Hyatt news: Playa Resorts acquired for $2.6bn, ‘Bonus Journeys’ promo now on

Two Hyatt stories today:

Hyatt buys all-inclusive specialist Playa Resorts

Hyatt’s push into the all-inclusive space shows no signs of slowing.

Having kicked off with the launch of the Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara brands a decade ago, via Playa-owned resorts, it jumped in with both feet via the $2.7 billion acquisition of Apple Leisure Group in 2021. It has added a half-share in Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts since then.

Hyatt has now announced the $2.6 billion acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts. Playa runs all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

What is intriguing / amusing is that these are primarily run under competitor brands. Five are branded as Hilton, including Rose Hall in Jamaica, five are Wyndham, two are Marriott (Luxury Collection) and one is IHG (Kimpton Tres Rios in Mexico).

These will, almost certainly, be rebranded under Hyatt in the near future. Franchise agreements tend to have termination clauses in place if the property is acquired by a competitor.

Eight are currently Hyatt-branded. Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos is pictured below.

Hyatt will be getting most of its $2.6 billion back fairly quickly. Playa owns the freehold or long leasehold of many of its resorts, which Hyatt will be selling after locking in long term management deals. It expects to generate “at least $2.0 billion” in proceeds from asset sales by the end of 2027.

‘Bonus Journeys’ promotion now on

Talking of Hyatt, a reminder that the new ‘Bonus Journeys’ promotion is now running.

Full details and the registration link are here.

It runs until 28th March and is a very simple one – you will earn double base points on all stays. Hyatt House and Hyatt Place stays will earn triple base points.

On the face of it, this is a decent deal:

• You earn 5 World of Hyatt points per $1 spent ….
• …. which is 6.1 points per £1
• Double points would mean 12.2 points per £1 ….
• …. which at our valuation of 1.2p per point is a 14.6% rebate on your ex-VAT spend
• …. and elite members will earn even more with their status bonus

At Hyatt Place and Hyatt House, you’d be receiving points worth 22% of your ex-VAT spending, with elite members receiving even more.

I just used this at Mr & Mrs Smith ….

We have just booked a last minute half-term break for next week, and for the first time I booked a Mr & Mrs Smith property via Hyatt.

The hotel itself was not running any promotions. The Mr & Mrs Smith rate – via the Smith website – matched a direct booking on price, plus I would get a bottle of wine thrown in as a ‘Smith extra’.

By booking a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel via hyatt.com, however, I will also earn a big chunk of World of Hyatt points. Mr & Mrs Smith bookings count for the ‘Bonus Journeys’ double points promotion and, with my Explorist status bonus on top, I am looking at a 15%ish return on my after-tax room spend.

It will also trigger the Mr & Mrs Smith box for Hyatt’s ‘Brand Explorer’ promotion – details here. This gives you a free night (Category 1-4 hotels only) for every five different Hyatt brands you stay at. I triggered my second of these last year and, at the speed Hyatt is adding brands, I may earn a 3rd one in a couple of years.

You can register for ‘Bonus Journeys’ on this page of the Hyatt website. You don’t need to register before you book but you do need to register before you stay.

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World of Hyatt update – March 2025:

Get bonus points: Hyatt is offering double base points (triple at Hyatt Place and Hyatt House) between 27th January and 28th March 2025. You must register here by 10th March. Click here for our full article.

New to World of Hyatt?  Read our overview of World of Hyatt here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on what we think World of Hyatt points are worth is here.

Buy points: If you need additional World of Hyatt points, you can buy them here.

You will get a 25% discount (equivalent to a 33% bonus) when you buy World of Hyatt points by 14th April 2025. Click here to buy.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from Hyatt and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.