Park Hyatt Chicago REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Feb 13, 2009, 5:36 pm
#121
Join Date: Oct 2007
Programs: WN A-List, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 60
Wow! I just got back from a quick Valentine's 2-day 1 night stay at the Park Hyatt with my wife, and this is hotel was amazing in our view. At least once a year, we do something like this downtown. In the past, we've stayed at the Westin on Michigan Avenue, the Intercontinental, and the Hyatt Regency, and this hotel is, in our view, at least a notch above all of those when looking for a romantic getaway.
cwillyg
cwillyg
Feb 14, 2009, 6:59 am
#122
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: On the road, 24/7/365
Posts: 3,467
Wow! I just got back from a quick Valentine's 2-day 1 night stay at the Park Hyatt with my wife, and this is hotel was amazing in our view. At least once a year, we do something like this downtown. In the past, we've stayed at the Westin on Michigan Avenue, the Intercontinental, and the Hyatt Regency, and this hotel is, in our view, at least a notch above all of those when looking for a romantic getaway.
cwillyg
cwillyg
Still, it beats some airport location Day's Inn!
I'm not a shopper/restaunt-eater, so the appeals of Michigan Ave are lost on me. But the location is still great. And, surprise to me, free wireless internet access.
Feb 14, 2009, 8:01 pm
#123
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 812
My friends stayed here using FFN, and were able to upgrade to a one bedroom Gold Coast Suite for an additional $100/night. They were very happy to be able to pay for the upgrade, and of course the hotel gets additional revenue for a room that would have remained empty. This hotel also doesn't participate in the 6000 points for a suite upgrade program, or allow point redemption for a suite, supposedly due to the small # of suites that they have, so this was a great way to obtain a suite at this hotel.
Mar 2, 2009, 10:21 pm
#126
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: MKE
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Plat Pro, MR LTP, others from cards
Posts: 890
Two Feb stays on FFNs, total 3 nights.
Generally pleased. Service was great -- polite and helpful, good concierge, speedy crib delivery on request. The crib had a blanket and a little sampler pack of baby products. I saw no signs of wear anywhere in the lobby or the room. The lobby does have the real Park Hyatt feel.
Got a 16th floor room, with a view to the west (i.e. not the lake, not downtown, not the park -- the worst side). Nice bathroom. The TV was a CRT, but high end as was the stereo and the DVD player. I was given a late checkout on request. Housekeeping did a very thorough job tidying. The signature PH Blaise Mautin toiletries now in room, contrary to earlier practice of Davies Gate. I didn't like this scent particularly.
Lunch in the restaurant was excellent, although as it was restaurant week we did have to come back for a table. Cocktails not cheap ($14) but well made and strong.
The pool is also excellent. Empty, good temperature, attractive. Nice steam room. Davies Gate is gone from the rooms, but still in the locker room.
The parking at nearby indoor garages just N on Rush (attached to a mall) and NW on Chestnut is $34 a night.
Here's a hint: they serve free coffee and very nice tea in little cloth teabags in the sitting area next to the lobby. It's officially until 10am but was still there later. But it's hidden behind a wooden wall right next to the concierge desk, so is very easy to miss unless you know it is there.
Gripes? For the price none. It really is a cut above any of the other urban Hyatts I've been to in the US and we left very happy. But if I was paying I'd be annoyed that the DVD player wasn't usable on the first stay, while on the second one the candles and matches were missing from the bathroom. Also they're being cheap to platinums: I thought about redeeming the Platinum Extras coupon for the "food and beverage ammenity" option to get the diamond ammenity but was told that all it would actually get me was a macaroon plate without any drink (and specifically without the champagne praised earlier in this thread). Not really "food AND beverage". Also as the hotel seemed empty they could probably have given us a view if they wanted. Turndown happened but no mints or chocolate. Saturdays appeared to be blocked out from FFN redemption. On one stay they confirmed at checkin my newspaper preference on file for the NY Times, which was great service except that they delivered the WSJ. Finally I had points for one night debited and had to call GP customer service to fix this even though I had booked it online as a FFN.
Generally pleased. Service was great -- polite and helpful, good concierge, speedy crib delivery on request. The crib had a blanket and a little sampler pack of baby products. I saw no signs of wear anywhere in the lobby or the room. The lobby does have the real Park Hyatt feel.
Got a 16th floor room, with a view to the west (i.e. not the lake, not downtown, not the park -- the worst side). Nice bathroom. The TV was a CRT, but high end as was the stereo and the DVD player. I was given a late checkout on request. Housekeeping did a very thorough job tidying. The signature PH Blaise Mautin toiletries now in room, contrary to earlier practice of Davies Gate. I didn't like this scent particularly.
Lunch in the restaurant was excellent, although as it was restaurant week we did have to come back for a table. Cocktails not cheap ($14) but well made and strong.
The pool is also excellent. Empty, good temperature, attractive. Nice steam room. Davies Gate is gone from the rooms, but still in the locker room.
The parking at nearby indoor garages just N on Rush (attached to a mall) and NW on Chestnut is $34 a night.
Here's a hint: they serve free coffee and very nice tea in little cloth teabags in the sitting area next to the lobby. It's officially until 10am but was still there later. But it's hidden behind a wooden wall right next to the concierge desk, so is very easy to miss unless you know it is there.
Gripes? For the price none. It really is a cut above any of the other urban Hyatts I've been to in the US and we left very happy. But if I was paying I'd be annoyed that the DVD player wasn't usable on the first stay, while on the second one the candles and matches were missing from the bathroom. Also they're being cheap to platinums: I thought about redeeming the Platinum Extras coupon for the "food and beverage ammenity" option to get the diamond ammenity but was told that all it would actually get me was a macaroon plate without any drink (and specifically without the champagne praised earlier in this thread). Not really "food AND beverage". Also as the hotel seemed empty they could probably have given us a view if they wanted. Turndown happened but no mints or chocolate. Saturdays appeared to be blocked out from FFN redemption. On one stay they confirmed at checkin my newspaper preference on file for the NY Times, which was great service except that they delivered the WSJ. Finally I had points for one night debited and had to call GP customer service to fix this even though I had booked it online as a FFN.
Last edited by ENIAC; Mar 2, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Mar 2, 2009, 10:39 pm
#127
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,531
Also they're being cheap to platinums: I thought about redeeming the Platinum Extras coupon for the "food and beverage ammenity" option to get the diamond ammenity but was told that all it would actually get me was a macaroon plate without any drink (and specifically without the champagne praised earlier in this thread). Not really "food AND beverage".
Mar 2, 2009, 10:49 pm
#128
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: MKE
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Plat Pro, MR LTP, others from cards
Posts: 890
Yeah. I'd always assumed that if I ever actually used one of those things for the food and drink ammenity it would get me the same ammenity options I used to get as a diamond. But apparently not.
Mar 3, 2009, 12:36 pm
#129
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DCA ZWU
Programs: AGR WOH
Posts: 1,785
I was amused to find out that this hotel has bicycles to lend to guests. Now, they weren't in high demand in February (and I imagine they're somewhat better maintained in the summer), but they were serviceable. Do make sure you have the right lock/key combo before leaving.
You can go 6-7 blocks away and park for $12/day. I should note that you'll go past the Cabrini housing project along the way, but it's been entirely surrounded by upscale condos. Also, during the evening it is easy to hail a cab from the parking garage (or at least the restaurants across the street from the garage) back to the hotel.
Last edited by paytonc; Mar 27, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Mar 27, 2009, 8:44 pm
#130
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Illinois USA. AA EXPLT 3MM, HHonors Gold, Hyatt Diamond, IHG Plat Royal Ambassador
Posts: 73
March 21st, 2009
My partner (diamond) and I (gold) used my last FFN night for a quick spring getaway last weekend. First plus...the FFN was to have expired Feb 28, but Hyatt was kind enough to extend it a couple weeks for us.
Second plus, my partner called the morning of arrival to request an upgrade as it was our anniversary. The desk staff couldn't promise anything, but said to mention the request again upon check-in. We did, (very pleasant, international/multi-lingual reception staff, by the way) and were happily upgraded to a corner room (1617). King bed, lake view. Amenity package included a bottle of champagne (Roederer Estate) and free breakfast for two in NoMi.
Downsides...the room decor is starting to appear dated and show some wear. The protruding wall mounted entertaiment area with its bulky, aged CRT television make the space at the foot of the bed feel a bit cramped. The wall next to the night stand was gouged. The street noise was surprisingly loud for 16 stories up, (sirens from Michigan Avenue were frequent and prominent through the night.), The pillows were rather flat and uncomfortable. The bathroom was spacious, though. We did not take advantage of the workout room, pool, or spa.
There was a small mix-up with the house car which we'd reserved to take us to dinner. Either they double booked our departure time, or somebody 'stole' our ride. In either case we waited 15-20 minutes for the car. We still made dinner on time. In the grand scheme of things it's nothing to stress over, but I'm a fan of punctuality...and things being available when promised.
Breakfast at NoMi was just ok. We'd asked if the free breakfast might also apply to brunch...more because we were hoping sleep late and wake up slowly, and breakfast ends at 10:30. Nope. 'Free breakfast' means 'free breakfast.' Breakfast is fairly basic, albeit pricey at $26 per person off the menu. Brunch is twice the price. There were fewer tables than I expected in the restaurant and only half of them were occupied. The waiter, though, still needed to ask us to remind him of a detail about our order, and my partner's food was delivered to a neighboring table prior to finding its way to us.
We charged the meal to the room, having been told that it would be comped at checkout. That almost didn't happen. There had been no note put into the system that our breakfast was part of an amenity upgrade. There was no problem, though, correcting the oversight. What was annoying was that NoMi double charged for the tip: they charged the summed total of what we signed to the room, which included the tip, PLUS the tip itself. We'll leave it up to the hotel management to check into that.
All in all, it wasn't the stay of a lifetime, but we'd give the property another chance. The staff was friendly and helpful, and we celebrated our anniversary on the first weekend of spring in a free room with free champagne and free breakfast in a high-end restaurant. From that perspetive, it didn't suck at all.
Second plus, my partner called the morning of arrival to request an upgrade as it was our anniversary. The desk staff couldn't promise anything, but said to mention the request again upon check-in. We did, (very pleasant, international/multi-lingual reception staff, by the way) and were happily upgraded to a corner room (1617). King bed, lake view. Amenity package included a bottle of champagne (Roederer Estate) and free breakfast for two in NoMi.
Downsides...the room decor is starting to appear dated and show some wear. The protruding wall mounted entertaiment area with its bulky, aged CRT television make the space at the foot of the bed feel a bit cramped. The wall next to the night stand was gouged. The street noise was surprisingly loud for 16 stories up, (sirens from Michigan Avenue were frequent and prominent through the night.), The pillows were rather flat and uncomfortable. The bathroom was spacious, though. We did not take advantage of the workout room, pool, or spa.
There was a small mix-up with the house car which we'd reserved to take us to dinner. Either they double booked our departure time, or somebody 'stole' our ride. In either case we waited 15-20 minutes for the car. We still made dinner on time. In the grand scheme of things it's nothing to stress over, but I'm a fan of punctuality...and things being available when promised.
Breakfast at NoMi was just ok. We'd asked if the free breakfast might also apply to brunch...more because we were hoping sleep late and wake up slowly, and breakfast ends at 10:30. Nope. 'Free breakfast' means 'free breakfast.' Breakfast is fairly basic, albeit pricey at $26 per person off the menu. Brunch is twice the price. There were fewer tables than I expected in the restaurant and only half of them were occupied. The waiter, though, still needed to ask us to remind him of a detail about our order, and my partner's food was delivered to a neighboring table prior to finding its way to us.
We charged the meal to the room, having been told that it would be comped at checkout. That almost didn't happen. There had been no note put into the system that our breakfast was part of an amenity upgrade. There was no problem, though, correcting the oversight. What was annoying was that NoMi double charged for the tip: they charged the summed total of what we signed to the room, which included the tip, PLUS the tip itself. We'll leave it up to the hotel management to check into that.
All in all, it wasn't the stay of a lifetime, but we'd give the property another chance. The staff was friendly and helpful, and we celebrated our anniversary on the first weekend of spring in a free room with free champagne and free breakfast in a high-end restaurant. From that perspetive, it didn't suck at all.
Mar 29, 2009, 9:25 pm
#131
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 4,843
Had another great stay here the weekend before St. Patty's day. In my opinion, this is one of the best Hyatts at which to spend a few FFNs. On this stay we received a corner room up on 15 or 16 and had a nice view of the lake. However, it looks like the corner rooms are a little smaller than the center rooms, at least the center rooms facing the lake. The last time we stayed here, also on FFNs, we received a nice center room with sliding doors/windows by the bathtub so you could open those and look out at the water tower. The corner room did not have that.
This hotel also has to have one of the best diamond amenities in the chain. The champagne and cheese plate were fantastic.
This hotel also has to have one of the best diamond amenities in the chain. The champagne and cheese plate were fantastic.
Mar 30, 2009, 5:25 am
#132
Join Date: Aug 2006
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, SPG gold,Marriott silver, AA, UA, Delta
Posts: 162
I totally agree with johnep1 review. Further, unlike GW7Z, we love the Diamond breakfast buffet, which offers only cold foods- very similar to Paris Vendome and PH Milan and of a similar high quality. First rate ham, salmon with the trimmings(request the creme fraiche), cheese, museli, yogurt, numerous fresh fruits, wonderful bakery(pain au chocolat and amazing little hard rolls).
We love the bed linens, health club, pool and jacuzzi. We live in Chicago and come to Park just to relax and pamper ourselves. It should be noted that with only 99? or so rooms, they don't have the same suite upgrade flexibility as larger Hyatts. Service is impecable!
I do agree with GW7Z that the decorating needs updating and I know management has designed several new room schemes, but I don't know the timetable for remodeling.
P.S. Diamonds can forgo the amenity upon arrival and opt instead for the full hot breakfast(which still includes the above described cold buffet). However exersizing this otion gives you too much food at breakfast and not enough Sparkling wine and cheese upon arrival.
We love the bed linens, health club, pool and jacuzzi. We live in Chicago and come to Park just to relax and pamper ourselves. It should be noted that with only 99? or so rooms, they don't have the same suite upgrade flexibility as larger Hyatts. Service is impecable!
I do agree with GW7Z that the decorating needs updating and I know management has designed several new room schemes, but I don't know the timetable for remodeling.
P.S. Diamonds can forgo the amenity upon arrival and opt instead for the full hot breakfast(which still includes the above described cold buffet). However exersizing this otion gives you too much food at breakfast and not enough Sparkling wine and cheese upon arrival.
Last edited by jim87; Mar 30, 2009 at 5:27 am Reason: word omission
Apr 10, 2009, 5:51 pm
#133
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
PH has redeemed itself.
My last stay here was not glowing. Using some of my last nights from the previous promotion for two nights. I called this morning since I was coming in with my nephew for a weekend in Chicago. Asked for two beds and a upgrade if possible.
We bought two passes for 3 days at the Rosemont station (long story related to SPG) and took the CTA into Chicago. Got off at the stop before Washington which may have been Clark. From the station took a cab. Less than $10 to PH.
Upon arrival at front desk greeted warmly and given nice room with two beds facing Water Tower and Lake. Room xx7. Nice and perfect. I was going to pay for a upgrade but this works perfect for us. I was told as a Diamond with the new benefits introduced our full breakfast each morning would be comp.. I was also offered an amenity for 2500 points. Now that part did not make total sense but that was the offer. I took the amenity which was put together with my nephew (and me) in mind. After exploring the city some we came back to- fresh cookies, pastry, sweets, fresh cut fruit, bottle of Evian water and four bottle of soda. The room is in great shape except for a cracked toilet lid. Have no idea.
Internet both wired and wireless if comp.. We are enjoying a nice stay and I will return. Regards from the PH.
We bought two passes for 3 days at the Rosemont station (long story related to SPG) and took the CTA into Chicago. Got off at the stop before Washington which may have been Clark. From the station took a cab. Less than $10 to PH.
Upon arrival at front desk greeted warmly and given nice room with two beds facing Water Tower and Lake. Room xx7. Nice and perfect. I was going to pay for a upgrade but this works perfect for us. I was told as a Diamond with the new benefits introduced our full breakfast each morning would be comp.. I was also offered an amenity for 2500 points. Now that part did not make total sense but that was the offer. I took the amenity which was put together with my nephew (and me) in mind. After exploring the city some we came back to- fresh cookies, pastry, sweets, fresh cut fruit, bottle of Evian water and four bottle of soda. The room is in great shape except for a cracked toilet lid. Have no idea.
Internet both wired and wireless if comp.. We are enjoying a nice stay and I will return. Regards from the PH.
Apr 11, 2009, 10:03 pm
#134
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
..................I was also offered an amenity for 2500 points. Now that part did not make total sense but that was the offer. I took the amenity which was put together with my nephew (and me) in mind. After exploring the city some we came back to- fresh cookies, pastry, sweets, fresh cut fruit, bottle of Evian water and four bottle of soda.........................
Wow, 2500 pts AND all those extra amenities? That's awfully generous of them!!!!! That's about 4 amenities worth IMHO (2.5x for the pts and 1.5x for the F&B items). I wonder where they came up with 2500 pts?
On the other hand, PH Chicago has been the hotel where I've gotton my very best Diamond Amenities ever. A bottle of Perrier Jouet champers (~$40-50 in the grocery store) and NICE chocolate covered strawberries!!! ^ And that was on an FFN stay as well. ^^
Apr 12, 2009, 6:31 am
#135
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: West Coast USA
Programs: UA GS/4 MM, AA Exec Plat, Lifetime Hilton D, Hyatt G, Marriott Titanium earned Ambassador
Posts: 7,553
I called down and asked about taking breakfast in the room. Told we would have to pay some "extra" charges which I am fine with. We were given the American breakfast which arrived promptly. About to check-out and our billing for this is showing $28 and change. Will verify how they got to the that. It was worth it. A great time!