One of the biggest complaints I hear about hotel points is that people think they can only earn and redeem them at cookie-cutter hotels, which are part of large chains.

Over the last several years, however, many of the major hotel loyalty programs have begun to expand with acquisitions of, or partnerships with, quirkier boutique hotels.

Hilton, for example, now partners with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, recently acquired Postcard Cabins by Marriott just over a year ago and perhaps most interestingly Hyatt bought Mr & Mrs Smith in 2023.

The booking platform Mr & Mrs Smith is the world’s largest luxury and boutique hotel chain, which has been acquired to book hundreds of these hotels through Hyatt and earn and redeem points just like you would on any other stay.

The fact that World of Hyatt is my go-to hotel points program for booking stays at offbeat (but upscale!) boutique hotels around the world has been because of its Mr & Mrs Smith affiliation.

And that’s how I got to one of my favorite wine-country hotels, Leeu House, in the hamlet of Franschhoek in South Africa’S Cape Winelands over Bastille Day last summer. Then I was in a hotel that is just what I like most about Hyatt’s relationship with Mr & Mrs Smith, far from the norm.

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What is Leeu House?

With just 12 rooms and suites, Leeu House is a luxurious boutique hotel along Franschhoek’s main drag of Huguenot Street.

This hotel has several Cape Dutch-style buildings with beautiful, sculpture-filled gardens and even an inviting pool overlooking the dramatic Drakenstein Mountains.

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When it is in the heart of town, you don’t even need a car if you want to rent one. You can walk to all the restaurants and boutiques in town; shuttle service is provided to nearby wineries and its sister property just outside the village, Leeu Estates.

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Leeu House is like that a house where you just sit down by the crackling fireplace in front of the front living room and drink wine from the area as you admire some of those works from Leeus Collection founder Analjit Singh’s impressive art collection.

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A central courtyard is also a feature of most rooms, so you will probably meet fellow guests here and there (though the large rooms are quite privacy) but it’s not too far away.

Because the hotel is small, and therefore has a very limited guest count, every staff member will know you by name pretty much as soon as you arrive; they also provide help booking restaurants and winery visits and advice on best hiking trails in nearby areas.

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Rooms at Leeu House

The lobby was next door to My Classic Room, which contained a series of glass doors and would be closed for privacy by curtaining off my Glass Doors. In the first category, it was about 400 square feet and had a large main bedroom area with king-size bed dressed in Egyptian cotton sheets.

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A lot of closet space, a coffee- and tea making minibar with ‘the door desk’;. flat-screen television (with cute blue/white tile accents) was also on the floor as well as…

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The bathroom occupied much of the room’s footprint, which was positively palatial and took up a large part of its space. The tiling of its handsome black and white, as well as an enormous glassed-in shower were also included in it; there was another country-style, clawfoot bathtub and dual marble vanities. South African-made Healing Earth bath products were also used in the bathroom with .

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Spacious and sumptuous, my room felt like a little cocoon for relaxing after a day of hiking and wine tasting.

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Dining at Leeu House

There is a small public living room at Leeu House just inside the street entrance, and an extensive restaurant adjacent to the garden called The Conservatory (the main breakfast place) but there’s an all-day menu with standard dishes including some sandwiches and pasta options.

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While small, the breakfast buffet is made up of fresh-baked pastries, a lot of seasonal fruit and coffee drinks, teas and fresh juices. They can also choose from hot selections such as avocado on rye toast, creamy local mushrooms on toast and eggs Benedict and French toast to guests.

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In a strange way, rates are bookable through Hyatt with breakfast and when you redeem points for your room it is also included (which is incredibly nice because of the quality of food).

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The majority of guests prefer to go out to the various wine-tasting rooms in the area that serve food and a complimentary tasting at Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines at Leeus Estates is usually included with stays at Leu House, as well as an exclusive stay.

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Many other restaurants are in the Leeu Collection (some of which are at LeeU Estates), including the acclaimed La Petite Colombe, as well as outposts in town such as ProtEge and Epice at the nearby Le Quartier Francais (another boutique property in Town that is not available through Hyatt).

Also, you can walk across the street from Leeu House and eat at many of the elegant places like Eleven for seasonal contemporary Cape cuisine, Oku for Asian-inspired tasting menus and Yama for simple but hearty sushi.

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Amenities at Leeu House

Leeu House is a large house with no on-property amenities to mention, other than its amazing art collection and its peaceful pool.

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But guests can go to Leeu Estates, a five-minute drive away from Leeus Estate’s where they use the gym there and also take advantage of the LeeU Spa by Healing Earth.

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There is a quiet relaxation area with a plunge pool.

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Meanwhile, the treatments, meanwhile, use Healing Earth products with African-derived ingredients such as marula oil and Kalahari melon. Other of the signature experiences include a restorative hydration facial ($75 for 60 minutes) and ‘Vinotherapy body scrub and massage’ that uses antioxidants from locally grown pinotage grapes plus. clay body mask with – skin mask, which is also used as microbial treatment to enhance their recovery.

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Booking Leeu House

If you want to earn or redeem points and enjoy any elite benefits that you deserve, then the best way to book Leeu House is through Hyatt?

Mr & Mrs Smith properties are dynamically priced, rather than a fixed chart with off-peak, standard and peak dates (such as Hyatt’s own properties) like their respective counterparts.

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That’s both good news and bad news for . if you have the points and are willing to book pretty much any room or suite, it’s good news that. Bad news You won’t be getting the best value for your points.

At the time I visited, nightly rates were $524 or 40,250 points per night for a Classic Room. It was 11? A price of 3 cents per Hyatt point, well below TPG’s January 2026 valuation of Hyaattes at 1 cent. It’s the standard value you can get at this particular property, no matter when or type of room or suite you book; 7 cents apiece; this seems to be the norm.

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But if you are swimming in Hyatt points, redeeming them here is a good way to save on expensive stays.

If you want to pay a cash rate, use hyatt-branded card such as World of Hyatted Credit Card (see rates and fees) or World Of HyATt Business Credit Cards (See rates/charges), both of which offer high welcome bonuses, automatic elite status and elevated earning rates at Hyantt properties.

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Or, if you want to redeem Hyatt points for a stay, you can transfer Ultimate Rewards points from cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) directly to World of Hyate at ‘1-1/0 ratio’ that may put an award stay within reach.

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Bottom line

With Hyatt’s acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith, there is now the opportunity to earn and redeem World of Hyaatties points at world-fun boutique hotels such as Boutique hotels like the 12-room Leeu House in the Cape Winelands.

And that’s why World of Hyatt is one of my best loyalty programs, and I’ll be watching my points as even more Mr & Mrs Smith hotels are booked through Hyantt.

Related reading:

• Everything you need to know about World of Hyatt
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• World of Hyatt elite status: What it is and how to earn it
• The best hotel rewards programs in the world
• Best hotel credit cards

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