This was probably my favorite Hyatt Place thus far, as it relates to the actual hotel and its offerings (as opposed to location, which is fine but not exciting). It’s brand new, has a good full-service restaurant, great staff, and a nicely-sized, well equipped gym.
Pre-arrival, I noticed that I was upgraded from the base room to the largest room, which is a true one-bedroom suite with a small kitchen. It was very large and comfortable but not much (if at all) different than any other new build Hyatt Place. There were large televisions with Chromecast in the bedroom and living room. My one gripe is that the bathroom plumbing fixtures kind of suck. Both the sink and shower are super low flow and shoot out just a few streams of very high pressure water.
There was a welcome note from the GM along with a fruit plate in the fridge, which was really nice. The assistant GM had also sent an email to ensure my check-in went well.
Free breakfast is available, though I didn’t take advantage of it since I enjoyed the breakfast at Oaken, the full-service restaurant and bar. To get the free breakfast, you pre-order with the front desk the night before and let them know what time you’d like it ready. Then at the arranged time the next morning, they have your breakfast packed up in a to-go bag on a shelf next to the check-in desk. Apologies but I don’t know what the breakfast entails, which I’m guessing is what many people will most care about. Hopefully someone else can chime in.
Oaken was very good. I had the overnight oats and the omelette, and both were excellent. Coffee drinks are from a real espresso machine, which is a great touch. Dinner at Oaken was also very good, and there seemed to be a lot of locals there for dinner/drinks.
The gym was great and completely empty every time I was there or passed by it. They have a rower, which was perfect for me. A nice set of free weights and kettle bells are really nice to have. I was also surprised to see disposable headphones available. Maybe I’ve never noticed them, but thought that those aren’t standard at Hyatt Place.
Staff was all incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful.
Overall, a nice stay, and this will definitely be added to my rotation of Chicago suburb hotels.
Admin, can we rename the thread to “The Forester, A Hyatt Place Hotel Lake Forest, IL REVIEW - MASTER THREAD”?
