broadwayboy

Exactly what I was offered. Instead of the 1K points Diamond Amenity, I could choose American breakfast for 2. IIRC, it's $20 difference for 2 people.

RichardInSF

Yes, I did notice that option, but there are many breakfast menu items priced lower than the continental breakfast, and last time I was allowed to chose one of those instead -- is that possibility now gone?

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Sorry. I do not know that answer as I left early and did not have breakfast. My breakfast was on UA. Yikes.

I know there is a fellow FTer who knows the answer. I am sure she will chime in.

bsdstone

You can still choose that option. I was just there a month ago, and they allowed us a very generous rooms service bill both days...I had 2 adults and 2kids eat each day for around $70 and they wiped both charges off...and that was on a FFN stay!

peteropny

I was at the PH Chicago over the weekend. Once again, the room assignment process was pretty bad - ended up with 1609 (smaller king bed corner room on the backside of the building - no tub see-through to the window - 1 rather than 2 sinks in the vanity area). As mentioned by people here, an option for Diamond Amenity (beyond the usual food/beverage and 1,000 bonus points (thought that wasn't available at PHs)) is "upgraded" breakfast from the strictly continental spread is to include "hot" eggs & meat - apparently this translates into a credit of $25 per person since I ordered the Lobster Egg Benedict & OJ (total of $25) and no charge showed up. Room needs some attention - ripped carpeting near the window seat, peeling wallpaper in the bathroom, frayed roman shades near the chain, and scuffed furniture.

Gabatta

We stayed at the PH Chicago last week on extended FFN and had a great experience. We were in 1306, which is a standard king room directly across from the watertower. The staff was pleasant and the room was in great shape (though they could use to upgrade the TVs). We were given $ credit toward our brunch at NoMi which was charged to the room.

Other than the sub zero temps last weekend, we had no complaints. The PH Chicago was as great as we remembered, particularly for no $ or points!

superbobx2

Had a recent one-night stay at this property. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Chicago for one night and the Park Hyatt for one night as well (will post a review of the Regency as well). I will try to post a thorough review, as I really enjoyed reading through everyone else's and it helps a lot!

Overall, the experience was quite pleasant. We were upgraded to 1706, overlooking the tip of the water tower towards the center of the building. I was at first apprehensive, because an earlier post (which I printed out to take along) stated that the 06 rooms don't have a view from the bathtub. I said this to the person checking me in and he said, no it's a wonderful room, why don't you check first. I did, and the room was amazing, with an opening from the tub for the view. I felt a bit bad because the man who checked me in seemed to be a bit miffed by my assertion that I heard that the 06 rooms didn't have a nice view from the tub. Oh well, it worked out fine.

I also had to ask for the amenity card, but he found it quickly and it had my name on it, and he apologized for forgetting. Chose the champagne and "chef's selection," which turned out to be Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte with a tube of macaroons. They were exceptionally good macaroons though, and we tried extensively to find out where they were from. We finally garnered that they were purchased off site, but they never did come through on multiple promises to let us know where exactly they are from, in case we wanted to buy them.

The room itself was very clean and modern. We actually saw the chair, a Herman Miller design, at the Art Institute of Chicago... pretty neat. The gym/pool facility was nice, with a full stock of supplies for shaving, brushing, etc. and lemon/raspberry and strawberry/orange water at the gym. Nothing really compares to the facilities at the Grand Hyatt in Beijing, though, but that's another story.

We received a complimentary breakfast at NoMi- just the continental, not the full. An option on the amenity card is to upgrade to the full breakfast, but I wouldn't suggest it, as the full breakfast is only 6 dollars more per person, and I think it doesn't really mean anything anyways. You sign for the charges and they deduct a certain amount at check out, and for us, this was 50 dollars (the continental breakfast should be 19, while the full should be 25, so I'm not sure how they calculated that- tip and tax?- I think they just give you a generous amount in any case). They accidentally double charged the service fee, so the checkout person deducted most- I think maybe all- of the extra charge. There was that charge because we decided to order from the menu and add the supplement for the breakfast buffet. Since the tea alone costs $7, the $10 for the supplement seems like a good idea, as it comes with tea/coffee/juice/buffet. There were the standard cold items, including prosciutto and smoked salmon, fruits, etc., but nothing really fantastic. The main dishes were very good, though... the NoMi benedict was delicious, with lobster and spinach. They actually give you a selection of 3 different salts and 3 different peppers... kind of fun. The French Toast was good also.

They gave us late checkout until 3pm, but I had to ask in specific about the Diamond benefit for this to the desk clerk, who said she was a trainee and had to check with someone else. At first, she wanted to charge for anything later than 2pm. She quickly corrected herself though. Overall, the staff seemed to be friendly, though quite serious. It is really an impressive hotel- I think that it's the kind of place you can get anything you want... for the right price.

gohorns

I just completed a three night FFN stay this weekend - Thursday to Sunday. Before I even went to the property, I was pretty happy with them because they didn't have FFN stays available from Friday and Saturday evening. One of the reservation ladies made an exception and created availability for me. When I called back to verify, the Gold Passport CSR was in complete awe. She was like "Whoa!! I have NEVER seen that before at this property. You owe her (the reservation person) a box of chocolates!" So I was very appreciative even before I got there. Overall, I had a great experience.. from the moment I stepped out of the cab until the moment I stepped back into a cab taking me to O'Hare. I thought the doormen were excellent, and I got excellent recommendations from the concierge for dinner on Friday. I was going to dinner with a colleague who lived in the area, and he had never been there and was equally thrilled. I chose the champagne because of all the feedback here, and breakfast at the NoMi was great too. Everything ended up being comp'ed. Although, I will admit I am a little confused as to how they work all that. I was initially told that the free continental breakfast would only comp $19 off something from the menu. I was on the 13th floor and had a view of the water tower/michigan avenue. The rooms were nice. It's definitely not as nice as the Park Hyatt Seoul. The only other Park Hyatt property I've been to. I liked the bathroom and the bathroom products. The location is great as well. Also, I did NOT have to ask for my diamond amenity. The guest host got my card immediately upon check-in.

superbobx2

Forgot to mention, I tried checking in with 1-800-CHECKIN and was told that the Park Hyatt Chicago does not participate in it [anymore]. I guess maybe they had too many mishaps with room assignments before, from reading the reports, and they decided to give it up.

HUGE AL

I'm glad to see the champagne has returned! ^

wizzy

From Chicago Magazine:

NoMI, More Homey
We heard the winds of change were blowing through NoMI (Park Hyatt Chicago, 800 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-239-4030), so we gave chef Christophe David a call. “Next year the hotel plans a renovation in the rooms,” David says. “Then the dining room and kitchen of NoMI will follow.” David expects the patio/terrace to be enlarged and given covered seating, and the kitchen opened up considerably. And the food? “We are getting a beautiful handmade stove from France and a plancha [think Japanese teppanyaki], so we will bring some new things to the menu,” he says. “The pastry area will look like a pastry shop with a display for the petits fours, and bread will be baked in front of everybody and kept warm.”

Y'z

It's exciting news. Please keep posting regarding the renovation. I would like to know when it will be complete.

blort

Exciting news indeed. I last stayed at the PH Chicago in April 2008 and the room was looking a bit tired -- definitely could have used some new carpeting.

I guess this means the Trinitron tube televisions are here to stay for another year though.

SanDiego1K

We've just had another excellent FFN redemption at this hotel. We took the train in from OHare for $2 apiece. The Chicago Station on the Red Line is an easy two block walk from the hotel. We like the location of the hotel very much with its access to good restaurants and shops.

We arrived at noon on a busy weekend, and no king bedded rooms were available. That was fine, as we had a lunch obligation and just needed to drop our bags off. Our check in information was taken, and we were promised a call when a room was ready. We got it at 3pm.

We were given an xx04 room with a superb view over the Water Tower and out to the lake. The toiletries were the same brand as past visits, but much larger bottles. We had a bowl of 3 apples in the room, and 2 Voss water bottles. We chose the upgraded breakfast as our amenity, as well as their cheese plate and Perrier. Technically, we were only entitled to the upgraded breakfast or the food/beverage (or 1000 points), but the front desk agent volunteered the extra to us. It was much appreciated. Our cheese plate was already in the room, and our luggage was delivered quickly.

The hotel has complimentary wireless, which is great. You can use it anywhere in the room, without needing to be tethered to a cord. There are also computers free for use off the lobby.

We always enjoy the lobster eggs benedict for breakfast. We also like the high qualify loose leaf tea. We had an ala carte breakfast, $25 for the eggs benedict, $7 for fresh squeezed OJ, and $6 for tea plus tax and tip. I anticipated needing to pay something, but the entire breakfast was comped. Further, on checking out, the agent insisted on comping a cup of cappucino my husband had in the bar the prior night.

Staff really went above and beyond to make us feel as though we were favored guests. We will definitely be back.

cxw44

We recently stayed at the Park Hyatt Chicago and for the most part we had a wonderful stay. Due to all the snow our flight was canceled and we had to drive, so parking near the hotel is expensive. The least expensive place we found is on E. Chestnut, and it is $25 per 24 hours (outdoor parking +$5 for Trucks/Vans, but they did not charge and extra $5 for my SUV.) This is about 3 blocks to the hotel, but beats the $44 per day charge at the hotel. Once we got into the hotel, we must have looked a little shabby from walking in the snow, and the (what appeared to be a) security guard asked "Can we help you with something?" as if we were out of place. After we proceeded to check in, the staff was wonderful. The staff helped with picking a restaurant, giving directions, and the complimentary house car was excellent. The driver was very friendly, and was ready about 15 minutes early, which was perfect for us.

They gave us a great corner room (1417) that had an awesome lake view. The bed was comfortable, and the window seat was great for taking in the view. A few things, however, are the carpet, outdated TV, and ugly granite tiles. The carpet needs to be replaced as the seams are very visible after 8 years. The dark granite tile in the entryway and bathrooms is just unflattering and doesn't have the luxurious feel that I like. The TV is a flat screen (not flat panel) and looks pretty cheap compared to the 42" plasmas at Hyatt Place's. The bad news is due to the lack of bookings in the upcoming months, the hotel had to put the renovations they had planned on hold. The driver of the house car informed us that they don't know when they will consider resuming the renovation plans, but he said not until the economy makes a significant turn and bookings pick up. Another thing to be aware of, the hotel said they stopped giving amenity cards to Diamonds in an effort to "be more green", but when we asked for our amenity they were very happy to provide both a decent bottle of champagne and a half dozen macaroons.

Overall the hotel was very clean, friendly staff, and in a superb location!