World of Hyatt is one of the most popular hotel loyalty programs among frequent travelers, and one of the best ways to get the most value from Hyatt is by achieving elite status. In Hyatt's elite status program, the top tier is Hyatt Globalist.

Attaining Globalist status is not easy. But once you have it, it's ultra-valuable, with generous perks like suite upgrades, lounge access and free breakfast. In fact, Hyatt Globalist comes in at No. 1 in NerdWallet's 2023 ranking of the best high-level elite status among any major hotel chain. Unsurprisingly, World of Hyatt as a whole wins first place as best overall hotel elite status program.

Here's a look at how to get Hyatt Globalist, the Hyatt Globalist benefits and how many nights you need for Hyatt Globalist status:

Globalist perks

Hyatt Globalist benefits are some of the most generous of any hotel loyalty program. Here are some of the most popular benefits available to Globalist members.

30% bonus points: 5 base points on Hyatt purchases plus a 30% bonus, which equates to 6.5 points per dollar spent.

Waived resort fees: Resort fees are waived on not only free night awards but for all eligible cash rates as well.

Complimentary upgrades at check-in: Upgrade eligibility on all room types, even up to standard suites.

Club access or free breakfast: Daily complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres in the Club lounge. If the lounge is not available, receive free breakfast every day for each registered guest (up to two adults and two children).

Free parking on free nights: Parking fees are waived when booking free nights using points or award certificates.

Guaranteed late checkout: a guaranteed 4 p.m. late check=out upon request, subject to availability at certain types of properties. It isn't available at Hyatt Residence Club resorts.

American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles: 1 Hyatt bonus point for every dollar spent on qualifying American Airlines flights by linking your loyalty accounts. These points are in addition to the AAdvantage miles you earn as an AAdvantage member.

Guest of Honor: Hyatt Globalist benefits can be shared with other travelers when booking a Guest of Honor reservation in their name using points or free night certificates.

How to get Hyatt Globalist

There are three common ways to get Globalist status with World of Hyatt: base points, eligible nights and credit card purchases. Here’s a breakdown of how to become a Hyatt Globalist and enjoy its benefits.

1. Earning base points

As a member of the World of Hyatt program, you'll earn 5 base points for every dollar spent on an eligible rate at Hyatt hotels and resorts. Eligible rates include standard rates, senior citizen rates, Hyatt Privé rate and the monetary portion of Points + Cash Awards. Some promotions earn base points, but only when expressly stated in the offer's terms and conditions. However, Hyatt stays booked through a third party, like Expedia, don't earn base points.

To achieve Hyatt Globalist status, you must earn 100,000 base points each year. At 5 base points per dollar, that's equivalent to spending $20,000 at Hyatt each year.

Sadly, it's tough to 'buy' your way to those base points beyond simply spending that much directly with Hyatt. Unlike many other hotel loyalty programs, points earned from an elite status bonus, Hyatt credit card earning, Chase Ultimate Rewards® transfer or booking an event don't count toward Hyatt base points (though you can still use your credit card spending to get elite status, which we'll discuss in point No. 3). If you are gifted points or purchase them, those don't count either.

2. Staying at Hyatt properties

Many Globalists earn their elite status based on the number of nights they stay at Hyatt properties. So, how many nights for Hyatt Globalist? You must stay 60 eligible nights each year to earn Hyatt Globalist status.

Especially if you stay at lower-cost Hyatt brands, like Hyatt Place or Hyatt House, this can be a far cheaper way to get elite status. If you could snag rooms on the lower-end of price, say $100 per night, then you'd spend "only" $6,000 to earn elite status, assuming 60 nights at that rate.

Note that eligible nights toward elite status include qualifying paid stays and free night award redemptions, so you don't necessarily have to have even paid that much. Meanwhile, stays booked through online travel agencies, like Priceline, don't count toward status, which is another reason to book direct.

3. Spending on the World of Hyatt Credit Card

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As a World of Hyatt Credit Card holder, you can earn night credits based on your personal or business purchases.

World of Hyatt Credit Card — includes 5 qualifying night credits each year. You'll also earn 2 additional qualifying night credits for every $5,000 you spend on the card.

World of Hyatt Business Credit Card — earns 5 qualifying night credits for every $10,000 spent each year.

Theoretically, you can earn enough qualifying nights for Hyatt Globalist status based solely on your spending. But let's hope you're a big spender. You would need to spend $140,000 on the personal card or $120,000 on the business card to earn Globalist status.

For what it's worth, many World of Hyatt members who have either of those credit cards achieve elite status based on a combination of credit card spending and eligible nights at Hyatt properties.

How much is Hyatt elite status worth?

In NerdWallet’s annual analysis of the best hotel elite status programs, we sought to determine how much value the major U.S. hotel loyalty programs deliver to guests. Here's how the World of Hyatt did.

Depending on where and how often you stay at Hyatt hotels, status could be worth more or less. If you have Globalist status but don’t stay at properties with club lounges and skip the free breakfast, you may not see the full value. However, if you earn Globalist status through stays at $100-per-night hotels, and use it at higher-end hotels, you could get even more value out of your Hyatt elite status.

What else you need to know

Taking advantage of promotions

Hyatt periodically offers promotions that offer elite status or accelerate your path to it. The best way to receive these promotions is to opt-in to emails from World of Hyatt. Always register for promotions, even if you don't have any trips planned. Some promotions require registration that ends much sooner than the campaign ends.

Achieving Lifetime Globalist status

Members who earn at least one million base points qualify for Lifetime Globalist status. Achieving this milestone eliminates having to meet the annual qualification requirements based on nights, base points, or meetings and events booked.

As a Lifetime Globalist member, you'll receive all of the Hyatt Globalist benefits every year without having to requalify plus additional annual Lifetime Globalist benefits. These include four complimentary suite upgrade awards, one Category 1-7 free night award and access to a dedicated My Hyatt Concierge.

Requesting a status match

If you hold elite status with another loyalty program, you may be eligible for a status match with Hyatt. Hotels and airlines want to win over big spenders, so they sometimes offer a comparable status match based on your current elite status with other travel programs. When you apply, you may be automatically approved for a status match or be offered a "challenge." Challenges require you to stay or spend a certain amount to earn or maintain elite status for a period of time.

Status matching is done on a case-by-case basis, so you may not be approved for Hyatt Globalist status even if you have top-tier status with another program.

The website StatusMatcher shares crowdsourced information about the latest results on status match requests. Not only will you find Hyatt, but there also are many other airline and hotel loyalty programs available on that site.

How long does Hyatt Globalist status last?

Hyatt Globalist status lasts for at least 14 months. You'll get Globalist status for the rest of the year in which you earn it, the following year, then the first two months of the year after that.

Let's say you earn Hyatt Globalist in December of 2023. That means you'll have status through Feb. 28, 2025 — 14 months. Keep in mind that the length of your Hyatt Globalist status will lengthen the earlier in the year you earn it.

Is Hyatt Globalist status worth it?

If you enjoy staying at Hyatt hotels and resorts, you should consider working toward Hyatt Globalist status. There are numerous ways to achieve Globalist status, but many World of Hyatt members do so with a combination of stays and stay credit earned from co-branded credit cards.

With Globalist status, you'll enjoy a number of benefits such as automatic upgrades, bonus points on paid stays, free parking on award nights and more.