion Palace Venice [Cat 8]
• Palazzo Sant’Angelo sul Canal Grande Venice [Cat 7]

United Kingdom

• Flemings Mayfair London [Cat 6]
• Dukes London [Cat 6]
• The Capital Hotel & Apartments London [Cat 6]
• Tylney Hall Hotel and Gardens Hook [Cat 3]
• Alexander House Hotel & Utopia Spa Turners Hill [Cat 6]
• Ashdown Park Hotel Forest Row [Cat 5]
• Luton Hoo Hotel Golf & Spa Luton [Cat 4]
• Nira Caledonia Edinburgh [Cat 5]
• St. James’s Hotel and Club London [Cat 6]
• The Arden Hotel Stratford-upon-Avon [Cat 4]
• The Atlantic Hotel St Brelade [Cat 6]

Estonia

• Hotel St. Petersbourg Tallinn [Cat 4]

Spain

• El Lodge Ski and Spa Sierra, Nevada [Cat 7]
• Nobu Hotel Marbella [Cat 7]
• Sant Francesc Hotel Singular Mallorca [Cat 6]

Cyprus

• Columbia Beach Resort Limassol [Cat 7]

Belgium

• Hotel de Orangerie Bruges [Cat 5]

Greece

• Archipelagos Mykonos [Cat 6]
• Elounda Gulf Villas and Suites Crete [Cat 7]
• On the Rocks Santorini [Cat 6]
• Pietra e Mare Beach Hotel Mykonos [Cat 6]
• San Antonio Santorini [Cat 8]
• Santorini Secret Suites & Spa Santorini [Cat 8]
• Sesa Boutique Hotel Kanali [Cat 5]
• Margi Athens [Cat 6]
• Theoxenia Palace & House Suites Athens [Cat 3]
• Aressana Spa Hotel and Suites Santorini [Cat 6]
• Liostasi Hotel & Suites Ios [Cat 6]
• The Excelsior Thessaloniki [Cat 3]

France

• Hotel and Spa des Pecheurs Corsica [Cat 8]
• Hotel Le Strato Courchevel 1850 [Cat 8]
• Les Etangs de Corot Versailles [Cat 5]

Germany

• Ketschauer Hof Deidesheim [Cat 5]

Switzerland

• The View Lugano [Cat 8]

China

• The Sukhothai Shanghai [Cat 5]

Bottomline

The new tie-up does add up for Hyatt in a positive manner. First, it gets presence, even if token presence in places it did not have any. For instance, Belgium, Cyprus and Estonia. Second, it seems to have gotten a tonne of classic old-school hospitality hotel into the fold. I am only judging by name as of now, but I will sure look forward to trying some of these out in the near future.

What do you think about the tie-up between World of Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels of the World now that it is live?