There aren’t many travel tricks out there that let you hand someone top-tier hotel benefits on a silver platter… but Hyatt’s Guest of Honor perk comes pretty close.
If you’ve ever wished your friends and family could enjoy things like free breakfast, late checkout, and room upgrades without having status themselves, this is worth the read.
In my many travels with Mike, he has gifted me Guest of Honor awards, and because of that, I’ve been able to enjoy more buffet breakfasts than I can count (thanks, Mike 💛).
Guest of Honor is one of the greatest ways to access World of Hyatt Globalist perks, even if you’re not the one traveling, and here’s how to make it happen.
What is Hyatt Guest of Honor?
Guest of Honor (or GOH) is a Hyatt perk that lets Globalist members share elite benefits with others. When someone uses a GOH award to book a stay, they get treated like a Globalist, even if they’ve never stayed a single night with Hyatt.
Again, that means things like free daily breakfast, waived resort fees, late checkout, and room upgrades (oh my!).
And the best part is that this benefit isn’t just reserved for the super-elite. With Hyatt’s recent program updates, earning and using GOH awards is easier than ever.
How to Earn Guest of Honor Awards
Guest of Honor awards are tied to Milestone Rewards, which is Hyatt’s way of rewarding loyal guests as they hit certain nights or base points.
You’ll earn a Guest of Honor award at 40 nights (or 65k base points) in a calendar year.
If you’ve earned Globalist status outright, you’ll also receive a GOH award.
Each award is valid for one stay, up to seven nights
Lifetime Globalists also get a little extra love — five Guest of Honor awards when they first earn lifetime status, and then another set each year. Each of these awards is good for 12 months from the date they’re issued.
There is a limit to how many of these awards you can earn each year, and they do have expiration dates. So if you have one chilling in your account, don’t let it go to waste.
Hyatt Guest of Honor Benefits
When someone stays as a Guest of Honor, they pretty much get the full Globalist experience. We’re talking:
Complimentary daily breakfast for two (or club lounge access where available)
Waived resort and destination fees
4 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability)
Preferred room upgrades (subject to availability)
Free parking on award stays
✍️ To Note: The guest receives the perks, but the Globalist who gifts the award earns the elite night credits for the stay. So if your friend books a four-night stay as your Guest of Honor, those four nights count toward your status progress. It’s a win-win, honestly! Keep in mind this is per stay, not per night.
Rules and Regulations for Hyatt Guest of Honor
There are a few quick ground rules to be aware of here. For starters, the Guest of Honor can only be applied to points stays or free night certificates (and eligible paid stays). And, some all-inclusive resorts and partner properties may not participate, so double-check before booking.
And lastly, GOH applies to one room per award. If your friend wants multiple rooms, each needs its own award.
How to Use Guest of Honor Awards
Using a Guest of Honor award is surprisingly easy:
Log in to your Hyatt account.
Select the Guest of Honor award and choose whether to gift it or apply it to your own stay.
If you’re gifting it, enter the recipient’s Hyatt membership details and confirm the booking.
The guest will get a confirmation email, and all the Globalist perks to go with it.
👀 Heads Up: Guest of Honor awards can be applied to existing reservations. Just call the hotel or contact the program’s concierge to connect those dots.
How to Maximize Guest of Honor Awards
Guest of Honor awards are best used with a little strategy (and I mean… this is Daily Drop, after all). Try to find properties where Globalist perks have the most monetary value, like luxury hotels where breakfast for two can easily hit triple digits, or resorts where waived fees and late checkout make a big difference.
It’s also an even sweeter way to treat a friend or family member to an experience they might not book for themselves.
💡Pro Tip: Pair GOH with point transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards. Those 1:1 transfers to Hyatt can turn a standard redemption into a super great deal. It’s one of the best ways to stretch your points.
Hyatt Cards That Pair Well With Guest of Honor
Guest of Honor works best when you have a solid stash of Hyatt points, and the right cards can help you build up that balance.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card — earn Hyatt points directly, plus free night certificates and elite night credits to get you closer to Milestone Rewards
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card — great for racking up on Hyatt points on business spend and earning extra night credits
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve®— your Ultimate Rewards will transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Hyatt
Bilt Mastercard — great no-annual-fee (rates and fees) option for earning transferable points that work well with Hyatt
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who earns elite nights on a Guest of Honor stay?
The Globalist who gifts the award will earn one Tier Qualifying Night credit when their friend checks out. Just a heads up — the Tier-Qualifying Night credit always goes to the member who first sent the Guest of Honor award, even if the person they gifted it to later passes it along to someone else.
Can I cancel or modify a Guest of Honor booking?
Yes, but the same rules apply as any other Hyatt award stay. If canceled, the GOH award will be returned to your account.
Can I combine GOH with other Hyatt promotions?
Yep, if Hyatt is offering a global promotion (like double points or bonus nights), your Guest of Honor stay will usually qualify.
Bottom Line
The Guest of Honor is pretty “honorable” for a reason. 😌 And, it’s one of the most underrated ways to take care of your people.
It lets you share Hyatt’s best elite benefits with your friends and family, while still earning nights for yourself. Pair it with some solid transfers (and a little redemption strategy), and you’ve got yourself quite the deal.
