On weekends, this property is routinely the least expensive Hyatt option in Chicago, with AAA rates under $60 a/i. This makes it a fine choice for BWB running and the $300 vacation - six stays with Costco yields 28000 AA miles and 3 BWB nights. Since some of us will overnight at the property, I thought I'd start a review thread. I've stayed at HP Itasca twice - once in November, and again last night.

Location: The building is not hard to find, but the roads are a little confusing. On both visits, I wound up driving through nearby restaurant parking lots to get there. There are two places right across the street that one can walk to, a Mexican place I didn't try and Buona Beef. Buona Beef has high-quality Italian beef sandwiches and other options. I was pleasantly surprised by a Buona Beef thin crust veggie pizza last night.

Front Desk: Generally young and friendly, and competent most of the time - very typical for Hyatt. The self check in kiosks are very close to the entrance, and standing there will set off the automatic door. It's really not a good spot. Since there's no Gx bonus, I want AA miles for this stay and tried the kiosk. The kiosk had an airline miles option; we'll see if it works. It did not identify my Diamond status or offer an amenity choice.

After dinner, I went for one of the tasty warm chocolate chip cookies. The desk clerk swiped my card into the machine, but I didn't get charged on my bill. I wonder if I got a free Diamond cookie?

At checkout around noon, only one of the two clerks knew how to enter the check certificate code. Both did know what they were, though. Someone else was also using a Costco certificate at the same time. Is he on FT?

Rooms: In this facility, the x14 - x17 rooms are near the elevators. I do not recommend them. The kiosk kicked out an x15 for me. In a nice touch, about 10 minutes after check-in the front desk called to see about the room. By that time, I had heard two phone conversations from the hall. Since I didn't want to spend the night learning about strangers' relationship issues, I asked for a switch. The check-in clerk switched me to an x03, which was much quieter. I had no problems with the room.

Amenities: The Internet is wireless, free to all, but not too fast. There is a small play-type pool in addition to the small exercise room.

Overall: With the exception of hall noise, this is a perfectly fine place to spend a night. For the AA miles promotion, where Gx bonuses don't apply, this works well. After considering Gx bonuses, though, the Hyatt Lisle is usually a better deal, and the Hyatt Rosemont and HR O'Hare can be competitive.