Review: Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago – A Wonderful, Big City Redemption

Let me start this review by apologizing. For various reasons, I actually accomplished my short stay here without ever taking photos! So, I am using the photos from the hotel site to show what I am talking about. My words will just have to work for this one!

Review: Hyatt Centric Chicago (The Loop

Last year, Hyatt introduce the Hyatt Centric brand. It is what they refer to as one of their “Lifestyle” brands. Centric hotels are described by Hyatt as “Unique hotels for unique travelers.” This was my first time at one of these hotels and the stay took place at the Hyatt Centric Chicago.

Location

The Hyatt Centric Chicago is located in the area of downtown called The Loop. It is the central business district of Chicago. This comes in very handy if you are in town on business as the huge businesses that have offices in Chicago are likely to be within walking distance of you. The downside is that many of the nearby restaurant/cafe establishments close with the normal business hours so you may have to go a little further if you want to grab a bite outside of the hotel in the evening.

Getting There

There are plenty of ways to get around from here but realize that since Chicago is a big city, the traffic can be very difficult! If you can avoid driving a vehicle, you will be better of!

Check this page to see the various nearby public transportation spots and distances.

If you do bring a car, there is only valet parking at the hotel and it costs $65 per day (but comes with in/out privileges). If you want to go cheaper, there are parking garages all around the area, some open 24 hours. If you park for 12-24 hours, the rate everywhere I saw was $42. If you can be out before 4AM, it is only $16. So, yes, it will cost you to park around here!

Hotel Entrance/Check-In

The entrance is easy to see and the lobby is very clean and well-laid out. There were 2 stations for representatives and I was the only one checking in at the time so it went quickly.

They thanked me for being a Diamond member and I chose the points for my Diamond amenity (at most Hyatt brands, Diamond members receive their choice of a local food/beverage amenity or 1,000 Hyatt points). They gave me a room on the 21st floor.

The Lounge

The restaurant is just off to the right with a lounge area in there as well. The hotel has a open lounge that is complimentary for all guests on the 3rd floor. It has a sitting area if you wish to stay in there for a bit.

It is open until 10PM and has assorted soft drinks and coffee beverages as well as many small snacks and fruit. Since it is complimentary for all guests, they gave me a voucher for breakfast in the morning in the restaurant (since Diamonds receive free breakfast with the absence of a lounge – since this lounge was for all, Diamond members still receive free breakfast at the restaurant).

The Room

The elevators are located behind the wall that the check-in desk is located at. From there, you will need you room key card in order to access the floor selection button.

Our room was located in a mini entrance way with its own door to the rest of the hallway. In this area, there are only 3 rooms.

There are three main room types at the Hyatt Centric Chicago. They are:

• Standard Rooms – 300 – 315 square feet available with either one king, one queen, or two queen beds.
• Deluxe Rooms – 360 – 481 square feet located in the corners of the hotel. They are available with one king bed or two queen beds.
• Suites – 668 – 1,206 square feet also located in the corners. They come equipped with separate seating and dining areas and a single king bed.

My room was a Standard Room. I am not sure how they categorize the room availability for Diamond members so was curious to see which room I would be assigned. I am not sure if they give the higher floor rooms to Diamonds and count that as an upgrade or not. It did not bother me one way or another as the room was large enough for sure! Don’t take my comment on this that I was upset in any way! It is just an observation! 🙂

When staying in big cities, my expectations for room sizes are always tempered a bit given the premium on space. But, the Hyatt Centric Chicago did not disappoint me as there was plenty of room.

When you enter the room, there is a closet to your right directly across from the sliding door that reveals the bathroom. Continuing down the mini hallway, you have the bed on your left and a long surface that is good for some kinds of work but mostly for decoration. It is not deep enough to really let you get much done on it. But, there is a round table and chairs nearby that works for a workspace so you really do have what you need.

The decorations and design of the room was simple yet sharp. I heard some describe it as somewhat “sterile” but I liked the clean, bright look. The television was a large flat screen mounted above the white desk-like surface/shelf.

The windows showed a nice view of Chicago, which was a little discouraging as it was raining just about the entire time. But, with a clear day, I imagine the view from this high floor would have been excellent.

Again, when it comes to beds, I am pretty easy going. This one was just fine for me and I slept very well in it – no complaints! The pillows worked perfectly for me as well. There is a night stand on each side of the bed with a reading light also coming from the top of the bed on each side. Outlets were plentiful (always something I appreciate!) so it was no problem to get everything I needed charged before leaving the next day.

The Bathroom

As I said, the bathroom is across from the closets when you enter. It is actually enclosed behind a sliding door with a sink in the middle. On the left side is the toilet behind a glass door/wall and on the right side is a shower, also behind a glass door/wall.

I was a bit disappointed with no tub as that is one of the things I appreciate in hotels, but the shower was good enough and hot enough (especially after being out in the rain) that I was just fine.

Breakfast

As I said, Diamond members receive vouchers for breakfast. When we went down in the morning, it was a bit towards the busy time but there was still plenty of seating. I was surprised that the prices and portions were very reasonable for a big city like Chicago.

I ordered an omelette and it was large enough that I had trouble finishing the whole thing! It was served in its own hot skillet fresh of the burner, which was a nice touch (just don’t actually touch it!). I also had a side of fresh fruit which was also perfect.

Unlike some other Hyatt hotels, the tip is not covered by the Diamond breakfast (some other properties, the tip is just wiped off your bill like the breakfast). That was not a big deal since it was a free breakfast, after all!

Staying There

The reason I said this a wonderful, big city redemption is a result of it being a Category 4. That puts it at the high end of the categories that you can use your Hyatt annual free night at. This is what I did and it makes that anniversary night really obtain a lot of value as the regular rates at the time were just around $300 for the night.

If you want to stay on all points, it will require 15,000 points per night. A Points+Cash reservation (which counts for promos and elite credit as well as being valid for a Diamond Suite Upgrade certificate) will cost you the standard 7,500 points and $100 per night.

Summary

All in all, I felt this was a great use of my free night certificate. It was in a convenient location for my short time in Chicago as both of my meetings were within walking distance from the hotel. However, the parking fees were a bit more than I would have liked, but that is certainly not the hotel’s fault! It is just a byproduct of the hotel being in such a prime location.

All the other hotel chains have some of their higher-end brands in the immediate area as well if you would rather use some other points. But, I thought my first Hyatt Centric experience was a great one and it certainly introduced the brand to me in a very good light.