bcosinteno

It's official - the Ambassador Chicago has joined Hyatt's Joie de Vivre brand.

"As part of its transition to the Joie de Vivre Hotels brand, the Ambassador Chicago prepares for a refresh. This year, upgrades are planned for the hotel’s 285 elegant guest rooms and suites, including the addition of the Joie de Vivre Hotels brand’s signature Jonathan Adler bath products and 55-inch LG smart TVs with streaming capabilities. Also expected to get a facelift are the hotel’s public spaces such as The Library – a chic lounge serving La Colombe Coffee and fresh pastries from the Coffee Bar by day, and light bites and libations alongside an inviting fireplace come nightfall."

https://newsroom.hyatt.com/030220-Ic...e-Vivre-Hotels

UA-NYC

Always nice to have more options....though Chicago is in a pretty good place already w/brand diversity. Would love to see some of these types in ATL, Dallas, Boston, etc.

khabah

Stayed here last week - stay feedback below:

• Explorist, checked in for a three-night stay that I later extended to four.
• Chicago had just reopened and the hotel was full, but a quick call in to ask about upgrades saw me upgraded from a base queen room to a Deluxe King.
• I'm a huge North by Northwest fan, and coming to this hotel was a dream come true. It was exciting to walk in the steps of Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, and to see where things in the movie played out in reality.
• It's a shame that Ian Schrager put his mitts all over this hotel and drenched it in his derivative, form-over-function style: the lobby's handsome wood paneling is all white, the furniture looks like something you'd pull out of any EDITION/IKEA, and the light woods are designed for scuffing. Also a loss: when Schrager acquired the hotel, he bought the rights to the name of the iconic Pump Room. It became Booth One between 2017 and 2019 but has been closed ever since, with a closed curtain and a grate a sad reminder of something that was an intrinsic part of this hotel... but now Schrager is keeping the name to himself with no plans to use it anywhere. Ugh.
• My wedge-shaped room was on the third floor over the former Pump Room, and was a spacious open-plan arrangement with a dresser unit, couch, long table, bench and king bed. A walk-in closet and a three-fixture bathroom rounded things out. The AC was individually controlled and worked like a charm, the bed was super comfortable, the carpet pile deep and the couch/table/bench layout surprisingly useful. I'm not a fan of the Jonathan Adler bath amenities, which someone on another thread aptly said smell like grandma.
• Staff at the property were very friendly.
• The location is fantastic; a few blocks north of the Thompson and planted firmly in the Gold Coast, it's in a quiet, residential neighborhood that occupies some of Chicago's most expensive real estate. Expect leafy streets, beautiful brownstones and stately apartment buildings. There are a couple of restaurants in the walkable vicinity, with the Viagra Triangle and Michigan Avenue eateries/shopping a few steps further away.

I'm glad I finally got a chance to stay at the Ambassador, and would recommend it.

khabah

Bretmd

Completed a three night stay here as a globalist. Proactively upgraded from a one queen room to a 1BR suite on the 14th floor. The room was spacious, but the bathroom was tiny. The decor of the room is minimalist with lots of white- even the sofa is white, which seems like such a risky color choice (and there were some small stains because of it).

The bed was comfortable, but both the bed and furniture were uncomfortably low to the ground IMO. The bedside power outlet situation was also decidedly poor, I found myself on the floor on my hands and knees unplugging a lamp to make that work.

The hotel does have a full breakfast menu available, and was told to order anything and it would be taken care of. I even added a few extra items without charge.

The neighborhood is residential but it’s not too far away from the action; and the red line Clark/division station is three blocks away.

Overall, the stay was okay, especially for the price point. I’d stay again, assuming the price was cheaper than other options.

wackyducky

I had a recent stay and paid with the Hyatt credit card. Is it normal not to get 4x pts at the JdV brand?

In regards to the breakfast, there were a only handful of normal tables (typically full) which meant some awkward dining on sofas and coffee tables.

My fridge had a nice looking piece of chocolate cake, a beer, coke, and water in it. I was curious if it was some sort of welcome amenity, but the front desk apologized and said housekeeping must not have cleaned out the fridge.

UA-NYC

JdV is full Hyatt - you should get 4x, would call it in

GUWonder

Chase can fix that for you. Actually, they should fix it for all.

When you check the details on your Chase.com WOH card for transactions, what does the merchant info show for the property?

wackyducky

Thank you both, I sent Chase a secure message from their website and they responded they will add the points.


For the Other 2 stays - Merchant type shows as "Hyatt Hotels"


Edit to add - I also didn't get the few American Airlines linked points for the stay either.

UA-NYC

Have 3 nights in Chicago later in the month - rates are cheap everywhere, considering hotel hopping each night to max out Bonus Journeys (added 1K points/stay in 10 cities kicker, can't stay in same hotel all 3 nights as it's per stay).

Was thinking Thompson/HP/HC (all near where I'm working) - is it worth it to toss in the Ambassador instead of one of them? I have my JdV badge already, so no incentive there.

TIA.

ORDnHKG

Notice Ambassador Chicago has a $20 daily destination fee, and the nearby Thompson Chicago has a $17 daily destination fee, further north Hotel Lincoln has a $17 daily destination fee as well
Hyatt centric the loop was $88, then $93, now $100, much better value, though I don't like both their beds and pillows are too soft to my liking

UA-NYC

I'm Glob so don't have to worry about them...but didn't hotel hop this week due to it being -10 for a few days in a row

gbdbld

How did it turn out? Did you eventually get the 1k AA miles?

wackyducky

I got the pts for the stay as a hyatt. Did not pursue the AA 1k points.

gbdbld

Interesting that’s this property is going up to cat 4 so should be a popular hotel, yet so few posts here. Anyway I was able to book a non peak stay here for March at 9k points which is a steal.

UA-NYC

Definitely open to it on my future visits, it's just that Chicago is already rife w/other good Cat 4 options (Centrics, Thompson, CAA, etc.) that this one I think just gets a bit lost in the shuffle. Come back w/ a TR!