Hyatt Place review – Everything the business traveler looks for in a hotel

by Scott Carmichael on

As part of our ongoing coverage of new hotel chains, we paid a visit to a local Hyatt Place. Hyatt Place hotels are designed primarily for the business traveler, but the properties offer plenty of amenities that make them an excellent choice for families.

The experience begins in the lobby – right after entering, frequent guests can check in using a computer kiosk. The kiosk allows guests to retrieve their reservation using their credit card or Hyatt Gold Passport card. The advantage of the kiosk is that guests can be on their way to their room in under a minute – all without having to make a stop at the front desk.

All Hyatt Place rooms are outfitted with 42″ flat panel televisions, the Hyatt Plug Panel multimedia interface, free WiFi and free breakfast. To me, those amenities are the most important thing I look for in any business hotel.

The lobby is spacious, while still offering plenty of corners for a bit of privacy. In the lobby area, you’ll off course find the front desk, but also plenty of seating and the cafe/bar.

The “Gallery” features a full bar service, coffee, tea, snacks and made to order meals. On the menu are the kind of things you’d expect from a hotel restaurant – salads, burgers, pizza and a variety of finger foods. In the morning, the Gallery serves made to order breakfast items, which are sold in addition to the free continental breakfast. The morning menu consists of waffles, omelets, french toast, sausage burritos and a scrambled egg/smoked bacon dish.

Prices at the Gallery are quite reasonable – all dishes are under $10, with many starting at just $4. During the hotel happy hour, guests can order a free pizza with the purchase of six beers or a bottle of wine. Snacks and drinks from the Gallery are available 24/7, which is perfect if you have an insanely early morning flight and need a bite to eat.

The bedroom is well designed – right after entering is a large seating area (with sofa bed), rolling ottoman, a desk and a small sink/fridge corner. To the right of the desk is the nifty Hyatt Plug Panel.

The Plug Panel offers instant access to a variety of inputs – as well as 2 fused power outlets (conveniently located next to the desk). Buttons on the panel allow you to switch to that input without having to fiddle with the remote. Channels on the TV are in HD, taking full advantage of the large screen.

The cozy seating corner isn’t a bad place to hang out – thanks to the swiveling TV you can either lie down in bed to watch something, or relax in this corner.

The bedroom is nothing special – but the bed did feel comfortable with decent linens. Each side of the bed has its own light, and the left side features an easy to program Timex alarm clock (with clear instructions).

The bathroom and closet are also your bog standard hotel offering, though the massaging bath soaps are a nice touch.

All in all, Hyatt Place properties offer exactly what a business traveler needs – a quick check-in, free WiFi, access to drinks and snacks and a free breakfast. The refreshed lobby and well designed rooms elevate the hotel way beyond “no frills”.

There are currently 152 Hyatt Place properties, weekend rates start as low as $62, making them a perfect value for money, especially with free breakfast. Weekday rates are often as low as $90, which is a surprisingly good deal.

Families traveling with kids will appreciate the sofa bed in all rooms, free access to the pool (at most properties) and the free breakfast.

Best of all, all stays at Hyatt Properties are currently eligible for their “Big Welcome Back” promotion where you’ll earn a free stay after just two stays.

This review took place at the Hyatt Place in Schaumburg, IL. This property is only 15 minutes from O’Hare airport, and right across the road from Woodfield Mall and the Legoland Discovery Center.

To learn even more about Hyatt Place hotels or to reserve a room, click here.

Stay tuned to Gadling next week, where you’ll have a chance at winning a free stay at a Hyatt Place hotel, along with some other goodies!

Moms make it clear: give us travel!

by Tom Johansmeyer on


Keep your flowers, cards and candy: mom doesn’t want it! She wants to travel, so give her what she wants for Mother’s Day. The latest survey from BedandBreakfast.com reveals that travel is the top gift choice for (as told by moms). So, if you need a few ideas, check out the Mother’s Day deals we’re running here on Gadling. The only excuse you won’t have this year is that you couldn’t find any travel to give!

And, to help you along, BedandBreakfast.com is running a deal this Mother’s Day season. Use promotion code BBMOM10, and you can save 10 percent on the purchase of a $100 (or more) gift card.

Daily Pampering: Carmenere wine bath in Chile

by Melanie Nayer on


This dose of pampering is not to be taken lightly. It can, however, produce some very intoxicating results.

Carmenere, one of Chile‘s finest grapes, is not only delicious to drink but it’s full of antioxidants that are beneficial to your health (in moderation). So, how do you consume the grape and reap the benefits? The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago, found a way to make a good thing even better.

The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago mixed with mineral water and oats with Camenere wine to produce a luxurious Carmenere Wine Bath. You’ll be surrounded by candles and offered a glass of Chile’s finest wine as you literally submerge yourself in a pink, frothy concoction. The results? Smoother, softer skin (and you’ll likely feel a bit more relaxed after that glass of wine, too).

The ultimate in Chilean pampering is put together by the Bath Butler, who arrives in your guestroom to prepare the Carmenere bath at your request.

Want more? Get your dose of Daily Pampering right here.

Hotel Economics: Hotels plan growth as global economy recovers

by Melanie Nayer on

Is the hotel industry ready for a rebound? Based on the recent news of expansions and new properties from global hotel groups, it seems the hospitality industry is poised for a pristine few years.

InterContinental Hotel Group is continuing on its quest to keep the title of ‘world’s largest hotel operator’, recently announcing a global expansion that would increase the amount of its hotel rooms around the world by nearly one-third in the next three to four years. InterContinental, which owns various hotel brands including Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge and Candlewood Suites, currently operates more than 4,400 hotels and has 1,400 more in the pipeline, the majority of which will open in Europe.

The hotel group’s expansion means more hotels, but also more jobs. More than 100,000 jobs worldwide will be created in the InterContinental family. In the UK, where InterContinental plans to set up at least 36 new hotels, the hotel will hire an additional 3,500 employees to service the new properties, according to a statement from the hotel company in The Scotsman. In addition, the paper reports the InterContinental is putting plans in place for Scotland’s first five-star InterContinental-branded hotel.

InterContinental’s expansion isn’t the first we’ve heard about. JW Marriott announced plans to build 40 hotels in India by 2013; Kimpton and Hyatt are opening various hotels throughout the U.S. and earlier this year, Ritz-Carlton President Simon Cooper gave us some insight into new hotels emerging in Asia and the Middle East. But the question remains: can the hotels sell the rooms? According to a recent study of hotel room prices in Europe from trivago, more rooms are already selling for increased rates, which means more travelers are loosening their purse strings.The study shows the average price of hotels in Europe has increased 12 percent from March to April 2010, the highest point since October 2009.

What’s this mean for hotels? The travel industry stays afloat due to basic supply-and-demand principles. Based on these numbers, the demand for hotel rooms has risen causing hotel operators to raise their rates – a good sign for a rebounding economy.



Trivago reports that most European cities have experienced price growths of 10 to 20 percent, and in popular tourist destination cities such as Rome, Barcelona and Istanbul, prices rose by as much as 42 percent. Additionally, occupancy in the three- and four-star hotels – which make up the majority of the properties in the InterContinental Hotel Group – rose 2.7 percent in Scotland, against increases of 3.8 percent in regional UK, 3.7 percent in England and 9 percent in Wales.

If the numbers continue to increase across the pond, the InterContinental and other hotel groups could be right on target with their global expansions.

White Collar Travel: Hotel Behavior Honed by Habit

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Spend enough time on the road, and your instinct takes over. Soldiers would liken it to their training kicking in. unlike the warriors who protect our way of life, the business traveler’s reflex isn’t intentional. Rather, it evolves from experience and is honed by habit. After a while, you’re “always on” … which is what you want. When a networking opportunity arises – or you get the chance to pick up some competitive intelligence – you want to be ready to pounce.

A friend of mine was headed to Washington, D.C. a few years ago and invited me to tag along. I was involved with a small consulting company at that point and was between projects (which is code for: “I needed one”), so I dashed off with him for a few days. Taking advantage of the status I had with Hilton, I got us a suite on the club level, where we dropped our bags before heading to the lounge.

Again, I had no business plans for this jaunt. But, one of the other people in the lounge atop the Hilton Embassy Row turned to me and asked those four fecund words: “What do you do?” Forgetting my friend, I went from elevator pitch to the intricacies of my company’s style to a friendly game of “mine is bigger” (confession: his was) – standard fare among itinerant white collar folk. It ended with the swapping of cards, though we never spoke to each other again (and knew that we wouldn’t).It didn’t matter that the effort would lead to nothing – I’d suspected the outcome from the start, and I’m sure he did, too. I wound up in character because I couldn’t help it. This one-time trip offered little potential, but my response was driven by years of making connections. If I’d been on a long-term project, I might have seen the guy again in the lounge the next week. Maybe some business would have come from it.

And, my case is not unique. My mentor from an early consulting job once cut himself off mid-sentence when he heard someone at another table mention a competitor’s name. He listened intently for a few minutes before continuing with what he was saying. On planes, of course, we all talk, poke and prod to find a new client or get a sense of what the competition is up to.

The frequent business traveler, after a while, surrenders to the job – sometimes to a caricature of it. It’s only recognized as an occupational hazard years after you’ve given up the life, usually. Until then, it’s like a heartbeat – something the mind-body duality does for you.