Hilton Honors award reservations made at 4 resorts, now operated by Hyatt, are being canceled last minute

Hotels change hands all the time, but ownership and operation of a property shouldn’t affect an existing booking — right?  Unfortunately, we’re seeing the opposite unfold before our eyes this week.

As Hyatt’s acquisition of Playa Resorts & Hotels enters its final stages, Hilton Honors members are facing last-minute cancellations for reservations booked using Hilton Honors points at four Playa hotels. These properties were previously flagged as Hilton-operated hotels and are now managed by Hyatt, as of June 11:

• Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Family Resort
• Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Adult Resort
• Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa
• Hilton Playa del Carmen, an All-Inclusive Resort

Unfortunately, some travelers who had made award bookings at these hotels using their Hilton Honors points have found their reservations abruptly canceled, even for travel in the coming weeks. Many have been left in the lurch with nonrefundable plane tickets and other expenses … and nowhere to stay.

TPG reader Sarah Kelley wrote into TPG’s tips email to explain that a reservation she made using a combination of Hilton Honors points and cash for the end of June at Hilton Playa del Carmen, an All-Inclusive Resort had suddenly disappeared. At her time of booking, the property was Hilton-operated.

“In recent days, Hyatt has acquired the Hilton Playa Del Carmen All inclusive resort. And abruptly canceled [reservations] fully paid by Hilton points, or partially reserved with points,” Kelley said. She explained that she did not receive a notification about the reservation cancellation; rather, she noticed that the booking had disappeared entirely from her Hilton app.

“When we reached out to Hyatt for clarification, we were met with vague explanations or no response at all,” Kelley wrote. “In some cases, we were told it was due to ‘rebranding,’ or even ‘hotel ownership transition,’ yet no formal communication or acceptable compensation has been offered. In fact … we were quoted DOUBLE what we paid to keep our room in only 3 short weeks.”

Currently, Kelley has been reimbursed by Hilton for only the points from her original booking — not the cash. She shared with TPG an email exchange with Hyatt, in which a guest care support agent said that they would “research the matter further.”

When TPG reached out to Hilton for comment on the matter, a spokesperson from the company provided the following statement:

As a result of the recent acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V., franchise agreements for Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Family Resort, Hilton La Romana, an All-inclusive Adult Resort, Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa, and Hilton Playa del Carmen, an All-Inclusive Resort, have been terminated, effective June 11, 2025, at which point all properties transitioned to their new management company.

All existing standard bookings and guest arrangements will be honored by the new management company. The hotel will notify all guests with existing standard bookings to inform them of the change in management. For existing Hilton Honors Points Redemption bookings beginning June 15, 2025, or later, a new reservation or alternative accommodations will be required. The Hilton Honors team will contact all guests with these bookings to make other arrangements.

Any further questions regarding the change in management or property information should be directed to hotel ownership.

Hilton has enjoyed serving these communities and looks forward to continuing welcoming guests with our signature Hilton hospitality at the nearly 300 hotels and resorts across the Caribbean and Latin America region. For more information on other resorts in our portfolio across these destinations and more, please visit www.hilton.com.

Hilton Honors members who made “standard” reservations — paid fully in cash — to stay at Hilton La Romana, an All-Inclusive Family Resort; Hilton La Romana, an All-inclusive Adult Resort; Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa; and Hilton Playa del Carmen, an All-Inclusive Resort that start June 15 and onward should be in the clear. That said, we advise checking your reservations to make sure they are still intact. If in doubt, call the hotel directly to ensure they still exist.

Those Hilton Honors members who made award bookings using points, or a combination of points and cash, should contact Hilton immediately to see about reaccommodation or reimbursement. Unfortunately, so far, Hilton customers who have written to TPG and posted on forums, including Reddit and Facebook groups, say that Hilton is not making alternative arrangements available in an organized or consistent fashion.

Canceled reservations and little communication

Bewildered and frustrated, many travelers are turning to the hotels’ individual Facebook pages and Reddit to discuss their experience and the ongoing chaos.

In the Facebook group for Hilton Rose Hall Montego Bay, one commenter said: “They are canceling any Hilton reservations with discounted rates and with points. Hyatt is blaming Hilton and Hilton is blaming Hyatt. Sorry to say, but if you have booked with these fares and have booked non refundable transportation, you might be out of luck.”

Similar frustrations were being expressed in the Hilton subreddit under a post titled “Heads Up – Hilton Rose Hall, La Romana, Playa Del Carmen are cancelling reservations due to the Hyatt sale.”

One poster commented: “I called the hotel and they said my reservation was cancelled but when I called Hilton they said my reservation is still active. I’m so confused because I’m supposed to go in two weeks!”

Another poster replied to this comment, writing, “They didn’t call or email. No communication. I went into Hilton app and the reservation was just gone. I called Hilton and they said it was canceled and that I canceled it.”

Unfortunately, those celebrating special occasions, like a honeymoon, are being affected, too: “Our honeymoon was set for June 25th. Husband happened to check the app and cancelled. No email, no notice, no nothing,” wrote another commenter.

Within this same subreddit, according to a commenter who claims to be a Diamond Desk agent, the department is working quickly to contact all affected Hilton Honors members.

When we reached out via email to Hilton to confirm, a brand spokesperson told TPG, “Hilton is reaching out to all impacted Hilton Honors members with redemption bookings and working to relocate them.”

While it certainly makes sense that Hilton should be responsible for award bookings made through Hilton Honors — ideally by refunding members for their points or finding new accommodations for them in the same area as their original booking at no extra charge — there is also the question of why Hyatt has decided to only honor award reservations until June 15, a mere four days after the official acquisition of the formerly Hilton-operated Playa properties.

A Hyatt spokesperson shared the following with TPG via email this morning:

Some of our newly rebranded resorts are integrating into the World of Hyatt program and no longer participate in other loyalty programs. We recognize this may have caused redemption issues for some travelers with existing award reservations made through other loyalty programs, and we sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused. As with any brand transition, there can be complexities as systems and policies shift. We encourage anyone affected to reach out to us at consumeraffairs@hyatt.com, so we can assist as quickly as possible.

We understand that the window between a resort’s transition may feel short. In reality, once a resort is no longer affiliated with another brand, we need to move swiftly to fully operationalize under Hyatt to minimize potential guest disruption, ensure consistency in service delivery, and avoid confusion for guests, members, and colleagues alike. That said, our teams remain focused on supporting any impacted guests and working to find solutions.

How to protect future hotel award redemption reservations

For those who are currently ensnared in the above situation and are still waiting on a Hilton Honors points reimbursement from an original award booking, the best path forward at this time is to contact Hilton immediately to open a case. It also might be worth reaching out to Hyatt to ask what your options for rebooking might be.

But the question remains: If you use hotel points to book a reservation, and then that property changes operator/ownership, how can an award booking ever be truly protected?

Since a change in ownership is entirely out of a traveler’s control, one way to try to protect your award booking might be to purchase travel insurance. So, if you pay for your hotel stay using points, but pay for your airfare in cash, it’s best to cover your airfare with travel insurance in the unlikely case of a transfer of ownership with the hotel (hopefully in this scenario, you’re reimbursed for points by the original hotel operator, and then get your airfare back, too, from your insurance coverage, if applicable). Coverage plans vary greatly, though, so it’s best to call your credit card or insurance company to see what might be covered in this scenario.

TPG has a guide to the best travel insurance policies and providers, as well as what to know about travel insurance through your credit card.

Bottom line

Unfortunately, this situation is a mess, with many travelers finding close-in bookings canceled and with little or no recourse. If that’s you, feel free to email us at tips@thepointsguy.com so we can hear your story. We are also planning to have our ombudsman work on some of these cases to see how we can help travelers.

Hopefully, Hyatt and Hilton will sort this out for their loyal customers, though, and folks who have vacations planned can find suitable alternatives without incurring extra costs.