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For our 17-year wedding anniversary, we decided on a staycation in Chicago. It’s been years since we stayed at the Park Hyatt Chicago and I wanted to check out the recent renovations. The hotel is conveniently located on Michigan Avenue and puts guests close to all of the attractions and shopping that they’ll want to take in while visiting the Windy City.
Anthony’s Take: The hotel is convenient if you’re looking to head to the beach or want to check out the city’s theaters, restaurants, and shopping. Millennium Park, The Bean, The Art Institute, and Navy Pier are all nearby. The Park Hyatt occupies the 2nd through 18th floors of the Park Tower skyscraper. We booked and stayed in a Gold Coast Suite. It was spacious, comfortable, tech filled, and beautifully designed. Our view of the Water Tower was perfect and we could see the lake in the distance. This hotel is particularly friendly to Globalists and it made our anniversary special.
Booking
I booked a Premium Suite Free Night on Hyatt.com. Rates for a base-level room were around $800 with tax. I could have booked 1 King Bed for 29,000 points or a Park Suite or Water Tower Suite for 44,000 points. I splurged and booked the Gold Coast Suite for 58,000 points. You can expect a range of 21,000-29,000 per night when redeeming World of Hyatt points for free nights. The cash rate on the Gold Coast Suite was $1,287 plus tax.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
We live in the West Loop. It’s about a 10-minute drive to the hotel. We brought our car and found the valet to be fast and friendly. Parking is normally $78 overnight, but since I booked a points redemption as a Globalist, this charge was waived.
Location
The hotel is located on Michigan Avenue near tons of shopping, restaurants, the lake, and many popular tourist attractions.
Check-in
We arrived at the hotel around 4:15 PM. The suite was not ready. The manager offered to buy us a drink as he said that the suite would not be ready for another hour or so. We decided to drive the 10 minutes home and come back later. I got a call around 5:30 PM saying that our suite was ready. I asked about any potential further upgrades and was offered the Presidential Suite for an additional cost (it was selling for $4,337, but the agent said they’d offer a discount). I wasn’t interested in paying more since we already had a huge suite. We returned and the agent finished checking us in. She explained that breakfast was either in the hotel’s restaurant, Nomi, or that we could order in-room dining for up to $100 for the two of us. If you are Globalist and go with the in-room dining option, you must pay the $6 delivery fee and 19% service charge. These came to around $20 on my folio (well worth it). I forgot to ask for a late checkout, but when I called it was granted without issue (we only needed until 2:00 PM).
The lobby has multiple seating areas. I love the modern design and the amount of space.
The space to the left of the concierge and check-in desk had even more seating.
Water was available near the front door.
A plaque near the front door was dedicated to Hyatt’s founding family member, Jack Pritzker.
The elevators and hallways all feel recently refreshed.
The hallways all feature interesting modern art and photographs.
Gold Coast Suite (907)
There are 146 rooms and 36 suites at the hotel.
The room opens with a closet on the left and the half bath down the hall. The bedroom is straight ahead with a large living room on the right.
The hallway leading to the half bathroom houses a cabinet with the minibar and coffeemaker.
Drink mixes, wine, and an ice bucket were on the shelf.
The cabinet opens up to reveal a refrigerator.
The left side houses a Nespresso machine, cups, glassware, and water.
The bottom drawer houses snacks for sale as well as coffee, tea, and condiments.
The half bath is at the end of this hallway.
It’s a spacious room with a large sink.
The Toto toilet is pretty high tech with a warming seat and wash functions.
A door next to the half bath leads to another guest room. It could be connected to create a two-bedroom suite.
The art in the hallway is fun and something I’d like for home.
The living room is at the opposite end of the hall.
It has a couch, multiple tables, a TV, and a chair.
A window seat provides a great view of the Water Tower.
The hotel provided a bottle of Cava for our anniversary, which is a nice touch.
The suite offered some of the best views from the window seat.
The wall opposite the couch had a large TV.
A chair and table were near the bedroom door.
The bedroom holds a king-sized bed.
It also has another window seat with great views.
Another large TV was mounted on the wall opposite the bed.
The closet held an iron, ironing board, and hangers.
A drawer near the bed held the safe.
A tablet on the nightstand controlled some of the items in the room.
The shades and lights were all controlled by buttons throughout the suite.
The ensuite bathroom was spacious and included a double vanity, walk-in shower, bathtub, and another Toto toilet.
The shower was large with good water pressure.
The shower had a light-up mirror inside.
The standalone bathtub was a bit small, but I liked the shape from a design perspective.
A room near the tub holds the Toto toilet.
The remote on the wall controlled all of the toilet’s functions.
Toiletries are Le Labo BERGAMOTE 22 brand. Body lotion and shower gel were on the counter.
There were also two soap bars on the sink.
Large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were in the shower.
More shower gel was found near the bathtub.
The hotel sent up a bottle of red wine as an apology for the delay in our suite being ready.
Breakfast
Globalists are offered breakfast in either the hotel’s restaurant, Nomi, or via in-room dining (up to $100 total for two guests). We ordered Smoked Salmon on an Everything Bagel, a Breakfast Sandwich, pastry basket, and a side of Smoked Bacon. The order arrived in around 20 minutes. Everything was delicious, the correct temperature, and made from high-quality ingredients. We ran out and got Starbucks to go with our breakfast (it’s located two blocks away).
Public Areas & Amenities
The hotel has a fitness center, indoor pool, spa, ATM, and several office spaces in the lobby. I loved the art throughout the hotel. The two pictures above are of some of the pieces on the seventh floor.
The fitness center is a good size and has lots of modern equipment including a Peloton.
The fitness center also had a Tonal machine.
Towels and water were provided.
There were plenty of free weights and other equipment.
The fitness center has multiple treadmills.
The spa is located next door. It’s small, but has some seating and several treatment rooms.
A relaxation area featured comfy leather chairs.
We had a couple’s massage and were provided with berries and fresh pressed juice after the treatment.
The locker room was small but functional.
It houses a bathroom, showers, sinks, and a steam room.
Sinks were located near the bathroom.
Water was also provided in the locker room.
The indoor pool is located next to the spa.
An ATM is in the lobby around the corner from the check-in desk.
There are also two small office spaces near the ATM. These have computers, phones, and printers inside.
Parker, the Park Hyatt’s one-eyed pug has had run of the lobby since she was adopted in 2016.
Overall Impression:
The Park Hyatt Chicago is one of the best hotels in the city. We had a great experience and found the suite, amenities, and service all top notch. I look forward to another staycation in the future.
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