Yesterday, Hyatt announced a new partnership with SLH – Small Luxury Hotels of the world. SLH has over 500 independent luxury hotels around the world and fill in some holes which the Hyatt footprint has had. This new alliance gives Hyatt members some new ways to use points and to earn elite nights for their elite status!
New Hyatt Alliance with Small Luxury Hotels of the World
Link: Hyatt Press Release
This could be a huge addition for Hyatt and their customers! I personally love the Hyatt brand but I always find their reach a little slim with just over 700 hotels around the world (in contrast to thousands by their competitors). While there has been some talk (from them and others) about partnering/merging with other programs over the years, none of that really had happened.
Last year, they launched their Oasis program which brought the home sharing model into the points world. While this is certainly good news for people that go the home sharing route, it did not bring consistent hotel experiences into the reach for Hyatt. This new alliance with Small Luxury Hotels of the World just might do that.
Coming Soon – Earn and Redeem Hyatt Points at SLH Properties
The over 500 hotels that are a part of SLH are independently owned and they consist of some very nice looking properties at major vacation destinations around the world. This new partnership will allow Hyatt members later this year to both earn and redeem points for stays at these properties.
Earning Elite Credit
Yes, that’s right, a night at a participating SLH property will count for your elite status so you don’t have to feel like you are losing that opportunity if you opt for a luxury property with SLH instead of the local Hyatt Place (not dissing Hyatt Place properties as I love them but sometimes you want something more upscale!). The only thing is that you will need to book through Hyatt channels for those nights to count. The list of participating SLH hotels for earning elite credit will be released in the next few months.
What still remains to be seen is how Hyatt elite status will translate into benefits at SLH hotels. Will Globalists get suite upgrades and breakfast? This is something we will know more about in a couple of months as well.
SLH does not have a lot of hotels in the US (22) but that is ok because they do cover other areas (like Europe) where Hyatt may not have that many properties (for instance, Hyatt has just two properties in all of Spain while SLH has over 20).
To see the list of properties with SLH, check out their website.
Featured image is from the Trident Hotel, a SLH property in Jamaica
I LOVE this! When reports surfaced about Hyatt potentially taking over nh hotels, I thought it ill-advised, and began to wonder what other strategies were out there for my favorite brand. I thought about the ideas of them a) purchasing a number of smaller upscale chains around the world (Taj, Banyan Tree, Shangri-La, etc.) and/or b) creating alliances with some of the better consortia, like LHW, Preferred, and SLH. I then dismissed the idea, as being too far out of the box for Hyatt….and two weeks later they’re doing it! SLH has some wonderful properties, a few of which I’ve stayed in, and I can’t wait to try more with this new alliance. Now, if Hyatt could add LHW, I just might not stay with anyone else.