Hyatt’s Safari Strategy: Loyalty Points Meet Purposeful Profit

CHICAGO, IL – December 09, 2025 – Hyatt Hotels Corporation has unveiled a strategic partnership that extends its loyalty program, World of Hyatt, deep into the East African wilderness. In a move that signals a significant evolution in the world of high-end travel rewards, members can now book and redeem points for luxury safari experiences with Asilia Africa, a pioneer in conservation-led tourism. This collaboration, facilitated through the recently acquired Mr & Mrs Smith platform, is far more than a new perk; it’s a calculated investment in the future of luxury loyalty, betting that today’s affluent traveler values purpose as much as pampering.

Beyond the Hotel Room: Hyatt's Experiential Pivot

For years, hotel loyalty programs have been a straightforward transaction: book a room, earn points, get a free night. Hyatt, however, is aggressively rewriting that playbook. This latest safari initiative is the crown jewel in a much broader strategy to transform World of Hyatt from a hotel-centric program into a comprehensive lifestyle and wellbeing ecosystem. The foundation for this expansion was firmly laid with the 2023 acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith, a curated booking platform for boutique and luxury hotels, for a reported £53 million. That move provided Hyatt with an engine to seamlessly integrate unique, independent properties that don't fit the traditional brand mold, effectively outsourcing curation to a trusted name in luxury.

The Asilia Africa partnership is a prime example of this strategy in action. It leverages Mr & Mrs Smith’s expertise in identifying extraordinary stays and plugs them directly into Hyatt’s powerful loyalty and distribution network. This follows a clear pattern of expansion beyond its core hotel portfolio. The company has steadily built out its "FIND" experiences platform, offering members everything from culinary tours to mindful wellness retreats, and has made significant investments in adjacent sectors, including the $2.7 billion acquisition of all-inclusive giant Apple Leisure Group and strategic alliances with outdoor hospitality brand Under Canvas.

These moves are not random; they are a direct response to a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. As Laurie Blair, senior vice president of global marketing and loyalty at Hyatt, noted in the announcement, “We know affluent travelers are increasingly seeking journeys with meaningful, measurable impact.” By offering experiences like those from Asilia, Hyatt is not just adding inventory; it's aligning its brand with the values of a new generation of high-value customers, aiming to capture loyalty that extends far beyond the walls of a city-center hotel.

The New Currency of Luxury: Conservation and Community

The choice of Asilia Africa as a partner is as strategic as the move itself. Asilia is not just another safari operator; it is a certified B Corporation, a designation that legally requires it to balance profit with purpose. This certification involves a rigorous independent assessment of a company's social and environmental performance, making it a gold standard for corporate responsibility. This credential provides a powerful narrative for a partnership aimed at the conscious consumer.

Asilia’s model demonstrates how high-end tourism can be a potent force for good. The company, whose name means ‘authentic’ in Swahili, channels significant revenue back into the ecosystems where it operates. According to its impact framework, it contributed over $11 million in 2024 to nature protection and community-led initiatives through park fees, levies, and direct investment. These funds support everything from schools and local governance to anti-poaching efforts. For instance, Asilia was a foundational partner in creating the Naboisho Conservancy in Kenya, a landmark project that leases land from Maasai families, providing them with stable income while protecting critical wildlife corridors and sustaining one of the highest predator densities in Africa.

"Impact is not an add-on for us,” said Matt Starkey, Managing Director of Asilia Africa. “For conservation to work, the people who live with wildlife must benefit from it." This philosophy is embodied in camps like Dunia in Tanzania, the first safari camp in East Africa run entirely by women, which has become a symbol of empowerment and inclusivity in the region. By bringing Asilia into its fold, Hyatt is effectively allowing its members to invest their travel dollars—or points—directly into these proven conservation and community models. As Marion Barrère, Strategic Development Director at Mr & Mrs Smith, stated, "Asilia’s story is one of purpose, beauty and connection."

Recalibrating the Loyalty Landscape

This partnership represents a significant strategic maneuver in the intensely competitive hotel loyalty space. While rivals like Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors have long-standing "experiences" platforms, they often focus on event access, such as concerts or sporting events. Hyatt’s approach with Asilia is fundamentally different. It integrates a deeply curated, high-value, and purpose-driven travel category directly into the core mechanics of its loyalty program. Members don't just bid on a one-off experience; they can earn and redeem points for entire multi-day safari journeys, and these stays count towards valuable elite status.

The value proposition is compelling. A World of Hyatt member can now use points earned from business trips to fund a once-in-a-lifetime family adventure at Namiri Plains, a camp renowned for its big cat sightings, or a stay at the architecturally stunning Highlands on the slopes of the Olmoti Volcano. For those paying with cash, the ability to earn up to 9x points on eligible stays with the co-branded Chase credit card accelerates their path to future rewards, creating a powerful incentive to keep their travel spending within the Hyatt ecosystem.

This move is designed to create a stickier, more engaged membership base. By offering aspirational rewards that are both exclusive and ethical, Hyatt strengthens its appeal to the lucrative luxury travel segment. It transforms the loyalty program from a simple discount mechanism into an aspirational lifestyle club, fostering a deeper emotional connection with the brand. This strategy is proving effective, with World of Hyatt's membership growing 22% year-over-year in early 2024 to 46 million members, a base that is notably more engaged per hotel than its larger competitors. The partnership with Asilia Africa not only enriches the reward catalog but also reinforces Hyatt's identity as a thoughtful, modern hospitality leader. It's a capital move that invests in the planet and its people, with the expected return being the unwavering loyalty of the world’s most discerning travelers.