How To Earn Free Hyatt Night Certificates With Hyatt Brand Explorer [2023]

The World of Hyatt program is a favorite here at Upgraded Points for good reason. Although Hyatt has a significantly smaller footprint than brands such as Marriott and Hilton, it is the go-to brand for many, especially those who enjoy award travel and luxury accommodations.

In addition to strong elite benefits, a published award chart, and transfer partners in Chase and Bilt, World of Hyatt also has rewards and incentives for its members. One such program is the Hyatt Brand Explorer, where members can get free night awards just for staying at different brands within the Hyatt portfolio.

Let’s review the specifics of Hyatt Brand Explorer and how to get free nights for your next travel adventure.

Hyatt Brand Explorer Award Basics

The Hyatt Brand Explorer Award incentivizes World of Hyatt members to try out different brands within the Hyatt portfolio. By participating, members can earn a free night award for every 5 unique Hyatt brands they stay at. The free night can be used at a Category 1-4 hotel.

For example, staying at the Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Hyatt Regency Orlando would only count as 1 brand. However, if you stayed at the Hyatt House Orlando instead, you would get credit for a second brand.

The Hyatt Brand Explorer benefit is available to all World of Hyatt members, regardless of whether you have Hyatt elite status or currently hold a World of Hyatt credit card.

The best part is that the benefit is tied to the lifetime of your World of Hyatt account and is not tied to any calendar year or membership year, meaning you could make progress over some years and still get the free nights. You only need to stay 1 night at a brand to meet the requirements.

You must have an eligible stay with a participating Hyatt brand to get started. Qualifying stays include paid stays, World of Hyatt point redemptions, and World of Hyatt free night awards. It is worth noting that stays booked on third-party sites like Expedia or Hotels.com do not count toward progress under the Brand Explorer program.

Brands Included in the Brand Explorer Program

Hyatt currently has 29 distinctive brands under its program. However, 27 of the brands are included in the Brand Explorer program:

* Some locations only
** Only once the location has begun participating
*** Both participating Destination by Hyatt Hotels and participating Destination by Hyatt Residences locations

The best part is earning multiple Brand Explorer Free Night Awards. A World of Hyatt member who previously earned a Brand Explorer Free Night Award may earn an additional award after completing qualifying stays at another group of 5 different participating Hyatt hotel brands.

Hyatt has also been expanding quite rapidly, and its number of brands continues to increase. With 27 unique brands participating in the Hyatt Brand Explorer program, you can earn up to 5 free night certificates, which can be redeemed at Category 1-4 hotels. These can be worth thousands of dollars if redeemed correctly.

Hyatt also makes it easy to find specific brands to stay at. When searching for Hyatt properties, you can filter by specific hotel brands. To do so, head to Hyatt.com and click Explore on the homepage. Then you can click on Hotels & Resorts to open up the Hyatt properties map. From there, you can filter by any specific brand(s) you want to stay at.

How To Check Your Hyatt Brand Explorer Progress

Checking your progress with the Hyatt Brand Explorer program is easy, whether you are on Hyatt’s website or the World of Hyatt mobile app.

To see which and how many brands you have stayed at, you must log into your World of Hyatt online account. 

Once logged in, click My Awards under your name on the account homepage. Here, you can see all the free night certificates you have. If you want to check your Hyatt Brand Explorer progress, click Brand Explorer.

Hyatt does a great job showing which brands you’ve already stayed at with a checkmark. It also shows your progress and how many awards you have earned through Hyatt Brand Explorer.

Redeeming Your Free Hyatt Brand Explorer Night

Once you have stayed at 5 different Hyatt brands, you will receive a free night certificate valid at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel. The Hyatt Brand Explorer certificates are valid for 1 year. Your stay must be completed before the expiration date.

The free night certificate you receive is valid for properties that cost up to 18,000 points (Category 4 properties on peak dates). Note that travelers cannot stay at Category 5 hotels during off-peak dates even though they price out at 17,000 points. You can check out Hyatt’s website for a full list of Category 1-4 hotels.

Award availability is required to use the free night certificate. If the stay meets the property’s requirements, you can select Standard Room Free Night when booking.

Other Hyatt Free Night Certificates

Along with the Hyatt Brand Explorer free night award, there is another way to earn a free night certificate: The World of Hyatt Credit Card.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

U.P. Rating

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Up to 60,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$900

Annual Fee

$95

APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.

When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays: 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels and 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• 2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
• 1x point per $1 on all other purchases
• 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (Category 1 to 4)
• A second Free Night Award when you spend $15,000 on the card
• Hyatt Discoverist status
• 5 automatic elite night credits each year
• 2 elite night credits for every $5,000 spent on the card
• DoorDash DashPass subscription
• No foreign transaction fees
• Purchase protection
• Trip cancellation/interruption and luggage insurance

Cons

• $95 annual fee

Card Highlights

• Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
• Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
• Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
• Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
• Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays - 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent at Hyatt hotels & 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Card Categories

• Credit Card Reviews
• Hotel Credit Cards

Rewards Center

World of Hyatt

More Reads

• Benefits of the Hyatt Credit Card
• How to Earn Globalist Status With World of Hyatt Credit Card Spend
• Best Credit Cards for World of Hyatt Loyalists
• Best Hotel Credit Cards for Free Nights
• Best Ways To Earn Hyatt Points

If you frequently stay at Hyatt hotels, this card is a great option to have in your wallet. The World of Hyatt card gives cardholders complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as their account is open. You also receive 5 qualifying night credits towards status each year as long as your account is open.

The card earns 4x points on all Hyatt purchases as well as 2x points for purchases at restaurants, airline tickets purchased directly from airlines, local transit and commuting, and fitness club and gym memberships.

Most importantly, the World of Hyatt card comes with an annual free night certificate that can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 hotels after paying the card’s annual fee. The free night certificates alone make this card worth keeping, as they easily covers the card’s annual fee.

Additionally, you can earn another free night certificate if you spend $15,000 on your World of Hyatt card in a calendar year.

Final Thoughts

The World of Hyatt program offers so much value to its members through its perks and numerous promotions.

The Hyatt Brand Explorer incentive is unlike anything offered by other hotel loyalty programs. It is a fun way for World of Hyatt to get its members to try more of its brands.

Hyatt Brand Explorer is worth keeping track of as it is an easy way to earn free nights just for staying at different brands. You can earn up to 5 free nights through this benefit, and best of all, stays booked with cash, points, or an existing free night certificate all count.