8 Things I Learned as a World of Hyatt Globalist Staying at Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels

My wife and I recently returned from a fantastic trip to Belize. Included in that trip, we stayed at Mr & Mrs Smith properties for the first time, and we had overall positive experiences.

If you aren’t aware, there’s a new partnership between World of Hyatt and Mr & Mrs Smith, bringing numerous luxury properties into the Hyatt portfolio, letting you earn and redeem points at these incredible properties. However, these stays don’t offer the typical benefits you might be used to with Hyatt — and that’s especially true if you’ve got elite status and are accustomed to certain perks that you might be surprised to forgo on these bookings.

To be clear, we did some research before the trip to understand exactly what benefits we could expect, what we wouldn’t get, and where to point to this information in case the hotel staff were confused. In the end, that wasn’t necessary, as our stays went off without incident. We thoroughly enjoyed both properties … though we’d give the nod to Blancaneaux if we had to rank one above the other.

Here’s what I learned from my first 2 stays at Mr & Mrs Smith properties as a Hyatt Globalist.

1. Stays Credit Quickly (Unless They Were Carryover SLH Bookings)

My 2 stays at Mr & Mrs Smith properties were both booked through World of Hyatt, but they were booked under different partnerships. And that makes a huge difference.

I booked the Blancaneaux Lodge in Belize’s Cayo District once the Hyatt-Mr & Mrs Smith partnership went live in late April 2024. I received credit for this stay (including nights and Brand Explorer credit) within 48 hours of checkout.

I booked the Matachica Resort on Ambergris Caye when it was still in Hyatt’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World. When that partnership ended, I was happy to get an email saying my Matachica stay would still credit to my Hyatt account, as the property would rejoin World of Hyatt as a Mr & Mrs Smith property prior to check-in.

I’m still waiting on credit from this stay, surprisingly. According to the Hyatt Concierge team on X (formerly Twitter), the timeline for these stays posting to guest accounts is 30 days after checkout. Until then, you can’t submit a request for missing stay credit.

2. Hotels May Be Unsure What Rate You Booked

Imagine my surprise when approaching the reception desk to settle our bill and being told the hotel didn’t know what to charge me. That happened on the final night of our stay at the Blancaneaux Lodge.

We had an early departure for the airport the next morning, so I wanted to pay for our meals and settle the account to avoid needing to do this at 6 a.m. the next morning. Surprisingly, the hotel staff said they needed to figure out what rate I’d booked in order to know what to charge me.

Apparently, this information isn’t clearly communicated through Hyatt’s system to the hotels themselves. The hotel knew what my on-site charges were from food and beverage outlets. The room rate — in terms of cash price or paying with points — was a mystery to them. They phoned my room once they were ready with a number.

This can cause confusion at checkout, and it’s worth heading to the reception desk for a chat in advance, helping you avoid delays when you’re trying to depart.

3. Properties Are Aware You Get the ‘Smith Extra’

I had never heard of the “Smith Extra” prior to Mr & Mrs Smith properties joining World of Hyatt. If you’re also unfamiliar, here’s the summary: When you book a participating property through Mr & Mrs Smith, there’s an extra perk included with your reservation. Perks can include restaurant discounts, massages, a free activity, or something else, decided by the hotel itself.

On both of our stays, the hotel clearly knew about the Smith Extra, communicated it clearly, and made sure we knew the addition was complimentary. At the Matachica Resort, the extra was a full American breakfast daily for 2 people and spa treatment for 1 person. At Blancaneaux Lodge, we got a 30-minute spa session for 2 people and were able to reserve both sessions at the same time, turning it into a couple’s massage that we absolutely loved.

4. You Get Bonus Points From Hyatt Credit Cards and Hyatt Status

When the Hyatt-Mr & Mrs Smith partnership first launched, these hotels weren’t eligible Hyatt stays for bonus points using The World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card. Luckily, that has changed, and you now earn bonus points using Hyatt co-branded credit cards at these properties. That means up to 9x points per dollar spent for general members, plus more if you hold elite status and qualify for bonus earning rates.

5. You Can’t Use Hyatt Free Night or Suite Upgrade Awards

World of Hyatt uses a simple award chart for its properties, ranging from Category 1 to 8 for standard hotels and resorts and Category A to F for all-inclusive resorts. You’ll find peak, off-peak, and standard pricing within these charts.

Mr & Mrs Smith properties don’t use these hotel categories, which is both unfortunate and confusing. Not being in a hotel award category means you can’t use Hyatt free night awards on these stays. You also can’t redeem Suite Upgrade Awards or Club Access Awards on these reservations, which is a bummer if you were looking to guarantee an upgraded room during your stay.

6. Globalists Get Upgrades at Check-In, Upon Availability

If you have elite status with Hyatt, you forgo some of your typical benefits when staying at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. Even Globalist benefits are scaled back.

While you won’t get things like free parking or even a guaranteed free breakfast, Globalists can get a room upgrade at check-in, based on availability. We received 1-category room upgrades at both Matachica Resort and Blancaneaux Lodge. From researching additional Mr & Mrs Smith properties, I’ve also found that many of them include daily breakfast with the room rate, though that’s not always the case, and it may be just a continental breakfast. Make sure to double-check.

7. Perks and Points Only Come From Booking Through Hyatt

It’s possible to book the Mr & Mrs Smith properties in numerous ways: through the Mr & Mrs Smith booking platform, through websites like Hotels.com, or even occasionally through travel portals like AmexTravel.com.

However, you only get Hyatt-related benefits if you book through Hyatt. These include earning Hyatt points, getting stay credit toward Hyatt elite status and Milestone Rewards, and Hyatt’s partnership benefits with American Airlines.

Requiring you to book in a certain way means you might not get the best rate on your next reservation if you can’t book directly with the hotel.

8. Resort Fees Aren’t Waived for Globalists

As a Hyatt Globalist, I love that resort fees are waived on both award stays and cash bookings. Unfortunately, that benefit doesn’t carry over to paid Mr & Mrs Smith reservations. If you book with Hyatt points, the resort fee is included in your reservation. On paid stays, it isn’t.

Look at this property in Roatán, Honduras, where the resort fee is an additional 10% on top of the $500-or-more nightly room rate. I found that same 10% resort fee at all of the Under Canvas glamping properties that recently joined Mr & Mrs Smith.

Paying an extra 10% every night stings — factor that into your decision on when to use points and when to pay cash.

Final Thoughts

We enjoyed both of our stays at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. Whenever there’s a new partnership, it can be exciting but also can have problems. Hotel staff may not know what benefits are included, for example, and that can leave guests frustrated.

Luckily, we didn’t have any issues. The staff seemed like they’d received solid communication about what benefits to offer us as a Hyatt Globalist booking a Mr & Mrs Smith reservation. The properties were excellent, we didn’t have to discuss missing benefits with anyone, and the on-the-ground experience seemed ready for guests to enjoy.

After these positive experiences, I’m willing to consider additional bookings through the Hyatt-Mr & Mrs Smith partnership in the future.