Gadling Giveaway – Win a free night at any Hyatt Resort!

To celebrate the launch of their Resorts Facebook site, Hyatt has asked us to pick two lucky winners for their own free night at any Hyatt resort. Hyatt has 46 resorts worldwide, from luxury downtown properties like the Park Hyatt to beachside properties in Hawaii and Key West.

To enter the contest, head on over to the Hyatt Resorts Facebook site, click on “trip generator” and tell us what Hyatt considers to be your perfect resort. Leave your answer in the comments below.

  • To enter, simply leave a comment answering the question posted above.
  • The comment must be left before Thursday October 14 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • Two Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive one free night at any Hyatt Resorts property. The included properties are listed here.
  • There is no requirement to sign up for a Gold Passport account for entering the contest unless you are selected as a winner. If you are selected as a winner, the free night will be credited to your Hyatt Gold Passport account and can be cashed in much like frequent flier miles. Winners can sign up for a Gold Passport account at no cost.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • The total value of each prize is approximately $220
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

Hotel review – Summerfield Suites by Hyatt

In line with our regular reviews of budget friendly hotels, our travels took us to a Hyatt Summerfield Suites. This chain joined the Hyatt brand in 2005, and currently has 34 different properties throughout the country.

Summerfield Suites are extended stay hotels – so rooms come with the kind of amenities you need on stays of more than a couple of nights. Of course, this does not exclude them from people looking for a short term stay.


Check-in was extremely efficient and came accompanied with freshly baked cookies – something all hotels should consider. Within a few minutes I was on my way to the room.

The chain offers several types of room – studio, one bedroom and two bedroom. I had booked a one bedroom, and at just $63 this was probably the best hotel bargain I’ve encountered all year.

The room had obviously been renovated in the past 12 months and was outfitted with a decent flat panel TV (with line inputs on the side for your iPod). The sitting area/sofa bed was quite comfortable, and a very nice corner to sit and watch some TV.

The desk comes with a comfortable office chair, cordless phone and Ethernet cable. The hotel offered wired and wireless Internet (both free) as well as in-room printing to the business center. Internet speeds on the weekend were around 2 mbit/s, but those will probably drop during the busier week.

The bedroom has all the small touches you’d expect from a hotel room – its own AC unit, an alarm clock with line-input and surprisingly decent bedding. For me, a good bed and reliable climate control are all I need to be happy – but I could have done with a flat panel in the bedroom, sadly this property had left the bedrooms with old tube TV’s with lousy reception.

No surprises in the bathroom – but they did provide the nice massaging soap bars I’d encountered at the Hyatt Place properties.

The well equipped kitchen is perfect for a TV-dinner, or a more adventurous cooks. A dishwasher means you also don’t need to worry about making too much of a mess. The hotel also provides a grocery shopping service, and will pick up anything you need and place the items in your kitchen/fridge for you to prepare your own meal when you get back to your room at the end of the day.

The (free) breakfast was also one of the better I’ve come across – the assortment included eggs, French toast, sausages, a variety of fruits, cereal and yogurt and fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

On a busy Saturday morning, the line took some time to pass through, but the staff did their best to keep all stations fresh and full.

A decent pool, sauna and fitness center provide a great way to end the day or to to keep your kids entertained – the hot tub was a huge hit.

Final thoughts

As I mentioned earlier, Summerfield Suites are a fantastic bargain – prices will of course vary from location to location, but in most cities, you’ll be able to find weekend rates around $75 (lower with a AAA membership) – and when you consider that you get a large room, pool access and free breakfast, you’ll understand why I’m so impressed.

With prices like this, you don’t even need a reason to visit a hotel – I find a trip to a local hotel to be a perfect way to get away from it all. Best of all, if you enroll in the Hyatt Gold passport program, you can get one free night for every two nights you spend at a Hyatt property. You do the math – two nights at a $75 hotel, and you can treat yourself to a free night at a luxury property that normally goes for $300 a night.

Click here to learn more about this chain, or to find locations near you.

Hyatt “Big Welcome Back” reminder – plus your chance to win 2 free nights at any Hyatt!

Last month, we mentioned the latest promotion from Hyatt – stay twice, and earn a free night at any Hyatt (or 5000 bonus points).

Consider this a polite reminder about this promotion, because with a little bit of work, you’ll be able to earn yourself a couple of free nights at one of the 340 properties within the Hyatt chain.

The free nights can be earned through stays at any property – which means you can book two reservations at a hotel for as little as $50/night, and earn a free night at a $450/night resort. Me? I’ve already stated planning a couple of stays in the coming weeks, as part of a grand plan for some luxury summer pampering. To take advantage of the promotion, you’ll need a Hyatt Gold Passport account, and have that account enrolled in the promotion.

Now, if I managed to get you in the mood for a weekend away, how about a chance at winning two nights at any Hyatt hotel?

Gadling has two of these two night prizes to give away, and all you need to do is pick your favorite hotel amenity. It could be the spa, the pool, or as simple as the minibar. Pick something fun, and leave it as a comment below.

The rules:

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below describing your favorite hotel amenity.
  • The comment must be left before Friday May 14th 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter the giveaway only once. Multiple entries will be deleted by our vicious multiple comment deleting robots.
  • Two Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive two free stays at any Hyatt property.
  • A Hyatt Gold Passport account (sign up here, free) is required for the free stays. (If you are selected as a winner, your account will be credited with points, and you may exchange those points for your stay. There are no blackouts or other restrictions).
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • The total value of each two-night stay prize is approximately $400
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

Enter to win two free nights at Hyatt Place plus a personal assistant!

Springtime wake up your sense of wanderlust? Why not enjoy your first two nights of vacation on Gadling and Hyatt? We’ve teamed up with one of the nation’s best hotel chains to give away two nights at any Hyatt Place in the country, from the sun drenched plains of Albuquerque, New Mexico to the suburban hubbub of Wyoming, Michigan.

Hyatt Place hotels, in case you’ve never been, are geared to the multi-tasking, high fidelity traveler of modern times, chock with free wireless and breakfast and conveniences like check-in kiosks and in-room plug panels (for HDMI excitement!)

As Hyatt describes the properties:

Hyatt Place is a hotel that brings the authentic hospitality for which Hyatt is known to the upscale select-service category. Inspired by multitasking travelers’ 24/7 lifestyle, Hyatt Place combines stylish design, practical amenities, forward-thinking technology and purposeful service so guests can remain connected and productive while traveling.

Sound good? It gets better. We’re also going to throw in thirty hours of TaskUs service, a personal assistant group that will conquer a broad range of chores for you, from marketing to Ebay listing to even blogging. This way you can kick up your heels, outsource your presentation and leave a few hours early for that fantastic vacation that you’ve been desperately pining for.

All that you have to do to enter to win two free nights at any Hyatt Place and 30 hours of TaskUs service is leave a comment below.

  • To enter, simply leave any comment below. It can say anything, but flattery is most definitely encouraged.
  • The comment must be left before Friday April 23rd 2010 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter the giveaway only once. Multiple entries will be deleted by our vicious multiple comment deleting robots.
  • One Prize Winner will be randomly selected to receive two one-night-free night vouchers in a standard hotel room at any Hyatt Place hotel in the country and 30 hours of TaskUs service.
  • Hyatt Place vouchers must be used by 12/31/2010
  • TaskUs hours must be used by 8/15/2010
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • The total value of the prize is approximately $500
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

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

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!