Hyatt expands to Provincetown on Cape Cod (kind of)

13.12.2024 - 22:27 / thepointsguy.com / Mark Hoplamazian

The World of Hyatt now extends to one of the top LGBTQ+ vacation destinations in the world, but the town shouldn't raise its antichain pitchforks just yet.

AWOL Provincetown, a high-end boutique hotel on the far West End of Provincetown, Massachusetts, is now part of World of Hyatt thanks to its listing on the Mr and Mrs Smith booking platform. The new addition gives Hyatt a boost on Cape Cod, where it has no other hotel presence apart from — also recently added — The Coonamessett, a Mr and Mrs Smith hotel in Falmouth.

AWOL is a seasonal property in the New England-based Lark Hotels chain of boutique hotels. (Mr and Mrs Smith is a booking platform and not an actual brand, so that's why you'll still see properties from hotel chains also appear on the provider.) The 30-room hotel is popular for being in a more secluded part of Provincetown and features a scenic patio with a pool, firepits and spectacular sunset views. It's a 20-minute walk or 5-minute drive from Ptown summer staples like Tea Dance at the Boatslip Resort & Beach Club.

While Ptown is known for its embrace of local, independent businesses (even CVS had a hard time getting approved there), the locals shouldn't take the news as though a hulking Hyatt Regency is getting plopped down on Commercial Street, the Outer Cape enclave's main thoroughfare.

AWOL's participation in Mr and Mrs Smith and World of Hyatt is part of a broader push by bigger hotel companies to tap into boutique hotels in markets that wouldn't make sense for a larger, legacy brand like Hyatt or Marriott. Hilton has a similar arrangement with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and Marriott and Mandarin Oriental have pushed into smaller vacation destinations with their respective vacation home rental platforms.

Marriott already has a presence in Provincetown thanks to its Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy platform.

Hyatt acquired Mr and Mrs Smith last year and has since added hundreds of properties from the platform to its World of Hyatt loyalty network. The hotel world has been curious as to which hotels from Mr and Mrs Smith would also link up with the Hyatt loyalty orbit and which would abstain.

The initial rollout encompassed 700 smaller boutique and luxury hotels around the world, and Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian indicated on an investor call earlier this year the plan was to grow the partnership to roughly 1,000 Mr and Mrs Smith hotels also participating in World of Hyatt. But there are still some high-profile holdouts like California's Post Ranch Inn and Aman Tokyo.

No matter the partnership, one thing appears certain: Even the more remote, bespoke and eclectic vacation getaways are increasingly turning to the points and miles orbit.

Shoulder season (May and June and