The Biggest Winners & Losers from Hyatt’s Massive Changes episode artwork

EPISODE · May 28, 2026 · 54 MIN

The Biggest Winners & Losers from Hyatt’s Massive Changes

from The Thrifty Traveler Podcast · host Nick Serati, Kyle Potter

It’s a Brave (?) New World … of Hyatt. The hotel chain (almost) everybody loves officially brought down the hammer with some sweeping and painful changes to its award program. So with Gunnar overseas - probably crying into his Italian red wine - Nick joins Kyle to delve deep into the data behind what’s changed: the good, the bad, and the ugly. And yes, there is good news here. Plus, they try to answer the most important question: What does this mean now for Hyatt and your transferable credit card points? Thanks to Bellroy for sponsoring this episode! Get 10% off your next great Bellroy travel bag with our special link! Watch us on YouTube! 01:20 - Nick fills in to catch you up on Hyatt 06:13 - Cali & Waverly welcome us back from a Hyatt in Hawaii!  08:00 - The nuts & bolts of Hyatt’s big changes 10:15 - Analyzing 1,200+ Hyatt properties, before & after… 12:24 - Our big-picture takeaways 15:35 - How Hyatt handled the changeover 18:40 - The big winners in the new World of Hyatt 22:46 - & the bigger losers 31:38 - Get your tickets for our live podcast event now! 32:38 - Big surprises: Availability & top-priced nights 34:56 - What’s next? Will this get worse?  36:35 - An introspective conversation about hotels 40:51 - What to do to maximize your Hyatt points now 44:58 - & what to do with your transferable points 48:46 - Helping Jessica pick the right hotel booking 52:04 - On the Spot: Nick’s Hyatt hotel that got away Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas Video editing by Kyle Thomas Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at [email protected] 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!Follow us on…InstagramYouTubeFacebookBluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a Brave (?) New World … of Hyatt. The hotel chain (almost) everybody loves officially brought down the hammer with some sweeping and painful changes to its award program. So with Gunnar overseas - probably crying into his Italian red wine - Nick joins Kyle to delve deep into the data behind what’s changed: the good, the bad, and the ugly. And yes, there is good news here. Plus, they try to answer the most important question: What does this mean now for Hyatt and your transferable credit card points? Thanks to Bellroy for sponsoring this episode! Get 10% off your next great Bellroy travel bag with our special link!

NOW PLAYING

The Biggest Winners & Losers from Hyatt’s Massive Changes

0:00 54:33

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Thrifty Traveler Podcast?

This episode is 54 minutes long.

When was this The Thrifty Traveler Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on May 28, 2026.

What is this episode about?

It’s a Brave (?) New World … of Hyatt. The hotel chain (almost) everybody loves officially brought down the hammer with some sweeping and painful changes to its award program. So with Gunnar overseas - probably crying into his Italian red wine -...

Can I download this The Thrifty Traveler Podcast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!