Isn’t there a relation between Hyatt Centric and the Hyatt brands? Am I mistaken that many now Hyatt Centrics used to be called Hyatt? I could be completely off base, but though i read that somewhere.

My guess is that Hyatt is not required to have the same number of brand standards as Hyatt Regencies, but that the owners/developers/etc. are looking for pre-packaged branding, marketing, etc. and other benefits related to being part of a brand, instead of having to create that branding like in the Unbound collection or JDV, or Destination by Hyatt.

I think Destination by Hyatt makes wonderful sense as a brand. It is resort-style properties that are more independent in their feel, and mostly, in my experience, caters to a vacationing audience. I believe that there are some exceptions (The Quirk hotels for example), but overall that makes sense to me. I actually see more overlap between the Unbound collection and JDV.