Hyatt's Regency Johannesburg to Reopen or Is Hyatt's Category Chart in Need of Some Updating

Hyatt shuffles its award chart each year, moving some properties up a category or two, and others down. A property's category determines its redemption costs - the range of points it will take to book a free night at the property. Next week, Hyatt's 2025 award changes take effect, and in preparation for that, I am compiling a list of category 1-4 hotels that represent great uses of a free night (1-4) award. In doing so, I noticed the much-beleaguered Hyatt Regency Johannesburg was still listed as a category two hotel, with a 'coming soon' designation. Let's jump into it!

Is a Defunct Hotel on the List?

The Hyatt Regency Johannesburg has been out of operation since early in the pandemic, and it indeed appeared as though the hotel might never reopen. Between the 'possible' financial issues of the hotel's ownership group and the concerns around the structural integrity of the building itself, the Hyatt Regency Johannesburg seemed a long way from 'operational' status.

Yet and still, it's listed as a category 2 hotel and is 'coming soon'. 

This one is perplexing and could be just as much of a clerical error as accurate. I'd lean towards the former. Typically, Hyatt is consistent in its messaging throughout its website when a property is coming online soon. While the award chart indicates the Hyatt Regency Johannesburg is 'coming soon,' the hotel page says the property is closed indefinitely. 

Additionally, I haven't seen a scrap of evidence that the hotel has been renovated, remodeled, sold to new owners, taken over by Hyatt directly, or anything else to suggest it's ready for operation again. Nevertheless, if this hotel is, in fact, reopening, here's hoping that the conditions are safe, particularly with the aforementioned concerns of structural integrity. 

As Hyatt already has its handful with the continued delays in opening the Park Hyatt Johannesburg, you may want to consider a few other sound options for any imminent stays you have in Johannesburg.