Partnerships between hotel groups and airlines seem to be accelerating. Just a few days after Marriott unveiled its new collaboration with Japan Airlines, Hyatt and Air Canada have announced one of their own.
The most interesting part? Marriott Titanium and Ambassador members now have a new route to earning Hyatt Globalist.
Elite status partnership
All Air Canada Aeroplan elite members (25K and above) are eligible for a Hyatt status challenge.
Once activated, you’ll receive Hyatt Explorist status for 90 days. During that period, completing the required number of eligible nights will extend or upgrade your status as follows:
- Discoverist: 4 nights
- Explorist: 10 nights
- Globalist: 20 nights
Let’s be honest—most people will be aiming for Globalist. It’s arguably the strongest top-tier status offered by any major hotel programme, with benefits including suite upgrades, complimentary breakfast and lounge access, and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout. The only real downside is Hyatt’s relatively small global footprint.
Hyatt has offered various versions of this status challenge over the years, and the requirements are broadly similar. What makes this partnership particularly attractive is that it’s available every year. Most other Hyatt challenges, including the standard corporate and sales offers, can only be used once every three years.
Now for the really interesting part. Marriott Titanium and Ambassador Elite members can receive complimentary Air Canada Aeroplan 25K status.
In other words, if you can maintain Marriott Titanium—which isn’t especially difficult these days thanks to double elite night promotions and co-branded credit cards—you can qualify for Aeroplan 25K every year, and then use that to start a fresh Hyatt Globalist challenge.
Complete 20 nights, renew Globalist, and repeat the process the following year. It certainly feels like Hyatt is making a deliberate play for Marriott’s most loyal members.
Linking your Marriott and Air Canada accounts doesn’t automatically activate the challenge, by the way. Once you’re ready to begin, you’ll need to enrol separately through the dedicated registration page.
Likewise, Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members will also receive an Air Canada status challenge, although the details haven’t yet been released. Earning Star Alliance Gold would obviously be attractive, but I’d expect the challenge to require a certain amount of flying on Air Canada itself.
Points transfers
Hyatt stays can now earn 500 Aeroplan points per stay in lieu of Hyatt points. Unless you’re booking a very cheap one-night stay, taking Aeroplan points over Hyatt points is unlikely to be worthwhile.
Aeroplan points and Hyatt points can also be transferred between the two programmes at a ratio of 2:1 in either direction. Since Hyatt points are generally more valuable than air mils, while Aeroplan miles are often easier and cheaper to acquire, transferring from Aeroplan to Hyatt is likely to be the more useful option.
This could become especially attractive for anyone with access to US credit cards. Whenever Aeroplan transfer bonuses come along, you’d effectively have an indirect way of boosting your Hyatt balance.
Aeroplan miles can also be redeemed for Hyatt free night certificates:
- Category 1-4 free night certificate: 25,000 Aeroplan points
- Category 1-7 free night certificate: 75,000 Aeroplan points
Under Hyatt’s current award chart, Category 4 hotels top out at 25,000 Hyatt points per night, while Category 7 properties cost up to 55,000 points. That means these certificates have the potential to offer very solid value, although the exact return will naturally depend on peak and off-peak pricing.
There are also a handful of additional benefits for holders of Air Canada’s Canadian co-branded credit cards, but those won’t be particularly relevant for most readers.
If you’re already a Marriott Titanium or Ambassador member, though, I’d definitely recommend linking your accounts first. It’s free, takes only a minute, and could prove very useful down the road.
Recent Comments