Hyatt Dining & Spa Awards: Are They Worth Redeeming Points For?

While the most popular way to redeem World of Hyatt points is for free night award redemptions, there are some lesser known ways to redeem Hyatt points. One of those is the ability to use points for Dining & Spa awards, which can be a surprisingly good deal. This doesn’t get a lot of attention, and it’s particularly useful if you want to minimize your out-of-pocket when staying at a Hyatt property, while still indulging in on-property experiences. Hyatt Dining & Spa Experience AwardsHyatt Dining & Spa award chartWhat can Hyatt Dining & Spa awards be used toward?What hotels are eligible for Hyatt Dining & Spa awards?How do you actually redeem a Hyatt Dining & Spa award?Other Hyatt Dining & Spa award basicsAre Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards a good deal?Bottom line Hyatt Dining & Spa Experience Awards Most people don’t realize that you can redeem World of Hyatt points toward the cost of on-property dining and spa experiences, and the value proposition can be surprisingly good. Specifically, you can redeem a certain number of points for a certain amount of credit to use toward on-property spending, even if you’re not staying at a Hyatt property. Let’s take a closer look at how this works. Hyatt Dining & Spa award chart Below is a chart showing the various redemption opportunities available with Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards, along with how much value you can potentially get per point: Points requiredCredit amount (USD)Value per point1,000$101.0 cents2,500$251.0 cents5,000$501.0 cents7,500$751.0 cents8,000$1001.25 cents12,000$1501.25 cents20,000$2501.25 cents35,000$5001.43 cents65,000$1,0001.54 CentsWorld of Hyatt Dining & Spa Award Chart As you can see, you can redeem anywhere from 1,000 points for a $10 credit, to 65,000 points for a $1,000 credit. The value per point ranges anywhere from 1.0 cents per point, to 1.54 cents per point. 1.54 cents per World of Hyatt point sounds like a solid deal. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, World of Hyatt points are worth 1.4 cents each, so this actually offers solid value, at least on the surface. Is there a catch, though? Redeem Hyatt points toward dining experiences What can Hyatt Dining & Spa awards be used toward? The exact redemptions that are allowed vary by hotel, but generally you can expect that these awards can be used for food and beverage purchases, spa and salon services, and spa and salon retail items. On top of that, when charged to a member’s guest room, the following charges may be eligible: laundry, dry cleaning, telephone charges, pay-per-view movies, parking, gift/retail shop, service charges, taxes (not including room taxes) and gratuities Meanwhile the following charges are expressly prohibited from being eligible: room rates, room taxes, alcoholic beverages (in certain jurisdictions), catering or banquet charges, and casino charges If you’re staying at a Hyatt then you should be able to redeem these awards for cumulative charges over the course of your stay. However, I’d recommend confirming this with the front desk at check-in, including which outlets would be eligible for these redemptions, since individual hotels could have different policies. Redeem Hyatt points toward spa experiences What hotels are eligible for Hyatt Dining & Spa awards? Not all Hyatt hotels participate in this program. Miraval, Unscripted by Hyatt, Hyatt Select, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club properties, Hyatt Vivid, Bahia Principe, Impression by Secrets, Secrets, Dreams, Breathless, Zoëtry, Alua, Sunscape, and other Legacy AMR Collection resorts, as well as some Dream properties, do not participate. Furthermore, redemption of these certificates is limited to registered guests at Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva, and Hyatt Studios properties. To be positive, you can search participating properties at this page. How do you actually redeem a Hyatt Dining & Spa award? You don’t need to redeem for these certificates in advance, but rather the World of Hyatt member should just inform the Hyatt employee at the eligible outlet that they’d like to redeem points toward their purchase at the outset. You’ll need to have your membership information, and should then be asked how many points you want to redeem. If you’re a registered guest at a hotel then you can apply one of these at check-out toward multiple purchases over the course of a stay. If you’re not a registered guest then you’ll have to settle your folio at the particular outlet you’re at. Other Hyatt Dining & Spa award basics There are a few other things to potentially be aware of: You don’t earn World of Hyatt points for any purchase for which you’re redeeming a Dining & Spa award, including the amount in excess of what you’re redeeming for; this is puzzling, but that’s what the terms state — “any charges for which a Dining, Spa and More Award is redeemed (including charges in excess of the award amount) are ineligible to earn points in the program” You can redeem at most one award per transaction, and the transaction amount can be above or below the award amount; if it’s above, you can pay the difference in cash, while if it’s below, you don’t get any refund The member has to be present to redeem this, so you can’t use this as a gift for someone you’re not traveling with Save money on your Hyatt stays with Dining & Spa awards Are Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards a good deal? On the surface, being able to redeem World of Hyatt points for up to ~1.54 cents toward the cost of a purchase is a solid deal. Is it exceptional? No. But as a way of essentially “cashing out” your points to offset cash costs I think it’s very good. I do think it’s important to create a more realistic valuation of these redemptions, though. When you redeem these awards you’re forgoing the opportunity to earn points on these purchases: World of Hyatt members ordinarily earn 5x points per dollar spent World of Hyatt Discoverist members earn an additional 0.5 points per dollar, Explorist members earn an extra 1.0 points per dollar, and Globalist members earn an extra 1.5 points per dollar For paying with the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card you’d earn 4x points per dollar spent As a Globalist member I earn 10.5x points per dollar spent, which I value at a return of ~15% (1.4 cents per point). That’s an opportunity cost that’s worth factoring in, so in reality, I’d adjust the maximum value from 1.54 cents to ~1.3 cents. Personally, this isn’t how I’d redeem my World of Hyatt points, though I do think many people could find this to be worthwhile for a splurge: If you’re on a special trip and want to have some awesome spa treatments or a really extravagant meal that you wouldn’t otherwise pay for in cash, this could be a great way to do so If you’re staying at a secluded Hyatt resort where you’d naturally spend quite a bit on-property (Alila Mayakoba, Park Hyatt Maldives, etc.), this could be a great way to limit your out-of-pocket spending If you’re a business traveler who earns more World of Hyatt points than you know what to do with, this could be a great way to enhance stays Hyatt Dining & Spa awards can be a great value at secluded resorts Bottom line World of Hyatt offers Dining & Spa awards, allowing members to redeem points for dining and spa experiences at most Hyatt properties. This has the potential to be a solid deal, as getting 1.54 cents per Hyatt point toward the cost of a purchase is a good redemption. However, do factor in the points you’re forgoing, which brings down the redemption value a bit. While I wouldn’t say this is the best way to redeem Hyatt points, this could be worth it to lower how much cash you’ll pay for a Hyatt stay, especially at a secluded resort where you’re likely to spend most time on-property. What do you make of Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards? Could you see yourself redeeming points for them?