Hyatt Place

CHICAGO -- Inspired by the changing landscape of contemporary, multi-tasking business travelers, Global Hyatt Corporation today unveiled Hyatt Place™, an innovative hotel concept with a strong appeal to a newly identified target audience who has successfully adapted to today’s “24/7 lifestyle.” This group of travelers shares a mindset and way of life that revolves around seamlessly merging personal and professional activities. Hyatt Place, designed to meet the needs of a new customer segment, caters to this seismic shift in lifestyle and offers travelers a balanced mix of comfortable and functional guestroom amenities such as: 42-inch high-definition televisions with next generation entertainment content; free Wi-Fi access; a comfortable, eight-foot sectional sofa-sleeper, all within an oversized, suite-like room with 20 percent more space than the average hotel room.

Hyatt Place is a new kind of hotel that is different from, yet complementary to, Hyatt’s full-service brands. The new concept was based in part on the findings of extensive consumer research commissioned by Hyatt(a) that uncovered the demands of a new breed of sophisticated travelers who intermingle their professional and personal lives. The study shows more than 90 percent of traveling respondents surveyed said they do not separate their lives into personal or professional silos because their work and leisure time overlap. However, while this audience has adapted to an integrated life by combining their personal and professional lives into one, only 10 percent of study respondents were able to find a hotel that gives them what they want.

This emerging lifestyle trend inspired Hyatt Place to create an environment to foster guests’ productivity, relaxation and fulfillment with an emphasis on stylish design, innovative services and comfortable amenities that people find in their everyday lives.

“Hyatt Place is the first hotel of its kind to cater to both the functional and emotional aspects of today’s business and leisure travelers,” said Tom O’Toole, senior vice president of strategy and systems, Global Hyatt Corporation. “For many, the separation between professional and personal life is obsolete, but unfortunately, hotels have not successfully evolved with this trend – until now. Demonstrating that we know what matters most to our guests, we’ve created a hotel brand defined by a mindset of a whole person who is combining personal fulfillment with professional growth while traveling.”

Additional findings from the study include:

  • Half of the respondents are simultaneously engaging in personal and professional activities. When working at home, 71 percent also watch TV, 53 percent listen to music and 59 percent use the Internet.
  • 46 percent of all respondents said they have more time to themselves when they travel for business, jumping to 57 percent among those who have children.
  • More than 40 percent said they would forego sex, coffee or use of their cell phone in exchange for a good night’s sleep on the road.

To stress the importance of going beyond professional efficiency and creating a guest experience that also encourages personal nurturing, Hyatt Place sought the expertise of Daniel Pink, an award-winning author and business trends enthusiast.

"Business people in general, and business travelers in particular, lead blended lives,” said Pink. “They're constantly toggling between the personal and the professional. Hyatt Place has identified a gap in the marketplace and developed a product that brings the two worlds together, that's in synch with how people really work and live. This is a hotel, an experience and a brand for both sides of the brain."

Pink, a leading business thinker and bestselling author of A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation, uncovers that the future belongs to those who adopt a whole new way of thinking about professional achievements and personal fulfillment. According to his fundamental philosophy and illustrated by his ongoing research, success will come to people and companies who seamlessly mix business and pleasure.

Expanding at an unprecedented pace, Hyatt Place already has hotels open in and around Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Cincinnati, San Antonio, Louisville and Nashville. An impressive 120 hotels will be up and running by December 2007. Those locations include: Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Detroit, in addition to other key business and leisure markets throughout the country.

Hyatt Place offers distinctive architecture with stylish furnishings that create an atmosphere of casual hospitality. Every Hyatt Place hotel will feature a wide range of new services and amenities to help guests seamlessly continue their everyday lives. Similar to what travelers might experience at home, guests can take advantage of free Wi-Fi access, stretch out on the eight-foot Cozy Corner sofa-sleeper or work at an oversized desk in an ergonomic chair.

They can also catch the evening news, the big game or the latest feature movies on the 42-inch flat panel, high-definition television offering 11 channels of high-definition programming in addition to an already impressive channel selection. Hyatt Place guests will also have access to Hotel SportsNetSM service, which includes NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ and NBA LEAGUE PASSSM as well as other professional and college sports programming. Hyatt Place guests can stay connected through the innovative Hyatt Plug Panel™, which allows guests to connect their own entertainment media to the high-definition TV, including laptops, MP3 players, DVD players or any other portable device. The signature Hyatt Grand Bed™ also ensures guests can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep in the bedroom area.

Hyatt Place hotels also feature the Gallery, an innovative welcoming arrival area where guests are personally greeted by the Gallery Host who assists guests with everything from check-in to providing personal tours of the hotel.

In the Gallery, guests will also find a self-registration kiosk, an intimate coffee and wine café and bakery, free Wi-Fi, a TV den and an e-room with free access to a public computer and printer. Guests at Hyatt Place may purchase signature hot breakfast entrées along with Starbucks® specialty coffees or enjoy a free continental breakfast. Hyatt Place also offers a variety of freshly prepared, café quality items, including made-to-order entrées, sandwiches, soups, salads and pizza which guests can order 24 hours a day, seven days a week via a touch screen menu in the Guest Kitchen or from the Gallery Host.

To help guests stay physically and mentally productive, they can also utilize the hotel’s swimming pool or StayFit@Hyatt gym featuring state-of-the-art Life Fitness® equipment.

With the introduction of Hyatt Place, Global Hyatt Corporation is not only integrating the new brand into its rapidly growing portfolio of properties, but is also offering Hyatt Gold Passport members more opportunities than ever before to earn points and redeem rewards. Gold Passport members can now earn free nights, credit toward elite status and enjoy in-hotel tier benefits at all Hyatt brand locations worldwide, including Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Resorts®, Hyatt® and now, Hyatt Place™ and Hyatt Summerfield Suites®.

(a) Sterling Brands conducted a quantitative online study among 400 American travelers, ages 25-55, who stayed in hotels 3+ times in the past 12 months. The survey was conducted between December 12-15, 2006.

About Hyatt Place

Hyatt Place, a new kind of Hyatt for today’s relaxed lifestyle, combines The Hyatt Touch® with stylish design, purposeful amenities and forward-thinking technology. Catering to today’s discerning travelers, 120 Hyatt Place hotels are to open across the U.S. by the end of 2007. Hyatt Place is a newly developed brand of Global Hyatt Corporation. For Hyatt Place information or to make a reservation, call 1-888-HYATT-HP (888-492-8847) or visit . From the U.S. and Canada, reservations for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts worldwide may be obtained by calling 1-800-233-1234 or logging onto

About Global Hyatt Corporation

Global Hyatt Corporation, one of the world’s premier hotel companies, offers today’s travelers over 735 hotels and resorts (over 136,000 rooms) in more than 44 countries. The company’s affiliates own, operate, manage and franchise Hyatt branded hotels and resorts under the Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Resorts®, Hyatt®, Hyatt Place™ and Hyatt Summerfield Suites® brands. Global Hyatt Corporation is also the owner of Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc. operator of the Hyatt Vacation Club and fractional residential properties and U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc., which franchises Hawthorn Suites and Microtel Inns and Suites.

From the U.S. and Canada, reservations for any Hyatt hotel worldwide may be obtained by calling 1-800-233-1234 or logging onto .

About Sterling Brands

Sterling Brands is a leading, independently owned marketing and brand consultancy, specializing in consumer research, brand strategy and graphic design. Sterling acts as a catalyst to help clients such as PepsiCo, MTV Networks, Microsoft and Nike understand their consumers, stimulate their brands and create real impact in the marketplace. Sterling is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and London.

Amy Patti
Public Relations Manager, Select Brand
312-780-5620
Hyatt