Hyatt Loyalty Play: Adding 700 Hotels via Mr & Mrs Smith Mash-Up

A view from a bath at a remote tented hideouts of Zannier Hotels Sonop in Namibia, now bookable via Hyatt's loyalty program and Mr & Mrs Smith. Source: Hyatt.

A year ago, Hyatt bought the booking site Mr & Mrs Smith for $66 million. On Wednesday, it finally began letting members of its loyalty program book at about 700 boutique hotels and villas vetted by the site.

“We’re expanding options for the 40 million members of World of Hyatt,” said Laurie Blair, vice president of global marketing.

Mr & Mrs Smith was founded 20 years ago by husband-and-wife team Tamara Lohan and James Lohan. They originally traveled incognito to vet properties (hence the Mr & Mrs Smith name). Over time, the travel guide morphed into something of a curated metasearch site for booking about 1,500 boutique and luxury properties. About 700 of those lodgings are joining Hyatt in this first wave of integration.

The new properties add about 20 countries to the list of countries where Hyatt loyalty members can earn and redeem points, including Denmark, Fiji, and Bhutan.

Joining Mr & Mrs Smith’s list is an invitation-only process for hotels that involves more than being a luxury property.

“We’re looking for properties with extraordinary settings, and incredible service and beautiful design that makes the properties very special … and provides a sense of place about being in a destination,” said Marion Barrere, director of curation.

The Fine Print

Here are some technical details on the integration for Hyatt loyalty members.

• Booking Mr & Mrs Smith hotels will work on the same points-earning system as stays at Hyatt properties.

• Eligible nights will count towards World of Hyatt tier status. Elite tier members will qualify for bonus point redemptions.

• “Mr and Mrs Smith is considered a brand for the purposes of earning on our Brand Explorer award, and eligible linked members will be able to earn American Airlines miles for qualifying stays at participating Mr and Mrs Smith properties,” Blair said.

• Any room available at a paid rate will be available for World of Hyatt members to redeem points.

• “The Mr & Mrs Smith properties won’t be commissionable for travel advisors,” Blair said.

“Of all the major hotel chains, Hyatt gets the leisure luxury customer the best, with their focus on care,” said Tamara Lohan, co-founder and CEO of Mr & Mrs Smith. Lohan spoke last year at Skift’s Future of Lodging Forum in London.

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