In a move that blends loyalty perks with the raw thrill of East African wilderness, Hyatt Hotels has widened the tent flaps on some of the continent’s most coveted safari camps. Thanks to its partnership with boutique curator Mr & Mrs Smith, World of Hyatt members can now earn and redeem points at 15 of Asilia Africa’s sustainability-led camps scattered across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
It is an intriguing alignment: one of the world’s largest hospitality brands linking arms with one of safari tourism’s most vocal conservation players. For travellers who like their wilderness with a conscience and preferably linen-lined, this development is likely to prove irresistible.
“Asilia has shaped what luxury safari travel looks like, blending thoughtful design, warm, genuine hospitality, and a deep love and respect for wild places,” said Laurie Blair, Hyatt’s senior vice president for global marketing and loyalty. “We know affluent travelers are increasingly seeking journeys with meaningful, measurable impact. Asilia’s approach combines outstanding safari experiences with long-term investment in the people and ecosystems that are designed to help keep these landscapes viable. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome Asilia to World of Hyatt through Mr & Mrs Smith, connecting members to experiences that inspire adventure, reflection, and connection, while making it even more rewarding.”
In a world where loyalty programs often promise far more than they deliver, this partnership feels refreshingly tangible. You stay, you earn, you redeem—and crucially, your dollars ripple into conservation, education and livelihoods across some of the world’s most ecologically delicate regions.
A richer safari portfolio – now bookable through Hyatt
Members booking via Hyatt’s channels will find no shortage of variety. From the Serengeti’s iconic plains to Kenya’s riverine bushlands to the volcanic highlands of Ngorongoro, the selection promises the sort of wildlife experiences most of us have only seen narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Highlights include:
Dunia Camp, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
A trailblazer in every respect, Dunia is East Africa’s first safari camp run entirely by women. Now in its tenth year, it continues to foster career pathways for young women in conservation while offering guests year-round sightings of lions, leopards and cheetahs that stalk the central Serengeti.
Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Jabali Ridge, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Set atop a tumble of ancient boulders in southern Tanzania, Jabali Ridge is a masterclass in design restraint—minimalist timber decks, stone paths that dip and rise with the terrain, and the constant presence of elephants kicking up dust below.
Namiri Plains, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
If big cats are your weakness, Namiri is your answer. Pioneering sustainable tourism in the Eastern Serengeti, the camp places guests amid one of the world’s densest predator ecosystems.
The Highlands, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
A modernist cluster of dome-shaped tents perched on the slopes of Olmoti Volcano, The Highlands offers sweeping panoramas over the Ngorongoro Crater—arguably one of Africa’s great natural theatres.
Usangu Expedition Camp, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
abali Ridge, Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Intimate and minimalist, this camp of just six tents offers exclusive access to miombo woodlands and dusky-pink Ruaha sunsets.
Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, Kenya
Tucked along the Ewaso Ngiro River with Mount Kenya filling the horizon, Ol Pejeta Bush Camp remains a favourite for travellers seeking authenticity, wildlife density and a sense of place.
Mr & Mrs Smith’s Strategic Development Director, Marion Barrère, said the partnership is rooted in aligned values:
“At Mr & Mrs Smith, we curate stays that tell a story, and Asilia’s story is one of purpose, beauty and connection. Asilia is a certified B Corporation, just like us, and that shared commitment to people and planet is something we value deeply.”
Her enthusiasm is well-placed. Asilia’s operations read less like a tourism business and more like a long-term stewardship model.
Safari with purpose – and proof of impact
Asilia means authentic in Swahili, though its significance extends well beyond semantics. The operator became the first African travel company to receive B Corp certification in 2012, a badge that requires rigorous proof of social, environmental and governance integrity.
“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. We channel significant investment into schools, training, governance and diversified livelihoods in the landscapes in which we operate. Every traveler who stays with us becomes part of a shared effort to ensure these wild places and the people who call them home, thrive.”
In 2024, Asilia and its parent organisation NawiriGroup funnelled more than US$11 million into East African conservation and community-led programs—from funding Wildlife Management Areas in southern Tanzania to supporting land restoration initiatives and sustaining the Naboisho Conservancy, one of the region’s great wildlife recovery stories.
These efforts do not merely keep the lights on. They keep migration corridors open, lion populations stable, and local communities invested in protecting the wild spaces tourists adore.
With Hyatt’s global reach now funnelling guests toward Asilia’s camps, the potential scale of this impact grows considerably.
Loyalty points meet lion tracks.
For the points-savvy traveller, the partnership sweetens the equation. Members earn and redeem points on eligible stays at Asilia camps booked through Hyatt channels, while World of Hyatt Credit Card holders can collect up to nine points per US dollar spent.
The reward options are equally enticing: guided wildlife encounters, cultural visits, multi-camp private itineraries and dinners under skies so clear they appear hand-polished. Once guests lock in their stay, Asilia’s travel coordinators step in within 48 hours—weekends and holidays excluded—to finesse logistics and transfers across East Africa.
The promise, essentially, is seamless adventure.
And for many travellers accustomed to the hassle of internal African travel arrangements, seamless is no small word.
Hyatt is selling not just accommodation but continuity from arrival to final sunset, with every tented suite, bush dinner and starlit night engineered for connection, comfort and wonder.
Where purpose meets adventure
In an era where luxury travel increasingly demands meaning and measurable impact, this collaboration lands firmly in the sweet spot. For Hyatt, it further globalises its luxury ecosystem. For Mr & Mrs Smith, it expands its African footprint into Uganda for the first time. For Asilia, it channels more travellers—and therefore more conservation funding into regions that depend on it for survival.
And for guests?
It offers something that feels increasingly rare: the chance to unwind in genuine wilderness while helping to preserve it.
Travellers can begin planning at world.hyatt.com, with card details, loyalty perks and camp profiles laid out neatly for comparison. For card benefits, Hyatt directs members to chase.com/gethyattcard—proof, perhaps, that even the most rugged safari must play nicely with the corporate world.
But once you’re out there, listening to lions calling across a valley at dusk, the only points that matter are the stars.
by Michelle Warner – (c) 2025
Read Time: 5 minutes.
About the Writer
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins — the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.
Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.
