For travelers who want to get more out of their lodging experience, joining a hotel’s loyalty program is a solid move.
Loyalty programs connect you to steeper lodging deals, from last-minute upgrades to priority treatment during the peak travel season.
Clearly, there’s a strong impetus to go exclusive with a specific hotel chain. But which one? And that’s just the start of the selection process. All hotel loyalty programs work differently—even across a hotel’s different tiers.
Loyalty programs can be geared toward certain brands, whether focused on luxury, frequency of travel, business amenities, and so on. The higher up you venture into a loyalty program, the more exclusive offers you receive.
That’s particularly relevant at a more affordable chain like Hyatt. Compared to Hilton and Four Seasons, Hyatt is a lot more accessible thanks to its reasonable prices from its standard brands.
But that doesn’t mean the chain lacks luxury.
I’m taking a closer look at two of the most lavish-but-accessible brands from Hyatt: Unbound and Centric. Of the 14 distinct brands from this chain, these are two of my favorites.
Hyatt Unbound consists of 20 hotels that dot cities around the world. The idea behind the Unbound brand is to provide guests with ‘the freedom to be extraordinary’.
On the other hand, Hyatt Centric offers a more immersive and boutique hotel experience that’s specific to each of its locations in 35 cities.
Want to dig deeper into these distinct programs? Here’s what you need to know about two of the most exciting hotel brands from Hyatt, Hyatt Centric vs Hyatt Unbound.
Hyatt Unbound delivers boutique luxury
The goal of Hyatt Unbound is to provide travelers with a totally bespoke and extravagant experience.
It’s by far one of Hyatt’s most luxury-centric brands, alongside its Miraval Resorts. World-famous designers have worked hard to incorporate elements of each city’s identity into every interior.
For example, the Comune by the Great Wall gives travelers the chance to sleep, lounge, and dine with views of the Great Wall of China. The hotel is integrated into the hilly landscape, creating a well-balanced experience between the forest setting and world-famous landmark.
In New Orleans, by contrast, The Eliza Jane Hotel celebrates one of its former tenants: the first female publisher of The Daily Picayune, which was headquartered inside. This type of care and attention to historical detail is really what defines Hyatt Unbound, in my opinion.
Hyatt Centric focuses on lifestyle—emphasis on the style
Hyatt Centric is also focused on lifestyle and boutique design—except its take on luxury is a bit more casual. That makes Hyatt Centric slightly more accessible to the average traveler.
Think: urban and upscale hotels that developers are allowed to customize. That equates to a lot of style and flare—something that many visitors are after.
But what does this actually look like? Hyatt Centric locations include features like spray-painted murals from local artists, menus from hit chefs, drink lists from top-tier mixologists, and even playlists that feature local musicians.
It’s bespoke, it’s local, it’s designed to take you straight into the heart of your destination. Seriously—even the room design reflects local tastes.
World of Hyatt Rewards
You can stay at a Hyatt Unbound or Hyatt Centric location without signing up for the chain’s loyalty program or one of its credit cards.
That being said, you’ll save on your stay if you do go exclusive.
When you join the World of Hyatt rewards program, you have access to its timeless collection, boundless collection, inclusive collection, and independent collection of hotels.
You can also choose from several memberships, starting with a basic format and advancing up to a globalist status, which includes 60 free nights for 100,000 base points.